Happy in spite of everything

Dakar 2020 | Stage 3 | Neom > Neom
January 7 ^th 2020 - 11:25 [GMT + 3]

Yesterday evening, whilst the lights of the bivouac in Neom sparkled in the distance, Jordi Queraltó and Petra Zemánková were the last to reach the finishing line of the rally’s second special stage. When he was told this by a rally official, the Catalan driver burst out laughing, despite the late time, the tiredness and all the problems accrued since the start of the race, jokingly replying: “It’s better to finish last than to not finish at all!” It should be said that for Jordi, this Dakar is “what I’ve dreamed of all my life”. A former road rally driver in his younger days, he got a taste of this event when it took place in Africa, as part of a TV production team. To take part in the race in the Open category with his Rubicon Jeep is today a genuine accomplishment. This is why he is not going to let his position get him down. “We’ve had difficulties since Sunday,” he explains. “Today, we lost six hours due to electrical problems. After that, when you have to search for the right way in the dark, it’s complicated. My headlights only gave me fifty metres’ visibility. It’s tough, but in the end, not as much as I was afraid it would be. I’m praying that we have an easier day tomorrow, because we won’t be able to get much sleep before we have to get back in the car”.