When he first started riding at the tender age of nine, little did Jere Israel know that he would one day become a national motocross champion, taking home 15 titles. The Chilean rider’s superior skills would lead him to compete in the American Motorcycles Association (AMA), the world’s most important motocross competition, ranking in the top 50 at one stage. Now aged 32, the rider looks ahead to his second Dakar rally, which starts on 5 January 2014 and takes in Argentina and Bolivia before concluding in his home country.

DEPARTURES: How did you start out riding motorbikes?
Jere Israel: I started when I was nine years old when my mom and dad gave me a little Honda 50cc. We use to live outside the city of Concepción in Chile, in a house up in the woods. We had a good amount of space for me to ride and learn back then, but it was all just a fun thing to do; I never thought about racing or anything like that. As for my first time riding, it was one of those experiences I’ll never forget – that feeling of freedom was incredible.

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Ph: Motociclismo Pro