Sparco, the Italian multinational motorsports equipment maker will be an official partner of the X-raid Yamaha Racing Rally Team at the 2021 Dakar Rally, supplying the team with racewear, shoes, safety harnesses and steering wheels for the most prestigious Rally Raid event on the off-road calendar.
One of the most successful Rally Raid teams in recent history, X-raid will contest the Lightweight Vehicles Prototype T3 class at the 2021 Dakar, with an in house developed prototype based on Yamaha’s race-proven YXZ1000R Side-by-Side machine.
Two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom will partner with co-driver Emil Bergkvist in one of the prototypes. The other will be piloted by the only all-female crew at the event, with experienced Dakar campaigner Camelia Liparoti behind the wheel and Annett Fischer in the co-driver’s seat. The two crews successfully completed shakedown tests on the YXZ1000R prototype at the recent Baja Hail, in which they finished one-two in the T3 National class.
Both crews will race the 2021 Dakar Rally with Sparco safety equipment, comprising the race suit, underwear and shoes. The two YXZ1000R prototypes will also feature Sparco’s race developed safety harnesses and steering wheels, with Liparoti also opting to race from the comfort and safety of a Sparco seat.
The 2021 Dakar Rally gets underway in the port city of Jeddah on 3rd January and will cover more than 7500km before finishing in the same location on 15th January.
Yamaha Motor Europe – Director, Marketing and Motorsport
Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to see Sparco join the X-raid Yamaha Racing Rally Team as an official partner, as it ensures that the two crews contesting the Dakar Rally in the X-raid Yamaha YXZ1000R prototypes will do so with equipment that meets the highest standards in terms of both safety and comfort. I would like to thank Sparco for their support.
Sparco – CEO
We are very glad to be a partner of Yamaha in such a prestigious international context. Our Group is historically very linked to the Dakar and we always look at this race with a strong sense of belonging. Having granted our support to Yamaha in the transition towards the four wheels makes us very proud and we are sure our institutions will benefit from this relationship.
