RACING INFO

NYHEDER FRA ENDURO SPORTEN

Laia Sanz wins her second victory in the women's class

The Spanish rider continues to extend her fame with notable success in overcoming one of the hardest challenges that can face a woman on two wheels.

Laia was the only woman biker to finish the rally and she repeats the 39th place she won last year.

The Gas Gas rider had to contend with an injury to her right hand after a fall in the fourth stage and then go on alone after the ninth, when her backup Marc Guasch had to retire.

She's done it again! Laia Sanz has impressed the world in finishing for the second consecutive time in 39th place, the same result as she achieved in her debut last year in the Dakar Rally, the toughest bike trial on the planet. As she did then, the Gas Gas rider once again takes victory in the women's class home, where she must find space for this trophy beside her 11 titles as World Trial Champion, 10 continental titles in the speciality and 5 Nations Trial cups. This girl from Corbera de Llobregat thus adds to her fame as the best female bike rider of all times.

Always insatiable in her eagerness to improve, Laia Sanz started this year with the intention of doing battle on two wheels not only with the girls but also with the boys. Her ambition was to finish among the first 30 classified, but in the end she had to "settle" for an equally extraordinary 39th place in the final classification. Laia spoke of a result which concealed a great deal of effort: "I am better pleased with this year than the one before. It has been a very tough rally in some parts and the circumstances affecting me during the race made it even more complicated, but I kept going to the end. I am very satisfied with the way I rode and navigated. I think I have taken a very important step forward. I must thank Gas Gas for the opportunity that they gave me and all the team for their efforts and the great job they've done. We prepared this great project in a very short time and we should be proud. The bike also performed like a champion. It was fantastic and I am very happy. I dedicate this success to my team mate Marc Guasch, and I hope he recovers very soon".

A Dakar with difficult moments
The race started with stiffer demands than the riders had expected, above all with the tremendous heat in the Argentine stages. The Spanish multi-champion, who this year had physically prepared herself very conscientiously, overcame the harshness of the rally and in the third stage achieved a promising 35th scratch place. Unfortunately, she had missed two obligatory way points and was sanctioned 40 minutes, which dropped her back to 69th place.

This circumstance was a big handicap, as she then had to start the next special a long way back and was hampered on the track by the dust thrown up by other slower competitors. The situation was worsened for the Catalan girl when she had a fall which caused a hole in her fuel tank and a bad injury to her right hand. In spite of the pain, Laia showed exceptional resistance and went on, without complaining and without ceasing to recover places. "That day I thought I had broken my hand and would not be able to continue, but it was not so bad and after a couple of days with the help of the physiotherapist it was getting better. Hurting my hand was a shock, but what worried me more while I was out there was the bike. With the tank holed I was losing fuel and had to transfer fuel from Marc's bike. We almost didn't finish...".

In the eighth stage, Laia Sanz and the Gas Gas team had their saddest day: at 15 kilometres from the finish, Guasch had a serious fall which left him with four broken ribs, a perforated lung and damage to his spleen. Laia waited with him for an hour until he was taken away by helicopter and then she continued on her way. "It was the most shattering blow of the whole rally. I felt very disturbed by what had happened. I finished the day very upset, but in the Dakar there is never much time for lamenting, so in the next stage I just concentrated on what I had to do and the truth is that it didn't go badly", she said.

From that point Laia had to ride the remaining six stages without any help, but this was no problem for her. Her talent and tenacity enabled her to recover places every day and, at her 26 years and with only one previous participation in the Dakar, Laia showed extraordinary maturity: "I am very proud of the race I've finished because I navigated very well on all the days and I rode alone, reading the road book and being self-sufficient. I think I handled the race pretty well, without making too many mistakes and always minimising the risks and the wear on the Gas Gas".

Laia Sanz is the only woman biker to finish the Dakar this year. Her reign lasts until next first of January, when she will have to defend her title as winner in the women's class and face for the third consecutive time the challenge of the toughest raid rally in the world.

