Merce Marti shares her thoughts on racing 2023 Dakar Rally with passion to race, courage to perform, and integrity to consolidate women’s presence in the most toughest race in the world. Having set precedent in debut entry of all female Team in 2022 Dakar Rally Lightweight Prototype category, Merce approaches racing 2023 Dakar with equal commitment to instill a sense of female empowerment on what women can achieve in Motorsport.
Switch back to Merce Marti’s career, as pioneer of aviation, flying for the first time at 17 years of age, gaining her pilot’s license in America, followed by founding her own aerial work company: Infinit Air. Such goals and achievements are not one for the faint hearted, so hardly surprising Merce channeled desire of sport and adventure to compete in The Dakar.
The principle of thought on racing Dakar was not tried nor tested. It was to break barriers on how all female Team of driver, co-driver, and crew could compete on level playing field against male counter-parts, elevating profile of women racing Dakar, and providing inspiration to younger generations to take note.
Specifically, Merce embodied a philosophy which resonates within Greek mythology that women embody ‘manly spirit’ to meet challenges with courage, conviction, and determination to succeed no matter what the odds. For Merce, racing Dakar was founded on the Greek word of ‘Andreia’, enabling female empowerment to conquer the fear of the unknown to achieve success.
Merce expresses her thoughts on what the project means to her on professional and personal level:
‘I have always followed Dakar, I believe it is the ultimate sporting adventure, where passion and sacrifice meet. I thought one day I would do it but I had to find the right project, the right moment. Then, when talking with friends and potential sponsors came the idea to make an all-female team since this was never done before. That was the aim and the objective in 2022. The history was to give visibility to a Spanish team made up entirely of 6 women in order to empower and create reference. We named the project ‘Andreia’.
Already in the year 75 AC, the Greek philosopher Plutarch in his book “The Women’s Excellence'” used the term “Andreia” to refer to female courage. A term that wanted to reflect that the exploits of Greek women had nothing to envy to those of the great men of that time. Admirable women who with affection, wisdom, determination, and courage achieved great challenges. This is our encouragement and spirit. To make our goals visible by empowering and giving visibility to women with the aim of promoting references to future generations’.
Completing 2022 Dakar Rally in P33, Merce has given credence to what was achieved realizing improvements could be made through structures which offer greater support over 15 days of racing 2023 Dakar in the sands of Saudi Arabia. Teaming up with X-Raid along with co-driver Lisette Bakker, Merce strengthens resolve to channel heart, body, and mind for high end results.
Merce: ‘Now, with a little more experience after having participated this year in the Dakar and the Rally Morocco, we are ready to compete again, but this time with X-Raid and the new Yamaha YXZ 1000R prototype. Our project continues together with other women’s teams in X-Raid and with our determination and the passion of my new teammates, we hope for a good race and a good result.
Last week we made the official presentation in Barcelona of the CMR Group Women Dakar Team with my co-driver Lisette Bakker and team-mate and driver Annett Fisher. Our project is alive and I am pleased to see that women in motorsport are really achieving positive and ambitious results’.
Speaking at the Team’s presentation, Presidency Minister Laura Vilagrà endorsed the importance of having powerful women in Motorsport who act as a transformative tool to empower females in sport. Stating: ‘From the government, we give all our support to female athletes to continue evolving and improving in a sector, that of motorsports, which is very masculine’, Vilagrà added, hoping to “break down barriers and expand horizons”.
Merce Marti has established new benchmarks on what women can strive for in terms of their respective careers. In doing so, Merce has written new chapters in history which will be referred to in years to come, as precursor of female success in The Dakar Rally and Motorsport in general.
2023 Dakar Rally December 31 – January 15.
Header photo: Merce Marti CMR Women Dakar Team Image: Team.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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