I was jumping for joy Valentina Pertegarini. He arrived at Bisha’s camp and celebrated the victory achieved together with Nicolás Cavigliasso by winning the first stage of the Dakar 2025 in Saudi Arabia, in the Challenge category. “We are very happy to pass the first stage and win it. We got into a very good rhythm. There were many stones and the concern was not to break the car. Furthermore, tomorrow (Sunday) the 48 Hours begin. Valentina did an amazing job with the navigation. There was a lot of river, a lot of fast parts, but luckily we came out well,” Cavigliasso told Clarion He barely closed the door of his vehicle.
Both are used to partial successes. In fact, They have already won several stages of the Dakar previously that helped Valentina become world champion of sailors for the International Automobile Federation (FIA). This achievement, obtained by her, but not reached by him in the world ranking, allowed the couple to participate in the FIA gala dinner, which was held in Rwanda in 2024.
There they were, in a meeting full of glamour and with the great world champions of all disciplines gathered for the distinctions. “We stopped at a hotel where we knew the greats of Formula 1 were going to be. We ran into Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc. “It was a unique and fascinating experience.” remembers Pertegarini, who couldn’t believe it when they called her to go on stage to receive her award.
In General Cabrera, province of Córdoba, the Cavigliassos are dedicated to peanut production, as well as livestock production, with a cow herd that, among other places, they exhibit in La Rural de Palermo.
The story of the Cavigliasso couple is not new in the Dakar. In fact, they made a lot of noise when the competition was taking place on the American continent. In 2019, in Lima, Peru, Nicolás won the Dakar in the quadricycle category (now defunct, since it was eliminated for this edition). On the podium, in the middle of the celebration, he interrupted the ceremony to ask for the hand of his then-girlfriend Valentina. In minutes they were a trend on social networks and appeared on portals around the world.
“I got into the world of competition because of Nico. “I accompanied him when he raced ATVs and once he jumped into light vehicles I became the navigator,” Valentina stands out.
“As a pilot, on ATVs you accelerate, navigate, observe, do everything. Here, now I just drive and she sings the road map to me,” says the man from Córdoba. “The discussions about where we should face the paths ended once we discussed and he realized that I was right. From there, I navigate and he drives,” she said.
“I want Nico to be one of the few drivers who wins the Dakar in two different categories. “It has all the potential to achieve it, so we are focused on that mission,” Pertegarini stressed.
The 48 hours of the Dakar are coming
After the first stage, the first part of the so-called “48 Hours Chrono”, a modality that is presented as one of the most challenging points of Dakar 2025.
What are the 48 Hours? The pilots will start as on any day, but instead of returning to camp they will stay in the desert. Around 6:00 p.m., they will receive a sort of “curfew” and must go to one of the six camps that will be distributed throughout the desert. In them, each of the competitors will be supplied with a tent and a minimum food ration. They will spend the night there, just as happened with those intrepid people who participated in the first Dakar in Africa.
Beyond these characteristics, the most important thing regarding sports is that They will not have the assistance of their respective teams, Therefore, each crew must take maximum care of their mechanical means.
Cavigliasso and Pertegarini’s car in the immensity of nature in Bisha, Saudi Arabia. Photo: @nicocavi68 on InstagramOn Monday, when they are already authorized to continue with the route, which will be approximately 1,000 kilometers in total, they will continue with the stage that will end again in Bisha, in the camp that has been officially active since January 1.
In the first stage, on imposing motorcycles Daniel Sanders (KTM), while Luciano Benavides He was 6th and remains in the same position in the general classification. your brother Kevinwho suffers from problems in his left arm due to his recovery from the 2024 accidents, was 17th and Santiago Rostan from Neuquén came 58th.
In cars, in the category Ultimatethe most important, the North American Seth Quintero (Toyota) was the winner, after they admitted the time lost when he stopped to help the Spanish woman Laia Sanzwhich had capsized.
Carlos Sainz (Ford) finished in 7th place, his teammate at Ford Performance, Nani Roma was 18th and the Qatari Nasser Al Attiyahwith Dacia, came 22nd. The Argentinian Juan Cruz Yacopini (Toyota) was 27th.
Beyond Cavigliasso’s victory, in the category Side by Side Jeremías González Ferioli from Cordoba came fourth. David Zille was delayed due to a puncture and Manu Andújar was detained for a long time and lost more than three hours, although he arrived at the camp.