Its almost that time of year again! The famous DAKAR RALLY begins on January 5th 2020 in Saudi Arabia and we’ll be glued to it to watch one person in particular………
The awesome Laia Sanz from Barcelona has been competing in the Dakar since 2011 and has been the fastest woman to compete in the Dakar 7 years in a row holding the prestigious title of completing the rally every year that she has entered with her best finish to date in 2015 when she finished 9th overall.
After starting to ride at the age of two, when her father used to sit her on the fueltank of his motorbike. The family passion for motorbikes took root in Sanz who at four years old was riding her older brother’s Montesa Cota 25cc. Laia was then competing by the time she was only six. The Red Bull athlete has since then become a 13-time Women’s Trial World Champion and 10-time Women’s Trial European Champion in outdoor motorcycle trials. The year 2010 was pivotal for Sanz when she began training with Dakar Legend Jordi Arcarons and also participated in the Women’s Enduro World Championship. The following year she made her Dakar Rally debut and has competed every year since.
Laia’s goal is to finish in the top 15 for 2020 however, she acknowledges that it will be a difficult task due to the skill level of her competitors. Its been tough year for Laia after contracting Q fever - an infectious disease that forced her to stop competing and disrupted her preparation for her 2019 season so we’re stoked to see her lining up for this years 2020 event as one of the worlds best rally racers. But Laia is no stranger to adversity as she to this day remains the only woman to ever finish the event within the top 10 competitors. The philosophy that keeps this motorbike warrior moving forward is simple. “Above all, I want to have a good time. That’s what motivates me. From here, my goal is to get good results because that will allow me to continue dedicating myself to this.”
This year, Laia is riding the new KTM 450 for the GAS GAS factory team and hopes to repeat or improve on her 2015 results and we’ll be cheering for her the entire way!
GO LAIA!
NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE DAKAR RALLY ?
Check out the little vid below for a run down of its history and why it’s such an incredible race to watch!