The tetraplegic driver will make his debut in the world’s toughest motoring test in the side-by-side category. You can participate in a collective campaign to help him in his debut.
Joan Lascorz (L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, 1985) will participate in the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally, which will be held from 2 to 14 January 2022 in Saudi Arabia. Lascorz will compete in the test as a driver in the Side-by-Side category (SSV T4) with a UTV specially adapted to his needs, with the number 447.
He is the first tetraplegic driver to attempt to reach the rally-raid finish line. For this, Joan has needed specific training over the last few months with the specialists of KOA Center. The technical assistance will be afforded by the Buggy Masters Team, led by the veteran Eudal Noé, with more than three decades of experience in the test. Joan’s co-pilot will be Miguel Puertas, a former motorcycle rider with 11 participations under his belt and former manager of the Himoinsa team.
Joan Lascorz’s path to the Dakar Rally has been related in the documentary Una carrera inaccessible. Made by Uyuni Media, which narrates Joan’s sports career from its beginnings to the present, told by friends, colleagues, and even rivals on the track. The documentary will soon be available on the Movistar + Spanish TV platform and will have a second part that will be filmed in this Dakar 2022.
Financing via Verkami
Part of the financial support for the registration of Joan Lascorz in the Dakar will come from a crowdfunding in Verkami that starts on December 10. The campaign will help pay for the competition and the specific needs of Joan Lascorz. Through the fundraising, the team hopes to be able to take along a personal assistant, a specialized physiotherapist or an adapted motorhome, and also financially help Joan himself.
Various types of incentives are included for those who want to collaborate, from signed T-shirts, to receiving exclusive content in the form of a video blog from Joan himself, access to the documentary Una carrera inaccesible (An inaccessible career) or having the name signed on the car. The crowdfunding pre-campaign is already visible on the site JoanToDakar.com, detailing the incentives that mentors will receive: T-shirts, access to Joan’s personal video blog during the Dakar, or the name inscribed on the buggy are some of the multiple proposals.
Joan’s experience in the Dakar will also serve to finance the development of new technologies for adapted vehicles through the 17Foundation foundation – which promotes recreational activities for people with spinal cord injuries. A new generation bucket in his vehicle, the specific controls for use with reduced hand mobility, or racing overalls with a catheter for physiological needs, are some of the prototypes to be evolved in this Dakar 2022.
Joan Lascorz: “We are really looking forward to starting the Dakar. It’s a challenge I have wanted to face for many years. We already have the material shipped with the Buggy Masters Team and everything packed, so I’m looking forward to the date. I want to thank all those who have trusted in this project and make possible go to the Dakar, sponsors and team, KOA Center for the preparation and all those who join this project via Verkami. We will do our best in their honor.”
