The Empordà native who will go to the Dakar with a motorcycle that he has created himself

BarcelonaWhen he finished his shift from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rieju factory, August Castellà (Figueres, 1992) would go out for a ride on a motorcycle. The next day, all his colleagues already knew they would have work to do. Castellà, a mechanical engineer and head of development for the Rally and Trail projects at the Empordà-based brand, would return with ideas to improve the Rieju 307 Rally that he himself had developed. And after putting it to the test, he would tweak things to make it more competitive. Initially, he didn't know it, but he was starting a journey that will take him to the Dakar Rally this January. Always aboard the Rieju 307 Rally that he has been working on for nine years.

A few days ago, August received confirmation that he has been admitted to participate in the Dakar Rally this January, just in the days when the legendary event was negotiating leaving Saudi Arabia, where it has been held in recent years, and holding it in Morocco. Missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory have forced the organizers to change the route at the last minute. "I haven't been following the route change very closely; I already had enough work fine-tuning the bike and getting everything ready. I have never been to Saudi Arabia; it would have been nice to compete there... but deep down they did me a favor. If it was held in Saudi Arabia, I would have had to send the bike by sea four weeks before the start of the race. Now, however, the first stage will be in Portugal and we will be able to leave two days before from home. I have gained four weeks of preparation," says the Figueres native, who admits that the project to go to the Dakar has been created "on the fly". But how did it all begin?

"My mother had participated in road rallies. She liked engines, but no one at home had a passion for motorcycles. I did. At first, I competed in cycling, but I bought motorcycle magazines. And when I was bought my first motorcycle, at 14, I wanted to go out and ride on the trails. At 16, I bought a 125 enduro bike and I haven't stopped since," he explains. Engines would be his life. "I am a mechanical engineer. I did an internship at Gas Gas and it was great, but it caught me just when they closed. Later I went to Seat, in Martorell, and finally to Rieju. Motorcycles are my life. I have gone from Figueres to Kyrgyzstan; I am always planning trips.".

But to make the leap to competition, a business decision was needed. "At Rieju, the idea arose to make a small rally bike. The idea wasn't for it to compete in big events. When the first prototype came out, I had to test it. So after finishing work, I would go out riding until evening. I kept saying what needed to be improved... and I realized it was a bike that could offer much more potential than it initially seemed," he recalls. So, on his own initiative, he decided to sign up for a rally. "We were at the Touareg Legend Rally in Christmas 2024. A race that ends in Dakar, precisely. I was creating content on social media explaining how I had worked on the bike... and it was a success. People started calling Rieju asking for information about the bike. In fact, a pre-sale option was opened and 3,000 people bought it," he remembers excitedly.

"It was then that I set my mind on participating in the Dakar. I started signing up for trials. Since the bike can go on the motorway, I went to a rally in Greece... and I left Figueres by road. Upon arrival, I changed the wheels and it was ready to compete! I had to participate in World Rally Championship trials first if I wanted to go to the Dakar. So I did that in Turkey and Argentina... and 15 days ago the good news arrived! I've been accepted," he says. Until now, August has always competed alone. Without an assistance team, fixing the bike himself if he has any problems. "But at the Dakar, you can't sign up for the riders without assistance category if you are debuting at the Dakar. So a Rieju team will go there. It will be the first race I do with a mechanic, actually! And it will be a good friend, Jordi Ingles, who has participated in the Dakar four years," he explains.

Rieju has supported him by creating this team, because they understood that August's good results are a good advertising campaign. "There are those who say it's a crazy project. Think that 130 bikes have signed up and 120 are 450 cc. There will only be one 300 cc one. Mine. Many doubt that the bike can last 8,000 kilometres, but I have proven that it's possible, since I have done 10,000 with it in Argentina, Morocco, and Turkey. This one, which has given me so much joy, we will now take to the Milan Fair to show it off. And, to go to the Dakar, we will take a new one from the assembly line and I will prepare it. I will explain everything on social media so people can see the process. These days I'm not sleeping due to work and nerves, but I'm having a blast," he concludes. His Rieju 307 Rally made in Figueres will compete in the most legendary race.