“I don’t want a Ferrari or luxury, I want a Dakar”

He was the star of one of the most memorable actions of the Dakar 2022. Gerard Farres (March 24, 1979, Manresa) had before his eyes the dream of his life. I can win the Dakar. He faced the final stage with a 1’41 advantage over his team leader, Austin Jones. That day he remained stopped at one point until leaving the Dakar in the hands of his partner. is 2nd. What would have happened if Gerard had refused the team’s orders and won the Dakar? “I’ll know now that I’m home, safe, 300%. The moment you fail a team that trusts you, they won’t take me back to Dakar. And so will the other teams, because it will show my lack of professionalism”Farrés assured MD.

But with that gesture, the 43-year-old driver achieved his most important achievement: returning to the Dakar in 2023. “‘Gerard, next year you can come back.’ The team boss, Scott, cried while crossing the finish line. That gave me peace of mind, but until you see that you are registered, the team calls you on October, you live uneasy”.

Year after year: This is how a Dakarian lives

To understand Farrés’ gesture, you have to know the lives of most pilots. “The ones that charge for running in a car we can count on the fingers of our hands,” he said.

You can think that someone who has reached the Dakar podium in motorcycles, who is the best Spanish motorcycle for three years in a row and who has been on two more Dakar podiums in 4 participations Side by Side (light vehicles) should have of life. resolved and guaranteed participation in the Dakar. But it’s not like that. Gerard exemplifies what so many pilots experience.

Those with tickets go to the Dakar paying, and some like Farrés can do it for free because of the professionalism shown in their race. You get nothing by running. But being in Dakar is what allows him to survive.

“I live from the fact that I can run, that I don’t cost money. It allows me to generate visibility so that house brands can support us, which gives me the ability to pay for a co-driver , train, make more races and survive. So it’s all thanks to the team and the sponsors”. Dakar, at the same time, opens other doors for him. He gives driving lessons to other pilots, talks for companies and motorcycle classes for children.

Accept “live year by year”. It doesn’t change that life for anything. “My dream is to win the Dakar. This means little sleep and a lot of work. I don’t want a Ferrari or a big house. I want to win the Dakar”, he pointed out.

Farrés lives in an apartment in Manlleu and smiles when he remembers vacations with his family, sleeping with his two daughters and his wife in a van. Nothing fancy. He just wants to enjoy his family and his passion.

decided to leave

He only considered leaving it in 2015 after two withdrawals. “One year I burned the bike and the next I froze. I came home and said to my wife: ‘Anna, if there’s nothing better for me, I’m leaving. Because I don’t run for a salary, but for a result’. I am crying, suffering. But his chance came: he signed for the Himoinsa team and became famous.

He was 8th in the motos in 2016, 3rd in 20176th in 2018 and he moved to Side by Side with the Can-Am team with a 2nd position in the 2019 Dakar which he repeated in 2022. Can-Am gave him the opportunity to make the difficult jump to four wheels when they bet on him in 2019 and it allowed him to continue making a living from his passion. From then until now. He can’t afford the more than 300,000 euros it would cost to go to Dakar with a car like his. For this reason, having the opportunity to go to Dakar and learn about his life is key to understanding Farrés’ decision in 2022 to give the victory to his partner. “I never doubted”remember in MD.

It is cause and effect. And now, the consequence of that act, without Austin Jones on the team, is that South Racing Can-Am takes you back to the 2023 Dakar without team orders. He will be able to fight for victory if the race allows it. Gerard is in for the opportunity of his life. Dakar owes him a debt