Canada may not be represented this year on the moto side of the Dakar Rally but the USA is offering up two contenders.

First time participant, No. 167, Peter Hardy of California, a firefighter riding a 450 Rally Replica KTM, hopes he has what it takes just to finish his first effort at this grueling competition.

“I’ve been watching the Dakar for a decade now and I’ve been racing Baja type events for years. The Dakar was therefore the next step up. It’s a real challenge and I want to see if I’m up for it. I came to see what the event was like in 2012 to have a better understanding. For me the major issue is being able to get to the finish of each stage mechanically and physically sound. My goal is just to finish. I hope to compete in the malle-moto class in two years.”

The only other USA contender is Kevin Muggleton who has a score to settle after breaking his back in a previous Dakar. Muggleton, No.186 will tackle the terrain on a CRF450X Honda. His bio reads like he will kick your ass (a black belt in Taekwondo), yet his first attempt at the Dakar kicked his ass to a stretcher.

“Ever since I was eleven, I wanted to be a Dakar biker. I’ve ridden bikes all over the world. I left school to enter the army. I travelled around the world on foot, hitchhiking and in all kind of vehicles. On day two of the Dakar I was caught by a dune. I got my road book wrong. A typical unexpected error. My body folded in two. I broke my back in three places and broke ribs. Lying on my hospital bed, in pain, all I thought about was coming back. It made me want to come back even more. Finishing the Dakar is just everything to me. I still have that dream I had when I was 11. For this second attempt, my head is in a better position. I’m not going to race. I need to be in my own bubble. I spent the year overcoming my injuries. I’m almost back at 100% and physically I had to work twice as hard.”

His injury has a familiar ring to it as Canadian Don Hatton also mis-navigating a dune and sent him to hospital during one of his many attempts at the Dakar – he has not finished and for the first time in several years, his name does not appear on the list of competitors.

Dakar Rally 2014 runs January 5 to January 18, 2014