After eleven consecutive seasons finishing the Dakar on motorcycles, he is facing his second year riding a car. Laia Sanz (Corbera, 1985) hopes to surpass last year’s 23rd position and will try with a much better car, the Astara team’s Century. Dakar number thirteen or twelve plus one…? Hard question. The truth is that I don’t have too many hobbies but a lot of people are telling me and I’m getting a little paranoid… The truth is that it happened. I’m not superstitious. It is true that I wear my medal but I don’t have too many hobbies. The preparation has been good and he has achieved a car that on paper is more competitive. Happy? There are seasons in which the only thing that counts is the result, but there are others, like this one, that are full learning. In this sense it has been intense. Personally, I am very satisfied with the evolution that I have had. I have been one of the fastest girls in every race and Carlos Sainz, a teammate in Extreme-E, has helped me a lot. Everything together has added up a lot and I hope to put it into practice this year in the Dakar. And with the car I have taken a step forward. Last year was ideal to finish and learn, but we were clear that the change in regulations allows us to go with a more competitive car. The team is also more competitive, with Carlos Checa and Óscar Fuentes. What coverage does this equipment give you? I am happy with the set, which is very good. And the car has good performance, it is reliable, hard and it will allow us to have a bit more pace, especially in the fast sections, with stones, with a big wheel, more suspension and a good engine. In the dune areas we will ride more on our ass and with more stress because the rear-wheel drive does not allow you to make too many mistakes, but we will adapt. We haven’t done too many kilometers and we’ll notice that in the first few days, but it will be a matter of gaining confidence. There will be anger with them… Sure, but in the Dakar the first rivals are not your teammates. Your main rival is yourself. I think that the three of us can do well because we can help each other. I don’t see them as rivals but as teammates, although I’m sure that later on the track there will be pitfalls. You do not distinguish between genders when it comes to competing, but there will be 54 women on this Dakar. Would it be an achievement for you to be the first woman on this Dakar? It’s secondary. What I look at is the general classification. On motorcycles, I did win the women’s classification for many years, but my goal was to do well in the general. I don’t think about it. From motorcycle to car «I don’t feel like the Laia of motorcycles; I have a lot left to prove because in cars I am nobody» And that there are so many women competing? It is a joy. I remember one year when we were 17 and it was said that it was a great record and now we are three times as many. It’s brutal and it’s cool because in the teams you see more and more engineers, mechanics… The role of women is more and more normal. It is good and it is positive. Before we were the weirdo and now it is more and more normal. It seems perfect to me because it is what the new generations see. How have you noticed the experience you have gained this year? It makes me calmer, that everything doesn’t come to me so again. Having more experience on four wheels and that makes me feel more comfortable and prepared. Also Maurizio Gerini, my co-driver, has another year of experience. We are calmer. Do you feel that he has achieved that status in cars that he had in motorcycles? No, I have a lot left. Yes, I have been one of the most evolved pilots in Extreme-E and it has been seen in Chile. I can do it because I have a lot of room for improvement but getting what I got on motorcycles… In cars I feel like a ‘rookie’, a beginner and it’s like starting from scratch. I don’t feel like the Laia of motorcycles, I still have a lot to prove because in cars I’m nobody. To what extent has Carlos Sainz been important? Have you talked a lot about the Dakar? Yes, we talk a lot. The truth is that I have to thank him not only for working as a partner at Extreme-E, but also for wanting to act as a mentor. He has helped me a lot and given me advice. He is someone I can call anytime with any questions. He has helped me a lot to speed up this learning process and starting this path on four wheels with someone like him by my side is amazing. Has it been from observation or from advice that he has given you? For all. See how he works… Then you understand why he is where he is at the age that he is and continues to be very competitive. He takes care of every detail, he is obsessed with setting up the car. As for piloting too? All. We look at the telemetry and it’s very good to be able to compare yourself with the same car and on the same circuit and see where you brake, where you accelerate… In addition, the driving advice that he gives you. Every weekend with Carlos Sainz is a masterclass. The level of the car “In the dune areas we will go more ass and more stressed because the rear-wheel drive does not allow you to make mistakes” Do you feel pressure to get a good result in the Dakar? I put the pressure on myself and my goal is one day to finish in an official car. The objective last year was to finish but this one no longer serves us. Last year she finished 23rd. Do you feel obliged to improve it? We have to be realist. With the motorcycle it was a question of riding, with the cars it is of means and of having done kilometres. I think that if we have a very good race we can be in the top fifteen.
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