Tosha Schareina is one of the pilots who will attack the edition of the Dakar that will start on January 5th. Considered by many as one of Joan Barreda’s successors, the pilot from Valencia detailed what he expects to do in the Saudi desert.
‘I believe I am going through my best moment. The team is achieving great results. I believe we are in a phase with very good results, but now comes the toughest race of the year and anything can happen. The Dakar is a very long race and it seems that this edition in Saudi Arabia will be even longer. In other words, anything can happen, but I believe we will be very well prepared’, declared the pilot, who will be at the controls of an official Honda.
‘When you have all the necessary ingredients and you have all the tools to do things, there is chemistry. I believe that everything has been done for a long time, the result of the work of many people, including myself, of course, and now little by little it is bearing fruit. The truth is also that the bike is very good, but it is also the merit of the whole team, which makes you not have to worry about anything else when you have to get on the bike. I think that also makes the difference. With GasGas I also had an incredible structure, with all the support from Aspar, but the truth is that Aspar comes from the world of speed, of racing, and it is a completely different world. The negotiation with Honda was quite long, it lasted months and in the end I received a call from Rúben Faria, who is the team manager, and he gave me this opportunity. It was incredible and he trusted me from the beginning to the end with his eyes closed’, he explained.
Schareina was also asked if he is one of the successors of his compatriot Joan Barreda. ‘It’s not pressure for me, it’s an honor to be compared to Joan Barreda, a great pilot, there is only one Joan. He is the Spanish pilot with the most victories, I try to learn a lot from him, as well as from other pilots.’
– It’s an incredible bike. It seems to me that it took them three years to develop it, both in terms of the chassis, the lean, the engine. I believe that all the riders feel very prepared and everyone wants to be at the top level. I will continue with my mentality, my style, keeping my head, being consistent, doing good stages, and from there, you never know. As we know, the Dakar is a crazy race, with many days. We know it will be a very tough edition, but I am very well prepared, better than ever. Now is the time when we really have to overcome the competition. I can dream of winning this edition of the Dakar,’ he concluded.