Nombre Tiempo
1. ULLEVALSETER (NOR) KTM 00:22:26
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:01:08
54. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:12:25
Nombre Tiempo
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 43:28:11
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:53:20
39. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 12:31:43

Laia Sanz displays her talents navigating solo
She successfully passed through the two trickiest navigation points in the stage, never doubting which way to go.
The Catalan rider stopped to help a Turkish rider who had suffered an accident in the last part of the stage.
Laia Sanz continues advancing at a good pace in her route to the finishing line in Lima. The Gas Gas rider again managed the special with intelligence, taking no risks and finishing the tenth stage, between Iquique and Arica, in 47th position. In the general classification she moves up five places to reach 41st.
Since she has been without her backup, Laia has shown a firm determination to reach the finish and in order to do that she understands clearly how she must handle the race. This trial multi-champion is demonstrating a veteran skill really unexpected in a girl for whom this is only her second time in the always difficult Dakar Rally: "I didn't go very fast in order to save the mechanics with a view to the coming days. Today there were riders who had engine failure and I don't want that to happen to me. Tomorrow we have the marathon stage and I will have no mechanic, so I don't want any surprises and I will go extra carefully. I am very aware that I have to take a comfortable but safe rhythm and this is what I'm doing".
Sanz, who has been riding solo since her team mate Marc Guasch had to retire, is showing that she is very secure in the navigation: "I'm happy because I'm finding it fairly easy to read the road book and navigate. In the dunes, today, there were a couple of tricky points where a lot of people got lost. Fortunately, I found the right way and that helped to give me more confidence".
At the end of the stage, Laia could have improved her result but she stopped to help a Turkish rider who had fallen: "The boy had to communicate with the organisation because he had injured an arm and he could only speak Turkish, so I stopped to help him. I hope he's OK".
Tomorrow the rally moves into Peru where there is a timed stage of 478 kilometres.
Marc Guasch, the Gas Gas rider who was backup to Laia Sanz until his accident, is still under observation, conscious and showing good progress after the serious injuries he received.
Nombre Tiempo
1. BARREDA BORT (ESP) HUSQVARNA 04:18:43
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:01:32
47. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 01:12:12
Nombre Tiempo
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 33:07:39
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:00:21
41. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 09:53:5

Laia Sanz overcomes the loss of her team mate with a super run
The Gas Gas rider finished in 40th place to confirm her best classification in the Dakar Rally 2012.
The only girl among the bikers, Laia faces the rest of the race without her backup and she is full of confidence in her own abilities.
Laia Sanz has recovered well from the hard blow suffered by the Gas Gas team yesterday, when Marc Guasch had to quit the Dakar Rally due to a heavy fall which caused him several broken ribs, a perforated lung and damage to the spleen, among other injuries. The Dakar women's champion had no alternative than to pluck up courage, set aside her worry about her team mate and face the ninth stage of the rally with steadfastness.
In front of her were 556 kilometres (126 of them cancelled) and, for the first time since the rally began, the only woman still in the race had to face the desert alone and all the possible difficulties which could appear along the way. The girl from Corbera de Llobregat reacted with strength and courage, asserting her character as is normal in a competitor of her stature, and gave a great performance in today's stage, the ninth of the rally. The eleven times Women's Trial World Champion finished the special in 40th place, her best classification in this Dakar event, and in the general she holds position 46.
"It was a very good day because I could ride without anyone in front to bother me, without dust, and for 90% of the special I was on my own without seeing a single other bike. It was a fantastic feeling and I also navigated well, without mistakes and with a good safe rhythm", said Laia.
The Gas Gas rider also spoke about Marc Guasch, but she emphasised that she is resolute in facing the rest of the rally: "I am very sad for him and I'm so sorry about what has happened to him. In terms of the sport, his absence is a great loss to the team, but I feel very strong and have a lot of confidence in getting through the rest of the race. I am not at all afraid about going on alone. I know my abilities and I will try to get to the finish, and to do so in the best place that I can. The only thing that worries me is if something goes wrong and I don't know how to deal with it, for the rest I am quite calm".
Nombre Tiempo
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 05:04:33
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:03:54
40. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 01:07:48

