Joan Cairó i Ferrer will be taking part in the RallyClassics Africa for the first time in September, which he hopes can serve as prep for a future return to the Dakar Classic.

Cairó competed in the Classic for the first and only time in 2024, where he was the navigator of a Lada Niva driven by Marcel Quiros. The race began on a fairly smooth note through the first five legs save for a flat tire in Stage 1, but Cairó’s debut came to an end when they crashed in the marathon stage.

The accident resulted in a severe T4 vertebra compression that kept him out of racing for the next five months. He eventually returned in May for the Rally Empordà.

Nowadays, he mainly competes in vintage rallies as the co-driver of a SEAT 1430 piloted by Alex Sadó.

For RallyClassics Africa, he will call the shots for Enric Perramon in a Toyota Land Cruiser KZJ95 prepared by Pedregà Team.

“It’s a very demanding test in terms of navigation and regularity,” Cairó told Xarxa+. “We believe that it’s the most important test to prepare for a Dakar Classic.”

RallyClassics Africa will take place on September 12–17. Perramon and Cairó’s Land Cruiser are among 15 pre-1997 cars entered.

Featured image credit: FOTOP