Alvaro Coppola to run first Dakar Rally since 2018

Álvaro Cóppola has been accepted for his second Dakar Rally in 2025 but first since 2018.

Although he had prior Dakar experience, it being seven years since his last start as well as the race no longer taking place in South America meant he had to go through the same qualifying process as everyone else. He secured his ticket with an eleventh in Rally2 at the Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina, a round on the World Rally-Raid Championship; his highest run of the race was also eleventh on the fifth and final leg. MED Racing Team prepared his KTM 450 Rally Factory.

Cóppola further bolstered his credentials by finishing third in the M1 class at the South American Rally Race in February. He overcame early bike issues to break into the top three during the back half of the rally with a best daily outing of third in Stage #3.

The 2018 Dakar Rally did not cross his native Uruguay, instead going through Peru, Bolivia, and neighbouring Argentina, but the experience was still one for a lifetime. He had only returned to South America a decade prior after living in the United States, deciding to get into rally after dabbing in enduro and motocross. Much like 2025, he clinched his eligibility via the Desafío Ruta 40 (particularly the DR 40 South; the event was split into two events at the time) and rallies in Argentina. Cóppola finished eighty-second.

Before doing rally raids, he was the 2009 Uruguayan enduro national champion and has also competed at the Red Bull Romaniacs.

The 2025 Dakar Rally, now in Saudi Arabia, runs 3–17 January.