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Laia Sanz
Laia Sanz 2016.jpg
Nationality  Spanish
Born Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert
(1985-12-11) 11 December 1985 (age 39)
Corbera de Llobregat, Barcelona
Current team Gas Gas
Championship titles
2000–2006, 2008–2013 International Trial World Champion

Laia Sanz Pla-Giribert (born December 11, 1985), known as Laia Sanz, is a famous Spanish athlete. She is a top motorcycle racer. Laia has won the Women's Trial World Championship 14 times. She also won the Women's Trial European Championship 10 times. These wins were in outdoor motorcycle trials, a sport where riders balance and control their bikes over obstacles.

Laia was also part of the Spanish team for the Trial des Nations. She helped her team win this event five times. In 2011, she raced in the tough Dakar Rally for the first time. She won the female motorcycle group and finished 39th overall. She repeated this amazing finish the next year.

Laia Sanz: A Racing Star

Her First Rides

Laia Sanz was born in 1985. She learned to ride a bicycle when she was just four years old. Her love for motorbikes started at the same age. Her dad would let her sit on his bike's fuel tank while he rode.

By age five, Laia's passion grew. She secretly started riding her older brother Joan's motorbike. Joan was also a big fan of motorbikes. He had a small Montesa Cota 25 cc bike.

In 1992, when Laia was seven, she joined a race. It was a Catalan Junior Championship race in her village. Her mother encouraged her to take part. Laia finished last, in eighth place. But she loved it and wanted to race again!

The next year, she joined the championship from the very first race. This was a big step. She was joining a sport mostly for boys, as there were no girls' championships then.

In 1997, Laia won her first race in a boys' championship. She was riding an 80 cc bike. That same year, she raced in an international female Trial event for the first time.

Becoming a World Champion

In 1998, Laia took part in the first Women's Trial European Championship. It was not yet official, but she won it! She was only 12 years old. She was racing against older, more experienced riders. This win made many fans and professional teams notice her. Because of this great result, she started thinking about racing as a career. She also raced in the Spanish Trial Championship that year. She was the only female rider there.

In 2000, Laia won the Spanish Cadet Championship. Again, she was the only girl racing. She says this is one of her most satisfying wins. This year also saw the first official Women's Trial European Championship and Women's Trial World Championship. Laia raced in both. She won her first World title and came second in the European Championship. She also joined the Spanish team for the first Female Trial Des Nations and won it!

From then on, Laia won many international titles. She won the Women's Trial World Championship seven times in a row, from 2000 to 2006. She also raced in male championships and did very well.

Laia first raced for Beta motorcycles. In 2004, she moved to the official Montesa team. She won World, European, and Spanish titles with both brands. Later, in 2012, she raced for the Gas Gas team.

The Dakar Rally and Enduro

In 2010, Laia finally got the chance to train for the Dakar Rally. This had been her dream since she was a child. She trained with Dakar Legend Jordi Arcarons, which was another dream come true.

She also raced in the Women’s Enduro World Championship to prepare for the Dakar. She finished third, even though she only raced in two of the three events. She also kept winning in observed trials. She won World, Europe, and Spanish championships, and the Trial des Nations.

In 2011, Laia raced in the Dakar Rally on a Honda CRF450X. She was part of Team Arcarons RST KH-7. She won the female class and finished 39th overall. This was a very strong performance. In the Women’s Enduro World Championship that year, she raced in all events and finished second.

For the 2012 Dakar Rally, Laia joined the Gas Gas team. This was Gas Gas's first official time at the rally. Laia had an accident during the fourth stage. She hurt her hand and damaged her bike's fuel tank. But she kept going and finished the stage! She had to ride alone for the rest of the rally. Even so, Laia finished 39th again. She was the only woman to complete the rally on a motorbike.

In 2015, Laia achieved her best finish ever at the Dakar. She placed 9th in the motorbike class while riding a Honda. This was also the best finish ever for any female rider in the Dakar Rally. In the 2016 Dakar Rally, Laia raced for KTM and finished 15th overall. In the 2020 Dakar Rally, she finished 25th.

Auto Racing

Laia Sanz has also raced cars. She has taken part in the 24 Hours of Barcelona several times. This is a 24-hour endurance race. In 2011, she won her class in this race. She also made guest appearances in the SEAT León Eurocup in 2014 and 2015.

Laia Sanz's Racing Achievements

Year Motorbike Women's World Trial Championship Women's Trial European Championship Women's Trial des Nations Women's Trial Spanish Championship Women's Enduro World Championship Dakar Rally
2000 Beta 1st 2nd 1st - - -
2001 Beta 1st 2nd 2nd - - -
2002 Beta 1st 1st 1st - - -
2003 Beta 1st 1st 3rd 1st - -
2004 Montesa 1st 1st 3rd 1st - -
2005 Montesa 1st 1st 3rd 1st - -
2006 Montesa 1st 1st 2nd 1st - -
2007 Montesa 2nd 1st 4th 1st - -
2008 Montesa 1st 1st 1st 1st - -
2009 Montesa 1st 1st 2nd 1st - -
2010 Montesa 1st 1st 1st 1st 3rd Honda -
2011 Montesa 1st 1st 1st - 2nd Honda 1st Female class 39th Overall Honda
2012 Gas Gas 1st - 1st - 1st 1st Female class 39th Overall Gas Gas
2013 Montesa 1st - - - 1st (Honda) 1st Female class 93rd Overall Gas Gas
2014 Montesa - - - - 1st (Honda) 16th Overall Honda
2015 Montesa - - - - 1st (KTM) 9th Overall Honda
2016 KTM - - - - 1st 15th Overall KTM
Note: "1st" in Trial des Nations means the position achieved with the Spanish National Team.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Laia Sanz para niños

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