"We reversed so much that the clutch burned"

Dakar 2018 | Stage 4 | San Juan de Marcona > San Juan de Marcona
January 9 ^th 2018 - 01:53 [GMT -5]

After nine participations on the Dakar on a quad, this year Camelia Liparoti is taking part in a Side by Side and is starting a new adventure.

This is the beginning of her new sporting life. Camelia Liparoti first discovered the Dakar as a quad rider and met with a certain amount of success, becoming one of the favourites of the Argentinean spectators. However, beyond her appearance and pink overalls, she left a mark in the category as one of the most consistent riders, with eight consecutive Dakar rallies completed on the continent. For the last three days, the Franco-Italian has been discovering a new way to tackle the desert, in an SxS, these light buggies that are set to make their breakthrough on the rally and which are easier to get a grip of than cars. What’s more, they are much more affordable. Although she likes surprises, Camelia could have definitely done without the nasty one that she experienced on the stage looping around Pisco: “I burnt the clutch out! In the dunes, we reversed so much that the clutch burned. We had the necessary parts to replace it, but it took us three hours”. Already used to toughing it out on the rally, the new SxS driver has nonetheless found plenty of reasons for satisfaction in her new Yamaha vehicle. “It’s less tiring than riding a quad,” she says. “And the sensations are great. When we speed over bumpy terrain, it feels like we’re flying because we have got good suspension”. Above all, in a field where there is not yet a genuine hierarchy amongst the competitors (11 SxS started the race), Camélia knows that she has a place to occupy… and why not the very top one: “My experience on the Dakar has taught me that anything can happen”.