The Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the planet, and the world of sport is no exception. We were recently reporting on the cancellation of the Ypres Rally, the penultimate round of the World Rally Championship, and today we are bringing further bad news.  

The protagonist this time is the talented, and much loved by Spaniard fans,driver Albert Llovera. The multifaceted pilot, a very well-known name in several national and international motor racing specialities, will not take the start at next year’s Dakar Rally, which is scheduled for January 3 in the Saudi city of Jeddah. 

The 54-year-old athlete himself broke the news pleading the impossibility of finding the necessary support to tackle a challenge of such magnitude: 

“Covid-19 has made things very uncertain this year and given the current situation, and partly out of a sense of responsibility, we have finally decided not to take part in the Dakar rally and work hard for 2021-2022. I would like to thank all of my teams and sponsors, who are also going through a difficult time. I’m really sorry“. 

Just until a few days ago, plans seemed to be relatively back on track for Llovera. He had travelled to Poland, where he carried out tests with an Iveco truck belonging to the Petronas De Rooy Team and also with a Ford from the Fesh Fesh Group. 

The unexpected resolutions taken by both teams to withdraw from the Dakar 2021, however, have leftthe much-loved Andorran driver facing some insurmountable obstacles. The abandonment of the teams is a direct consequence of the financial hardship caused by the pandemic.

As a consequence, the driver has found it difficult to obtaining the necessary resources to put forward a solid project with certain guarantees. As with many other sectors, the current situation is hitting the finances of sponsors hard. 

Llovera has been to the desert race in six occasions. He made his debut within the car category in 2007 with an Isuzu model, before going on to compete in 2014 and 2015 with two buggies. Having demonstrated his great versatility at the wheel of any vehicle, he made the leap to trucks a year later with the ‘Bonver Dakar Project’, and was back again with them in 2016. 

The best truck teams couldn’t help but notice his extraordinary speed and consistency and so his big break came in 2020 when he signed for Dakar winner Gerard De Rooy. After integrating perfectly into one of the leading teams, he stood out from the rest onboard an Iveco Petronas, finishing in the top 15, his best result in the legendary event.