Edgar Canetremember his name. The pilot of Garriga (03/16/2005)at 19 years old, is the child prodigy Dakar. The Catalan makes his debut in the world’s toughest race as the youngest official driver in history and he does it with KTM official, although since his debut, he cannot compete in the category RallyGP and yes to Rally2despite the fact that he can generally fight all the greats.
However, it was very clear to Edgar that he was not against it. “Now it’s time to finish and get as much experience as possible. They have a lot of trust in me, so I have to learn from my teammates, without pressure, they just ask me to finish to gain experience”he declared to Mundo Deportivo, without a hint of nervousness on his face a day before the start of the race of his life.
In his words he showed the intelligence and maturity he has at his age, one of the main points why KTM wanted to sign him as soon as possible as their good bet for the future. Of course, they don’t want to burn it. Jordi Viladoms, The KTM sports director, assures the MD that they are not asking him for anything other than studiesmade it clear that he should be the company’s generational change leader.
Nani, he discovered, tried to ban him from Dakar
When Edgar Canet was 11 years old, Nani Roma saw him training. From then on he decided to help him and contact Kiny Gardner to also support him in motocross, a discipline in which he grew rapidly. At the age of 14 he became the Spanish Champion in the 85cc category. He competed in the national and European championships in 125cc and could become a star. But he had something else in mind.
At 17 years old, he spoke to Nani to suggest a change of direction. “I told him: ‘Hey Nani, I want to run the Dakar.’ ‘Get it out of your mind, I know how dangerous it is and right now, no. “Don’t even think about it,” he replied.the boy remembered. then, He called Jordi Viladoms to see if he would help him to that desire and his response was the same: “Don’t do it. “Continue in motocross and in 5, 6 or 7 years you will go to the Dakar.” But it is clear. “I turned 18, I started doing some roadbooks.”
The insistence and stubbornness of the child was such that Nani could no longer refuse. It’s like trying to hold back a torrent of passion and enthusiasm.. “When Nani saw that I had gone into the world making roadbooks with Joan Barreda, he started to help and advise me. ‘Since you’re in, we have to help you,’ Roma told me.”
Some amazing results
His first trial by fire was 1,000 Dunes Rally. He had to compete in a rally to find out if it was the right thing or just a whim. At the age of 18 he debuted in said race and shined with 2nd place. Albert, his fatherwho was drooling when he saw his son wearing the official colors the day before the start of the Dakar at the bivouac of Bishaassured the MD that after that race nothing would change their opinion. “I used to be a motocross rider who wanted to do rally raids. “I came back as a Rally Raid driver doing motocross.”he told his father after that appointment.
“I always like the Dakar and when I try the rallies It’s like drugs. And I started making roadbooks, training to that end. In his second event, the Oasis Rally, he won. He then took another step to compete against the best in the world at the W2RC World Championship.
It must have exploded. In his World Championship debut a few months ago, at the age of 19, at Rally Portugal, he was 3rd in his first prologue stage. “I didn’t expect it, I went without expectations, to see what would happen, to see if I wasn’t lost and if I could finish. I was third in the prologue but it was in a closed circuit, and then I was a bit nervous. I said: ‘Now is the real stage, with the roadbook.’ “I don’t know how it will all turn out.” He finished 11th overall, with the best. He went to the next World Cup event, Route 40 Challenge, and it was confirmed with the same result, winning against better bikes. AND At the Morocco Rally, using a motorcycle given to him by KTM to test, he finished 7th overall (2nd in Rally 2) in the Dakarian anteroom. They did not let him escape.
He prefers motorcycles to football
“My grandfather had a motorcycle factory. And from going to see my brother ride, I took his motorcycle and that’s how I started. My brother decided to join football and is now a goalkeeper in the Kings League. I didn’t choose football because I was bored. I liked and played in La Garriga until I was 7 years old, but I rode a motorcycle,” he highlights. And it wasn’t bad. This is the great jewel of the future of raids. The prodigy boy. The great promise of the Dakar world
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.
