Chris Blais
Since childhood, professional off-road racer and master mechanic Chris Blais has been riding in the desert with his family. Over his career he has achieved countless second-place Baja finishes as well as winning the 2005 Baja, and he is one of only four Americans ever to make the podium in the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle. He was the top American rookie and 9th overall in 2005, 4th overall in 2006, and 3rd overall in the 2007 Dakar Rally aboard a KTM 690 Rally motorcycle.
At 18, Blais came to work for American Honda and mentored under Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame legend Johnny Campbell. He raced with the Honda off-road team from 1999 to 2003, then signed with the Red Bull / KTM factory team for 2004 to 2007. Racing for Honda he won many Best In The Desert races and championships, often solo, earning numerous Ironman titles, with more wins and titles in AMA District 37 desert, enduro, and grand prix events back home.
In 2007, at the peak of his career, Blais suffered a devastating crash while pre-running the Vegas-to-Reno desert race, sustaining a severe spinal-cord injury that left him unable to walk. He kept moving forward, certain he would race again, and continued for three more years running the KTM factory off-road desert and Baja team.
With his wife Patty, an accomplished quad racer, Chris founded Blais Racing Services in Southern California's high desert, where he builds every race bike and motor himself. To raise the professionalism of the sport he helped form the NHHA (National Hare & Hound Association), serving as its marketing manager for six years and mentoring young racers.
In 2017 he bought a Can-Am Maverick X3 and returned to the desert with a co-pilot, quickly racking up wins across the World Off-Road Championship Series and beyond, with more than a dozen overall victories and two dozen podiums between 2018 and 2020, plus Pro Turbo and overall UTV titles. Today Chris is a top-level paraplegic racer and brand ambassador, back in the desert where he belongs, and proud that his story can inspire others to pursue their passions against the odds.
Career highlights: 2007 Dakar Rally 3rd overall; 2006 Dakar 4th; 2005 Dakar 9th and top American rookie; 2005 Baja winner; 2003 Baja 1000 2nd overall; 2020 DP4 Overall and Pro Turbo Champion; 2018 and 2019 Cal City Pure AVE Champion; 2019 Sonora Rally Champion.
