N°442 Auto TH-TRUCKS TEAM

ENRICO GASPARI

(ita) 1.82m / 82kg

Loisirs

skiing, climbing

Sponsors

OneDigitIdea, BioEnergy, Diogene, Th-Trucks, Tenuta Pennita

2022: Ab. (co-pilot with Marco Carrara)
2020: 53rd

2023: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (5th T4) / Desafio Ruta 40 (2nd T4) / Rallye du Maroc (ab.)

Interview

“Now we see how the desert treats us”

The Jaton family brings more innovation to the Dakar in 2024. After his uncle Ariel made history in South America with the “Acciona 100% Ecopowered” (the first electric car to complete the world’s greatest rally), Facundo heads to Saudi Arabia aboard a Polaris RZR he redesigned to make it lighter, more powerful... To sum it up, the Argentinian mechanic built on his family experience (his father Pablo also participated in the Dakar) and his own set of skills (he’s also a driver and a co-pilot, most recently alongside Shinsuke Umeda) to deliver a higher performance vehicle. Behind the wheel, Enrico Gaspari returns to Saudi Arabia for a third participation. And he steps up as well, in line with his strong results this year in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (5th in the T4 class) and the Desafio Ruta 40 (2nd). In 2024, he wants to battle at the highest level in all the events of the World Rally-Raid Championship. And it all begins in Saudi Arabia with the Dakar.


E.G.: “A friend called me and he asked me: ‘Do you want to try the new Polaris?’ I tried it, I loved it and I decided to do the Dakar with them. This year, I signed up for the whole world championships. It’s great to begin with the Dakar. It’s a challenge, not only against others, but also to prove yourself. It’s the number one event when it comes to rallye-raid.
I used to follow it from the couch when I was a kid, and when I got the opportunity to do it, I didn’t think twice. It’s not easy to get there. So if you’re lucky enough to have the means… Obviously you go for it! Without a doubt, the Dakar has helped me being better at keeping my temper. It’s a very long race, very twisty. In the same special, the terrain can change three, four, five, six times… So you need to go strong, for sure, but you have to use your mind. It’s a race that requires you to be smart and calm.
I met Facundo in Abu Dhabi. And I’ve felt great around the Argentinian guys. We kept in touch and Facundo is the main mechanic who worked on the new Polaris. So when the team offered me several options, I went straight for him. I kind of stole the mechanic for myself!
It’s a bit of a bet because this is a brand new car. It has never raced. I just tested it in Spain, on a circuit. So there is quite some unknown. We know the car performs but we need to confront it to the other vehicles and to the challenges of the Dakar. We just want to do things properly. The team is well prepared. Now we see how the desert treats us.”


F.J.: “For me, the Dakar is everything. I started as a kid in the workshop and getting to work for the first time on the Dakar was immense. We always looked at it as the greatest event. And once we got there, there was no way to leave! We’re here every year that we can. It’s a family affair and we’ve been involved in virtually every category with my father Pablo, my uncle Ariel and myself: cars, trucks, T1, T2, T3, the first electric vehicle…
We’ve redesigned the Polaris RZR and we’ve worked on the weight of the car, to make it as light as possible. We’ve bettered the suspension, the power… We’ve tried to make everything better.
I met Enrico in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge this year. I was there as a co-pilot for Shinsuke Umeda and we were part of the same team. When he had a problem, I stopped to guide him. He was very happy with how I helped him and he said he’d like to do some race with me… And then came this opportunity for the Dakar and he said: ‘Let’s do it the two of us!’”

Véhicule

TH-TRUCKS TEAM

POLARIS RZR PRO R
TH-TRUCKS TEAM

  • POLARIS
  • RZR PRO R
  • TH-Trucks Team
  • -
  • T4 SSV de série modifié

Classement 2024

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