Cesar Rojo
His father, César Rojo senior, competed in trial motorcycling and was the one who passed the baton as general manager of KTM Spain to Marc Coma. That’s why César Rojo has always loved motorbikes. He had wanted to do the Dakar for years. Before that, he was involved in downhill biking, from 1996 to 2001, where he was crowned 3 times Spanish champion and finished in the Top-10 of the World Cup. Years later, he is still involved in his two passions with his company, where he is in charge of engineering KTM road bikes and bicycles. The pandemic forced him to wait until the Dakar 2023 to make his debut. He was full of enthusiasm after taking navigation lessons from his illustrious friend Jordi Viladoms and finishing in the top 15 in Rally 2 of the Rally of Morocco 2022. However, on stage 1 of the Dakar 2023 his dream turned into a nightmare: while overtaking a group of slower riders who made it difficult for him to see, he hit a hole and crashed heavily. He broke the radiuses of both arms and his collarbone. He had 20 screws and three plates put in, but three months later he was back on the bike to get back to his best, with the aim of continuing his dream on the Dakar 2024.
About me
In 2023 it was very hard that it was all over so quickly. It was very cruel. I don’t remember exactly what the fall was like either. I only know that it was pretty bad, at about 120 km/h. I knew that the Dakar could have a bitter side, but until you experience it yourself, you don’t really know what it’s like”.
“This year I will take the first days of the Dakar with a lot more patience. And if I catch someone, I’ll stay behind for a while until it’s easy to pass or they let you pass. The goal is to be patient and push a bit harder in the prologue to start from a more front position, according to my speed, so that I don’t have to overtake slower bikes on stage 1 that could hurt me”.