Laia Sanz (1985/12/11, Corvera de Llobregat) In January of this year, he will add his 16th Dakar appearance (his 5th) after 11 appearances on motorcycles and 4 times on cars. He made history on two wheels and became a global icon, but the transition to four wheels was not easy. For the past four years, he has been in a constant battle for the opportunity to be an official driver in the highest category. Top class 4×4 T1+ vehicle. The fifth time was the charm. He will take part in his first Dakar as the official pilot of the new EBRO project. Let’s make your dreams come true.

How will we face this new challenge?

It’s a very exciting project. I had the opportunity to participate in official projects on a motorcycle, but this long-awaited opportunity had not yet come on a car. I think it came at a very good time, so I’m very happy. After the harsh Dakar that I had to go through in 2025, returning home early in such a brutal way, this is a double illusion. And we already have experience, in my case having competed in Extreme E. I’m excited about the positive results.

You are a global icon of motorcycling achievement and we have always highlighted your case to let girls around the world know that this dream is possible. Some people believe that if you were an American, you could own a government car for 500 brands and for 5 years.

That’s what sports are all about. Some people get to the top more easily and in a more straight line, but I had to make more turns and work a lot. And sometimes it just takes a little luck and being in the right place at the right time. But it has finally arrived. And the fact that I have broken so many stones has made me value this opportunity even more now. After enduring a lot, things will come.

“Things will come after you endure a lot.”

Lia Sanz

People think that you are the symbol of the Dakar and that’s why you’re guaranteed to race every year, and you’re paid so well that you can focus solely on the competition and it’s easy. That’s not the case.

Some people think it’s so easy that everything will be over in no time. Admittedly, drivers who are already well established (by being an official brand driver) don’t have to think about these things. And now I finally have the opportunity to be on a team where I can focus on training and competing. But you’re right. The first Dakar on motorcycles and cars required breaking a lot of stones and finding a way to get to the starting line, but it was already a great success.

Instead of focusing on training, I had to look for support and projects.

That’s it. There are many people who watched the Dakar at home and said to me, “But why would someone like you…?” But yeah, that’s the way the automotive world is and very few people have everything prepared and guaranteed from one year to the next. Things have to be worked on. I also rode motorcycles for the first few years, and then I had the opportunity to join a great team. And I hope that this will also happen in cars. I am very happy with the trust that EBRO has placed in me as the team’s driver. It allows me to focus on training and competing and takes a lot of pressure off of you. However, you feel a great responsibility being the only car on the team at the moment, and you really want to use the car to the end and get a good result.

I remember I told you this before. “Why don’t you explain to people that the opportunities you deserve are not coming?” And you said to me: “No, I don’t like complaining. I want to work on it.”

Yes, and it has been patient. I have always opposed it because it is useless to complain. It was certainly difficult for me to get this opportunity, but I don’t like victim mentality. I earned money on my motorcycle and now I’m doing this journey by car. The best way is to work and be patient. And if you told me on January 6, 2025 (the day he had to abandon the Dakar for the first time in 15 appearances due to an accident that damaged the car’s safety bars) that opportunity arrived.

“I achieved it by persevering. I was always against complaining, because it doesn’t help. It’s true that it was difficult for me to get this opportunity, but I don’t like victim mentality. I earned money on my bike, so now I’m doing this journey by car.”

Lia Sanz

Was there ever a time when you thought it would never happen and you should do something else?

Yes, in the world of motorsport, everything costs a lot of money, so sometimes you have to be realistic. Sometimes it’s a matter of luck to be there and have that opportunity, but sometimes some people just don’t understand that and aren’t as lucky. And then it arrived. The more you work hard and dream about it for a long time, the more it becomes worth it.

“Have you ever thought about doing something else? Yes, there are times you have to be realistic. There are a lot of costs in the motorsport world and sometimes that opportunity doesn’t come, but it did come.”

Lia Sanz

I also remember you saying to me, “We’re also considering working on other things to build a better project for Dakar.”

Yes, but you have to rob a bank to drive to Dakar (lol). It is true that there were difficult times. We were at Extreme E and the championship ended unexpectedly. I was putting my all into this and I eventually reached a difficult point, but in my career so far there have always been difficult moments where I thought I had to get off the bike or the car, but in the end, I put in a lot of time and determination and worked hard and things worked out in the end.

Dakar is like life…

Yes, we all have cycles of ups and downs and moments of ups and downs in our personal lives. Good moments will come, so you need to know how to overcome those bad moments. And now we finally have a reason to get excited, smile, relax a little, and work a little calmer.

“Life has its moments of ups and downs, and you have to know how to overcome those bad moments, because the good ones will always come. And now we finally have a reason to be excited, smile, relax a little and work more calmly.”

Lia Sanz

What do you think is the ceiling for this project? What can we aim for in the long term?

You can aspire to many things. We have to be realistic and above all we have to go slowly in this first year, but I think it’s a very good base car and we can dream of good results. In other words, we are very far ahead of the curve. At least for me as a driver, I think it’s an opportunity to see where you can go. As I always say, don’t brake your car. We have to work on it, but it could be very competitive in the future and if we have time to prepare even better than we did this first year, we’ll be able to compete later on, which is ultimately my long-term goal.

“A long-term EBRO project? It would give me, at least as a driver, an opportunity to see where it can go. As I always say, let’s not let the car be the brakes.”

Lia Sanz

What many people don’t know is that you have to contend with 50-60 4x4s like you.

That’s true, but at least it will look like this. Previously we were competing with two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, but they were not evenly matched. And the more races I can participate in, the better I can be as a driver and the healthier I can be. In the last few years I have actually ridden from Dakar to Dakar and it’s always more difficult because you’re competing against people and teams who ride all day long. So now the situation is becoming a little more equal, and I’m sure we’ll get a little closer each time.

For example, last year you arrived and tested the car in the prologue stage, and the next day you started the Dakar, but you hadn’t tested the car all year. How do we face this kind of Dakar? And now the difference is terrible. Because you drove it in Morocco, you tested it in Morocco, you tested the suspension, you improved it, and now you have it.

Yes, let’s be realistic, the team has been riding all year round, but yes, I’m much better than I have been in the past. Last year we came right in and did a little “shakedown” and prologue stage, which went pretty well. Admittedly, I had ridden the Extreme E the previous year, so I was able to stay in good shape and get some quality riding, albeit only a few kilometers. But the fact that we were able to go to the Morocco Rally after testing the car and improving the car made a huge difference… We already started the Dakar with a good warm-up.

How was the Ebro Project born? I don’t know if they called you, but you called and you knew this was coming up and you said, this is my chance.

Well, it was a bit mutual. It’s all about being in the right place and at the right time. Because last year they asked me a little bit about the theme of doing the Dakar in the Dakar Future Mission 1000 (using renewable energy) category. And I obviously wanted to do the Dakar in a very competitive way. After the Dakar we spoke and I think we understood each other right away and had the same goals and everything fell into place very quickly and easily.

Has the burden on your shoulders been lifted?

of course! It’s how last year ended, so of course it’s hard to be positive after suffering such a blow, but luckily in the end things changed a lot and now I go into this Dakar with a big smile and a lot of enthusiasm, and I’m looking to the future with great enthusiasm.

The day after the Dakar 2025 accident, you said, “Everything happens for a reason,” and perhaps this was the cause.

Yes, after all, sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to get your head back above water. It’s just a feeling. I can say that it was probably the most alarming moment of my career. And here we are, a year later, with a very exciting project and a lot of ambition.