This Monday Spain celebrates its version of April’s fool’s day, but this piece of news is certainly no joke. With only six days to go before the start of the Dakar 2021, Joan ‘Nani’ Roma has suffered a serious setback. 

The motorcycle and car champion (2004 and 2014 respectively) will not be able to count on his trusted co-pilot on his debut at the new Bahrain Extreme Raid team project. Dani Oliveras has tested positive for coronavirus again after his latest test, now with most of the Spanish entourage already in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  

Oliveras will therefore have to stay at home and, unfortunately, will miss the 43rd edition of the raid that is to be held for the second consecutive year at the Persian Gulf country. Despite being in perfect health, his body has not generated enough antibodies, so he must remain in isolation at his home in Gerona.  

A critical absence 

This last-minute loss has been a hard blow to the 48-year-old pilot, who will lose a lot more than the complicity and expertise of an excellent navigator. Oliveras rarely makes mistakes setting the course in the competition. 

Roma will also miss his extensive experience in the desert rally, not to mention his great knowledge of everything mechanics, a crucial skill in a setting as challenging as the desert, and even more so with a new team and vehicle. 

Oliveras would have acted as a sort of ‘travel insurance’ before any unforeseen technical issue which might have had aroused in the dunes. Very aware of the key role that his trusted co-pilot has to play in his success, Nani kept hoping until the very last moment that Oliveras would be able to make it. 

Undoubtedly, this was the kind of news that no driver ever wants to hear, especially so close before the start of the race. It is undeniable that the co-pilot plays an essential role in the collective success of the team. Also, the rapport between team members is considered paramount in this type of race. 

Nani, for whom this is his 25th Dakar participation, will not have his loyal co-driver for the last year and a half by his side. After a brilliant season with Gerard Farres in 2019, Olivera replaced Alex Haro on Roma’s right side and was with him and Borgward during 2020. 

Within the Bahrain team, the pair had been testing the BRX Hunter T1 for several months, a vehicle developed by Prodrive previous to the debut of the Asian team in the legendary desert race. Things have suddenly become a lot more difficult for the 2008 Dakar winner in the car category. 

An emergency co-pilot 

Pressed by the circumstances, the driver from Folguerolas reacted quickly to find a replacement for Oliveira in France. The one chosen was Alex Winocq, who had been left out of this edition of the Dakar after taking part next to compatriot Romain Dumas in 2020. That last experience, however, only lasted 65 kilometres, the distance it took to set their vehicle on fire. 

As published by La Vanguardia, the two-time Dakar champion, who has been isolating in Jeddah since Sunday in accordance with the Saudi health protocol, had the following to say about his new co-pilot: “It’s difficult; at this point, we don’t know each other at all, we even have different languages”.  

Although the Spaniard is fluent in the language of love after having competed with several French co-pilots, the swift exchange of information and understanding between two unknown athletes will be complicated, to say the least. 

Images of Nani Roma: Nani Roma.