Mrs Dakar: Laia Sanz

With all the buzz of KTM’s Matthias Walkner winning the 2018 Dakar and Toby Price’s astounding podium finish, any mention of KTM’s lead female rider Laia Sanz tends to come across as a bit of an afterthought. But it shouldn’t because, aside from the Spaniard finishing 12th Outright against all the blokes, the 32-year-old’s 2018 race marks her eighth Dakar Rally finish on the trot. So we thought it was high time to shine the spotlight directly on the 13-time Women’s Trial World Champion, and get her take on what was an inspirational Dakar performance in 2018.

With the new KTM 450 Rally suiting her incredibly well, Laia rode an almost perfect race. Handling the soft dunes of Peru, the extreme conditions of Bolivia and the fast hard-packed tracks of Argentina with ease, a couple of high-speed crashes didn’t dampen the Spaniard’s spirits. Through consistency, hard work and out-and-out speed, Laia eventually placed 12th overall, well within her initial goal. The ‘Queen of the Desert’ will be back next year for more.

Laia Sanz: “I am so happy. I wanted to get into the top-15 so to place 12th is even better than I dreamed of. I’m really proud of my result especially in a rally with such a high level of competitors. The new KTM 450 Rally has really helped me achieve this result – I feel like I have taken a big step forward in riding and speed. My pace throughout the rally has been very consistent and I am happy with my navigation too. I can really make up some time there. The crashes put me back a little. I was so exhausted and following the trucks makes the tracks very difficult. I managed to put the pain to the back of my mind and got to the finish in Córdoba. I am so happy for Matthias with his win and it shows how strong we are as a team. I am now looking forward to next year and hope to do just as well.”