“I’ve carried my 2025 Dakar goals over to 2026”
En bref
- Bruno Santos is a busy man. He’s the CEO of his family’s packaging business. He’s also the father of two small children aged 6 and 9. Fortunately his family are very supportive of his motorcycle racing.
- A keen sportsman, he likes to stay fit by cycling. He’s only been racing enduro for the last 12 years.
- His rally ‘career’ started back in 2019 when he finished 15th on the Merzouga Rally in Morocco. He then DNFed on the 2021 Rallye du Maroc before winning his Dakar place on the 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, finishing 5th in Rally 2.
- In 2024 he came third overall on the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal and first Rally 2.
- His first Dakar, in 2024, started very well when his helmet was voted best design by Dakar fans. It showed scenes from his region to which he is extremely attached - the sea on one side, windmills on the other. Winning the prize was a good omen, as he went on to finish a highly respectable 28th overall.
- Bruno was looking forward to improving on that for the 2025 Dakar but a crash on the first day of the marathon stage saw him finish the first part in 98th position. Unable to repair his bike that night he limped back to his assistance the following day with his hopes of a decent overall result in tatters.
- He got back on track with good performances on the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal and the Rallye du Maroc and is planning on carrying that momentum into the 2026 Dakar.
- His wife always comes with Bruno when he’s racing. Apparently she isn’t too good with a spanner but is an excellent mental coach!
Ambition
“The 2025 Dakar was a tough one for me. I had a crash in the rocks just 150 kms into the first day of the marathon stage, damaged my handlebars and put a hole in one of the front fuel tanks. It meant I couldn’t carry enough fuel and had to stop to transfer fuel from one tank to another. I ended up contaminating my fuel and blocking the fuel injector that I had to take apart by the side of the track. Then of course because it was a marathon stage I couldn’t fix my bike that night and so the nightmare continued the next day as well. It was especially disappointing because I’d had good results on other races during the year and was hoping to improve on my 2024 result. Now I’ve carried that ambition over to 2026. My goal is to finish not too far behind the top 20 and get close to the front of the Rally 2 class.”
