RALLYE ORPI MAROC 2005

In the limelight:
Annie Seel, a woman of charm with nerves of steel

«Believe me, I'm no quitter...»

She's blond, charming, enthusiastic and above all extremely determined. If you only judge Annie Seel by her looks you're in for the greatest of surprises. There are other women motorcyclists for sure, but how many crave in such a way for extreme adventure and how many take on single-handedly all the toughest rallies the world has to offer? Addicted early on to speed and adrenaline, the desert princess switched without more ado from horse to motorcycle races when she was barely sixteen.
Twenty years and seventeen broken bones on, she continues to try to quench her thirst for success and new records to break, as much at home up Mount Everest as on African rallies, on tarmac races as on Mexican bajas. Can you guess the ultimate quest for this woman of 5'4"? To be a true match for her male colleagues in the greatest races, starting with this Rallye ORPI Maroc in which she's riding a KTM 450 in the marathon class.

Annie, what gave you this taste for extreme adventure?
" I grew up next to a racecourse. I quickly got addicted to speed, and then at sixteen I saw some motorcycle stuntmen at a show. I was awed. I bought myself a motorcycle but none of my friends liked speed the same as me. Then when I was eighteen I started to do road racing and finished 8th of the Swedish championship... "

And in 2000 you tried a WRC rally at Dubai...
" I did a raid in Morocco and fell in love with the desert. I was desperate to do a race. I ordered a DIY Husaberg 600 and assembled it barely ten days before the start. I rode on my own and made straight for the sand dunes. On the last day I got a fractured foot but I still got to the finish in 49th place. Since then I've been to Tunisia and Argentina. This Moroccan race is my 6th one in the World Championships. I'm trying to show what I'm capable of doing with the hope of finding some money for the Dakar in 2006. To tell you the truth, it's fairly hard to find any in Sweden for these kinds of races... "

What's most impressive with you is your determination. You've broken your bones seventeen times whilst racing, yet you've never abandoned: don't you ever feel pain?
" I never quit. My father who died when I was sixteen gave me a taste for mechanical things and my mother fairly exceptionally strong will power. When I broke my hand on the 4th stage of the Dakar in 2002, I held on till the end. My left leg had gone blue all over. I'll admit, though, that I've always been lucky enough to have injuries that didn't prevent me from finishing the race... When I run into a problem, a shriek a bit and then I carry on. "

What do you do in life when you're not racing?
" I trained as a graphic designer. Between the racing events, I work day and night to get the money to go back again. I confess there's not much time left to think of getting married. I've got a boyfriend, two cats and a dog. As I'm so busy, that's quite enough for now... "