This will be Jordi Viladoms` third participation in the Lisbon Dakar. After almost winning the Dakar at his first attempt but losing out with a minor fall, Jordi had a more serious one in 2007, just before the rest day, and this kept him practically inactive during the first half of the year.
After a long wait and many hours of rehabilitation to get fit again, Viladoms got two podium finishes in the World Cross Country Rally Championship in the second half of the year – 3rd in the Patagonia Atacama and second in Egypt – results that mean he has got his confidence back just in time for the XXX edition of this tough endurance race in Africa. Jordi, getting onto the podium two times this season was important to get your confidence back, wasn`t it? Yes, yes. It was important for me, because after the fall in last year`s Dakar and spending the year getting fit again, it was important for my morale to understand that working hard I could get back to a good level.After your serious accident in the Dakar 2007, how did you feel the first time you were back racing in a competition? How can manage to forget what happened, riding fast again and then two podium finishes in the World Cross Country Rally Championship?The truth is that I have not quite forgotten about it yet. But with hard work and having your own objectives clear, you try to make big sacrifices so that it affects you the least amount possible, although obviously it still affects me.Let`s leave the past behind and look to the present and the immediate future. Have you recovered 100% from your injuries? Your fall in Dubai, was it a big setback? The truth is that the fall in Dubai was not so serious, but the consequences afterwards were more serious than we first thought, and that is what made it diffiicult to recover. With the way things have been going it seems that I will not be 100% when the Dakar starts. What things have made you improve as a rider since last year, allowing you to get on the podium twice this year? I suppose that it is experience that helps you not to make mistakes and to get through bad times. You try to improve and not to make the same mistake, in spite of them being able to happen at any time. More than anything it is experience and teamwork, even though I have not competed as much as Marc he has been helping me by sharing his knowledge, just like Jordi Arcarons, and the rest of the team.Are you still learning things alongside Marc Coma and Jordi Arcarons? Yes, obviously in the world of raids, this is a competition where experience is very important, and there is no limit. The more experience you have the better. And now we are on the way to getting that experience, but obviously we still have a lot to learnHow well prepared do you see your teammate Marc regarding this year`s Dakar? Very well. Marc and the whole team have have had a very good preparation. Things have been done well, and his pace is very good. Navigation is something else he does very well. Physically he is very strong. He has all these things in his favour. But then you have to race and you need a chance to do your job well.And the recently arrived Gerard Farrés? I think he is a very fast rider and that he is well-prepared this year. He was able to race in the World Championship, and he has done the Spanish Championship races. He is a good addition to the team and at a personal level we are very comfortable with him in the team and we are sure that he will be able to help out a lot in Africa. He has just started in this world and he has a lot to learn, a lot of experience to acquire, but he already is and will be a good rider.Now that the route for this Dakar has been published, what do you think your strategy should be in the forthcoming Dakar 2008? Marc`s plan is clear, he wants to win. Ours is to try and do a good work for the team in the sense that we have to stay in the race and help by doing everything we can so that Marc can achieve his objective, which is the team`s overall goal. Everything points to it being very tough this year, more than ever before we will have to leave personal goals to one side and make a big sacrifice to help Marc out. Above all make big sacrifices so that we can help Marc and stay in the race.
