Maria Luís Gameiro: Portuguese women return to the Dakar Rally

Maria Luís Gameiro, a native of Vila de Rei, will be the first Portuguese woman to take part in the Dakar Rally, 15 years after Elisabete Jacinto took part in 2009. The driver, who returned to the TT in 2022 after a break, made a name for herself by winning the Portuguese and Spanish Women's Championships in 2023, as well as achieving an unprecedented 2nd place in the Ultimate (T1) category in Spain.

In 2024, she continued to compete in high-level categories and made her debut on the demanding desert sands in events such as Baja Morocco and the Rallye du Maroc, preparing for the 2025 Dakar, where she will be driving an X-Raid Mini All4Racing. His participation will also have a charitable dimension, with donations to a breast cancer association for every kilometre travelled.

With navigator José Marques, who has already accompanied Elisabete Jacinto, Maria Luís Gameiro sees the Dakar as a great personal challenge and an opportunity to excel, with the main objective of completing the race. This participation marks an important moment in Portuguese motor sport, marking the return of a woman to the event after more than a decade.

Translated with deepl.com