Roma finds a ride for 2011 Dakar
01 Dec 2010 2 Comments
in Rally News Tags: dakar, fortin, freddy loix, nani roma, nissan navara, overdrive
After announcing he wouldn’t be competing in the 2011 Dakar, Joan « Nani » Roma has accepted to drive for Team Overdrive, which will provide the Spaniard with a car capable of putting in a strong run. Following a premature exit from the 2010 Dakar, Roma also lost his spot in the X-Raid Team between La Rioja and Fiamala. The rest of Roma’s year was spent in long negotiations in attempt to get a new and ambitious program up and running, but the 2004 Dakar winner in the motorcycle category failed to tie up all the loose string and even announced his non-participation. In all the commotion, the Catalan received great news in a telephone call from the boss at Team Overdrive, Jean-Marc Fortin. As it turned out, Freddy Loix had a conflict of schedule and thus there was a vacancy in the Nissan Navara. This development worked in “Nani’s” favor and he immediately headed to Buenos Aires to seal the deal. “As it turned out their best car was available. Everything came together very quickly and with an opportunity like this I couldn’t pass up the ride with such a well organized team in which I know quite a few people. Several of the team members worked with me at Mitsubishi and X-Raid”, explained Roma on his website www.naniroma.com.
In addition to the human aspect, Roma and co-driver Gilles Picard can also fell confident with the performance level of their vehicle. While the South American was less successful in 2010, the previous year, the two lead cars in Team Overdrive finished 4th and 5th with Tollefsen and Holowczyc.
Credits: Nani Roma Blog
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Tweets that mention Roma finds a ride for 2011 Dakar | Dakar Rally -- Topsy.com
Dec 01, 2010 @ 16:38:56
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sergio Nunes, Rally Dakar. Rally Dakar said: More from the Dakar Rally: Roma finds a ride for 2011 Dakar http://j.mp/e6geov [...]
Last minute drive for Nani Roma Dakar 2011 | Puro Off Road
Dec 02, 2010 @ 01:49:44
[...] At the last minute, the Belgium-based team Overdrive has successfully enlisted the services of one of cross-country rallying’s most prominent drivers for next January’s Dakar. Spain’s Nani Roma and his French co-driver Gilles Picard have chosen to contest the event in a Nissan Navara prepared by the Villers-le- Bouillet based outfit. Roma – who followed up an outright win on the Dakar on two wheels in 2004 with third place in the car category in 2006 – is targeting a top-five finish this time round in his ‘Made in Belgium’ pick-up. There was clearly insufficient time, however, for Roma and Picard to test drive the pick-up. “We will organise a short run before the departure for Argentina,” says Jean-Marc. “In any case, the opening stages generally aren’t decisive when it comes to laying the foundations for a top result on an event such as the Dakar. Nani is a professional, just like his co-driver who, in addition to his acclaimed navigational skills, is also a first-rate mechanic. I believe the Nissan Navara 306 can reasonably target a top-five finish. Read more here at Puro Dakar. [...]