Laia Sanz spoke with a smile about her future. “I’m very happy. We’ve been pretty far ahead on some stages, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Lia Sanz started dakar I smiled, knowing that this year was the start of something big. And he did the same at the finish line in Yanbu, after 13 grueling stages. “I’m really happy. This is the first year of the project, but I think it was a success.”After the flight, the Catalan pilot said: Overall top 20 it’s the first time he drives a car Top category four-wheel drive vehicles.

Dakar 2026 was a good starting point for her in her new project with Ebro to learn, push her limits and continue to improve for the future with the goal of continuing to grow. “We can take a step forward.”she told this newspaper ahead of her trip to Barcelona, ​​where she was joined by family and friends this Sunday.

The Catalan has had to pedal many times in the past five years since switching from motorcycles to cars in order to have the chance to live up to the brand’s colors as an official driver. After completing my two-wheel-drive apprenticeship, I drove less than a dozen cars. queen class 4×4 what’s in it dakarAnd after a long wait for someone to give him a chance to compete with a superior vehicle, that option was given to him by Ebro.

among them dakar 2026I was finally able to drive a top-class prototype in Dakar, 4×4 T1+This allows him to evaluate his driving against the best, understand what he needs to improve on both the car and his driving to continue developing his driving, and find his limits, which are unknown at the moment.

“We learned a lot. It was a bit disappointing to have an electrical failure, but these things happen in the Dakar and it happens to everyone. I think there is still a positive side for us, which is that we have been fighting quite far in front in some stages and there is a lot of room for improvement.” pointed out Corvera de Llobregathe showed great patience in the race and was always hovering around. Top 20 or Top 25 And at some stage, 13th and 14th The stage position is among the best.

However, for Laia, one day was enough time to lose. He suffered a car problem on stage 9 that set him back significantly. His result might have been better if that setback hadn’t happened, but to begin with, a top 20 in such a tight Dakar, where there are more Fords, Dacias, Toyotas and Minis than his cars, and many official cars in the highest category, is a very good result.

in fact, With just four new generation Fords, Dacias and Toyotas, 12 cars will already take the crown from 12 strong contenders.. We have the best frames and unlimited spare parts at your disposal for new cars every day. To them you need to add: alrajhi toyota and the rest of the car overdriveas well as three Toyota private cars. ford. Crazy.

Therefore, it is no wonder that top pilots claimed that they had no recollection of it. dakar It’s very competitive and the level of drivers and cars is very high. In that context, top 20 This must be a joy for the Catalan driver, who used his wits and skill to overcome the harsh days of falling stones and achieved his goal of crossing the finish line with his car intact.

So he now looks to what’s to come with optimism and ambition. “If I do a good job this year, I believe I can compete even better next year.”he noted, satisfied with the Dakar finish line. “It is essential that we are well prepared for the Dakar. I think we have learned where we need to improve, both on a personal level and with the car.”

“If we do a good job in 2026 (when the number of races increases), We arrive even more prepared for the next Dakar. After all, the level of drivers and cars here is very high. I think we have to work hard and this Dakar has to be a motivation for us because no one stands still all year roundbecause I think there is room for improvement. We can take a step forward,” the pilot added KH-7.

“We will arrive even more prepared for the next Dakar.”

Lia Sanz

Did Laia realize that he needed to improve to move further forward? He made it clear in MD. “Well, at the end of the day, you can always improve as a driver. The fact that I didn’t do the Dakar last year, whether I like it or not, I ended up only doing one day (because I had an accident), I lack confidence in the fast places (accelerating more), but I think in the end it’s something that can be improved with training and many hours in the car.”

Racing program for 2026

“I hope that’s the idea.” When asked if Laia would participate in some raid rally programs this year, he admitted that she likes rallies and would like to participate in more rallies as it is good training.

“I’m looking forward to getting back in the car and leaving.” he pointed out. And that feeling is the best sign of a good relationship with the car. If you miss someone before you say goodbye, it means the connection is good. He passed her in his car, parked right next to the pilot who had arrived at the bivouac.

“This last stage was fun and left me wanting more,” Laia said. Because of her past riding motorcycles, she is good at reading the terrain, so she wanted to choose a route with many kilometers of sand dunes, and believes that’s where she could have made the difference.

“It made me want more.”

Lia Sanz

“I was probably expecting a little more dunes and desert. In the end there were a lot of stages where there were a lot of stones and it was more difficult not to get a puncture. And there was a little bit more navigation. It’s true that the navigation was difficult, but I think it was only three or four days. But it was a very good Dakar. I think I’ve learned how to take care of my mechanics. I’ve been running the Dakar constantly and next year I’ll have to pick up the pace by another point.” Sanz didn’t want to say goodbye to Nani without a message for second place in the Dakar.

“An example of growth? I think Nani Roma is an example of Dakarian. We have a very fast driver here, probably faster than him. We have a very top driver, but I think he knows this race very well. “Because there are a lot of benefits to fighting and being way ahead of the curve. And of course, after the cancer. After everything that’s happened, he’s clearly shown that he has a tremendous amount of brainpower and a lot of motivation,” he concluded.