“ Travelling through airports is always a problem for me ,” shrugs Andrew Houlihan , whose body seems to have more metallic pieces than a T-800 Terminator .
“ My body is surprisingly good despite many major injuries ,” so was that machine portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger , and it just kept on going , as does the 51 year old KTM rider from Albury , Australia , who ’ s metallic parts include a number of titanium screws , pins , plates and replaced knees . His back and neck have both been broken , but he laughs that if he stays fit , “ it ’ s not too bad .”
Staying fit is the key , and for Houlihan it ’ s been of the highest level for well over two years when he first uttered a comment about competing in the Dakar , that off road rally often regarded as not only the toughest motorcycle event but the toughest of all sporting events .
Houlihan was already on the road to Dakar when taking part in the 2018 Hellas Rally in Greece . Impressive stage results gained attention of several rally teams , all suggesting Dakar was a possibility . It then all came to a crashing halt .
The Australian woke in a hospital with numerous fractures , punctured lungs ; a serious accident on the last day had almost taken his life , his racing career could ’ ve ended there and then . Fortunately , and despite his injuries , an invitation was handed to Houlihan from the Swiss based Nomadas Adventure rally team , they wanted Houlihan for Dakar .
Nomadas know all about adventure , having run motorcycle and adventure tours throughout Europe for over 30 years . To pick Houlihan whilst he was injured meant they saw something special ; they cared little of the lack of experience or the aging body .
Age is something that Houlihan has never considered , “ no , despite the many injuries I ’ ve had I have always kept in good shape ”, adding that he is often very competitive against much younger riders . It is impressive that a rider in his 50s can race with those young enough to be his children , perhaps his racing history has something to do with it . He was a late starter .
Having ridden small dirt bikes until the age of 15 Houlihan gave it away to play ball sports , before returning to bikes 15 years later . An old DT200 and DR200
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