American Jonah Street has withdrawn from the 2012 Dakar Rally. Street suffered mechanical issues during the third stage of the Dakar and was forced to end his Dakar early.
"I don't really know what happened with the bike, yet," Street said. "It's something electrical for sure. It started acting up at about 220 km into the special test today, and then at about 224 km the bike died. It took me about three hours to get from that point to the 256 km mark. From there, it just kept getting worse—going only a tenth of a kilometer at times and waiting sometimes for 15 minutes to get it fired again. At 256 km there was a turn where I could go into the village where the finish line was for the day or I could turn and go through the sand dunes to attempt to finish the stage. I knew the bike wouldn't make it through the dunes so, unfortunately, the Dakar rally ended for me right there."
Street has competed in the Dakar six times and was America's best chance at a top 10 finish. Unfortunately, Street won't be able to place America in the top 10 this year and as for the 2013 Dakar Rally, someone else will have to pick up the torch.
"I'm officially retiring from rally racing," Street said. "I believe now is an appropriate time to make this announcement in a positive light despite today's events. The most important reason to do this, for me, is that now is the time people are tuned into Dakar. For my supporters, sponsors, family and friends that work year-round to get the recognition they deserve, expressing my sincere gratitude now is the right thing to do."
Street, like many competitors in the Dakar, has to fight for funding year round.
"It's an endless venture to try to find the right race budget as a privateer to do Dakar right," Street said. "The budget I really need to compete is never there—never has been—and so I am generally broke all year. If I told you that fact didn't have a lot to do with my decision, I would be lying. I have a great family of supporters behind me that have made my six Dakar starts possible. The RiffRaff members are my #1 monetary sponsor each year and my friends and family are the heart of my team. Yamaha stepped up in a big way the last two years and without their help my last stage win and the start of this rally definitely wouldn't have happened. These types of efforts are above and beyond. I will never be able to fully repay or thank everyone that has made my career so spectacular. But I'll keep trying.
"If you consider the fact that I'm not 20 years old anymore and the lingering effects of injuries keep me less-than 100% every day, the reality of me competing at the highest level starts to diminish. This is a sport where you need to be 100% in all aspects: Budget, machinery, and health— the whole deal. I can't be 100% right now and running a top-position pace without being 100% is drastically unsafe.
"I've raced in 26 countries, I think. I'm one of only three Americans to win multiple stages of Dakar. I've met thousands of amazing people. I've had a ton of fun and been tremendously lucky. Yes, I'm obviously bummed about today and the way this Dakar has gone but I can honestly say that I am extremely happy with everything I've done in rally racing and the great people I've worked with. I'm not leaving anything on the table, I've worked very hard at this and can walk away content, happy and confident that the last seven years of my life have been the best any motorcyclist could ask for. I wouldn't change a thing—it's been a dream-come-true.
