Sonia Ledesma Gómez got to fulfill a longtime dream in 2023 when she competed in the Dakar Rally‘s adjacent Dakar Classic event as the navigator for Daniel Albero Puig. However, she will not try for a repeat in 2024 citing budget concerns as well as a sense that there are some in the industry undermining her due to her gender.
In an interview with radio network La Cadena SER, Ledesma explained that a lack of sponsorship as well as other obligations like an unspecified project that concluded in September got in the way. However, one of the bigger factors came in September when when she was presented with terms that she considered “unfair”.
“I wasn’t willing to go through certain hardships to run the race,” she explained. “It’s true that I love the Dakar, I love racing, but I believe that a person’s dignity comes first, ahead of racing. I decided that, out of my own conscience, I couldn’t agree to those conditions.”
While she did not delve into specifics of the deal, she also commented on the gender divide in motorsport including rally raid. She stressed that while this gap is closed once a woman is actually in a race, the issue primarily stems from women not being able to receive the same opportunity as men.
“It’s true that when racing, I have never noticed a difference in how they treat me differently or think of me as less capable or anything. The problem is that I have seen many problems when it comes to having opportunities to race,” said Ledesma. “Many times, they think you are worth less than a man. It sounds very bad to say this, but it has happened to me. They believe I am worth less than a man, so I don’t deserve the same opportunity or don’t deserve the same remuneration as a man simply for being a woman.
“Lack of opportunities is a problem. Once you find a driver who gives you the opportunity to enter, you get to the race, and there is no distinction. What is very ugly is that in the year 2023, we still have barriers we have to overcome, and we are struggling to break the glass ceiling, so to speak, but it is true that once you break through it, it is different. Thank goodness there are girls who are achieving it, and I hope that it becomes more normal every time.
“If it is more 50/50, we can see the same percentage of men and women racing because in the end, in motorsport, there is no distinction between men and women. It doesn’t make sense that we have less representation simply for being women due to this lack of opportunities. I hope that this improves.”
For the 2024 Dakar Rally, female drivers taking part include Mashael Al-Obaidan, Dania Akeel, Rebecca Busi, Emilija Gelažninkienė, Cristina Gutiérrez, Christine GZ, Aliyyah Koloc, Camelia Liparoti, Anja Van Loon, Patricia Pita, Annett Quandt, Sara Price, Laia Sanz, and Magdalena Zajac. Lucie Baud, Marije van Ettekoven, Floor Maten, Valentina Pertegarini, Marta Plaza Vázquez, Rosa Romero Font, and Annie Seel are among the women serving as navigators. Jane Daniels and Yael Kadshai are the only women on bikes.
Ledesma and Albero finished twenty-ninth overall at the 2023 Dakar Classic. Racing a Toyota Land Cruiser 90, they were twelfth among H2 group entries.