“Son, let’s go to Dakar together”: the inspiring story of the Ortiz family

The Dakar is the gift of life for many participants. It’s for the Ortiz family from Granada, father and son, both named Raul. Raul Ortiz Navas (son) is making his debut in the 2021 Dakar as a co-driver in the light prototype category (Challenger) and wanted to fulfill his father’s long-held dream. They wanted to share a cabin at Dakar 2022. Everything was ready for that, but life had other plans.

At the 2021 Andalusia Rally, Raul Jr. almost died. He had a serious accident that changed his life. “We rolled over and a fire started inside the vehicle. The pilot was able to escape with burns to his face and esophagus. But I remained unconscious inside the vehicle.” Then my guardian angel appeared. “I was lucky that there was a man who got into the car at that bend and did everything in his power to get me out. And I’m grateful to the federation for sending a helicopter there, because that’s what saved me, because they took me immediately to the hospital in Seville for emergency surgery. I risked losing both hands,” he recalled to the MD in the bivouac.

“They operated on me four times, transplanted and amputated my finger. Then they transferred me to the Traumatology Hospital in Granada and I was left in the hands of Dr. Piñal in Madrid, who performed three operations. I did a series of touch-ups to gain mobility. Now I have 65% mobility. The rest is already gone. But now I can live a normal life.” I could have died,” he explained, showing off the special gloves he must wear even when driving a car.

And the worst part of this whole process was the recovery. I don’t know when I’ll be able to be self-employed again. “I needed psychological help, which I was told right away, but it wasn’t easy. They had to do everything in my life for six months. I was an extremely dependent person. I went to rehab for two years, I took physical therapy, four hours of occupational therapy every day, and I took it very personally, which is important for me to have the mobility that I have now.I went back to my family’s real estate company and it helped me a lot psychologically.

During his long recovery, his family suffered alongside him. Because of this, in these delicate moments, his father wanted to give him strength with the promise of life. “I told him that his first priority was to recover and that the Dakar could wait. And I promised him that once he got better and recovered, we would go to the Dakar. And now, in 2026, we have realized that dream. That is why for us, going to the Dakar as father and son is a big fantasy.”

Dakarian’s wishes for the Ortiz couple are more than just a promise. it’s your life. Raul passed on his love for Reid to him, taking him orienteering and speed testing when he was 13 years old. “And we’ve been competing domestically for years, in Morocco and Tunisia. We’ve avoided testing as much as possible.”The decisive challenge was this year’s Dakar, where we competed in the classic category.

fighter jet

For Ortiz Sr., the adventure in Dakar is no less difficult than any he has overcome in life. He grew up in a simple family. And when his father died 35 years ago, he had to pull the wagon. “My father owned a family car company and we all worked there, but when he passed away, everything went away. I started working in a real estate company, and two years later my wife and I decided to start our own company. We have lived through many economic crises and survived, but with so much work we were not able to prepare for the Dakar.”And finally, at the age of 62, he made his debut with his son. He does it without fear.

“In 1992, in 2008, after overcoming the coronavirus crisis, the dunes of Dakar are nothing. The goal is to finish,” he said enthusiastically, ignoring the result. He wants to cross the finish line with his son. My son looked at life differently after the accident. “After almost dying, I feel like I’m living freely. Before, I was thinking a lot about the future, but now I just want to enjoy myself.” He fulfills his life’s dreams with his father, his best companion.