“I already feel victorious”

Just a 100kms away from his hometown of Sao Luis, the area of Maranhao hosts the most splendid dunes and sand beaches the world has to offer. A perfect terrain for Marcelo Medeiros to ride his quad. That’s where it all started. But the successful businessman had one dream: to do the Dakar one day. After winning the Dos Sertoes Rally twice, his turn came to witness the toughest of all cross-country rallies. A year after André Suguita became the first ever Brazilian to finish the Dakar on a quad, it was Medeiros’ turn to try to impres the world. It would take the Brazilian three editions to eventually cross the finish line and he did so in style when he reached Cordoba in fourth spot back in 2018. After a three-year absence, Medeiros returned with that simple desire to discover Saudi Arabia. After once again finishing among the top contenders (6th) and even clinching three stage wins, the Brazilian can hope to become the first Brazilian to reach the podium or even win the Dakar.

“Since I was a boy when I started racing in kart at the age of eleven, and then on quads, I followed the Dakar Rally and dreamt of one day being in that race as well. And that finally happened, it was a dream come true. I hope that my participation in the Dakar, regardless of the results, serves above all to show to the state governments and companies of our country that Brazilian athletes can be as good as any other, regardless of their sport or category. We just need opportunities.
For me the Dakar represents a challenge, a possibility to represent my country and my region, but also a sense of overcoming. I finished the last Dakar with the spirit of duty done. To compete here in Saudi Arabia was a great experience, because my greatest obstacle was myself. I am not used to the cold weather and I am not so good at overcoming rocky terrain. These 14 days of racing were an opportunity to constantly learn. I will apply what I experienced here in the next competitions. I am much more confident in my performance. A proof of that is that I won three stages in this Dakar, all of them in the second half of the competition, that’s why I feel victorious”.