KEY POINTS:
Amateur rider Michael Shephard became the first Kiwi to conquer the arduous 2009 Dakar rally motorbike section, deemed as the most difficult in the world.
He finished 94th after starting with a ranking of 234, a big achievement for a rider in his first major competitive event.
Shephard, 44, was competing against highly experienced riders who were part of sponsored teams.
This year, the 14-day rally ran through difficult terrains in Argentina and Chile.
Two casualties and several other serious injuries in the motorbike section, one involving a crash of one of the support helicopters, were reported.
In the motorbike section, Shephard covered more than 9500km, including 5700km of timed special stages, which he completed in 92 hours.
Riding in Dakar has been Shepherd's long-time dream, but as an unsponsored amateur it was an expensive one, costing more than $120,000 in total.
It is one he will not be repeating in the near future, says Shephard, who grew up and learned to ride bikes in Kaitaia.
