Kleinschmidt: “True professionals and a great atmosphere” Jutta Kleinschmidt’s name will be forever etched in the history of the Dakar as the first woman to have equalled men in the desert: the first to win a stage in 1997, the first to reach the podium in 1999 and, of course, the first to win the rally in 2001. This steady progression says a lot about the unusual determination and willpower of the German driver. After being the “cornerstone” of Volkswagen in rally raid, she is now racing for BMW. This new start is providing her with new sensations and a renewed enthusiasm: “This is a smaller team but they are true professionals and there is a great atmosphere”. This change has been like a new start in Jutta’s life. She has quickly made herself at home in her new team and has found the right settings for her new X3. The Rally of Dubai, where she had a good race and finished 6th, enabled her to test the capacity of her new car. Finally, during the first week-end of December she has had the opportunity for further fine-tuning during the last tests in Germany.
The German driver does not hide her ambitions and simply comments: “I am very motivated”. Jutta likes competing and such a declaration leaves no doubts about her state of mind. Her will to do well is confirmed by the presence of Tina Thörner as her co-driver. The latter already sat next to Jutta in 1999 when they finished 3rd in the Dakar and she comments enthusiastically: “I wanted to finish my career after my second position in the Dakar last year with Giniel de Villiers. But Jutta came looking for me. We have the same team as a few years ago and it is very exciting”.