Laia Sanz, ready to fulfill her triple goal in her 15th Dakar

Laia Sanz He heads to his 15th Dakar, his fourth participation by car, with the triple challenge of breaking his record of finished editions, improving the 15th overall position achieved in the last edition and fighting for victory in the 4×2 category.

The challenge is not less, because there will be more official teams and drivers than before, and most are strengthened. As if that wasn’t enough, the woman from Corbera de Llobregat and her co-driver, Maurizio Gerini, did not compete in any races during the season nor were they in the car they were driving in this edition, a Century CR -6T.

Accustomed to face adversity and overcome the challenges presented to her, Laia Sanz is confident in her choices: “In 2024 we are not competing in rally raids, and that was not taken, but the experience of last year and having of The confidence that the car is running very well will help us a lot. I’m really looking forward to start, because I’m in my fourth year driving. I’ll go again with two-wheel drive, when we see that we can be first, we set ourselves the goal of trying to win the category and finish well in general. If we do a race with few mistakes and no engine problems, even the 4x4s are a step above, we will achieve a good result, even if the priority is to fight those we can measure ourselves against, which is the 4x2s.

The KH-7 driver favors the competitive level he has achieved in his short career on four wheels, and that has led him to be runner-up in 2023 and 2024 in the Extreme E electric championship.

“I have evolved a lot in these four years as a car driver. From my first Dakar to now, I think I have improved my pace a lot. Having the ability to race in Extreme E with Carlos Sainz and Mattias Ekström definitely contributed to this. This evolution was clearly seen in Extreme E, where there were many levels and good drivers, and in the end I was fighting with the guys, so I was very happy having competed in 11 Dakar on motorcycles also gave me experience that I now take advantage of on cars. Obviously, I want to do more kilometers throughout the year, but you always have to fight as hard as you can with the tools you have. you to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. I have experienced this situation before with motorcycles, and now it is time to open the way for us on four wheels,” he said.

In Dakar 2025, the 20-time world champion will be at the controls of a Century CR-6T, a rear-wheel drive buggy equipped with the same V6 turbo engine that he piloted in the last Dakar.

“It’s a two-wheel drive, so the sand is the most complicated part; You suffer more, it’s easier to make mistakes, you’re more nervous… although for me, as a driver, the dunes are where I enjoy the most and where I think that with a 4×4 I can do better. Our car does well on fast stages in the open desert or on broken terrain… That’s where you can get the most out of its full potential, so we’ll try to lose a little when there’s sand and it’s good on days that are favorable for our car ,” he explained.

With 5,100 timed kilometers planned for the 47th edition of the Dakar Rally, Laia Sanz is very clear about how she will have to face the challenge to achieve her goal of reaching the goal for the 15th time in a row opportunity with the best in the car category and with the category dedicated to 4×2 vehicles under your arm.

“We plan the race from less to more, because the first week will be very difficult, a test, with the 48-hour time trial and the marathon stage as soon as possible. We don’t have to rush or be late in a hurry, although we can start more than the starting order, which is very possible for us, because we do not have priority status. In the last edition, the difficulty has increased significantly and I expect a similar Dakar, so we have to have of a very cool mind and step into the race. “We have to make a smart strategy.”