“Returning to the Dakar is a dream I’ve had for 36 years”
En bref
JT
- Jordi Torras is no stranger to the Dakar, with two participations at the turn of the 1990s, but the 2026 edition will see him face the challenges of the Saudi desert for the first time, after two attempts on African soil.
- Torras survived his first assault in the Dakar but his car failed him on the second. For three decades and a half, he dreamt of returning to the iconic rally-raid with the proper conditions to make it through the desert. The opportunity came from MD Rallye Sport, whose dedication and experience has given rise to the Optimus MD buggy.
- To dive back in the Dakar, Torras partners with another enthusiast from Barcelona, Santi Costa, a young navigator exited to put his skills at trial in the iconic event.
SC
- Santi Costa is used to starting the year in Saudi Arabia, where he’s witnessed the last four editions of the Dakar as a fan. In 2026, he comes as a contender, aboard an Optimus buggy from MD Rallye Sport alongside another Catalan, Jordi Torras.
- Costa’s passion for motorsports has animated him since he was a young kid inspired by his father’s adventures as a doctor on the Dakar. His uncle Santi Anglada participated in 2009. Now it’s Santi Costa’s turn to take on the iconic rally-raid.
- A bike enthusiast, Santi Costa developed his skills as a navigator under the guidance of MotoGP pilot Alex Rins and Dakar legend Ramon Vila. He wants to improve and establish himself over the next few years.
Ambition
J.T.: “Since I had to abandon in 1991, because the car couldn’t make it past stage 2, I always figured: ‘I will come back, but it will be different conditions.’ And we picked up a car to return, but it had already done the Dakar and it just couldn’t hold up another year. The motor dropped down on the second day and that was it. So I wanted to return with guarantees that I could have a good race. And it took me 35 years to find the right team, with the right support, the right car, to be able to do it as a private pilot.
We started talking with MD at the beginning go 2025. I looked at the record of the Optimus in the Dakar, almost all of them finished the race. So I met with the Morel family to test it. I realized that the car was really well developed, and I was impressed with the dedication and the experience of the family. I had found the car, the team, now I needed a co-pilot, and Ramon Vila put me in touch with Santi.
The first ambition is to fulfil that dream I’ve had for 36 years, to return to the Dakar. I’m really excited about participating and being able to spend two or three weeks focused on the race and forgetting about everything else. It's something that motivates me a lot. I’m here to finish the race, to complete the Dakar. And I also have the ambition to achieve the best possible result. I would like to be in the group of amateur drivers who, let's say, catch up with the official teams and professional drivers, to be in the leading group, and why not, aspire to a podium in our category.”
S.C.: “The Dakar has been a dream since I was a child. It's coming true after many years, and I hope it will continue for many years to come. My father was a doctor in the Dakar for several years and my uncle Santi Anglada also participated in the last edition in Africa. The whole family loves motorsports and we've been following it our whole lives. Myself, I went to Saudi Arabia the last four years, to attend the Dakar. And now I'm coming to participate!
I ride a lot and when I first saw the bikes in the desert, at a slow pace, I figured: 'I can do it!' So I did the 1000 Dunas raid and I realised I'm much better at navigating than riding. I really enjoy my bike but there's much more potential for me as a navigator. The first person who suggested me to get in a car was Alex Rins, the MotoGP pilot, who is a good friend of mine. We did a race in Morocco, it went really well, and that launched my career as a navigator, until Ramon Vila brought Jordi and I together for the Dakar.
I see it as a good mix of two different profiles, one with Dakar experience and the other, the youngster, with the enthusiasm and all the knowledge of new technologies that can make a very good team for this 2026 Dakar with a very good car like the Optimus MD. The goal is obviously to finish, and then to have as little problems as possible. If so, I think we can achieve a very good result.”
