# Lucas Cruz
**Lucas Cruz** (Lucas Cruz Senra, born 1974 in Barcelona) is a Spanish rally co-driver and computer engineer, best known as the navigator of Carlos Sainz in cross-country rallying, with whom he has won the [Dakar Rally](https://www.edgepedia.org/dakar-rally) four times.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) • [2](https://www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/competitor/a18dcfe7-4905-4bbe-bfff-e00b94c6b734) The four victories came with four different manufacturers: [Volkswagen](https://www.edgepedia.org/volkswagen) in 2010, Peugeot in 2018, Mini in 2020, and Audi in 2024.[2](https://www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/competitor/a18dcfe7-4905-4bbe-bfff-e00b94c6b734)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974, Barcelona, Spain; residence Caldes de Montbui[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) |
| Profession | Computer engineer (informática de sistemas)[2](https://www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/competitor/a18dcfe7-4905-4bbe-bfff-e00b94c6b734) • [3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) |
| Dakar wins | Four as co-driver, all with Carlos Sainz: 2010, 2018, 2020, 2024[2](https://www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/competitor/a18dcfe7-4905-4bbe-bfff-e00b94c6b734) |
| Manufacturers | Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini, Audi; the first pairing to win the Dakar with four different makes[3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) |
| Dakar debut | 2001, as co-driver of José-Luis Monterde (Nissan)[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) |
| Other drivers | Nani Roma (2007, 2009) and Nasser Al-Attiyah (2012–2014)[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) • [3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) |
| End of partnership | Sainz and Cruz separated amicably after the 2026 Dakar, where they finished 5th with Ford[4](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/carlos-sainz-y-lucas-cruz-separan-sus-caminos-f202602-n/) |
## Early life and start in rallying
Cruz grew up around cars: his father ran a mechanical workshop with a partner. In 1994, when an acquaintance who had begun competing in rallies lost his co-driver, he asked the 20-year-old Cruz to sit beside him, and Cruz started that year in the Catalan Rally Championship with Miguel Ángel Fernández.[5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) He later described himself at that point as knowing almost nothing about the sport.[5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html)
He studied computer engineering, leaving the degree a year before finishing, then returned to university and completed a vocational qualification in systems informatics while competing on Spanish roads.[5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) In 1998 he joined, as he put it "by chance", the young-driver development program that Carlos Sainz ran with Peugeot, entering after the originally selected co-driver was dropped; he did not contest races with Sainz that season.[5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) • [1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) In 2001 he won the [Spanish Rally Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/spanish-rally-championship) as co-driver of Txus Jaio in a Ford Focus WRC.[3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/)
## Dakar career before Sainz
Cruz made his Dakar Rally debut in 2001 as co-driver of José-Luis Monterde in a Nissan Patrol GR; the pair were the best rookies of that edition.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) • [5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) He then left the rally for five years, returning in 2006 in the truck category as co-driver of Jordi Pujol.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) • [3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) In 2007 he moved back to cars, co-driving for Nani Roma at [Mitsubishi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitsubishi), and continued with Roma in 2009.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) • [4](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/carlos-sainz-y-lucas-cruz-separan-sus-caminos-f202602-n/) Also in 2009 he won the [Silk Way Rally](https://www.edgepedia.org/silk-way-rally) and the Rally dos Sertões with Carlos Sainz.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815)
## Partnership with Carlos Sainz
Sainz had followed Cruz's results and called him during 2009 to join him at Volkswagen for the 2010 Dakar, after Sainz's accident in January 2009.[5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) The pairing arrived at the 2010 Dakar unbeaten in the events they had contested together, and won the rally, becoming the first [Spaniards](https://www.edgepedia.org/spaniards) to win the Dakar in the car category.[5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) • [4](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/carlos-sainz-y-lucas-cruz-separan-sus-caminos-f202602-n/) They finished third in 2011.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815)
