Míriam Silva (Villamartín, 1997) appears with panache in the open field of the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona. “Come on”. There is a rush. Time to eat – which he sacrifices to attend to The Vanguard – and dozens of all-terrain vehicles queued to pass the mandatory technical inspection before embarking on the Dakar. She, a 27-year-old from Cádiz, has the final say, thumbs up or down, so that the car or truck is technically suitable for the race. She has power: she is one of the eleven technical marshals of the rally. The first and only woman. A singularity that seems to weigh Míriam down.
“I’m just a little overwhelmed,” she starts shyly.
Professionalism
“The ‘trick’ cars, whether due to ignorance or bad faith, will still receive the penalty”
-Because? The job?
–No… Because there is a lot of machismo, a lot of envy and comments… –accelerates and stops.
In short: your position is very precious, it is not within the reach of just anyone to be one of the magnificent seven of the Dakar who attend the rally, the seven commissioners chosen by the ASO, plus another four by the FIA. There is elbowing for a square. And one is for Míriam Silva, a paradigmatic case. At only 24 years old, she was the first woman elected technical commissioner. And she’s still the only one.
He studied Automotive FP in Ubrique when he was 16, he completed an intermediate and a higher degree. At 19 he started working at an ITV in a town in Malaga. And at 24 the ASO signed her for its team of technical commissioners. A position that she combines with her usual job as a Renfe mechanic, in the Madrid factory, where she is in charge of maintaining the engines of medium-distance trains. Although the jump to the Dakar was from ITV. By recommendation.
Everything was shot. Being in the right place at the right time. And be good. One of the best. Her work as a mechanic in local rallies, karting, mountain climbs or circuits did not go unnoticed. José Antonio González, race director of the Andalusia Rally, and Virginia Gómez, sports judge of the off-road commission, spoke about her to the ASO, which signed her as a technical delegate for the 2021 Andalusia Rally, her debut in a major race. . Then would come the Moroccan rally and the Dakar 2022, its baptism of fire.
Passport to Dakar
Miriam Silva
· Villamartín (Cádiz)
· 27 years
· Single woman
· Renfe mechanics
· Technical Commissioner
· 4th Dakar
–I can’t say it was a dream because I didn’t have one, professionally. I always wanted to dedicate myself to mechanics, but I didn’t mind starting a workshop or dedicating myself to rallying. I simply moved forward. My problem is that I did not have female references in my area: wherever I go I am always the first woman – explains Silva.
Her role in the Dakar implies a great responsibility for safety and competitive equality: she is the one who inspects the cars and trucks, from pre-boarding checks to the day-to-day running of the stages.
–Each category of vehicle must meet technical specifications stipulated by the FIA, so that everyone is on equal terms, and so that the driver and co-driver take precedence. The marshals ensure that the vehicles strictly comply with the regulations. It’s like an exhaustive MOT, inside and out: we look at the engine, internal diameters, we measure suspension travel with a laser, turbo diameter openings, intake butterfly openings, clutches, gearboxes… – details the mechanics.
So it follows that he often encounters vehicles tricked either due to lack of knowledge or because “if it sneaks in, it sneaks in.”
–Whether due to ignorance or bad faith, the penalty will be the same –Míriam laughs, who assures that the hatches What they find is not usually to make the cars run faster, but to be more competitive. Like one who installed a carbon clutch in the 2024 Dakar (they must be metallic) so that it would skid less when climbing the dunes and lose less time.
Needless to say, in just three editions, Silva has been completely caught up in the spirit of the Dakar. Even if he has to get up at five in the morning, even if he rests little and poorly, and, above all, even if he eats terribly…
–What I find missing the most is the ham. When you’ve been eating rice and chicken for so many days, I’m craving a stew…
And she returns to her war, for being a pioneer and a chosen one.
–Even though they put a lot of obstacles in my way, because they make me have a very bad time, what I am doing is a dream that is totally inaccessible to many people. I’m so lucky to be able to do it, it’s such an opportunity and a mirror that I can’t leave it.
in the suitcase
Medications and stamps
In Míriam Silva’s Dakar suitcase, more than tools, there are “a lot of medicines and little cards of all the saints and virgins.” As an Andalusian, she justifies, she is a “super believer” and takes with her the divine protection of saints during Holy Week, and around her neck a medal of the Virgin of the Mountains from her town, Villamarín. But he also protects himself from the Arabian sun with “half a pharmacy” that he carries. There is no shortage of various sunscreens and lip balms.
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