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INTERVIEW KURT CASELLI FOUNDATION RIDER SAFETY ADVISOR AND DAKAR RALLY AMBASSADOR P82 more than you might think. They also indicate why Cody is the perfect man for the job(s). DAKAR AMBASSADOR "The ASO [promoters of the Dakar Rally] sets the benchmark in safety as far as off-road racing goes in the world," Cody explained. "They have a good grasp on what needs to be done. It's great to have access to their resources and be able to talk to them about how they do stuff and why they do stuff, and different things they experience. "It's not a perfect world. It's a dangerous sport and so stuff happens, but I think that the ASO does a really good job of dealing with accidents and safety precau- tions." While Cody has called upon his knowledge of ASO safety practices and racing regulations to help im- prove conditions in SCORE racing, the goal of his Dakar ambassador- ship is to heighten U.S. interest in the Dakar Rally. "The Americans have been kind of a mystery to the ASO," Cody said. "They don't really understand why we have such a huge popula- tion here yet the interest in the Dakar is so low when these small countries like The Netherlands have 80, 90 par- ticipants. They can't understand why the Ameri- cans aren't quite into it. It's just a different culture here. I think the basic goal is to just start building a following for rally in general and getting more people riding rally and more people into it." As for gaining a genuine interest in the Dakar Rally, the ultimate draw would be to find a young American rider who could be competitive. "An American has never won the Dakar so obviously that's going to be the biggest thing. It will be a big deal and it will bring a lot of attention. But you have to do rally for three, four or five years be- fore you can even think about winning a race like Dakar. If you can start some guys off young that are in their 20s and get them some experi- ence, then there's a good chance they could win if they have the right team." Cody has taken steps to help do just that, and has helped enlist the talents of young desert racer Ricky Brabec. "[The ASO] wanted a young, fast American desert racer," Cody said. "I helped them connect the dots with a few people, like Ricky Brabec and HRC. We're able to get him on a factory team for Dakar for next year. He's able to go at the highest level without having to raise funds himself so that worked out." Aside from the experience nec- essary to attempt the notorious Dakar Rally, cost remains a very major factor too, and probably the biggest hurdle in attempting the race. Accord- ing to Cody, it's the first factor to consider for any North American thinking about attempting Dakar. "For some guys, it's a lifelong dream and they want to do it and they'll do whatever it takes," said Cody, "whether it's take out a second mortgage SOMETIMES I GET A FEELING LIKE IT'S ALL ON ME—LIKE IT'S UP TO ME TO MAKE THIS FOUNDATION SUCCEED RIGHT NOW.