Rosa Romero continues to be my navigator, we incorporated Elías España as the new driver of the assistance truck and, on this occasion, the two mechanics I had in the last two editions also joined, both Cristo Dávila and Aythami Hernández, with the idea to have two people with extensive knowledge about the vehicle with which we are going to compete once again in the Dakar.
What importance do you give to the feeling with Rosa Romero when it comes to being more competitive in this new edition of the toughest rally in the world?
It gives me a lot of confidence. It’s our fourth Dakar together. We did the first on a motorcycle and this will be the third in a buggy. This gives us extra peace of mind, balance and experience to face all the problems that always arise in competition.
With what mount do you face this new challenge for the Canary Islands Dakar Expedition?
We have a new car. It is practically kilometer zero. Although it has the same structure as last year, we have new suspensions and better components. We have a more consolidated maintenance routine, because in the previous two years we have sometimes suffered from that inexperience and I am happy with that part. We know what the Dakar is like, anything can happen, but we minimize the risks. It is a standard car that we have changed all its parts, so it gives us the maximum guarantee. We have done a night test to verify all the components and the truth is that we are very happy.
What type of preparation have you done on this occasion in order to face the new challenge?
We did the Canary Islands Gravel Rally Championship and won in our category, in addition to staying in the top 5 overall. The budget we had has forced us to adapt to the options presented to us here at home. We have been invited to some slalom to act as a zero car and give the vehicle some use. We did several tests, and everything has been very positive. The car is more explosive and effective than the previous one.
“Not all public institutions comply and some have left us hanging”
What is the budget you have to face the race? What percentage of it belongs to aid from public institutions and private companies?
50% of the 200,000 euros we have in the budget to face this tenth edition of the Dakar belongs to private companies and the same amount to public institutions. It is true that not all public institutions comply and some have left us hanging. It is an eternal struggle with budgets, although every year private companies join in more and more to make this Canarian project a reality.
With what starting objective do you come to this new edition?
We are going with the realistic goal of finishing the race in the top 20 in the category. As long as luck was with us, it would be a dream to aspire to finish in the top 10. To do this we are going to count on Rosa’s experience as a navigator and mine as a pilot, so as not to be too aggressive and to be able to take maximum care of the mechanics, not break nothing and finish each day. We are also going with a social objective, which is to break a spear in favor of gender equality, vindicating Rosa’s role in this project, she is a person who contributes a lot in a sport that for many years was only for men. men, but in which there are more women every year. I feel very comfortable with her, she is an excellent co-pilot and a great travel companion for an adventure like the Dakar. Finally, we have a new objective, which is to take care of the carbon footprint, for which, with the collaboration of several laboratories, we are going to count the pollution per kilometer and we are going to make compensation with the planting of trees in Gran Canaria.
«Rafa Lesmes competes with his truck in the Dakar Classic, which is a test of regularity»
What do you think of the participation of Rafa Lesmes with his Pink Elephant in the Dakar?
He participates in the Dakar Classic, which has nothing to do with it, it is a test of regularity, but it is not the competitive Dakar, it is a parallel competition.
2023-11-14 23:19:12
#Pedro #Peñate #goal #finish #Dakar #top #buggies
