Return to Dakar for Christmas. Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert (Corbera de Llobregat, 1985) is already a classic of the toughest rally in the world. She will race this 2025 edition for the fourth time by car, after having finished the previous 14 participations and having been the first woman on a motorcycle in her 11 races on two wheels. In his 15th Dakar he will seek to take another step forward.
The goal is 2025
I will try to win the T1.2 category (two-wheel drive) and a ‘top 20’ overall.”
His 15th Dakar already. What vertigo…
I’m getting older, aren’t I? Deu n’hi do! It’s just that I’m still very young. I did my first Dakar when I was 24 years old… It’s very beast.
Do you feel like a veteran?
Having started with cars (three years ago) makes you start from scratch again.
But it is a reference…
Partly yes, because on a motorcycle I opened a little ground, I achieved the best result in the history of the Dakar [de una mujer, el 9.º puesto absoluto en el 2015] and I was a pioneer. But by car we have the precedent of Jutta Kleinschmidt [primera y única mujer ganadora, en el 2001]. But in a way, yes.
How is it to be a mirror for girls starting out?
It’s an honor. Not only being a reference for girls and women, but also for parents who have had daughters and tell you that they have named them Laia, or that their daughters ride motorcycles because they follow you… It is something that I feel very proud, even more than of having won so much. It is an honor that they have me as a reference. And it is a responsibility too.
What weight does it have?
I try to be a good example. Not only with good results, but also for having good values when you get out of the car. You have to do things well because the boys and girls are watching you.
Does having made a name in the Dakar and off-road open doors?
Not too much. I think it should open more. It is not easy to compete at a professional level. Not only in the Dakar. The ideal thing to prepare for would be to race the entire season and I do the Dakar and that’s it. On a motorcycle I experienced the same process. I ended up being an official pilot [de KTM] and you focus on training and that’s it, which is what I want to try with cars. But having made the change from motorcycles to cars is like starting over. You have to get out of box one. It’s hard.
How do you get to day 3 at departure?
This year I did the Dakar 2024, the Extreme E [todo terrenos eléctricos]which was suspended after the second race, and the Granada rally, to which I was invited. I have done what I could…
So he arrives at the Dakar without having raced since…
Since October in Granada. What a driver wants and what the top 40 Dakar finishers do is make kilometers. But hey, I already experienced it on motorcycles and I woke up. I’ve never had it easy. It’s what makes you stronger and prepares you. When the opportunity comes I will be more than prepared.
Is it difficult for sponsors, teams… to believe in you?
I don’t know what else I should do. I have a very clear conscience that I have done things very well. And the proof is that I have done well in all specialties, in my evolution in a car, and having been the fastest woman in many races. I do everything in my hands to be ready the day an opportunity arises.
Cristina Gutiérrez is in an official team (Dacia). Would Laia Sanz also deserve to be in one of the greats?
I have earned being where I am. If I have the chance, I might be there too. I know the pace I have, we have competed head to head in Extreme E with the same cars. Sometimes it’s just about having the opportunity. That Cristina is in Dacia can help me and the rest of the women have more opportunities. Extreme E is clear proof: many of us women were beating many of the men. When we have opportunities, we grow, and we can be face to face with them.
What path do you imagine to end up in an official team?
What is in my hands is to do it as best as possible with the tools I have. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes there is a point of luck, political decisions of the brands…
How does an elite athlete manage to exist for only 15 days a year?
It’s true, before I did the trial and enduro World Cup, and not only existed the 15 days of the Dakar. I hope next year to have some other project. But I don’t see myself returning to trials…
Toni Bou can’t find a rival…
I would have it raw [yo]. He who can win it has not yet been born…
What have you had to sacrifice the most to get here?
I like what I do so much and the satisfaction when things work out is so great that I don’t think I have sacrificed so many things. Maybe the studies. I have been an elite athlete since I was 16 and I had to decide between studying and competing. I wanted to do medicine, although I don’t know if I would have done the degree.
Family and motherhood?
Family, for sure. Motherhood, I don’t know. I guess if I had done another job I would be a mother now. I have sacrificed many hours with family and friends, but I have also made friends in the competition. Elite sport has given me many things that I would not have experienced otherwise.
At 39 years old, do you see a near expiration date?
No, not yet. If the body holds out… The only reason why I would leave it would be due to lack of projects or help. Out of desire, to feel competitive and to continue growing, I still feel like an athlete. I’m still young for the car. And I am a worker. I wouldn’t reach Sainz’s 62 either, but I still have a lot to do in the Dakar.
Your goal this year?
Try to win the T1.2 category (two-wheel drive). It would be a good way to be there. This year there is a huge level of factories, cars and drivers in 4×4, so it is not very realistic to think of a top 10 Absolutely with a 4×2. Winning the category would take you to a top 20 .
Who do you see winning the Dakar this year in cars?
Dacias and Fords are favorites. But Toyota can surprise because it has good drivers and the car is very proven. It could be Moraes’ year. But I think the Dakar will be played between Sainz, Loeb, Nasser and Ekström.
#Laia #Sanz #feel #proud #role #model #girls #successes
