Crowdfunding started on the 9th of December, and in less than a fortnight Joan Lascorz has already managed to reach his first goal by raising €15,000 to compete in the 2022 Dakar rally.
It was only announced earlier this month, but the instant backing from fans and other professional riders including Marc Marquez, Pol Espargaro, Alex Rins, Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes, Ana Carrasco & Pedro Acosta has gone a long way to get these wheels turning - with these big names amongst those offering their support so far.
The initial €15,000 raised represents 100% of what the ex-WorldSBK rider was initially planning, with these funds going (in part) to fund a personal assistant to help him rest, recover and prepare for each stage of the rally.
Additional goals are now set at €30,000 and €60,000 for additional assistance that the paralysed racer may need along the way at the end of each stage of the rally. This includes a specialised physiotherapist/osteopath, and an adapted motorhome/camper respectively.
The total cost for participating in the Dakar rally is €250,000 in total. If over €60,000 is raised, the Verkami site (which is hosting the crowdfunding campaign) notes the rest will go to help pay for the project for Joan and his family & friends who are financing the 2022 attempt.
A specially adapted UTV was designed for use in this rally raid for Joan, who endured an accident during testing at Imola and left him with no movement in his legs and restricted use of his arms and hands.
Dakar Rally 2022 attempt is go for Joan Lascorz!
The 44th edition of the Dakar Rally will be held over the 1st to 4th of January 2022 in Saudi Arabia, and Joan Lascorz will be the first tetraplegic rider to compete in the world-famous rally.
If helping to fund this heroic attempt was not enough, there are various tiers of rewards up for grabs on the site depending on the amount of backing. Rewards range from a poster of the team & team shirt, to having your name on the buggy and getting access to a behind the scenes look at Joan’s personal video blog as he updates us on his progress after each stage.
For those who are looking for more, you can even get an invite to one of Joan’s training sessions & a barbecue, and even a chance to co-pilot and/or ride the buggy!
The top tier of backing is set at €150,000, and the backer here will get to keep Joan’s buggy after the Dakar, accompany the team to the Dakar, and become a team sponsor…
The crowdfunding site will remain active until January the 8th, so get over there and back Joan Lascorz if you haven’t already. What a fantastic opportunity to back him!
