The edition of the 2025 Dakar Rally started yesterday with a prologue stage without major setbacks or surprises to establish the starting order for stage 1 this Saturday, a 412-kilometer loop against the clock in Bisha. Beyond the outstanding role on motorcycles of the very young Edgar Canet, debutant and third place with KTM at 19 years old, the big news that the day left in the car category was the debut of the Burgos native Cristina Gutiérrez Herrero (33 years old) with Dacia. The Spaniard is the second woman in history to have the full support of an official team and debuted with a 16th position, 52 seconds behind South African Henk Lategan (Toyota). The only precedent, that of the German Jutta Kleinschmidt, winner in 2001, was already a very distant memory until the appearance of this dentist from Burgos, who last year won the Touareg in the challenger category and has had to combine jobs all her life until you reach this opportunity.
Ask. You have just made your debut as an official driver in a leading team, how have you experienced it?
Answer. I am very happy, the feeling with the car has been good and we have taken the stage as a first contact. It has been a very beautiful year in every sense. Since we started this adventure I have experienced everything like a four-year-old girl with a new toy. I am really enjoying the moment, and the most important thing is all the path we have traveled to be here.
P. Does the fact of seeing yourself in a historic position weigh on women?
R. Yes. Without a doubt I feel that I have a great responsibility, since it is not easy to access an official team. Here there are less than ten spots to be distributed among all the drivers in the world, but we are talking about positive pressure and the reward for a lifetime's work. I want to prove to myself, above all, that I deserve to be here and that we are going to do well.
P. Why has it taken 15 years to experience this moment?
R. It's a matter of probabilities. If out of 350 participants there are only six girls and ten leading positions, everything indicates that it will cost much more for a woman to be among the best and have the support of an official structure. Dacia's bet, from the outside, may seem risky when you review the level of all the drivers competing for this position. To me, of course, it doesn't seem that way. I must be grateful that they have been pioneers and want to pave the way after so many years, given the competitiveness that exists now between pilots of both genders. We are still very few, but I am sure that in the coming years more colleagues will arrive because there is a very high level of female pilots.
P. How has your life changed this last year?
R. On a personal level, not much has changed because I am still the same Cristina de Burgos who has been on the motorcycle since she was four years old. I am lucky to be well surrounded. On the other hand, I am valuing myself much more as a professional pilot, as a pilot who has gone from less to more and who has taken all the steps that had to be taken before reaching this great leap. That's why I value where I am more, because I know everything it costs to be here.
P. It is the first time that he can dedicate himself 100% to motor sport.
R. Exact. Less than a year ago I was still working as an orthodontist. When I started the project with Dacia I was able to bet 100% on sport. Combining things is never easy, and I lived in Barcelona, I had a clinic in Burgos and it was a life that bordered on the impossible between so many trips.
P. Now that you have the best weapons, have you set any specific goals?
R. The Dakar must be approached from humility. We know how hard it is and we are talking about the team's first year, my first year in a leading car. I think breaking into the top ten is realistic and a very good result to start with.
P. Have you marked any stage in red?
R. No. I have learned to mark them all in red because every time you think that you are going to do great and it is a stage that is going to go well for you, the opposite happens and things are terrible for you. And vice versa. The Dakar is a race that you should mark in red in its entirety, although it is true that the 48 hours on Sunday and Monday are very scary, you can ruin the race on the second day.
P. Have you felt a change in treatment after being promoted?
R. From my point of view, I can say that 95% of people have congratulated me and told me that I deserve it with complete honesty. You do detect certain expectations in people, something that is not necessarily bad. They notice you and then tell you about it. 'Ah, well look, yes, you're doing very well.' Although it is a minority, it is something that motivates me and I like to think that the women who are in the rally are changing the perception and moving away from the idea that this is a marketing maneuver by the brands or things like that.
P. Do those types of comments affect you?
R. As pilots it happens to all of us, you have that imposter syndrome that you have to shake off. It is enough for them to tell you something related to that once and you will believe it. Then you need ten positive comments to get that negativity out of your head. It happens to all of us a little, also in life in general terms. One bad comment weighs as much as 50 good ones, and that shouldn't be the case.
P. Who would you like to see alongside you in the top flight?
R. There are quite a few drivers who deserve it, but sweeping home the first of them is Laia Sanz. Then we have Sarah Price and many other girls who are starting out in the world of rallying or Extreme E and they ask me things. I try to give them advice and it is a positive sign that several teams also consult me for specific names. My answer is always the same: all the girls who are standing out have worked hard, and precisely for this reason they are a safe bet.
