“I've been in this situation before and got out of it,” says Laia Sanz, who is approaching her 14th edition of the Dakar as the leader of a 100% female team. In the thirteen races so far he has always seen the checkered flag of the French race. Even at the 2023 event, when he lost seven hours due to a breakdown on the second stage and suffered a spectacular rollover – five rollovers included – that almost cost him the exit. She is the only Spanish woman who has managed to complete eleven motorcycle races and two more car races. “I have overcome myself in difficult times and I trust that now,” hopes the pilot. The aim is to “have fun again after a very frustrating Dakar”, at a time when he only has a one-year contract with the Astara team. “I am in a moment of transition where I have to prove,” he admits. Difficulties never scared her.
“I felt like I was swimming against the current the whole race. We had pace but couldn't show it. Things went wrong for us,” says Sanz when asked about the previous Dakar Rally event. He ended up in 65th place overall, but although he assures that he wants to have fun this year, he doesn't lose any of his self-importance: “40th place wouldn't be good either. “If things go well, I want to be in the top 15 in every stage,” he admits in an interview with the press. After two editions with the car, the trials and enduro world champion still feels like a rookie. “I go from Dakar to Dakar and that affects me, but the Extreme E experience helped me,” says Sanz.
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The best female motorcyclist in the entire history of the Dakar – she finished 9th in 2015 – was unable to prepare as well as some of her competitors. Nevertheless, she took part in the Baja Aragón race and came second in the Extreme E World Championship. “In an ideal world it’s not enough, but in my world it is,” he admits. “I am not complaining. I would spend the year racing but at the moment that is not possible,” he concluded.
“This is a Dakar. You have to lose yourself and you should still do it more.”
Laia Sanz will once again be accompanied by Maurizio Gerini as co-driver, in a race in which a new route will be introduced and in which she will have more resources and a renewed team. The dunes will be more important than ever, but the pilot believes navigation is no longer as complicated as it once was. “The new generation often complains when there are very difficult days. So you always assume that one day someone will be lost, but not too much,” he said. Although he expects a very difficult date, the Astara leader advocates increasing the difficulty of the test. “This is not a World Rally Car, this is a Dakar. You have to get lost and you should do it more,” he said flatly.
Although she misses “the family atmosphere of the motorcycling world,” which she is still connected to in her training and free time, she is grateful that she doesn’t take so many risks. “My co-pilot and I sometimes comment how lazy we would feel tackling the stages with lots of rocks or rain on a motorcycle,” he commented with a laugh. There are many memories he retains of his 11 editions on two wheels through the desert. In some cases, like now, he also felt like his worth was being tested. “I remember when I had my best Dakar with Honda, my contract ended straight after. “If I had gone home the second day, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” he noted. A few days after she started a new trip through Saudi Arabia to have fun again and demonstrate her talent, Laia Sanz left a final message: “Enjoying also means suffering.” He wants to pass the exam with a grade . Abandonment is not in her dictionary.
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