Between 2012 and 2014 Cruz co-drove for [Nasser Al-Attiyah](https://www.edgepedia.org/nasser-al-attiyah), one of Sainz's main rivals, before rejoining Sainz for the Peugeot buggy project in 2015.[3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) • [5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) With Peugeot they won the 2018 Dakar in the Peugeot 3008 DKR Maxi, in a team that also included [Sébastien Loeb](https://www.edgepedia.org/sebastien-loeb), Stéphane Peterhansel, and [Cyril Despres](https://www.edgepedia.org/cyril-despres).[3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) • [5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) In 2020, at the first Saudi Arabian Dakar, they won again with the Mini John Cooper Works Buggy, a car they had helped redesign the year before.[3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) • [5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html)
**The Audi years.** Both joined Audi's project to win the Dakar with a vehicle using an electric drivetrain, the RS Q e-tron. After two editions without victory, they won the 2024 Dakar, the 46th edition, in what was Audi's final year of the program; Sainz publicly credited Cruz, saying "all of this is thanks to you".[3](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/) • [5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html) The Dakar organizer records this as the first time the rally was won with an electrically powered vehicle.[6](https://www.dakar.com/fr/concurrent/225) Cruz called winning with four different manufacturers a milestone.[5](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html)
The pair then moved to Ford for the 2025 and 2026 Dakars in the Raptor T1+. They retired from the 2025 edition on stage 3 and finished 5th in 2026, with a difficult navigation day on the tenth stage keeping them from fighting for a fifth win.[2](https://www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/competitor/a18dcfe7-4905-4bbe-bfff-e00b94c6b734) • [4](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/carlos-sainz-y-lucas-cruz-separan-sus-caminos-f202602-n/) After that 48th edition, Cruz announced on Instagram ("El último baile") that the partnership, which had begun in 2009, was ending by mutual and amicable agreement; unlike most leading teams, Cruz had been contracted to Sainz personally rather than to the manufacturer.[4](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/carlos-sainz-y-lucas-cruz-separan-sus-caminos-f202602-n/)
## Role and working method
Cruz describes the co-driver's share of responsibility in rally raid as at least 50 percent, since a driver without a co-driver could not complete the stages.[7](https://www.race.es/revista-autoclub/pase-vip/copilotos-los-navegadores-humanos/) He emphasizes the trust basis with the driver and the pace of decisions in the cockpit: "We often have to decide within milliseconds which route to take. Sometimes things go wrong and that naturally causes stress. But we basically have a good balance with each other."[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815)
His preparation combines physical training, cycling and mountain jogging, with work alongside a sports psychologist to optimize reaction time and multitasking.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815) He counts the 48-hour chrono stage, run without team assistance, among the biggest challenges of the rally, with competitors sleeping in one-person tents and carrying out repairs themselves with on-board tools.[1](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815)
## References
1. [Biography Lucas Cruz, Audi MediaCenter](https://www.audi.com/en/audi-at-the-dakar-rally-2024-15749/biography-lucas-cruz-15815)
2. [Profile of Lucas Cruz, Ford Racing, World Rally-Raid Championship](https://www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/competitor/a18dcfe7-4905-4bbe-bfff-e00b94c6b734)
3. [Pocos le conocen y es decisivo: quién es Lucas Cruz, el copiloto de Carlos Sainz en el Dakar 2026, AS.com](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/pocos-le-conocen-y-es-decisivo-quien-es-lucas-cruz-el-copiloto-de-carlos-sainz-en-el-dakar-2026-f202601-n/)
4. [Carlos Sainz y Lucas Cruz separan sus caminos, AS.com](https://as.com/motor/mas_motor/carlos-sainz-y-lucas-cruz-separan-sus-caminos-f202602-n/)
5. [Lucas Cruz, el 'ángel de la guarda' que estudió informática y acabó interpretando 'jeroglíficos' para Carlos Sainz, Relevo](https://www.relevo.com/rallies/dakar/lucas-cruz-perfil-copiloto-sainz-20240119091936-nt.html)
6. [Fiche concurrent Carlos Sainz, Dakar.com](https://www.dakar.com/fr/concurrent/225)
7. [Copilotos, los navegadores humanos, RACE Revista Autoclub](https://www.race.es/revista-autoclub/pase-vip/copilotos-los-navegadores-humanos/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Cycling and motor sport › Rallying and rally raid › Dakar Rally and rally raid › Rally-raid co-drivers and navigators*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license