“There is much to learn and improve”
CREW FACTS
M.A.
- Manuel Andujar has earned his unique place in the history of quads after having won the Dakar in the 2021 and 2023 editions and two World Championship titles: in 2021, ahead of Rafal Sonik, and in 2024, after his victory on the Desafío Ruta 40.
- This exceptional rider started in quadcross at 18, competing in the USA and Argentina for three years. He later decided to venture into rallying. He made his Dakar debut in 2018, finishing 29th, and just one year later, he finished fifth. In the 2020 edition, he finished 4th, just off the podium in the sands of Saudi Arabia.
- The decision of Dakar organisers to eliminate the category for next year obliged Andujar to transition to the SSV division. In the last edition of the Rally of Morocco, with his compatriot Ronnie Graue, he finished 2nd in the Experimental category, testing the new Can-Am Maverick R, ready to take on a new challenge.
- Neither the Touaregs in his showcases nor the FIM World Cups seem to have altered the simple manners of this driver from the interior of the province of Buenos Aires, in the heart of the Argentinian Pampas. He shows his undying support for Boca Juniors everywhere he goes and devotes hours and hours to his donkey Ofelia and his dog Dakar. After winning everything, ‘Manu’ joins this new category with the ambition of finishing the rally and adding another Dakar victory to his collection.
B.G.
- Bernardo ‘Ronnie’ Graue, an experienced navigator from Mendoza, will compete in his 14th Dakar. He debuted in the quad category in 2010 and then moved on to cars, navigating for prominent drivers such as Lucio Álvarez, Orly Terranova and Sebastián Halpern. He has 6 top ten finishes, with a career-best fifth in the car category in 2012 alongside Lucio Álvarez.
- A lover of challenges, Ronnie has climbed Aconcagua - the highest summit in the Americas - 10 times, and two of the ‘six-thousanders’ of the Himalayas, and two of the highest volcanoes in Catamarca, Argentina.
- He has won several rallies in his career, such as the 2017 Desafío Ruta 40 Norte and the 2018 Desafío Inca. He won the 2019 FIA Cross Country Rally Cup alongside Orly Terranova with the Mini JCW team.
- He competed in the World Rally Raid Championship with Sebastián Halpern in 2021 and 2022 and the 2024 W2RC Desafío Ruta 40 with a podium result in the Ultimate category. In the Morocco Rally, he co-drove with Manuel Andújar for the first time, finishing runner-up in the Experimental Challenger/SSV category aboard the Can-Am Maverick R, with which they will compete in the Dakar.
AMBITION 2025
M.A.: "The truth is that the Dakar 2024 was very tough, and the race strategy was the key where we could make up the time we needed to change the engine and still have an advantage over our rivals. Looking back over the season, Portugal was a beautiful place to race. What can I say about Argentina? For me, the DR 40 is the most beautiful race in the world, far surpassing all the other places I have competed in, and to have been able to win again this year in my country and with my people was unique for me. It was hard for me to leave the quad; of course, it was hard with eight years in which I lived and breathed to try to be the best in that category. The hardest part of the transition is trying to understand the SSV the same way I understood the quad in a matter of months, and that's impossible. It will take me a long time to hear the noises and interpret the problems. How do I get on with Ronnie? I got on well; I adapted quickly to someone navigating me. The pace in the dunes is good, and there is room for improvement. I only had one race in SSV and there are many things to learn and improve. We won the final stage in Morocco. We finished second behind 'Chaleco' (Lopez) - who also helped me a lot - and it was incredible.
"The Dakar is always difficult. We hope to be up to the challenge and complete it. The goal for the first year is to finish the rally as high as possible. I think the big challenge will be not to break the Can-Am."
B.G.: 'I love challenges, and that's why I like the Dakar 2025 course, with the Marathon stages and the visit to the Empty Quarter at the end. You have to take a different approach: take care of the vehicle and tyres... You have to rationalise everything, just like I do in the mountains. It will be a big change for' Manu' to go from 'solving everything alone' to being accompanied. And for me, reading the roadbook and transmitting what I see in a few words is challenging. However, he is a quick study, he solves everything very well, and his speed in the dunes is surprising."
"The Morocco Rally exceeded all my expectations. Although we were in the Experimental category waiting for the new Can-Am to be homologated, we set promising times, we are not far from the lead, and we have the same hours in the car as 'Chaleco' Lopez and... we still don't know the limit! It's a very solid car, and even though it's heavier, we did the entire rally with the same axle shafts, ball joints, and steering ends! I've been surprised by the development of this Cam-Am, especially the chassis and suspension. We're going for the SSV podium; we won't settle for anything less".
