He is only 20 years old, but after the dream of 2025 it is impossible for anyone to notice edgar canet (La Garriga, 2005). The Catalan has taken another step forward in his meteoric rise and will compete in the second edition of the competition in January this year. dakar For the first time in his career he joined the top category and official team. KTM.

A year ago, MD was able to speak with Edgar before his first Dakar adventure, and what was most interesting was that when we repeated the scenario a year later, his naturalness and speaking style had hardly changed. Although his sports career has changed, his true nature remains the same. With his smile and calm, he explained how he sees the Dakar, where people expect more from him than the driver himself has set as a goal.

Edgar, you have fulfilled your commitment to become an official driver outside of Rally2 where you won the championship. What is expected?

Well, I set the same expectations as last year. Yes, I’m changing categories, participating in RallyGP and being with great athletes, but the goal is to finish. I believe that if you achieve your goals, you will definitely get good results. I know what I can do on the bike, because we’ve been training for hours. Well, it’s time to practice what we have trained, and it will surely bring good results.

You said that the expectations are somewhat similar, but on the other hand, I think the expectations of the people are even higher. Are you feeling that pressure?

Yes, people really appreciate me. The truth is, you can call it pressure or motivation, but talking is always good for them. But I don’t think it’s time to fight for victory yet. The purpose is not to fight or try to find a result. That’s not what we’re looking for right now. It’s about learning and improving. There are still many things I need to continue learning, but I am confident that I will be able to reap the rewards after learning over the past few years.

“What surprised me the most last year was the time. The whole Moroccan rally is like a stage for the Dakar.”

Dr. Edgar Canet

You’ve said before that it’s generally safe to arrive in all aspects. What are the main lessons you learned in your debut year and will you apply to this second Dakar?

The lesson is that I already know what will happen. The races pass, and with each race you get faster and faster without having to work as hard. So the feeling of security when you’re on the bike, the little mistakes that happen sometimes because you’re anticipating or you’re aware in advance when you’re starting to make a mistake, that’s what matters. If you ever get lost, try to realize that you are lost before you lose even more time.

What surprised you most about last year’s Dakar Rally?

Well, it’s time. It’s much harder than it sounds. On TV, it was actually often compared to the Moroccan Rally, but the Moroccan Rally is actually the setting for the Dakar, let’s put it in quotes. It’s very difficult and the stages are very long. Plus, there’s plenty to do once you get to camp. It’s something that doesn’t happen very often in other races, like dealing with the media. But the truth is, it’s great because you’re preparing all year long for a career that really has a lot to offer. So, I’m looking forward to getting started.

What did you change in your pre-Dakar routine to better adapt to this length of the world’s toughest rally?

Train for hours more on everything. On my bike, on my bike, at the gym. The truth is, we arrived prepared. I spent many hours training on the bike this year, which helped me get the hang of cardio. So be more prepared.

The official KTM team is amazing. We have Mr. Sanders, who won by a landslide last year, and Mr. Benavidez, who is also consistently successful, and now you have arrived. The trio is spectacular. What can we learn from them?

The truth is, it’s great to be able to train with Saunders and Luciano all day long. Like you said, they’re the best right now. You can learn from them. They always give me advice and I struggle with them every day. So this is what I learned the most this year.

“I’m really happy with the finish. Of course there are places I’d like to get, but to finish so close to the winner already means we’re making progress.”

Dr. Edgar Canet

Is there any particular piece of advice that stands out to you?

The important thing is not to hurt yourself. This is because if I get injured and lose in the first stage, I will lose the year I learned from the Dakar. I think that’s important. Try doing what we have trained and what we have learned. And don’t avoid falls or take any more risks than necessary.

You said your goal is to finish the race. But you are a competitive animal, Nani Roma has already said. What results are you satisfied with? Are you happy?

Comes with a finish. No, of course there are positions that I would like to do. If we can improve on last year’s ranking, it will be an achievement. But if we are the same as last year and the time with the winning driver is shorter than last year, it already means we are improving. Let’s take a look. Of course, I don’t like putting in numbers, so let’s take a look. But yeah, I think it’s a good result to improve on last year’s performance.

You said you like fast tracks more than dunes. What is it about sand dunes that makes you prefer them over others?

No, I think you can play with more strategy in Dune. If you open up the track, you will lose time, but if you fall back, you can make up for it. But it’s also a matter of luck. And the truth is that you feel stronger on fast slopes, on stones, in rivers. It’s like 90% of the Dakar Rally is there and 10% is the dunes. I am very happy because I feel safer outside the dunes than inside the dunes.

In fact, we arrived at the glade very, very late last year. The last 3 days were dunes, but almost everything was set up. Therefore, there was no need to press it. But hey, there will definitely be sand dunes this year. We won’t be going into a clearing, but there will be miles of sand dunes. It’s not that I’m not good at it, but I prefer stones.

How is this strategy you’re talking about trained or untrained? Once you’ve done that, you’re already at camp and you’re like, okay, I’m going out here today so I have to do this? Or maybe you’re training him before traveling to Arabia?

No, these are the things we see at the moment. In other words, you can’t start the Dakar with a strategy in place, because everything can change on the first day. That’s why I’m looking every day to see what I can do. However, in reality such a strategy does not exist. But as the days pass, everyone takes their place and loses less, loses less, and gains more. Therefore, I believe that there is no effective strategy in the early stages of the Dakar. It’s just pushing you, and when you have a rest day, things start to look different.

What is your favorite thing about this Dakar Rally?

Well, last year Daniel Saunders won. He has been very strong all season. He basically won everything. Tosha Chalayna won in Morocco. And I put Daniel, Tosha Chalayna, and Ricky Brabec as my three favorites. I think they are the strongest.

Well, let’s see if I’ll include you in this group in the near future. Thank you for visiting Sportish. And above all, I wish you all the best.

Thank you very much