From the Sea to the Desert: Varador 2000 Shipyard & Marina Official Sponsor of Josep Pedró at the 2027 Dakar Rally
Rachel Jones
After three consecutive Dakar Rally participations and a second-place finish in the Original by Motul category in 2026, Josep Pedró will return to the Dakar in 2027. Varador 2000 Shipyard & Marina is joining him in his next major challenge: returning to the desert in one of the categories that remains closest to the spirit in which this extraordinary adventure was born.
Some races begin long before the starting line.
They begin months in advance, when there are still no stopwatches or dunes. In the hours of training, in every component that is inspected, every problem that is anticipated, and every decision that nobody will see when the time comes to compete. The Dakar is one of them.
Josep Pedró knows this well. He has competed in the last three editions and, in 2026, secured second place in Original by Motul, one of the most demanding categories in the race. In 2027 he will return for a fourth consecutive Dakar, once again on a motorcycle that he must ride, maintain and repair himself throughout the race.
This time, Varador 2000 Shipyard & Marina will be part of the journey that leads him there.
Returning to the Origins
To understand what competing in Original by Motul means, it helps to go back almost fifty years, to when the Dakar Rally began with a motorcycle and a desert.
In 1977, Thierry Sabine became lost in the Libyan desert while taking part in the Abidjan–Nice Rally - an experience that inspired him to create a new adventure: a journey starting in Europe, crossing Africa and finishing in the city of Dakar, Senegal. The first edition set off on 26 December 1978, and with it came much of the race's identity: adventure, endurance, navigation, adaptability and the need to keep moving forward when there is very little around you to rely on.
Decades later, the competition has evolved considerably - the motorcycles, navigation systems, safety measures and support teams bear little resemblance to those of the early years. Yet one category still places almost all of the responsibility on the rider.
Original by Motul
There is no dedicated team of mechanics waiting at the end of each stage. Riders receive only the basic logistical support provided by the organisation and must personally take care of maintaining and repairing their motorcycles. When a day of racing ends, the work is far from over - the bike has to be inspected, every sign of wear identified, repairs carried out, and the machine prepared to go out again just a few hours later.
Then the next day, it starts all over again.
“When you race in Original, you have to be a rider, but also a mechanic. You need to know how to listen to the bike and understand what is happening before a small problem can take you out of the race.” — Josep Pedró
Josep chose to take on the 2026 Dakar this way, and finished second.
The Race You Don't See
On television, viewers see the speed, the jumps, the crashes, the dunes and the finish line. But a decisive part of the Dakar takes place long before that: the preparation.
By the time a rider is in the middle of the desert, many of the most important decisions have already been made - every component inspected, every training session logged, every tool selected, every small fault caught before setting off.
“At the Dakar, you can find yourself facing situations you cannot control. That is why I try to arrive having worked as hard as possible on everything I can control.” — Josep Pedró
This is where Josep Pedró's world and Varador 2000's begin to look far more alike than one might expect. One works on a motorcycle before taking on the desert. The other prepares vessels before they take on the sea. Two completely different environments, but the same underlying responsibility: when the time comes to set off, what you trust has to be ready.
From the Desert to the Sea
Varador 2000 has been working in vessel repair, maintenance and refit since 1984 - more than four decades in which technology has changed, vessels have evolved and projects have become increasingly complex. But one thing remains unchanged: the importance of getting the work right before the moment comes when it truly has to perform.
A vessel may look perfect while berthed in the marina. The real difference becomes apparent once she heads out to sea. Behind every well-prepared vessel are countless hours the owner will probably never see - technicians inspecting systems, mechanics working on engines, engineers solving problems, teams coordinating, all driven by one objective: to ensure that, when the time comes to head out to sea, you can do so with confidence.
The same applies to Josep. When he takes the start of the 2027 Dakar, he will be alone on the motorcycle. But reaching that starting line is never an individual effort.
Arriving Alone Doesn't Mean Doing It Alone
This is one of the reasons Varador 2000 has decided to accompany Josep Pedró on his journey towards the 2027 Dakar. It isn't simply about sponsoring a rider - it's about backing a project, and someone who has chosen to face one of the world's most demanding challenges again, fully aware of what it entails, while sharing an approach to work that Varador knows well: preparation, technical expertise, consistency and the ability to solve problems.
Based in Barcelona, Varador 2000 is today a team of professionals from different disciplines working towards the same goal - engineers, mechanics, technicians and other specialists. Ultimately, people. Because behind a motorcycle capable of finishing the Dakar, there are people. And behind a vessel ready to take on the sea, there are people too.
“There are moments in the Dakar when you are completely alone. But when you get there, you know exactly how many people have worked with you to put you in that position. That is also part of the race.”
During the competition, Josep will make his own decisions, repair his motorcycle, manage exhaustion, navigate, make mistakes, solve problems and keep going. But before that moment arrives, a team will be there alongside him - and Varador 2000 will be one of them.
The Next Dakar Starts Now
Second place in 2026 might look like an end point. For Josep, it's the opposite: the point from which to start again. Returning to the Dakar means preparing every detail once more - continuing to train, checking the motorcycle, testing new solutions and learning from the previous edition, in order to arrive at 2027 even better prepared.
That process has already begun. Over the coming months, Josep will build his path towards the starting line, accumulating training hours, technical preparation and kilometres before facing the desert again - travelling once more from the Mediterranean to the dunes, from the workshop to the race, and from preparation to the moment when all that work is put to the test.
The 2027 Dakar is already underway.
Monaco Yacht Show: The Meeting Point
Before reaching the Dakar, one of the stops on this journey will be Monaco. On 24 September at 3:30 pm, Josep Pedró will join the Varador 2000 team at the Monaco Yacht Show to present this partnership and share first-hand what it means to take on the Dakar in Original by Motul.
It will also be an opportunity to bring together two worlds that, at first sight, could hardly seem more different: the desert and the sea, a motorcycle and a superyacht, a rider and a crew. Yet both share something essential: the importance of being prepared when the moment comes for the real challenge to begin.
At the Dakar, just as at sea, many of the decisions that make the difference are made before the start.
That is why Monaco will also be the place to share what lies behind this project and the journey that Josep and Varador 2000 will undertake together on the road to the 2027 Dakar.
Event Details
Thursday, 24 September 2026 | 3:30 pm Quai Albert AL27 | Varador 2000 Shipyard & Marina Stand, Monaco Yacht Show
#TheCrossingToDakar2027Continues
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