Carinthian motorcyclist Toni Mulec achieved one of the major successes of Slovenian motorsport by winning the Dakar rally in the rally 2 category in January and proved that even without the support of the factory team, he can compete more or less equally with the best endurance racers in the world with the KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica engine. During the preparations for the continuation of the season and already for Dakar 2027, the 40-year-old ace from Legno near Slovenj Gradac, who in the past few days at the test for the world championship in Argentina, showed himself with an overall 11th place and third in the rally 2 class, found time in his busy schedule for Partly business conference Sport and an interesting interview in which he talked about the backstage of his sport, the fight with richer rivals, the eternal search for financial resources and his great desire to become a world champion.
It was difficult for us to coordinate for this conversation. As you mentioned to me, you had a lot of different things to do. What are you all doing?
“Since I’m more or less alone for everything and I don’t have a mechanism behind me that works for me, I’m really full time. Of course, I was extremely happy to win the Dakar Rally, but it also brought with it a huge amount of responsibilities. Due to this success, my season continues, which means that I need much more funds, and at the same time the preparations for Dakar 2027 have already started. At the same time, I also had a race in Argentina, before which I wanted to do some training in the desert, but these plans fell through. I have to constantly adapt to different circumstances, always create new plans, look for money… This makes me all the more grateful to everyone who helps me in any way; in fact, everyone does it voluntarily.”
How many races do you have per year?
“There are five of them for the World Championship and this year – because of the excellent position in the general classification – I will try to take them all for the first time. Due to the extremely high costs, this is almost impossible or extremely difficult for me to do. Every test is a great preparation for Dakar for me.”
I have to say it is Domain Prevc an exceptional personality and an excellent promoter of Slovenian sports, not to mention his achievements.
What goals are you pursuing?
“I want to win the title of world champion, which would in many ways make my further sports journey easier. I will do everything to race him as well, although I have to admit that it is very difficult for me to compete against factory racers who have the support of many professionals in their teams. This is my handicap compared to them, but on the other hand, I have that much greater desire to prove myself or to beat them.”
Where else do you see your strengths?
“In the fact that I know how to adapt to a certain situation fairly quickly. Perhaps also in the choice of individual materials, since I am not tied to specific sponsors in regard to them.”
What is the chance that after such successes you would receive an invitation to the factory team?
“There are definitely possibilities for that, but you have to look at the bigger picture. In our sport, short-term contracts are mostly concluded, which are a double-edged sword. Once you become a factory racer, you have very little time to adapt to the bike, people… If you don’t perform as expected in that short time, you lose your seat quickly. For this reason, it is necessary to be extremely careful.”
By winning the Dakar rally in the rally 2 class, Toni Mulec achieved one of the greatest successes of Slovenian motorsport in January this year. PHOTO: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP
You must have experienced many things at the races – what was the most unusual for you?
“Interesting question. A lot of things have happened to me, but the biggest impression on me was the mutual collegiality, which is perhaps not so present in other sports. We should also maintain this – not only in races, but in life in general.”
How about some close encounters? Miran Stanovnik collided with a cow years ago…
“I ran into a camel once during training. When I jumped over the dune, she suddenly appeared in front of me, so I could no longer avoid her.”
What were the consequences?
“The best possible for both of us, because we took her away without any injuries. The worst part was my motorcycle. At the race in Argentina, after falling, I landed directly in a cactus. Fortunately, I was able to continue the test.”
Injuries are an integral part of racing. What was the worst you’ve ever run into?
“My worst injury was two years ago, when just two months before the start of the Dakar, I had a nasty fall due to a motorcycle failure and suffered eleven fractures in six different places. That’s when it all got pretty complicated.”
How do you eat during exams?
“We eat what the organizers prepare for us. We have breakfast in the morning, and we get lunch if we return to our destination on time. In most cases, we don’t catch it, so all that’s left is dinner. After it, we start chasing sleep, which is extremely important because of the short nights. It is quite noisy in the bivouac, so it is not easy to sleep. The factory racers also have an advantage in terms of nutrition, as the teams have their own kitchens.”
2.
place in the overall classification for the World Championship after three races (out of five) in the rally 2 class is occupied Toni Mulec (KTM), to the leading Portuguese by Edgar Canet Ventura only four points separate him.
What are the prizes in endurance races?
“Very low. If I’m not mistaken, it is awarded to the best five or six racers in the rally 2 class.”
Can you tell us how much you got for winning?
“I won 15,000 euros for first place. The winner in the rally GP class received 50,000 euros.”
What is your budget for the season?
“I can’t answer this question exactly, but at the level I’m at, it’s around 300,000 euros. In doing so, I have kept everything to a minimum, many times I am deprived of training because of a meeting with a sponsor, sometimes I also have to give up sleep and lunch…”
So you still have reservations about this?
“Yes, but there are only 24 hours in a day. Once you have so many obligations, you have to cut back on something. Once you’re in that wheel, you have to go with it and do your thing. Once you collect 100,000 euros and then invest 150,000, you can’t just give up.”
Jumping champion Domen Prevc was among the guests at Del’s business conference. What is your opinion about him?
“I must say that he is an exceptional personality and an excellent promoter of Slovenian sports, not to mention his achievements. To be honest, I am pleasantly surprised by how well and calmly he performs all the duties. We definitely need more people like that. Although I realize that public appearances are also a burden for him, I would like him to have more of them, because it is possible to learn a lot from him. Somehow I myself wish that I could do things more calmly. As you could see for yourself, it was already difficult to get hold of me for this interview.”