"I would like to have competed against more girls"
"For the first three days I suffered a bit, but now I think I have caught the rhythm of the race and I feel very strong".
"I am really pleased at how well Marc Guasch and I are getting on together".
"I can improve on the 39th place of last year".
With the Dakar Rally now at its halfway point, Laia Sanz weighs up her performance so far in this 2012 event. Last year's Dakar Women's Champion is the only woman still in the race, she holds 51st place in the provisional classification for motorbikes.
-In the fourth stage you had a fall and injured your right hand. How is it now?
-My hand is now fine. On the day of the fall I was really scared because the hand was very swollen and I couldn't hold the handlebar. I thought I had broken it, but fortunately not and in three days, with the help of the physiotherapist (Miguel Ángel Domínguez), it is already much better.
-After the first week, how are you feeling?
-Now I'm fine. The truth is that I found the first three days very tough and more exhausting than these last. Perhaps it is because now I'm into the rhythm of not sleeping very much. Anyway, I think I have got through to the rest day in good shape, even yesterday in the last part of the stage I felt well, which means that I'm in good shape. I feel strong.
-Did you expect the first week to be so hard?
-The initial impression was that the Dakar would be very hard, because I found the first stages very difficult. Perhaps there were fewer kilometres than last year but they were very slow to do and very physical, and then it was also very hot and it was easy to become dehydrated.
-Last year you came to the rest day in 48th place. How do you rate your results this time?
I had hoped to be a little higher up. If it hadn't been for the hole in the fuel tank which happened when I fell and which lost me a lot of time, I would be much better classified, particularly because when you have a problem which drops you down the classification, the next day it is much harder to get into the rhythm. What happens is that the people in front of you are going more slowly than you are, but you are held back by the dust that they throw up and you cannot get past, and it ends up as a vicious circle.
-What can we expect from you for the rest of the race?
-If I stay steadily among the first 50 I can improve on the 39th place of last year. What is important is to understand that I don't need to ride very fast but I do need to go without hurry, without taking risks and being aware that people will be dropping out. The Dakar above all is a race against oneself. We have now changed the engine, to be safer and more confident on the mechanical side. A lot of people have preferred to wait, but I fear that some will soon have problems because the desert is very damaging.
-How is the Gas Gas 450 going?
-The bike is going very well, with no problems. This project was prepared in a very short time and without doing any training in Morocco, so that naturally every day we see some detail to be improved, but I am very satisfied.
-Last year you had Jordi Arcarons as a luxury backup rider. How are things with your new companion Marc Guasch?
-I am pleasantly surprised as I did not think we would get on together so well. We are doing a great job and I even believe I have done more kilometres with him than I did last year with Jordi. Marc wants us to go quietly, he advises me very well and keeps me calm.
-You are the only woman left in the race. What has happened this year?
-In this Dakar Rosa Romero and I were the only two in the motorbike class. I was rather surprised, but it's possible that the toughness of the Dakar has discouraged more than one. I imagine that the economic situation at the moment is no help either…. I would like to have competed against more girls.

