Rod Faggotter – Back from Dakar and as cheerful as ever

Advrider Older Magazines
November 9, 2023

This entry is part 11 of 17 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #22

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Yamaha Dakar competitor Rod is a very down-to-Earth sort of bloke, but his riding achievements are out of this world. You might be surprised at just how much this cheerful bike-shop owner has done.

Mustering sheep and cattle in Australia’s outback must be an exceptional school for off-roaders.

Not only does it teach riders to think and act fast, it makes them tough and innovative. Rod of Centretune Motorcycles in Longreach is a good example. The 2017 Dakar didn’t launch Rod into the spotlight. He’s been there, quietly achieving, for quite a while.

Rod feels desert racing in general suits the kind of riding he does around his home in central Queensland.

AdvR: How did you get into motorcycling to start with?
RF: I grew up on a property out here in central-western Queensland which my mum and my next-oldest brother still own. It’s a sheep and cattle property, so we grew up mustering with bikes from a young age, and riding really just progressed from there. I always had an interest. We did gymkhanas in the bush, but I didn’t race until I was 19. I bought my first motocross bike – a second-hand 1992 YZ250 – when I was 18, and went out for my first race when I was 19. I raced motocross for a few years.

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