It will be the second year of Nani Roma (Barcelona, 49 years old) dressed in red at the Dakar, lThe colors of the Bahrain Raid Xtreme, but it will have little to do with the first. Car and equipment arrive in Arabia with more body, like wine the more it is allowed to rest. With the experience of the previous one and thousands of kilometers of test in the backpack. “In the last in Dubai I made 1,000 …”, says the Catalan AS, where he attests that they arrive “better and more prepared”: “We have worked a lot in a very short time and the team knows more, last year we were new.”
Everything is more assembled in the structure that it shares with Loeb and Terranova, however, there is a downside, the few kilometers of competition they have done in its preparation. Just two days in Baja Aragón: “We arrived well, but we have not faced our rivals. We are happy with the work we have done because it has not been easy, Although we have been constantly changing plans, we have not been able to compete and this is what, in quotes, worries me the most, having done only the Baja “.
“A problem” took them away from Morocco and “a misfortune” made them give up the rallies in Abu Dhabi and Hail as well. The second was the fire that they suffered when refueling in a test and that ended up with a mechanic hospitalized for serious burns. “We lost a car, but the most important thing is that the mechanic is improving a lot”, Nani updates on her partner’s status. “They have changed the systems and the refueling protocols and it will not happen again” something like that and, of course, it has nothing to do with your new biofuel.
“With it we neither lose nor gain power, but we pollute 80% less”, says the one from Folgarolas. Thus, the biggest change, of course, is in the Prodrive Hunter, the car he shares with Álex Haro, which has increased its dimensions to adapt to the T1 + category and with which “it is amazing how you can go through potholes, it is a huge change “: “It’s an easy car to drive, so do Loeb and Terranova, And that is very important, because if you make a very complex car, the race is already complex in itself… “.
This is how he sees the struggle of forces for victory
With all the ingredients on the table, does Nani consider that the BRX can compete to win the Dakar? “We think so, what worries us a bit is that we have the same engine as last year, but with 150 kilos more and more traction, and it shows that there are times when you would like to have more power. Theoretically, it has to be the same for everyone and I hope that the FIA will make a good Balance of Performance that will equal us all, but we have to focus on ourselves and I think it will go well. “
And what it does not do is rule out any first-rate rival, not even Audi despite debuting with its complex project. “You have to count on everyone and whoever doesn’t think about it is wrong, so I’m counting on Audi. Al Attiyah is the one who runs the most races and that is a very good advantage, there are the Mini buggies … “, analyzes the Catalan, who concludes with this reflection:” There is a moment in life when one has to brake a little, from September we were behind the problems, very accelerated to be able to compete, but with what there is one has to work “.