“The goal? I want to finish in the Top-10 of the Dakar. Obviously, I would say to win, but I’m focused on finishing in the top 10.” This is what Pau Navarro said, during the presentation of his project for Dakar 2024 this Thursday at the Sant Cugat Golf Club. This could be a normal declaration of intent from any veteran driver in the top category of Dakar vehicles. But it is surprising that this phrase was said by a pilot with the face of a child, only 19 years old, with incredible calmness, like a person preparing to play a console. But with a huge difference: he will face the toughest race in the world behind the wheel of a top-class car for the first time after his debut last year at the age of 18 in the light vehicle category (T4).
The young man from Llagostera went from a small 170 HP vehicle to an impressive monster, a giant of the desert like the MINI T1+, with more than 350 HP of power. At 19 years old, he will compete with one of the best teams, X-Raid, a structure where, without going any further, Carlos Sainz won his last Dakar title (2020), or where the great stars have passed. such as Nasser Al-Attiyah, Stéphane Peterhansel or Nani Roma.
Pau made his competitive debut in the 2021 Dakar Rally at the age of 16 as a truck co-driver, becoming the youngest participant in history, taking advantage of a legal loophole (in cars he could not participate until he was legally age, but as a truck co-driver he can. that I could). His father, Santi Navarro, owner of the FN Speed team, gave him the opportunity to move into the driver’s position, making his debut behind the wheel of a T4 last year as a Dakar driver in T4. He shined, finishing in the Top-10 of a contested category, against drivers with more experience. In 2023, Santi Navarro wanted to give him the option to grow, making his debut in a Toyota T1 (less than T1+) in the Morocco Rally. The surprise for everyone was to see that in that car, he overtook many participants driving T1+. MINI came looking for him to acquire a talent for the future, making it easy for him to make the step up to the ‘Champions’ of the Dakar, the highest class. And he didn’t think twice.
Anyone is nervous, very tense before the opportunity of a lifetime. But Pau Navarro seems calm, confident in his abilities, as if normalcy awaits him. He showed the skills of a champion. And while he knows he still has a lot to learn, he made it clear he’s not coming to Dakar to walk around. He wants to fight for the best.
“I started racing in June 2022 and we finished third in the World Championship event. From there, I trained and arrived at the Dakar with some experience, but little. In the 2023 Dakar we had some engine problems and we got a Top-9, which is very good to achieve in my first experience, but we showed that we could have done better,” said Pau Navarro last year, during its premiere on T4.
“At home, since you came from Saudi Arabia, you have already started working on the next Dakar. During all the lunches and dinners, we just talk about how to prepare it,” he expressed about the family atmosphere, of those with owns a Dakar structure.
“This car has bigger tires. In Morocco, with very few kilometers, we managed to be in the T1+ cars with a lower car, in my first race with a big car. We trained well then with the cars that we can do in Spain. I have not driven with a gearbox until Morocco because the T4 does not have a gearbox. We came to Morocco and had a good result, we showed that we have a good pace in some stages, that we are facing very good man and from there, we talked to X-Raid, who suggested we could race his car,” he recalled.
“In the first days I will try to adapt to the car, to know at any time what its reflection is, and from the 5th day or so, try to keep the speed I want to keep,” said Pau Navarro said that in MD before the Dakar 2023 one of his greatest oddities as a new generation driver: he learned to navigate on the PlayStation, playing the official Dakar game in the pandemic. From there, he jumped into the passenger seat of a truck at the age of 16. A few years later, he faced the challenge of his life, only 19 years old and with a big future ahead of him. Pau Navarro, remember his name.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
