The passion for competition and an almost indestructible will define the character of a unique driver. Joan Roma, Nani to his friends, was born in Vic on February 17, 1972, and after a brief stint on the soccer fields, this sport lost a determined goalkeeper when motorcycles crossed his path. He entered his first race by forging a friend's license, a common sin among great champions. He won, and since then, he has consistently built an impressive track record, only missing the crown jewel, the Dakar, which he finally achieved in the 2004 edition. In the hearts of many fans, Roma has succeeded another illustrious figure, Jordi Arcarons, and a Dakar is inconceivable without his presence. As the years pass, youthful enthusiasm gives way to experience, and after participating in nine editions of the Dakar in the motorcycle category, the driver from Folgueroles faced a new challenge in his career, competing in the 2005 edition in cars at the helm of a Mitsubishi.

Married with two daughters and a son, Joan Roma achieved his first success in competition in the Spanish Junior Enduro Championship in the 125cc category in 1991. From his early days in competition, his aggressiveness and physical prowess did not go unnoticed, and from that moment, he began to collect prestigious positions in Enduro trophies and also in participations in the International Six Days Enduro. From the first medal earned in 1993 to the first title, the Senior European Championship, Roma began to establish himself as one of the most prominent riders in the discipline. In the midst of the rise of African competitions, it was a certain fact that he would soon transition to rally raids.

That happened in the year 1996. He participated in his first Dakar, and despite his unfamiliarity with such a peculiar race, he achieved two stage victories, quite a feat considering the caliber of the competitors he was up against. He made a spectacular name for himself in African raids. All of this while securing brilliant positions in national and world Enduro championships. The die was cast, and from that moment on, Roma never ceased to participate in high-level Enduro competitions, but his sports career was marked by African raids. He repeated a notable performance in 1998 when he was the first classified at the halfway point of the rally, although he didn't manage to finish. Nevertheless, he continued to achieve extraordinary results, including a gold medal in the Six Days of Enduro or second places in the Raids of Egypt and Dubai, as well as victories in the Baja Spain and Italy.

The year 2000 was the turning point in his international career. He finished the Dakar in the seventeenth position, far from the lead, but he emerged as a true moral victor, a sentiment openly acknowledged by one of his biggest admirers, Hubert Auriol, the race director. Nani had won four stages of the race, was a solid leader, and had victory within his grasp. However, he suffered an engine failure on his motorcycle just two stages before the end, having traversed the entire African continent. It was a very cruel disappointment, and that triumph could have truly altered his sports career.

From that moment, Joan Roma's trajectory clearly focused on the most significant events of the raid season, the most elite races in the Enduro championship, and, of course, the Dakar, which had become the primary goal of his sports career. It eluded him, that's true, time and again, but he had already established himself as one of the most outstanding off-road riders on the international scene.

He had rightfully taken over from Arcarons, and with his aggressive style, he combined an overflowing and uncommon personality for a raid driver. Roma had become a beloved driver, always approachable and willing to share his experience with his professional colleagues, such as Isidre Esteve and the young Marc Coma, who would eventually become his inseparable comrades in the battle for the first major victory in Africa.

A victory that had been elusive since the great disappointment of 2000 when Nani spent an entire night in the desert waiting for the assistance truck. The goal was to reach Dakar at all costs, but it couldn't be achieved in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Various falls and accidents prevented Joan from achieving the grand objective, sporting misfortunes that, due to television coverage, were witnessed almost live worldwide, giving his sports career a truly epic dimension. His struggle against the desert has been experienced firsthand by thousands of fans.

However, not being able to win the Dakar did not tarnish an otherwise truly brilliant sports career. Victory in the 2002 Rally of Tunisia and the Baja Aragón. All of this, along with sporadic participations in some of the most prominent events in the Spanish Enduro Championship.

He also came close to victory in 2003. Fabrizio Meoni was his rival, and a fall with a fracture sent him to the hospital. Nothing serious, but Roma was out of competition. Since then, Nani prepared thoroughly, and it is fair to recognize that successes came one after another. Second place in the Baja Aragón, third position in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies Cup, third place in the Rally of Tunisia, third place in the Rally of Morocco, and victories in Sardinia and Egypt. With this track record and these credentials, Joan Roma was one of the great and undisputed favorites for victory in the 26th edition of the Dakar. He had prepared more intensively than ever and arrived in perfect shape. Additionally, he had a motorcycle he knew perfectly and two extraordinary teammates like Esteve and Coma. He entered the race with sufficient guarantees, but the most challenging part still remained: to compete in the race and overcome the luck that had turned its back on him so many times. And he succeeded. On January 18, 2004, after an excellent team effort, Nani arrived in Dakar as the first classified, a position he had held since the eighth stage and had only solidified. That victory marked a milestone in the history of motorcycle racing in our country, being the first for a Spanish rider in the 26 years of this legendary race.

The 2004 season started well for Joan Roma, but after his victory in the Dakar, he suffered a knee injury while training that prevented him from participating in the first round of the World Raid Championship held in Tunisia. He cautiously started the Raid of Morocco, but on the second stage, he had to abandon due to a recurrence of the injury; his foot hit a rock, causing the knee joint to twist. As part of his recovery process and in preparation for the Baja Aragón, where he would experience a spectacular fall on the first day, Nani took part in the Rally of Sardinia and secured the second position. However, these adverse results did not deter him from deciding to compete in the Dakar in cars. After the 2004 edition, he had already contemplated this idea following his coveted motorcycle victory. Initially, the project was put on hold as he aimed to achieve more victories on two wheels. However, in June, he tested a high-level car and realized he could be fully competitive.

Nani Roma debuted as an official driver for the Japanese brand, forming a team with Stephane Peterhansel, the winner of Dakar 2004, Hiroshi Masuoka, Dakar 2003 champion, Luc Alphand, and Andrea Mayer. Roma drove an official Mitsubishi Pajero Evo, the top car in the discipline and winner of nine consecutive Dakar editions since 2000. This represented a significant challenge, but the Repsol driver has always thrived on big challenges and tough adversities. Aware that he was returning to Africa to learn to race from a different perspective, and after a training period, his gaze betrayed his eagerness to perform well as he glanced at the podium... And he succeeded, securing a third overall position in 2006. After a challenging edition in 2008, the first time it was held in South American lands, it was the only Mitsubishi to finish the rally. In 2009, a complicated year globally and with many sectors affected by the crisis, the decision to close the Japanese brand opened a door for Nani with the German brand X-Raid BMW. With this new project, he achieved his second victory driving a car in the Baja España Aragón, and his sixth overall in this race. Undoubtedly, an enviable record.

En 2012, the team changed the car, and Nani switched to driving the Mini, specifically the Mini All4 Racing. The debut was promising, as evidenced by his second-place finish that year in the Dakar, where he secured victories in three stages. The following year, he finished fourth after winning four stages, achieving victories in various events: European Final Gymkhana Grid in Madrid, Desafío 40, Hungarian Baja, Baja España, and Abu Dhabi. A clear signal for what he would achieve in the 2014 season. After winning the Desafío Inca, La Baja España Aragón, and a stage in the Abu Dhabi Desert, he clinched the overall victory in the Dakar, ten years after his triumph in motorcycles, also winning four stages.

*Nani Roma was the first Spanish driver to win the Dakar, triumphing in the motorcycle category with a KTM.
*He is the third driver in history to win the Dakar in both the motorcycle and car categories.