The reigning Dakar Women's Champion comes to the rest day with her injured hand almost completely recovered.
Her target now is to achieve a good position in the general.
The relatively quiet day for the Dakar Rally competitors yesterday, due to the cancellation of the special time trial, was good for Laia Sanz. It was a relief for her hand, now much recovered from the injury she suffered when she fell in the fourth stage, and she was able to ride with few troubles.
Laia, the only woman still in the race in the motorbike class, crossed the finishing line of the seventh stage in 48th place, which lifts her by 6 to 51st place in the general classification. As she said, the fearsome Copiapó - Copiapó loop "was not as hard as I expected". "In fact, this was the first day when everything went well and I really enjoyed it. At the beginning we couldn't go very fast because we were on a track and there was a lot of dust, but after the refuelling we came to the desert and I could overtake several riders without a problem. I am pleased because the day went well and my hand is much better".
With the women's trophy in the bag, Laia wants above all to get through to the end and finish in the best place possible, but without making mistakes: "The idea is to work up through the ranking bit by bit and I don't want to go faster than I have to. Starting a few places higher we shall already be a bit quicker than today because there will be fewer people in front to hold us back. Marc and I are doing what we have to do and this is how we will continue".
Marc Guasch came 49th in this stage and is now 52nd in the general classification. The Gas Gas rider said he was confident with the team after the first week of competition: "We are working well and we have to continue in the same way. Although the first days were very demanding, tomorrow is the rest day and we can gather our forces ready to face the last week of competition".
Nombre Tiempo
1. COMA (ESP) KTM 03:51:35
2. DESPRES (FRA) KTM a 00:02:03
48. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:59:49
49. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 01:00:14
Nombre Tiempo
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 18:12:38
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:07:48
51. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 06:27:09
52. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 06:28:20

Laia Sanz and Marc Guasch used the cancelled stage to take photos and admire the spectacular Andean scenery.
The Spanish champion benefited from an unexpected day of rest for her damaged hand.
After the cancellation of the sixth stage, which was to be between Fiambalá and Copiapó, due to excessive snowfalls on the summits and poor conditions on the ground, Laia Sanz and Marc Guasch travelled the cancelled route, as did all the other competitors.
It was a very different day for everyone, without the physical demands of the race, but lacking the calm of a rest day. Without doubt, this obligatory pause has been a very good thing for last year's Dakar Women's Champion, who had an extra day for her hand to recover after being injured in the fourth stage of the rally. "What is certain is that another day of rest can't have been bad for my hand. It's a bit better and I don't think it will be a problem for the rest of the race", she said.
Relaxed and easy, the Gas Gas riders took advantage of the route to take photographs with the background landscape at an altitude of over 4,000 metres. "Today we felt like tourists; we stopped to look at the scenery and take photos. After five pretty tough days, it's no bad thing to have a bit of a break. I'd be happier if I hadn't been penalised in the third stage and punctured the tank in the fourth, but there's nothing to do about that now".
As for the weather conditions, the Spanish girl said they had not seen anything extraordinary on their route: "When we got to the ridge it didn't seem as snowy and icy as we had expected, but it is quite possible that earlier, first thing in the morning, it was dangerous. I don't know because I didn't see what the ground was like for the special".
Tomorrow the race continues with the fearsome Copiapó - Copiapó loop, 444 kilometres of time trial, which comes before the rest stage. Laia Sanz will start in 55th place in the general classification and Marc Guasch in 57th.

Great performance by Laia Sanz
The Catalan rider gave her best individual performance in the race so far and equalled her best performance last year.
Sanz gained 19 places, but a 40 minute penalty for missing a way point put her back to 57th.
Marc Guasch was 33rd in the stage, but was also penalised and fell to 59th place in the general ranking.
Laia Sanz finished in 35th place in the third stage of the Dakar 2012, her best individual performance in the race so far. The Gas Gas rider achieved a fine rhythm all through the special, moving up a total of 19 places from her 54th place at the start and overcoming the heat and the constant changes of altitude during the day. However, according to the organisation, she missed a way point - as did around twenty riders - so she was penalised by 40 minutes, which left her in 69th place in the classification of the stage and 57th place in the general.
Laia began the stage with the handicap of starting in 54th place, which meant that she was in the middle of the dust cloud raised by the best quads and she could not pass them because the track was too narrow. However, just a few kilometres after refuelling, Sanz was able to bring out all her trial know-how: "We had come to a river, a very technical and complicated place, where most of the riders in front were having problems in going on. At that point I said to myself: 'This is mine!', and I took advantage of trial technique to pass around twenty riders and begin to open up some distance".
The 11 times Women's Trial World Champion gained some vital metres which catapulted her many places ahead in the general: "Physically I feel very strong. The many water crossings in today's stage counteracted the heat we suffered yesterday, making it all a bit more bearable".
Marc Guasch, her backup, crossed the line in 33rd place, but he had to face the same penalty as Laia and so was demoted to 66th in the stage and 59th place in the general. The Catalan competitor said he was satisfied with their progress and spoke of tactics for the future: "We are riding very safely, keeping up a good pace which allows us to relax in the navigation, something really important on days like today, when there were a lot of falls. We have to remember that there is still a long way to go, that we are in a slow Dakar and that we must try not to use more energy than necessary if we want to meet our objectives. The penalty hit us like a douche of cold water, but we have to accept it and carry on".
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 03:48:38
2. VERHOEVEN (NLD) SHERCO a 00:08:37
66. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 01:17:28
69. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 01:22:48
Nombre Tiempo
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 07:31:42
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:10:12
57. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 02:16:35
59. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 02:18:41

Laia Sanz goes up 24 places på 2 dagen
The rider from Corbera has come through a very tough stage marked by high temperatures and now holds 56th place.
Dust in the air is turning out to be one of the greatest difficulties that the competitors have to face.
The second stage of the Dakar Rally 2012 was more exacting than the competitors expected. The very long sections travelled by the riders in two days were tedious and monotonous, but these were easy compared with the really tough special time trial facing them. Rocks, dry river beds and the dunes near Nihuil, where the riders met temperatures of over 45ºC.
Sanz has recovered 24 places in just one day to cross the finishing line in 56th place in the general ranking. She was 54th in the stage, a result which she sees as "very positive". "I am very happy because it has been an exhausting day with the heat and very difficult to handle", she said.
In spite of the tough conditions of the stage, Laia Sanz felt strong and kept up a good pace, taking into account that she started in 80th position and had to ride for much of the time in the dust thrown up by others. "Today was quite dangerous, because there was not much visibility on the track and there are a lot of stones and other hazards which could throw you off the bike", she explained.
One of the most difficult moments of the day for the 11 times Women's Trial World Champion was when she found rider Bruno da Costa lying on the ground: "The scene was nightmarish. He must have hit a donkey or horse. When I got there, the animal was dead on the ground, the bike was on fire and Bruno was just lying there while someone was attending to him. He did not look good and it made me feel so bad that for a good while I slowed my pace down".
In the chain of dunes the difficulty was made worse by high temperatures and by difficulties in navigation. "It was hard because the heat was terrible and the sand was so soft that the bike sank in. There were a lot of people in trouble there, mostly because of mechanical failures. Fortunately, my Gas Gas bike has got over this problem and we didn't suffer any setbacks", she said.
Marc Guasch, Laia's "bodyguard", dropped from the 41st place he won yesterday in order to follow the progress of his team-mate, so that they could be together to face any mishap which could occur. According to Guasch, "yesterday's classification was a bit misleading because there were a lot of fast riders who were left at the back and others slower who were among the first 50 or 60 and this has complicated everything. The fastest found themselves facing dust from the slower riders and this can easily cause situations of danger".
"I am pleased that we have got through this very complicated stage with one part where the navigation was really difficult. Also, many bikes failed because of the temperature. Our fuel boiled, but we suffered nothing worse than that", he told us.
The Catalan rider was 68th in the stage and is number 62 in the general classification.

