Laia
Sanz
Spain
·
Rally Raid
Date of birth | December 11, 1985 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Corbera de Llobregat |
Age | 40 |
Nationality | Spain |
Career start | 1992 |
Disciplines | Rally Raid Car |
Laia Sanz first hopped on two wheels at the age of two, when her father used to sit her on the fueltank of his motorbike. The family passion for motorbikes took root in Sanz, who at four years old was riding her older brother's Montesa Cota 25cc.
At seven-years-old the girl from Corbera de Llobregat in Catalonia made her debut in local competition. She may have come in last out of the eight participants but the buzz for competing drove her on to keep coming back.
Laia first beat the boys in 1997, the same year that she first competed in a women's-only trial event. She would end up winning the first unofficial edition of the European Women's Trials Championship the following year. In 2000, Laia won the cadet category of the Spanish National Trial Championship as well as her first Women's World Trials title and the Women's Trial des Nations.
From there, Laia picked-up five consecutive doubles of the World Cup and European Trial title from 2002 to 2006. After a hiatus in 2007 she would recommence this domination of these championships between 2008 to 2011. In total, she's triumphed 13 times in the Women's World Trial Championship, 10 times in Women's Trial European Championship and six times in the Women's Trial des Nations.
In 2010, a career switch from trials to enduro took place and with it came a third place in the Women's Enduro World Cup. This was all great training for Laia's first Dakar Rally in 2011. Since 2012 there have been a total of five Women's Enduro World Cup titles for her.
After first dipping her toes into the world of rally raid, Laia went fully in on motorsports' toughest discipline and her best Dakar Rally result to date is a phenomenal ninth overall in 2015 and she remains the only women ever to score a top 10 finish in the gruelling Bike class. She's been a Dakar finisher on a bike no less than 11 times, always as the leading female in the race.
In 2021, Laia made the switch from two to four wheels, joining the Acciona | Sainz XE Team, along with Carlos Sainz, to take part in the inaugural season of Extreme E, an FIA-sanctioned off-road racing series that uses electric SUVs. She then made a memorable start to 2022, racing on four wheels for the first time at Dakar, where she finished a solid 23rd overall.
Despite a run of mechanical troubles throughout the rally, Laia again reached the finish of the Rally Dakar, extending her run of finishes to an incredible 13 out 13, a truly astonishing result. She then went on to win the Desert X-Prix – Extreme E Championship in Saudi Arabia and followed that with a second-place victory at the Island X Prix 1 – Extreme E Championship in Italy.
2025 brought Laia her first Dakar Rally DNF, but now she's back in training ready to hit the desert once again as she spearhead's the first Dakar appearance of revived Spanish brand Ebro.
Laia Sanz is a true legend of off-road racing
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
Now, a new challenge leading Ebro into the Dakar Rally
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
13 consecutive Dakar Rally's finished – what an achievement
© Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool
Sanz's attacking style carried over from bikes to cars
© Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool