GIS will be supporting Belgian motorcycle rider Mathieu Liebaert during his quest to tackle the toughest race on the planet: the Dakar Rally.

Considered to be one of the toughest challenges in the motorcycle world, the Dakar Rally is quite the adventure. Taking place for the third time in Saudi Arabia, the race starts on the 1^st of January in Jeddah and will see the competitors race for 12 days over a total distance of 8.375 KM. With only 1 in 2 reaching the finish line, it will be quite the challenge and we’re happy we can contribute to such a magnificent adventure.

Marc Benmeridja, CEO and Founder of GIS says: “When I heard about Mathieu’s adventure and saw how he meticulously prepared himself for such a great challenge, it brought back the most important foundations of this company: passion, perseverance, courage and teamwork. There’s very little difference between taking on a big business challenge or a sport’s challenge.”

“It all starts with a dream, a little seed that gets planted somewhere in your head and grows little by little. I started GIS 25 years ago and if I hadn’t been a dreamer, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Mathieu’s story is very similar, he started dreaming about Dakar for the first time in 2012 and he slowly worked his way up in order to achieve his ultimate goal.”

Mr. Benmeridja continues: “When tackling the toughest rally on the planet, dreaming on itself is just not enough. You need a plan, a lot of perseverance and a constant strive for perfection. Quite similar to running a business if you ask me. You’ll get confronted with some tough decisions and some major setbacks, but it’s all part of the learning curve and as long as you keep focus, you will achieve your goal.”

“For GIS it’s also a way to get more visibility in a part of the world where we can be of great added value and be part of the growing sustainability challenge as defined by “Dakar Future”: all categories racing in low-carbon emission prototypes and create a 100% renewable-powered bivouac. Although what we do is very different, there are quite a lot of similarities to what Mathieu will be confronted with during his race.” Says Mr. Benmeridja.

Mathieu Liebaert says: “Believe it or not, but the principle of Just In Time (JIT) is quite similar in my line of work as it is for GIS customers. For me it’s all about getting from A to point B in the fastest and safest way possible. There are a couple of factors that are crucial for me to be able to achieve this. That’s first of all my own physical and mental preparation, I’ve been preparing for this race for the past 2 years and this is key if you want to reach that finish line. Three other factors which are of great importance is the reliability of my bike (remember it will have to withstand over 8.000 KM of all-terrain racing), the quality and availability of my team”.

Mr. Benmeridja continues: “At GIS we work with customers and suppliers all over the world working in mobility, oil & gas, energy and healthcare. They rely on us to supply them on time with the best Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Therefore, as CEO, I’m proud to announce this partnership and we’re wishing all of the best to our new ambassador, Mathieu Liebaert.”