Astara, one of the leading mobility companies, presented its plans for the upcoming Dakar Rally at its Madrid headquarters today. The Dakar Rally, scheduled for January 2024 in Saudi Arabia, will see the astara Team returning with a renewed lineup led by drivers Laia Sanz and Patricia Pita, accompanied by improvements to their vehicle, the astara 02 Concept.
For the third consecutive year, the team is committed to synthetic fuel*, this time enhancing its formulation to achieve a completely carbon-neutral footprint (zero emissions) in its competition vehicles, compared to 90% in 2023 and 70% in 2022. The two driver-co-driver pairs for the cars are Laia Sanz-Maurizio Gerini and Patricia Pita-Paolo Boggioni, with Oscar Fuertes serving as the team director. This marks the first time in Dakar's category T1.2 Ultimate that a team is led by two female drivers.
Laia Sanz, an undisputed off-road icon, will compete for the third consecutive year (her second with the astara Team) in the car’s category alongside Italian co-driver Maurizio Gerini, contributing the value of experience, while Uruguayan Patricia Pita and Chilean co-driver Paolo Boggioni bring passion and talent to the team.
"It is an honor to race for the second year with the astara Team. The vehicle's evolution is a significant step forward. It is 100% emissions-neutral, lighter, and has better performance. With effort and persistence, we will achieve what we set out to do."
For Patricia Pita, "Participating for the first time with a team of this level is an unimaginable dream. It is a tremendous opportunity to have Laia as a teammate and to learn from her. Dakar teaches us that we set our own limits, and passion and perseverance can take you wherever you want to go."
The astara Team is comprised of more than 30 individuals of diverse nationalities and six support vehicles, forming a robust structure to face this Dakar edition with complete assurance.
The astara Team introduces the evolution of its competition car, the 01 Concept, as the new astara 02 Concept.
The goal for the astara 02 Concept this year is to win the T1.2 Ultimate category —two-wheel drive— and improve sustainability and competitiveness compared to previous years. With a dry weight of 1,580 kilograms and significant enhancements in power, suspension, and aerodynamics, the astara 02 Concept is more competitive and efficient.
Oscar Fuertes stated, "We are very excited about this year's improvements. Not only have we made tremendous strides in sustainability, but this year we will be more competitive than ever."
At the end of the competition, as in previous years, the astara Team will measure, report, and offset the carbon footprint of the entire team. A digital platform will be used to provide visibility and share insights into emissions data, a unique offering among teams. Greenhouse gas emissions, both direct and indirect, will be analyzed, along with other indirect emissions generated by third parties involved in the team's participation (GHG protocol scope 1, 2, and 3). In the 2024 edition, with the aim of further reducing the footprint, the team will also use renewable-origin fuels in all support vehicles. The 46th edition of the Dakar Rally, the fifth held in Saudi Arabia, will take place from January 5 to January 19, 2024, traversing the northwest of the country over a 5,000-kilometer route with extensive dune sections from Al-Ula to Yanbu, on the shores of the Red Sea.
Source: Astara
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