Since participating in a 2004 Red Bull-sponsored Dakar Rider Search Challenge, California's Chris Blais has become one of the top "raid-rally" protagonists on the planet. His three successful attacks on the mother of all off-road races have yielded finishes that most Dakar entrants only dream of: ninth overall in '05, fourth overall in '06 and a spectacular third-place podium visit this year. Now a seasoned Dakar vet, Blais has every intention of returning to the Dark Continent for his fourth attempt in '08. But in the meantime he is maintaining the rigorous training schedule that has transformed him from just another AMA District 37 fast guy to an elite rally racer.
Looking Back
"In hindsight, it was kinda crazy how I got involved in the first place," Blais reflects now. "I think most people wouldn't have agreed to go, but my entire life was in change mode back then. I'd just quit a good job at American Honda in Torrance [California] and my wife, Patty, and I had moved all of our belongings to our new home in Apple Valley [California]. Next thing you know I'm heading off to Death Valley in the August heat to compete for a chance to ride the Dakar Rally!
"Some great racers were invited to the Dakar Rider Search Challenge, so I knew it was gonna be tough to go up against guys such as Andy Grider, Kellon Walch, Jonah Street and Kenny Bartram," Blais recalls. "Casey McCoy was there, too. He was originally selected to ride in the '04 Dakar, but he'd broken his leg testing in Tunisia and never made the rally. I thought it was cool that he was there with us and getting another chance to try out for the '05 team."
Blais continues, "The judges Scot [Harden, Red Bull/KTM U.S. Dakar team manager] brought along with him were pretty intimidating, too: Malcolm Smith, Danny LaPorte, Jimmy Lewis and Joe Barker, the team comanager. A film crew was there shooting a two-segment reality show, so not only were we trying to look good for the judges, we had to make sure we didn't do anything stupid in front of the TV cameras.
"A couple of weeks after the Death Valley challenge, Scot called to tell me that I'd made the cut and that I'd be joining him and Walch in Dakar. Needless to say, I was pretty excited," Blais says.
Soon thereafter, Blais headed south of the border to join Harden, Walch and Dakar team alternate rider Grider to contest the '04 Baja 1000 aboard a unique KTM rally department-built 710cc factory Baja machine.