After becoming the first British woman to enter and then complete the grueling Dakar Rallye back in 2006, Patsy decided to help others achieve their dreams. 20 years on and we have seen 100s of riders take part in 100s of rallies, raids, adventure tours, hard enduro events and all with the backing and support of Patsy and the team she has built. It is now time to hand over the reins and on 31st December 2025 Desert Rose Racing will close its doors for the last time. While the doors are closing at Desert Rose Racing, it is full steam ahead at the rest of the Desert Rose Group Companies. The Academy continues to grow with off road riding courses to suit all abilities, from new off road riders, those looking for their first event and more seasoned riders aiming at conquering a desert rallye. Our overseas trips and events including the ever popular Portugal and Pyrenees Trail riding tours and Morocco 1500 will continue through 2026 and beyond. The eBike Xperience is bringing the thrill of off road motorcycling to a new audience and even a new generation with our range of electric off road motorcycles and dirt bikes. Desert Rose DirtTech workshop is set to see another record year, with off road bike servicing, competition bike preparation and rallye bike builds keeping the team busy.

Patsy lined up at the start of the 2006 Dakar Rallye in Lisbon, Portugal, having had 3 previous attempts at what is the world’s toughest motorsport event. Despite her first attempt ending with a horrific crash which led to her having emergency, life saving surgery she didn’t give up on her dream to get to the finish line in Dakar. 2 further attempts, with mechanical failure and then being out of time robbed her of the dream again. So, how would you be feeling on the start of your 4th attempt…………….

Desert Rose Riding Academy are delighted to announce that we have been appointed by Two Wheels for Life as their training partner. Two Wheels for Life are a charity with a long history in the motorcycle industry, originally formed nearly 40 years ago as Riders for Health, the charity provide motorcycles, training and support for health programmes in some of Africa’s hardest to reach communities. Through our Lead off road riding instructor Gary Taylor, we will be delivering vital off road rider training for programmes in The Gambia and Lesotho in 2026 and beyond. We will also be helping the charity in vital fundraising activities, including organising rides for supporters of the work Two Wheels for life fund in The Gambia and Lesotho, which will prove that Motorcycles Save Lives.

Ever wondered what 50 women fully supporting each other looks like? That’s what journalist Serena Doyle wondered when heading down to East Sussex on the last weekend in August. I mean, it’s pretty unlikely that a field full of muddy, helmet wearing, motivation screaming, zigzag racing, motorbike pushing women is the first image that comes to mind. But that’s exactly what it looked like by the end of the Ladies Day that Desert Rose Riding Academy hosted in partnership with Be Right Back and MotoGirlsUk. From my view, watching from the back of the Polaris 4×4, comfy amongst logs and cones and bits of kit, what made this final competition (and the whole day actually) so collaborative was the variety of women who had signed up to the event – there were a huge range of abilities and backgrounds! •Some had never ridden a motorcycle when they arrived on the 65 acre wooded estate that morning •Some hadn’t ridden one for the last 30 years! •Some had circumnavigated the world on a motorbike •Some had literally been to Outer Mongolia •Some had ridden Motocross since age 3, were fearless (mad??) hill climb racers, and were slinging wheelies left right and centre This mix is what made the teams pull together so well in my opinion, and made the camaraderie so darn strong. When women lift each other up, everyone wins in one way or another. I’d seen a handful of these women turn up super shy. And now here they were, confidently racing the bikes, carrying a pillion (or two!), revving the engines so they chucked out 2 stroke fumes, and spinning tyres as they turned in the wet grass, each team pushing themselves to use every skill they’d learned that day. I know they’d fought every ounce of insecurity to sign up to something new. Silenced every doubt that told them they couldn’t or shouldn’t. And yet here they were – doing the thing!