Lucas Cruz facts for kids

Lucas Cruz in 2018.

Lucas Cruz Senra was born on December 26, 1974, in Barcelona, Spain. He is a Spanish computer engineer. However, he is most famous as a rally racing co-driver and a skilled navigator. A co-driver helps the main driver by reading maps and giving directions during a race.

Lucas Cruz's Racing Journey

Lucas Cruz began his racing career in 1994. He first competed in the Catalonia Rally Championship. In 2001, he won his first big race in the Spanish Championship. He was with driver Txus Jaio in a Ford Focus WRC car. They were part of the Carlos Sainz Junior Team.

After racing on different types of roads like tarmac and gravel, he started competing in off-road races. These races happen on rough, unpaved terrain. He teamed up with driver José Luis Monterde. In the 2001 Dakar Rally, they were the best new team and amateur team. They drove a Nissan Patrol GR.

In 2006, Lucas Cruz joined the Volkswagen Motorsport team. He was a truck co-driver for Josep Pujol in the 2006 Dakar Rally.

In 2007, he joined Mitsubishi. He stayed there for two years. His new teammate was Nani Roma. They raced in the 2007 and 2009 Dakar Rally. Their best finish was 10th place overall. They also came in second place in the Rally Transibérico and Baja Spain races in 2007. They finished second again in the 2008 Baja Spain.

In May 2009, Cruz went back to the Volkswagen team. This time, he teamed up with the famous former World Champion, Carlos Sainz. Together, Sainz and Cruz quickly started winning races. They won the Rally dos Sertões and the Silk Way Rally. Their biggest win came when they won the 2010 Dakar Rally. They finished ahead of two other Volkswagen cars.

Lucas Cruz has continued to achieve great success with Carlos Sainz. They won the 2018 Dakar Rally while driving for Peugeot. They also won the 2020 Dakar Rally when they were with the Mini team.

Dakar Rally Results

See also

In Spanish: Lucas Cruz para niños