“I always dreamed of the Dakar podium, and when I was there, it was terrible, the world fell on me”

I couldn’t stop crying. He couldn’t believe it. I am on purpose Dakar 2023in Dammam, after starring in a movie that ends, but on the wrong side of history. In defeat. Oriol Vidal is restless. The Catalan co-pilot, a native of Llambilles (Girona)led the test with his pilot Rokas Baciuska in the category Q4 (light vehicle) leading to 7 stages. They both came in command of the general classification in the final stage, with everything under control to win. But the phrase that all the participants repeat many times when they are asked in the bivouac how things are going has come true. “Up to the finish line, anything can happen.” And so it was. About 50 km away, Oriol saw how the gimbal broke. Under his feet was a large hole through which he could see the ground. They stopped to fix the car as best they could. Because of this, they lost the Dakar, which passed into the hands of the young prodigy Eryk Goczal and also the Catalan navigator Oriol Mena. MD tries to console Vidal highlights the great work he has done. He cried even more. There is no possible consolation. A year later, Vidal returned to MD to recall what had happened.

“The world is about to end, you almost want to die. The night before everyone stopped by our caravan to say to us: ‘Well, you’ve got it, eh? Champions! Congratulations!. And I answered: ‘No, until we get to…’, but inside I thought: ‘it’s over, it’s over’. And when the truth hits you, the world will come crashing down on you.”said the man from Girona. But a year later, he changed his mind. “One year later, those tears are seeing something else. You see more of the work done throughout the race, but it is clear that you will take this Dakar with more enthusiasm, “argued Oriol Vidal, who was unlucky with that dramatic finish. I would not change anything about his work in the car. Just something later that he will never forget.

“The hardest thing for me about that Dakar, how if I could go back I would change, was the moment to be on the podium. I wanted to enjoy it. Last year I was there on the podium, looking at the others, bitter. The world collapsed on me. And I thought: ‘how is this?‘ If a few years ago I dreamed of stepping on this podium, first, second or third and I dreamed of it!’. But instead, I was there in sadness and grief. This is a terrible thing. This is probably the only thing I would change if I could go back. I wouldn’t change anything we did in the race, not the strategy, not how we managed it, as far as the people are concerned, everything was perfect. But I will change when I enjoy this moment, because this is a moment that I don’t know if it will happen again.”

But fate has great joy in store for him. 2023 couldn’t be better for him. He was crowned world champion for the second time in a row. Rally-Raid in class Q4 next to Rokas Baciuskawhere it also premiered in a Toyota T1+ of the highest category. And after Dakar 2024, the Baciuska with T1+ I must continue, thinking about making a definite jump to the top category in Dakar 2025 with Oriol, who will be a top class co-pilot.

The start of Dakar 2024 was not the best. After a good prologue episode, the crew suffered in episode 1 where they started with the best. All due to the breakdown of a bearing. And then bent the rear bar on his prototype. In addition, the departure time of the vehicles was delayed due to a spectator who was run over and they were also injured, as they had to do the last hour at night among rocks and stones. However, they are still in the race, with 11 stages ahead in which to look for a comeback.

unlucky?

Orioles He devoted himself to professional co-piloting for many years. He is about to throw in the towel in 2022 and throw out resumes to go back to working as an engineer. He considered retiring and stopped thinking about becoming a professional co-pilot at the age of 29 due to difficulties in finding sponsors and having job stability. But in August 2023, a call changed his life. He became a ‘copy’ of Kuwaiti Mshari Al-Thefiri at South Racing. And he combined it with Rokas Baciuska, where he will reach the official Red Bull team. His life became radical. From suffering to having a bright future. unlucky? In retrospect, maybe not so much. With that harsh ending alone, but the future that awaits him seems exciting.

“I have been in this sector for many years. This is not the first time I have received offers to go to T1+. I don’t want to go up unless it’s with a winning driver or with a future project like Rokas. This year in Baja Aragón we set times ahead of the few kilometers we had in a T1+, so I think we can do very well and the truth is that it is a dream to think that we can jump into the top car category,” pointed out MD in view of this year’s World Cup and the next Dakar. In addition, he diversified the opportunities by starting a personal project by creating a rural tourism apartment in his hometown, Llambies, on his family’s farm, where his grandparents worked grandmother in agriculture. You already know what the suffering for the future is due to the insecurity and instability that exists in the motor world. He doesn’t want to go through the same thing even though the next few years are full of work in the ‘seat of fear’.

“For me it was already a dream the first year I ran in the Dakar, the second was to finish it, the third was to fight for victories and the fourth was to win it. But when you see it in your hand and you dropped it… too bad,” He reminded MD about the Dakar 2023. He hopes the Dakar will give him back that opportunity: “I hope so.” For now, in this Dakar 2024, he and Rokas will have to find a comeback.