A recent video of Axel Pons prompted shock at how a former motorcycle racer had embarked on sꦕomewhat of a religious pilgrimage.

The ex-Moto2 rider has spent six y𒆙ears walking from Spain to Pakistan, he explained.

His father is Sito Pons, the former 250cc champion who has been a regular in th♓e MotoGP paddock over the years.

“He began to explain to us that he needed to walk, see the world, understand the philosophy of life, of religions and he began his journey,” S🌳ito told .

“Every꧟ day he gets up🍒 at five in the morning, does meditation and yoga, and starts walking.

“You need a lot of discipline, plus he doesn't go to hotels and only travels with a backpack, with the bare 𓆉minimum.”

Axel Pons’ plan is to reach Pakistan by foot but he encountered visa issues at the Inꦚd🌺ia border.

He has accumulated friends along 💙the w🥀ay who have joined his journey, his father said.

“He then decided to go to the H🌌imalayas and spent five months there,” said Sito Pons.

“Peo💮ple began to go looking for him, to take photos and talk to him, a whole story, just what he did not want: he became famous and known there, and now it is happening to him here.

“It is so surprising and so amazing༒ that it was foreseeable that it was going to go viral𓂃 in Europe.

“And we have already seen what has happened these days, it has come out everywhere. Fortunജately🐎 he is not aware of what is happening here.”

Axel Pons has no phone or social media during his travels but, his father explained, will call home whenever he is able to connect with the wider wor🉐ld.

His father travelled to North Macedonia to spend a week in a forest with his son las🐼t🏅 year.

Sito Pons insistꦆed his son’s barefoot walk is “driven by love to understand the world from the human perspective by knowing different cultures and religions”.