Nombre Tiempo
1. COMA (ESP) KTM 03:07:21
2. DESPRES (FRA) KTM a 00:01:18
54. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:46:30
68. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:58:22
Nombre Tiempo
1. COMA (ESP) KTM 03:40:12
2. LOPEZ (CHL) APRILIA a 00:02:30
56. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:56:39
62. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 01:04:05

Laia Sanz debuts in the Dakar with Gas Gas

The Trial multi champion has completed the first stage in 80 th position, taking the necessary precautions in the early stages of Dakar.
Her goal is to renew the victory of the last year in females and improve the 39 th overall.
Marc Guasch has been classified into 41 th position.
Laia Sanz and Marc Guasch have premiered at the controls of the Gas Gas 450 in the Dakar 2012 getting the 80 th and 41 th position, 10'23 "and 5'57" behind the winner, respectively.
Catalan duo run with caution in the first stage, that has occurred between the Argentine town of Mar del Plata and Santa Rosa, with 763 km of connection and 57 km of the special, knowing that in the opening compasses of the race they must maintain a conservative approach.
"Today was a day with too much to lose and little to gain, so I took it in stride. The special was very short and very dangerous, dusty, some traps and a very fast track. The ground was usually quite hard but suddenly changed to soft, so it was easy falling. These days you have to stay focused and not look at the classifications. The important thing is to pass the stages and make no mistakes, "said Laia Sanz.
For the multi champion and current winner of the Dakar in females, this is her second participation. Its aim will be validate the success of last year and improve the 39 th position in the classification in motorbikes.
For his part, Marc Guasch, acting in the official team Gas Gas as a backpacker of Laia, has run a slightly higher rate, but maintains the caution all the time. "It was a stage of processing. After four days stopped, people wanted to give gas, but that is precisely one of the most common mistakes committed in the first days, because you can easily endanger the rest of the race. The Dakar has just begun and there are many kilometres every day to reach the goal", he says.

Nombre Tiempo
1. LOPEZ (CHL) APRILIA 00:32:37
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:00:14
41. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:05:57
80. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:10:23
Nombre Tiempo
1. LOPEZ (CHL) APRILIA 00:32:37
2. COMA (ESP) KTM a 00:00:14
41. GUASCH (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:05:57
80. SANZ PLA-GILIBERT (ESP) GAS - GAS a 00:10:23

GAS GAS deltager igen i det berømte Dakar 2013 - i januar måned.

Man har sat et fint team op med 2 meget dygtige kørere - blandt andet tidligere vinder af damklassen.
Maskinerne er bygget over den fine 450 EC - og med alle de ændringer der kræves for at deltage i dette spændende løb.

vi vil følge med i løbet og informerer

Nedenstående regler vedr. nummerpladens udseende, herunder talstørrelse, afstand mv. er gældende fra 2012…
Der vil være kontrol ved alle løbsarrangementer og reglerne vil blive håndhævet. Ingen deltagere vil komme ud at køre, før reglerne er overholdt.
Nummerpladens farve:
Micro beg. og 50cc: Hvid med sorte tal
65: Gul med sorte tal.
85: Hvid med sorte tal.
MX1: Hvid med sorte tal.
MX2: Sort med hvide tal.
125 Junior: Sort med hvide tal.
OB 33: Hvid med sorte tal.
OB 40: Gul med sorte tal.
OB 50: Sort med hvide tal.
Quad: Hvid med sorte tal.
Sidevogn A: Gul med sorte tal.
Sidevogn B: Hvid med sorte tal.
Nummerpladens udseende og talstørrelse
Nummerpladens størrelse må som minimum være 140x230 mm.
Dette gælder front og sideplader.
Det kan ikke altid overholdes i 65 ccm og i Micro. For 65 ccm (gule felt) og Micro (hvide felt) skal feltet så vidt muligt have de samme mål 140x230 mm eller være så stort, som det er muligt.
Der må være en smal stribe med sponsor- kørernavn over/under nummeret.
Ingen skygger eller skrift på tallene.
Nummer på trøjer
Ved løbsarrangementer skal nummeret på trøje være det samme som på cyklen. Er gældende både ved dagens træning, tidskvalifikation og i heatene.