dirkie baard
TOUR LEADER AND FOUNDER
Dirkie, founder and owner of Untamed Africa Tours is an adventure junkie, fisherman, hunter, outdoor fanatic, experienced tour expedition leader, racer and nature lover. Growing up in Namibia he spent weekends exploring all the off road areas of Southern Africa. Untamed Africa Tours started with one thing in mind. Having riders experience a true (off road) motorcycle adventure on high end bikes with local experience and logistical teams.
He spent holidays and weekends with his family camping out in the wild with their old Land Rover. This is where the love and passion started for nature and outdoor experiences. As soon as he was old enough to venture off on his own, the travels into all the unknown areas started with bikes and 4x4s. This helped him to obtain a lot of knowledge about the areas the tours run through today, giving him the edge to chop & change routes if it’s needed in case of an emergency or to simply adjust the routes to the skill set of the group.
Namibia, motorbike tours, salar salt flats, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, KTM 990, Motorcross, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, race car, Rockstar energy, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard, camping, Brandberg
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard, sand dunes, Quad bike jump
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard, KTM 500
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard, Motocross, Gallina
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard, Sand dunes,
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard, Yamaha Tenere 700
Namibia, motorbike tours, KTM, Motocross, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard
Namibia, motorbike tours, Dirkie Baard, Yamaha Tenere 700
RACING ACHIEVEMENTS AND OTHER TITLES
Dirkie not only is a true adventurer, but he also has a staggering amount of racing achievements on quads, bikes and cars. Growing up in the Namib Desert, spending every cent on fuel, he rode the dunes as much as possible from a very young age. He started racing quads and claimed two Namibian Motocross titles, and one enduro title. He then moved to South Africa where he then claimed three South African titles in the Pro class. Two in the off-road category, and one in the motocross category and he was nominated as sportsman of the year in the overall motorsport category in South Africa.
As a 21-22-year old he was the 2009 and 2010 Pro 450 Class champion and has won the overall quad category of the SA National Off-road Quad Championship after winning the Koue Bokkeveld 400, the final round of the championship held in the Ceres area in the Western Cape. This was the second race Baard has won this season and he has added this victory to his historical win of the Quad Roof of Africa earlier this year in Lesotho when he became the first foreign off-road quad racer to win this traditional event. Except for the double victories, Baard has also added three more overall runner-up results to his tally and has the SA National Quad MX championship to add to his 2009 accolades.
2009 pro 450 class champion
After suffering multiple injuries including a fractured hip, shoulder blade, wrist and a punctured lung, Baard decided to change things up. Unable to race due to these injuries, he started to race dirt track circuit in the V8 class and secured two Namibian titles. He then decided to get on a dirt bike and claimed two more National podium titles in Motocross, hard enduro and off road races.
Combining his race experience with the knowledge of Namibia, it was just time before something amazing would come from this combo. He helps riders improve riding techniques and skills on tour, and knows and scouts all the best routes to ride.
More Namibian Titles
He won the roof of Africa and Botswana 1000 rally twice on a quad. In 2009 he was nominated as sportsman of the year in the motorsport category.
He became the first non-South African racer to win the Quad Roof of Africa in Lesotho in 2009. It was Baard's second try and he managed to add his name to the record books after one of the toughest Roof of Africa events for quad racers. He then continued to win it again in 2010.
WINNER Quad Roof of Africa
He made the trek and he moved to the US where he entered the Pro ATV class in the ITP Motocross series and the WORCS series which was the biggest off-road series in the US. He was absolutely thrilled being the first African rider on a quad bike to race the WORCS. With a fatal crash three quarters through the championship he still managed to claim 13th position in WORCS and in the ITP series.
The South African Pro ATV Endurance & Roof of Africa Champion, Dirkie Baard, made the 23 hour trip over from South Africa to compete in his first WORCS race, and he finished an impressive 8th place even after suffering a kill switch & hot start issue