Motorsport -> Cooper Dakar -> About the team

Xavier Foj

Toyota Land Cruiser – driver

Xavier Foj and the Dakar contest go way back. The Spanish sportsman is brimming with knowledge, tenacity and experience, and he is capable of delivering results. TOYOTA SPAIN’S driver perfectly encapsulates the passion for the Dakar; he is part of its spirit.

For Foj, the 2011 Dakar will be his 20^th entry. Since 1991, he has been on the Start Podium of the world’s most unpredictable adventure. Perhaps the most outstanding qualities of the former teacher and architect are his ability to adapt to the terrain he is on and to grow bolder in the face of adversity.

The team for the 2011 Dakar includes the adventurer Jesús Calleja and Nacho Santamaría as navigator and mechanical expert.

“Pablo Jaton will be in charge of the route again. Pablo has a fantastic record in the competition in South America, and showed his immense capacity as a navigator and trackside mechanic last year. Jesús Calleja and his co-driver and mechanic Nacho Santamaría, who has been part of the structure for years, will be in the team at the controls of the prototype Toyota Hilux,” said Foj.

In Xavier Foj’s view, the Toyota Cooper Tires Extreme Challenge team is well placed to contest the 2011 Dakar. “The LC150’s mechanical base is tremendously reliable; we have analysed, tried and tested it and know it inside out. The Hilux, too, is ready to tackle the most extreme situations.”

“Each Dakar is a new challenge. Each stage, each checkpoint, each stone or each dune crossing can be decisive for the result. The ability to adapt to the environment is vital, as is the will to react and overcome certain situations. This Dakar will have temperatures reaching 50 degrees and fewer aids for navigation; this cocktail will take its toll on teams and machinery. Although the hard days endured with lots of sand are in our favour, we are not free from making mistakes,” stated TOYOTA SPAIN’S driver.

Pablo Jaton

Toyota Land Cruiser – navigator

For the second consecutive year, Pablo Jaton will accompany Foj as navigator and mechanic. Mechanical research and development is Pablo Jaton’s passion.

His lengthy development specialising in off-road conditions as a driver and co-driver will mean that, faced with the restrictions in the use of GPS which will be imposed this year, he will need all his skill in navigation and reading the land.

In 2010’s Dakar, the drivers were guided by their instruments from a distance of 3 kilometres; this year, they will have to approach to within 400 metres of the point at which the GPS is activated.

“You cannot ask for more; it is a luxury to do this again in this compact formation. This year, the challenge is greater: a new car and a reduction in the use of GPS to re-activate the road-book. The change affects the WPM, the compulsory points to be passed through which we, the teams, have to look for and this, even though it will complicate navigation, will make the event more attractive and will bring it close to its origins,” the TOYOTA navigator felt.

Jesús Calleja

Toyota Hilux – driver

Jesús Calleja personifies adventure, challenge, competition and inquisitiveness.

The 2011 Dakar will be the next Extreme Challenge for Calleja, who made his debut in the 2010 Baja-Spain endurance contest with an outstanding finish.

Jesús Calleja has conquered the highest peaks on each continent and has climbed to the summits of two 8,000-metre mountains and has been to the North Pole.

Before the 2010 Baja-Spain, Calleja had flown light aircraft, crossed the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and taken part, as a motorcyclist, in two Pharaoh Rallies. From 1^st January, he will be a part of the Dakar legend.

Ignacio Santamaría

Toyota Hilux – navigator

Ignacio Santamaría has been part of the preparation structure for Jaton Racing 4WD for years. On countless occasions he has co-driven in vehicles which he knows like the back of his hand, having worked to develop them.

As Calleja’s right-hand-man, he will perform the tasks of navigator and, if necessary, mechanic in the T1 HILUX, which he has worked to develop in recent months.