Short facts:
Date of birth: 20.07.1972
Place of birth: Lisbon / POR
Place of residence: Lisbon / POR
Family status: single
Hobbies: motorsport, snowboard, mechanics
Ricardo Leal Dos Santos switched from riding a quad on the Dakar to racing in a car. He finished 14th overall and first privateer in the 2010 Dakar and completed the Rally of Morocco with the X-raid team in seventh place.
He is one of the most promising of the latest crop of competitors in the cross-country discipline and was the first Portuguese to finish the Dakar riding a quad in 2003. Dos Santos went on to claim victory in the Quads World Cup in 2005 and won the solo category at the 2006 Lisbon-Dakar Rally.
The highlight of his Dakar career to date was driving an old Pajero with no assistance and twice competing with no co-driver.
Summary of his Rally Experience:
2012
- 7th Dakar
2011
- 4th Baja Portalegre 500
- 7th Dakar
2010
- 7th OiLibya Rally of Morocco
- 14th Dakar
2009
- 76th Dakar
2008
- 7th Transibérico Rally
- 26th Central Europe Rally
2007
- Winner of the Lisbon-Dakar Rally T1.1 Amateur Diesel group
2006
- Winner of the Solo Category at Lisbon-Dakar Rally / 44th overall
2005
- 5th place T1 Petrol category Barcelona-Dakar Rally / 70th overall
- Winner of the Quads World Cup
2004
- 2nd Baja Vodafone 1000 / T1 Auto category
- Winner Por Las Pampas Rally, Argentina / Quad
2003
- 1st Portuguese Pilot to finish the Dakar Rally riding a Quad
- 6th Paris-Dakar Rally / Quad
1998
- Winner U.A.E. Desert Challenge Rally / Quad
Ricardo's Website:
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