Although the result only counts for the starting order this Saturday, the prologue stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally has served to present the figure of the very young Edgar Canet (La Garriga, Barcelona; 19 years old) to the general public. The KTM rider, a last-minute signing from the Austrian brand for the official squad, debuted with a worthy third place in the 29 kilometers against the clock held around Bisha, at the start of the sixth edition of the rally rallying in Saudi Arabia. The Catalan, the youngest member of the caravan, was just 12 seconds behind Daniel Sanders, one of the leaders of the Mattighofen factory and a reference in the motorcycle category with a time of 16m51s. In cars, the Toyota of South African Henk Lategan led the classification with a time of 15m28s ahead of the main favorites, who did not take any more risks than necessary. Carlos Sainz, defender of the crown at 62 years old, started with a 25th place, 1m14s behind the winner.
“I had a good time, I enjoyed it a lot, once I was in the race it didn’t feel like the Dakar, it was simply like riding a motorcycle once again,” Canet said as soon as he crossed the finish line. Not only was the stage new for him, but also his machine, the helmet and other elements used on a day that he will remember for a lifetime. “The stage has been a bit of a sprint, it has been a day to shake off the nerves and we will see how things go tomorrow with the navigation. We will have to be focused, because it will be a long stage and we must not go crazy as soon as we start,” added the boy, with an unusual maturity for his age. The first special of the Dakar this Saturday will be 412 kilometers between track crossings and multiple terrains, and strategy will come into play with all the drivers thinking about avoiding opening the track in the face of the dreaded 48 hours of 1,000 kilometers without assistance.
Despite his good debut, Canet maintains a cool head and a low profile, with a very clear mission for his first practice in the queen of the specialty: “The number one objective must be to finish and learn. I don’t think now is the time to try to win everything, but rather to learn and accumulate experience to have all the weapons and everything to look forward to in the coming years.” Under the wing of leaders such as Nani Roma and Joan Barreda, his emergence into the world of rally-raid has been dazzling. At the age of 17 he began to draw his own roadmap, although all his mentors tried to stop him given the danger and harshness of the rally-raid universe.
Forged in the motorcycle workshop of his grandfather, who also competed in motocross in his day, Canet began in the specialty at the age of four and began to excel very early. Roma, one of the few winners of the Dakar on motorcycle and car, saw him drive when he was 10 years old and since then he served as his main mentor. Jordi Viladoms and Marc Coma, the last Spanish winner of the Dakar in the motorcycle category in 2015, also lent him a hand. At the age of 14, Canet was proclaimed Spanish 85cc champion, trained at the school of Heinz Kinigadner, the first Austrian motocross champion and the rider who inaugurated KTM’s successful story with the Paris-Dakar.
Once he came of age, he ignored the warnings and decided to try his luck in the 1,000 dunes, where he finished second in his debut in the discipline. “An 18-year-old enduro rider who has not done raidswho does not have the vision of what it means to go down a path… we advised him not to do it because we know the danger of this,” Roma recalled during the presentation of the boy’s project in Castellolí. “Due to his insistence and attitude, we helped him choose the people to surround him because it is a very complicated path to do alone. Technically he is a good rider, like everyone who comes from winning things in motocross, but although he has qualities, he must now go calmly and take all the necessary steps before he can fight for the Dakar,” warned the Catalan, very aware of the risks of the motor sport after his son Marc became paraplegic in May 2024 after suffering an accident.
“Nani is a role model, a person who gives me a lot of advice and tells me what is right, but above all, what is wrong, and that is very important,” Canet said before starting the adventure. Although the result may indicate the opposite, he has very well internalized the discourse of not exceeding the limits in the Arabian desert in the coming weeks. “Being here and representing these colors is already a dream, and now we just have to think about the next stage,” Bisha concluded. The Catalan’s short track record in the elite includes an eleventh place in the Rally of Portugal and the Desafío Ruta 40, as well as a seventh position in the Morocco Rally prior to the Dakar.
The story of another caravan colleague, the 29-year-old Valencian Tosha Schareina, can also help him qualify his brilliant debut. The Honda rider, who also presented himself to the general public last year by winning the prologue stage, saw how a fall and an injury forced him to retire the next day in the 2024 edition. “I expected Edgar giving a lot of gas, and I am very happy with how he has done it. It’s nice to see that more pilots are coming from the youth team and that there are several Spaniards fighting in the race,” he commented after crossing the finish line in fifth position, 25 seconds behind the winner.
