From the Desert to the Circuit: Training for a Four-Wheel Challenge

13 Posted: 13th Aug 2018
From the Desert to the Circuit: Training for a Four-Wheel Challenge
    • World championship-winning racer and CUPRA brand ambassador, Laia Sanz, is training for her participation in the 24 Hours of Barcelona race with the CUPRA TCR
    • She combines workouts in the gym with training sessions on the track with the rest of the team
    • Staying hydrated and strengthening neck and lower back muscles are the keys to facing this race challenge

    ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’ is the motto of racer Laia Sanz, a premise of courage and effort she follows to the letter both while training and competing. With eighteen world championship titles in trial and enduro, the eight-time winner of the Dakar Rally describes herself as a true petrol head. As the new ambassador of the CUPRA brand, Laia is getting ready for her next challenge – the 24 Hours of Barcelona race at the world-renowned Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 8 and 9 September.

    For Laia, her profession is much more than just a way to make a living: “Sport is a part of my daily life; everything centres on physical activity”, she says while working out at her usual gym in Barcelona. Warm-ups, aerobic exercises and muscle strength training to stay in shape: “either for motorcycle or car racing, total body conditioning is important to prevent possible injuries. A daily workout is fundamental for optimal performance”, she adds. All four-wheel challenges require special attention to the neck and lower back regions, as they “are the parts of the body that suffer the most in this kind of competition”, affirms Laia.

    In addition to her workouts, as an elite sportswoman, Laia also stays in shape by following a balanced diet. “I don’t have a special diet, but I do try to practice good nutrition that is consistent with my physical activity”. The Dakar and other endurance races Laia participates in test her resistance, and she has to be at her best to compete successfully.

    Following her gym workout, she moves on to the track. This will be Laia’s seventh time competing in this resistance race, one of the most gruelling around, where the winning team covers the furthest distance in 24 hours of non-stop driving. “This race is in a category of its own. We each drive an average of 3.500 kilometres or more than 700 times around the same track”, she says as she prepares for the race with the rest of the team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

    ‘The Queen of the Desert’, as she is known, will be participating in this challenge alongside Jordi Gené, Alba Cano and Francesc Gutiérrez. In a relay race where the drivers switch every two hours, Laia highlights the importance of teamwork: “It’s the basis for success. In a way, this challenge reminds me of the Dakar. Coordinating with my team-mates and mechanics is fundamental in both cases”.

    Temperatures can reach up to 60 degrees Celsius in the car during the 24 hour race. “Driving for so many hours in the sun is hard. Heat and dehydration are two of the main obstacles we have to face when we’re behind the wheel”, Laia adds. Despite her many years of experience, Laia admits that she always feels pressure when she’s on the track: “You want to do a good job, not only for yourself but for the rest of the team”, she adds.

    Laia begins her training session on the circuit at the wheel of the CUPRA TCR, going from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds. . “This vehicle is very agile and fun to drive, and at the same time, it transmits a great feeling of safety. It’s braking capacity is second to none”, she comments as she begins to adapt to her new four-wheel companion.

    Laia got on her first motorbike when she was four years old. “My father is a huge fan of motorsport and I got started in the world of racing thanks to him”, says the race driver. She was drawn to the action, “I was a restless little girl, so trial perfectly suited my personality”. Ever since then, Laia’s life has revolved around motorsport, participating in motorcycle and race car events. Now she is a CUPRA ambassador: “It’s a great honour for me. Being able to be a part of a project like this is a unique opportunity”, she concludes.

    Notes to Editors

    CUPRA is a special brand for unique people designed to captivate customers looking for what the new brand has to offer: Uniqueness, Sophistication and Performance. The time has come for car lovers to get involved with a new brand that meets their expectations. Along with the launch of new models, CUPRA will also keep the motorsport and racing spirit alive by participating in the TCR series. The CUPRA world is alive and ready to conquer a new group of enthusiasts in more than 260 specially selected SEAT dealerships all across Europe.089

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