Rally Raid
Not content with winning every major trials and enduro title, Laia Sanz has also been gunning for Dakar glory. As she prepares for her ninth rally, we talk to her about taking on the big boys.
Laia Sanz wasn't messing around when, at the age of 16, she told a gathering of Dakar Rally legends about her ambition to take on the ultimate rally raid challenge. The young Spanish motorcyclist from Corbera de Llobregat, near Barcelona, was told to forget about it. Dakar wasn't for her, they said. But the incident only emboldened Sanz, who was already the Women's World Trial champion by then.
Sanz is now 39 years old and has more motorcycling titles to her name than almost all of her male Dakar Rally counterparts. She's won the Women’s World Trial Championship 13 times, the European Championship 10 times and the Women's Enduro World Championship five times. And after 15 impressive Dakar appearances – including finishing ninth overall in 2015 – Sanz has staked a claim for her own spot among the legends of Dakar.
01
A trailblazing woman
Sanz was almost alone among the guys for a number of years, but now the percentage of female racers is growing steadily. There's still a long way to go, but she already feels a lot more comfortable. "We don't want to prove anything to men, it just happens that we love the same difficult sport, and therefore we deserve the same respect," says Sanz.
When first starting out, Sanz didn't feel out of place in the company of boys, though later, her father told her that there were quite a few problems with some of the boys' parents. The parents told their children that the result wasn't important as long as they beat her.
The guys on Sanz's team are very professional, but she's certainly had to put up with the usual tiresome jokes from elsewhere. Despite this, she still feels respected. They know first-hand how hard this sport is. Sanz says, "For men, respect comes automatically with participating in the Dakar, but for me, it was something I had to earn. I have a 100 percent record of completing the Dakar and everybody knows how hard this is."
02
It's all about your mindset
Sanz takes care to avoid crashing out. She believes some racers always go over their limit, but that rarely pays off, saying, "Racing in the desert is dangerous because you never know what's behind the tops of the dunes. I also crash, because this sport is unpredictable, but I certainly crash less, as I know my limits.
"If I'm slower in one part of the race, I don't let it get to me. I speed up when I see a good opportunity to do so, and this is crucial for a race like Dakar. Certainly, I've also had some luck, but that's the sort of luck that doesn't come without hard work."
Sanz believes you have to have the right mindset, know the engine and navigate well. The sport is a combination of different aspects; she can achieve the same results as physically stronger or faster competitors. If she races the Dakar with her head, she can finish ahead of many of the favourites.
03
Sanz's first Dakar Rally
Sanz was 16 years old when she first said she wanted to race the Dakar, and Jordi Arcarons, who later became her mentor and manager, just laughed. A few years later, they met at another sponsors' dinner and Arcarons told her it might be a good idea to try. "I remember how difficult it was to raise funds," Sanz recalls. "Even in December, we still hadn't gathered all the money. I wasn't just racing. I was also learning about business and logistics. The Dakar teaches you a lot."
A million spectators were saluting us and I was living my dream
She made it to her first Dakar Rally in Buenos Aires in 2011. Competing was a dream come true for Sanz: "A million spectators were saluting us and I was living my dream. I cried at the start, and I cried at the finish. I didn't see anything for the last 10km of the race, because I was crying. It was so unreal. I'd always followed the Dakar, but never imagined I would ever be a part of it."
04
Consistency is key
Skip forward to the present day and Sanz will be on the start line of the 2025 Dakar looking to continue her hugely impressive feat of finishing all 15 editions that she's entered. Not only that, but the Spaniard was the Dakar’s fastest female on two wheels for an incredible 11 consecutive years. Then came the switch to four wheels, and last time out, she clocked her best-ever Ultimate class finish of 15th overall. Joining Sanz in car #223 will be co-driver Maurizio Gerini. “The objective is to enjoy the rally,” Sanz reveals. “If we’re enjoying the rally, it means we’re keeping a good pace."
05
Beyond rally raid
If she wasn't racing, Sanz has always wanted to study medicine. She has always felt drawn to science subjects. The motorcyclist sacrificed university for her sporting career, but she believed that's the only thing her career deprived of her, everything has been worth it.
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