Bendigo motorcyclist Michael Burgess is less than a week away from embarking on a life-long dream.
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On Sunday he will set off from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on the first stage of the Dakar.
In the weeks leading up to the race Burgess has been hard at work preparing himself both physically and mentally on dunes throughout the Saudi capital Riyadh.
"I've ridden dunes throughout Morocco and Australia before," Burgess said from Riyadh.
"But over here, wow the dunes are big."
The Dakar is an annual motorsport rally with competitors entering the race across a range of classes which includes motorbikes, quads and cars.
Burgess will be racing in the motorbike class for Swiss-based Nomad Racing aboard a KTM 450.
He has years of experience on sand, but during pre-race preparations Burgess has been reminded of the challenges when riding through the desert.
"You really are at the mercy of needing to be ready for anything all the time," he said.
"But it's cool and extremely fun," he laughed.
Burgess arrived in Saudi almost two weeks ago which has allowed for plenty of time on two wheels.
"I've given myself exposure to the dunes which I wouldn't have got otherwise so I am happy with what I've been able to do," he said.
He is now on his way to Jeddah ahead of the first stage on Sunday.
It's going to be a few very busy days in the lead-up to the first stage with several team meetings, information sessions and scrutineering needing to be sorted before the race prologue on Saturday.
Burgess is one of four Australians who will compete in the 2021 Dakar that features 12 tough stages through the Saudi Arabian desert.
Joining Burgess (Nomad Racing) is two-time Dakar Champion Toby Price (Red Bull KTM), Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM) and Andrew Houlihan (Nomadas Adventure Coca Cola Racing Team).
The rally starts on January 3 in Jeddah and heads south towards Bisha before the riders will race through Wadi Ad-Dawasir for two days before they head north to the Saudi capital Riyadh.
It will then continue north to Buraydah and then Ha'il for a rest day on January 9.
The rally then heads further north towards the Jordanian border to Sakaka before heading back west to Neom and then south to Jeddah on January 15 via AlUla and Yanbu.
"A lot of the race will be on rocks and several wadis (dry creek beds) which we will have to follow," Burgess said.
Preparations behind the scenes are endless with Burgess doing whatever he can now to make life during the rally as smooth as possible.
"At the moment I'm going through and checking things such as equipment and also preparing daily supply packs," he said.
"Anything could happen on a day-to-day basis and I might come in late one night and if I have these packs sorted it has everything I need for the next day ready to go."
Overall, he is rested and ready to get racing.
"There's so many stories of people who didn't even finish day one let alone the whole rally," Burgess said.
Therefore, Burgess' plan for the journey is simple.
"My expectations of Dakar are the whole challenge that goes with the label 'Dakar'," he said to Motorcycling Australia
"My expectations of myself are to enjoy it, results are not a factor when it comes to the investment made with an event like Dakar.
"Riding to finish is the goal."
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