BarcelonaLaia Sanz (Corbera del Llobregat, 1985) debuts a helmet for the edition of the Dakar that is about to begin. With a pineapple drawn on her lower back – it was the name of her cat -, the Catalan pilot hopes to cover the 5,000 km (divided into 14 stages) to the finish line, which awaits her in Dammam. It is his 13th Dakar, the second at the wheel of a car: the desire, however, remains intact. And the fears, at least.
There are hours left until the start of the Dakar. how do you look
— I face it much more calmly. It doesn’t feel all new to me anymore like last year, which felt a little big to me, because it was like starting from scratch. I have learned and improved a lot and I have a lot more confidence.
Second year by car. Has it changed how you deal with it?
— I have more confidence and I try to forget my fears. Grabbing the positive side and wanting to enjoy it. We have to see where we can be. If we are smart and don’t make big mistakes, we can be ahead of last year.
Has it been tough this year?
– A lot. It’s like starting, in part, from scratch. The last few years with a motorcycle he was in an official team, with the security of going to the Dakar in good conditions. Instead, now it’s time to cut stone all year long to have a good project. In cars I have to prove everything again and I have to find the means to do it again.
Is uncertainty the worst?
– It kills me. I’m a person who likes to have everything under control, and there are many things here that you don’t know until the last minute. It has been very hard for me. It has been a complicated year, but a lot of learning.
Now in the Dakar is it time to enjoy or suffer?
— It’s the cool part! The part that is left for me is the previous one of preparing everything and finding the money and resources [riu]. It’s been more years for me – it’s so hard to close everything until you get on the plane and it’s a break. It’s strange, because that’s when the suffering begins, but actually now it’s time to enjoy.
You are a very demanding person with yourself. Does this affect you negatively because of the uncertainty that accompanies you for a whole year?
— You get used to it… My beginnings on motorbikes were also like that. I try to look at the bright side: I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and gone somewhere colder. But I think it’s to do better in the future and to achieve my dreams.
How do you prepare for a Dakar?
— Mentally, I have never prepared him. I’ve never done mental preparation, and I think that’s one of my strengths. I’ve always been good at it and never worked it out. Physically, this year finally after all the drama of the disease [va patir la malaltia de Lyme per la picada d’una paparra] I feel a little sporty again. I have been able to work a lot especially in the last six months and this makes me feel happy and more ready than other years.
Have you ever had doubts about getting back on the bike? Do you miss her?
— In many moments yes, especially because of this uncertainty. As much as it took me to prove my worth with the bike and have a stability, now because I have complicated my life? There are times when I do miss it and think to myself “Wow, it was good when I had everything under control!” [Riu.] But now it’s funnier that way. Sometimes, if you want to go further, you have to take one step back to take three steps forward.
What is the goal for this year?
— It is difficult to say. I would like to make the top fifteen, but I know it’s difficult. We have made a step forward in terms of the car, despite the fact that we have not driven much. If we do everything very well we can be ahead.
“Doing everything very well” in the middle of the desert and for so many days is not at all simple.
— It is a set of many things, besides. The mechanics, the co-pilot, myself, not eating a stone, not breaking the car… There are many things and not having that point of bad luck that is sometimes unavoidable.
Is the Dakar a race against bad luck?
— There are moments of bad luck, and there are pilots who have them, but I’m one of those who think that you make your own luck. I’ve always finished the Dakars: it’s true that there’s a point of luck, but I think it’s a matter of knowing yourself, making a good race approach, knowing your limitations well. Luck is sought and worked for yourself.
Is there extra pressure to have finished all the Dakars you’ve competed in?
– Yes. In motorcycling, if I hadn’t finished one of the last years it would be a bit like the job was already done and I would have a team again the following year. Now there is a lot to prove. There is more pressure than other years. I want to do well, to prove things and to take steps forward and this is not the time to stay half-hearted.
