Two years later than originally planned, Bruno Santos will finally see his dream of competing in the Dakar Rally, the world's biggest motorsport competition, come true. Recently crowned Portuguese All-Terrain Rally Champion in the TT3 Class, after an epic triumph in the mythical Baja Portalegre 500, Bruno Santos presented his sports project this weekend for the great competition that will take place in Saudi Arabia from January 5 to 19, 2024. In between came a complicated, difficult and lengthy recovery.
"This year I finally managed to recover from the injury I suffered at the Morocco Rally in 2021 and I will now be able to compete in the Dakar Rally, which is the culmination of several years' work. I'm very pleased to be able to make this project, which has been on my agenda for so long, a reality," said Bruno Santos, whose 2023 season was a very positive one, with him winning two important National Championship races and a championship title. Results that allow the Torres Vedras driver to feel very motivated and confident to face the biggest and toughest cross-country competition in the world.
The kick-off for this ambitious sporting project took place at the Torres Vedras TT - Etapa do Tejo ao Atlântico, a two-wheeled cross-country tour that Bruno Santos organized and where more than 300 participants were challenged to tackle a 300-kilometre route between the Tagus and the Atlantic through various municipalities in the Western Region.
"As part of my participation in the 2023 Dakar Rally, the possibility arose of organizing, together with a group of friends and the Motoclube de Torres Vedras, a ride for two-wheeled lovers in the Torres Vedras region. We managed to bring together more than three hundred participants for this ride, which we called the Tagus to Atlantic Stage, and it was an excellent way to kick off my project to take part in the Dakar. The route was designed to give participants an idea of what a stage in the Dakar Rally is like, but always in a safe environment in which everyone could enjoy an off-road motorcycle ride," revealed rider Bruno Santos.
During the event, the rider gave a presentation to the participants, sponsors and guests with details of how he has been preparing for this participation.
This ride also had an important social focus and it was possible to collect 4,500 euros that were given to CAT Renascer, an association in Torres Vedras that takes in children at risk: "CAT Renascer was the association we chose and this was our contribution, hoping that it will be a precious help to so many children that the institution supports," added Bruno Santos.
In its fifth edition in Saudi Arabia, which will start on January 5 and end on January 19, the Dakar Rally promises to continue to be challenging, having now introduced a completely new concept: a 48-hour stage over two days in which the competitors, spread between eight camps, will be left to their own devices. In total, the race will cover a distance of around 5,000 kilometers over 14 days.
Source: Bruno Santos official press release
Automatic translation from the original Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
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