Meet the Dakar 2024 Astara Team: “Today, women know that dreaming big is possible”
Astara, one of the leading mobility companies, returns for its third consecutive year to the Dakar Rally, with a versatile team capable of facing head-on one of the most challenging automotive competitions in the world. The Astara Team, led this year by Laia Sanz and Patricia Pita, has already proven to be the most sustainable team in the competition, and this year it also stands out for the social and cultural diversity of its members.
Laia Sanz comments: “The strength of this team lies in its unity and commitment, enabling us to overcome challenging moments through a collective effort. With sheer persistence and a lot of enthusiasm into it, we’re able to achieve our biggest goals.”
DIVERSITY, THE BANNER OF THE ASTARA TEAM
The Astara Team is made up of nearly 30 unique individuals. Laia Sanz and Maurizio Gerini (copilot), Patricia Pita and Paolo Boggioni (copilot), along with Óscar Fuertes, the team director, are the most visible faces. However, behind them is a powerful structure designed to ensure the best possible result in this year’s Dakar Rally.
We are talking about a multidisciplinary team consisting of six mechanics, a chief engineer, a spare parts specialist, two drivers, a sports director, a physiotherapist, a communication manager, two cameramen, a team leader, two 4x4 support vehicles, a press car, two trucks, two trailers, and three motorhomes.
For the first time in the T1.2 Ultimate category, the team will be led by two women in one of the few sports where men and women can compete on the same level. In this regard, Patricia Pita believes that "being a woman in a historically male-dominated sport can inspire many girls and teenagers to be whatever they want to be. Undoubtedly, today, women know that dreaming big is possible."
A multicultural background is also one of the team’s greatest qualities, with members from all corners of the world including Spain, Italy, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, France, Venezuela, Morocco, and South Africa. All of them come with different backgrounds, and life paths, yet they share a common goal: to conquer the T1.2 Ultimate category in the Dakar 2024.
In a demanding experience like the Dakar Rally, the talent of the team members and the team’s cohesion play a critical role. Fatigue, harsh weather conditions, and the multitude of obstacles that can arise at any given moment make teamwork an essential requirement for success.
A PLURAL AND COMMITTED TEAM
When getting to know the individuals that make up the Astara Team, one realizes that not only is it a diverse group but one that truly shares a keen enthusiasm and commitment to a project that goes beyond a sporting event.
Several members agree on this idea, this is an experience that goes beyond anything she could have imagined.
Similarly, with nearly a decade of experience in the automotive industry,
Brazilian Marcos Vinicius, who is part of the team responsible for the audiovisual coverage of the Astara Team, states that one of its greatest assets is “its ability to work cooperatively and respond quickly to pressure and unforeseen challenges typical of Dakar.”
Another team member, Venezuelan mechanic Ricardo Andrés Cárcamo, also expresses his pride in being part of the team. "We are a united team, and together, we seek solutions to meet our objectives," says Cárcamo, who has been passionate about motorsport since childhood.
AT THE DOORS OF THE GRAND COMPETITION
The next edition of the Dakar Rally, the fifth held in Saudi Arabia, is just around the corner and is shaping up to be the most demanding to date. Competitors are revving up their engines, and the Astara Team is already gearing up for this new adventure.
The route for 2024 (starting in Al-Ula and finishing in Yanbu) promises racers extensive stretches of dunes where technical challenges will be paired with navigation obstacles including a new test format: the 48-hour Chrono. The course will cover a distance equivalent to 5,000 km, with 60% of unexplored areas in the special stages.
