Mademoiselle Dakar returns to her natural habitat, to her hunting ground, comparable to the Champions League, the Tour or the World Cup for others: the desert, sailing, sand, stones, the adventure of the most mythical rally. Laia Sanz, just turned 37, faces her thirteenth Dakar – her second by car – with renewed ambition and enthusiasm, after a year of growth learning alongside a master like Carlos Sainz. “Every weekend with him in Extreme E has been a masterclass”, comments the driver from Corbera de Llobregat, who is aiming really high in this next edition of the rally.
Laia Sanz will compete in her second foray into a car at the wheel of a Century buggy from the Madrid team Astara. That is, a rough terrain eater, with huge wheels and more suspension travel to soak up bumps without flinching. A new tool with which she hopes to make a substantial leap to get closer to the elite.
-With the car I have taken a step forward. Last year's (a Mini 4x4) was ideal for learning and finishing, but with this regulation change it was clear that we had to go for a car with a big wheel. Accessing a T1 [the black leg of the rally, at one million per unit] was not realistic, and taking a buggy allows us to go with a more competitive car –explains Sanz.
In addition to driving a "reliable, hard car that will allow us to have a bit more rhythm, especially in fast areas, with stones, as it has a large wheel, more suspension and a good engine", the Catalan driver will start this Dakar 2023 with a higher category on his card, the B Plus, which not everyone can show off: the wisdom provided by the classes taught by Carlos Sainz, his teammate in Extreme E, the electric all-terrain championship in which the pair was third. Her five tests in this competition and the three that she has contested in Rallycross (in the electric RX2e category) have been the best school to advance by leaps and bounds in driving.
–This season has been very intense, full of learning. I have had an evolution that I am very happy about: I have been the fastest woman in the races and one of the riders who has evolved the most in Extreme E, as seen over time. But I still have a lot to learn; The good thing is that I still have a lot of room for improvement. Everything has added up and I hope to put it into practice on the Dakar,” says Laia, who has made notable progress. For example, a button: in the Extreme E round of Chile, the Catalan came to wet the ear in training the holy trinity -Al Attiyah, Loeb and Sainz-.
Much of it is to blame, in addition to his innate talent for driving, his absorption capacity to learn from Sainz. “Carlos has helped me a lot,” she admits. Some privileged lessons for an outstanding student.
–I have to thank [Sainz] for his work as a mentor, for his help. He gives me advice, I can call him at any time with any question... he is very much appreciated because he has helped me a lot to speed up the learning process. Starting this four-wheel drive with someone like him by your side is amazing,” explains the Catalan driver.
With him I have learned everything. Seeing how he works, you understand why he is where he is at his age (60) and is still so competitive. He takes care of every detail, he is obsessed with set-up, something that has taught me a lot to take a very important step in what is needed. We look at the telemetry and we can compare our driving, see where he brakes, where he accelerates and hear his driving advice. Every weekend with Carlos has been a masterclass.
So with a killer car and the extra learning she has accumulated, Laia Sanz sees herself capable of surpassing herself in this Dakar 2023. “It will be very important: last year my goal was to finish [she was 23rd overall], but this year I didn't It works, it works for me to start giving gas”. Meaning...
-We have to be realist. In the cars, it's not just a matter of driving, it's the means, of having done kilometers of tests, of seeing the amount of T1 there is... By having a very, very good race we can be among the top 15 – predicts Laia Sanz, that does not usually miss the shot.
