CAT AMONGST THE PIGEONS
L
aia Sanz is something of an inspiration
at the Dakar Rally. The Spaniard
contested her eighth Dakar in a row in
2018 and continued her 100% finishers
record. Going into this year’s event,
Sanz was realistic about her chances
and her main goal was to get to the end
of the race successfully. Hesitantly aiming
for a top-15 position Sanz was well aware
of the quality of the field riding this year.
With the KTM 450 RALLY suiting her
incredibly well Laia rode an almost
perfect race. Handling the soft
dunes of Peru, the extreme
conditions of Bolivia and the fast
hard-packed tracks of Argentina, a
couple of high-speed crashes didn’t
dampen the Spaniard’s spirits.
Through consistency, hard work
and out-and-out speed, Laia
eventually placed 12th overall,
well within her initial goal. The
‘Queen of the Desert’ says she
will be back next year for more.
Sanz said, “I am so happy, I wanted
to get into the top-15 so to place
12th is even better than I dreamed
of. I’m really proud of my result
especially in a rally with such a high
level of competitors. The new KTM
450 RALLY has really helped me
achieve this result - I feel like I have
taken a big step forward in riding
and speed. My pace throughout
the rally has been very consistent
and I am happy with my navigation
too, I can really make up some time there.
The crashes put me back a little, I was so
exhausted and following the trucks makes
the tracks very difficult. I managed to put
the pain to the back of my mind and got
to the finish in Córdoba. I am so happy for
Matthias with his win and it shows how strong
we are as a team. I am now looking forward
to next year and hope to do just as well.”
Laia Sanz