Laia Sanz i Pla-Giribert (Barcelona, 1985) and Cristina Gutiérrez Herrero (Burgos, 1991) greet each other and hug each other effusively when they see each other for the first time since they landed in Saudi Arabia. They have been in the XXL camp for three days now that the Dakar organization has set up on the shores of the Red Sea, where the more than 3,000 people who make up the convoy of the test finalize the details of the 45th edition. The rally kicks off today with a 12.5km prologue stage near the coastal town of Yanbu, in the west of the country. Both the Catalan, in her second participation in cars, and the Castilian-Leonese, in the T3 category of light prototypes, are seeking ambitious results: the former wants to reach Dammam among the 15 best vehicles on January 15; the second part as a candidate for victory in its class. In between, 8,549 kilometers of adventure await the 820 participants, 4,709 of them timed, divided into 15 stages that seek to make the test more difficult. In conversation with EL PAÍS, both competitors reflect on their personal good moment, the advances of women in the motor world and the challenge of the fourth foray into the Saudi desert.
Ask. Is there a special relationship between the participating women?
Laia Sanz. It is indifferent to me, I relate the same to everyone.
Cristina Gutierrez. I also. We are one more. It is exciting to see more women, because when Laia started there wouldn’t even be…
LS We were six or seven in total, and now there are more than 50.
GC A lot. It’s good, because it makes you see that the subject is evolving.
Q. Can you maintain friendship and rivalry?
LS Yes. I, who come from the motorcycle world, think that there is even more camaraderie there. You are alone, you risk your life and it may be that your rival saves your life. When there is an accident, the first one to arrive is your opponent. Especially in the Dakar there is a very good vibe. For example, one with whom I fought a lot is now my co-pilot [Maurizio Gerini].
GC Come on! In cars it is something different, but within the team parts are shared if necessary. This only happens in the Dakar, and the atmosphere is one of the most engaging things.
Q. How do you live the days before the start?
GC Very excited to start.
LS It seems very long to me. I am nervous and it is difficult for me to stand still. I get bored and there are queues for everything, it’s heavy. I want to give gas.
GC I need to start, pick up rhythm. I don’t like the rest stage, which you stop at…
LS It’s hard to start!
Q. What do you expect from this edition?
LS They always scare us. It is always said that it will be the toughest, but this year I think it is true. There are more kilometers, there are more days. The cars will not be able to stop during refuelling, and it is uncomfortable. You can’t go to the bathroom, eat well during the stage, and that will toughen the race.
GC The Empty Quarter [el cuadrante vacío del desierto saudí]When you see the stage profile, very short, it makes you think.
LS That’s cheating. In the Dakar, when there is such a short stage, it is screwed up.
Q. Do you pay close attention to what other competitors are doing?
LS There’s not much time. It is to arrive, eat, physio. There are people you don’t see throughout the Dakar. Surely we will not see each other in the entire test, but in the end you end up telling yourself the battles.
GC Maybe having dinner, in passing, a ‘what’s up?’ Everyone has their routine, but it’s interesting to talk to other people in your category.
Q. How is the issue of inclusion in motor sport going?
LS I look back and, luckily, the subject has changed a lot.
GC Just by seeing the number of women you don’t feel as much respect anymore. When I started, the only reference I had was Laia. I had this fear to see if she could just walk into this world. What has cost me the most is asserting myself, sometimes when I say something they don’t fully believe that I can have that experience, and that still costs me now. Today, in general, it is no longer normal.
LS And it’s not just the pilots. In a team before they were all guys, and now there is an engineer and a mechanic in mine, in jobs that were considered men’s.
Q. Even so, in the camp there is a clear majority are men.
LS You would have freaked out 10 years ago.
GC The empty girls’ bathrooms… (laughs)
LS There was no one!
Q. They are consolidated pilots, do you notice if they give you more interesting projects?
LS They don’t give us, no, we work it out. On the bike I had shown a lot, but in cars I am starting from scratch. You get out of your comfort zone, and what I did before is not very helpful, although it does help.
GC I have less experience than Laia, but it is true that, although these years it seems that everything is going well, it is true that you have mental battles, you doubt yourself. It’s a job where you never disconnect, and at least it’s hard for me. We are always working, looking for sponsorships.
Q. Do you think there is still a difference in treatment compared to men?
LS With the World Championships that I have won on a motorcycle, if I were a guy I could retire and work little. It won’t be like that, but don’t be fooled either. The fact of being a woman in an area where it was not normal has also helped me. On motorcycles it took me many years to prove my worth, to get into the official team. You always had to show more.
GC In the end, the one that enters has the magnifying glass on top. If you do something wrong, it seems that it is three times worse than one man’s mistake. If you make a mistake, it looks like you’re being looked at wrong. I do agree with Laia on the subject of attention and sponsorships, there are two sides of the same coin.
LS You have to remember that this is a very difficult world for anyone. There are also few men who don’t have to work hard and put out of pocket to get to the Dakar. In certain things we have it worse, but I am optimistic and we are on the right track.
Q. Because of your work, as is the case, you travel to places where women’s rights leave much to be desired. Does that bother you?
LS In the Dakar we live in a bubble. You go from the stage to the bivouac, and it’s like being at home.
GC We do not live the reality here.
LS We are not integrated, it is a parallel world.
Q. What has it been like competing as partners with Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Loeb in Extreme E?
LS It’s been great, I think for both of us.
GC You learn all the time.
LS Imagine starting in the world of cars with Carlos. It sure has accelerated my learning process. I would not have been able to learn so quickly and so well without someone like him accompanying me.
GC Sebastien is very natural. He is like a sports father, a friend. He is so sincere with everything. There is a very good vibe, he helps me with everything and we have a great time. He is a legend! I still can not believe it.
Q. What would it mean if one of you, or any other woman, won the Dakar again?
LS Jutta already did it [Kleinschmidt], and you have to repeat. You have to go for it.
GC For me it’s a matter of statistics. The more women there are, the easier it will be for one to win. You have to push, and Laia has shown that she can achieve it. I in my category am fighting as I can. You have to give it your all and then have some luck.
Q. Would a joint Dakar be possible in the future?
LS I am not in favor of forcing it. It is a matter of education. When I started as a child I was the only one, a weirdo. They called me a tomboy and everything. Now you’re going to a kids’ race and it’s full of girls. It is not necessary to distribute the numbers like the ministers. I believe in people who are valid and competitive.
GC I think the same. With having the freedom to do and decide, that would already be a great achievement.
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