10 things you did not know about Carlos Sainz: a rally legend

If you are a fan of sport in all its forms and especially rally, this post is for you. Carlos Sainz, or also known as “The Matador”, is considered the best rally driver in history and the best world championship driver when he retired.

He was twice world rally champion in 1990 and 1992 with Toyota. He also has the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports. In addition, he is a person with charisma, dedication and great competitive spirit. For this reason, and thanks to his undoubted talent, the driver is an admired and praised athlete by all sports lovers. If you are also a fan of cars, speed and competition, stay to discover 10 curiosities about the professional and personal life of Carlos Sainz that you may not know.

1. Where and when was Carlos Sainz born?

The pilot was born on April 12, 1962 in the Community of Madrid, more specifically in the Salamanca district. It was in the capital of Spain where Sainz grew up and completed his secondary education while also immersing himself fully in the world of sport.

2. Was Sainz Spanish squash champion?

Indeed. The driver has always been a great lover of sport. From a very young age, the Madrid native was attracted to multiple disciplines such as squash, golf, tennis, football, athletics and boxing. His parents enrolled him in tennis classes when he was just 7 years old and it was there that he gained the perseverance and tenacity necessary to become a professional athlete. In addition, Sainz became the Spanish squash champion at the age of 16, a discipline in which he was also proclaimed runner-up of Spain on two occasions and with which he achieved great success since he began practicing it.

3. Did you know that the first car the pilot drove was his sister's?

At the early age of 11 Sainz first felt the adrenaline of driving in a Seat 600 belonging to his older sister Carmen, who sat in the driver's seat and let her brother carefully move the steering wheel without knowing that this would become his great passion for the rest of his life.

It was at this time that the former driver began to acquire a lot of miniature cars that he would later collect with his brother Toño. Shortly after, Carlos was able to meet the pilot in person Juan Carlos Oñoro, who first taught him how a racing car works. These and many other feats were responsible for Sainz becoming more and more interested in cars and the world of driving.

4. What did Carlos Sainz study?

After finishing his secondary education at the Colegio Retamar in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), young Sainz enrolled in a university degree in Law, a course he ended up abandoning in his second year due to the dedication that rallying required. For this reason, Sainz fully committed to his career as a professional driver, and it has certainly not gone badly for him.

5. Why did Sainz falsify a license at the age of 17?

At the age of 17, the pilot's grandfather gave his grandson a Montesa Capra 125 motorcycle, a device with which the young Carlos decided to sign up behind his family's back for a motocross race that was being held in the Casa de Campo in Madrid. Since his father was not very keen on signing the competition license for his son to participate in the race, Sainz forged his signature in order to be able to register for it.

6. Did you know that Sainz drove Juanjo La Calle's car and surprised him with his maneuvers?

Juanjo Lacalle, who has also been the manager and mentor of his son Carlos Sainz Junior, has experienced all of the driver's successes first-hand. One of his first forays into rallying was driving a Seat 131 in the Alps, where Sainz asked Lacalle to let him drive the snowy roads in his car, and to his surprise, he did a great job. So much so that Lacalle himself recognised Sainz's talent and asked him to choose him as his companion in his first race. Since then they have not separated.

7. Do you know the Real Madrid side of the driver?

Sainz, who has always faithfully shown his passion and support for football since he was very young, has grown up watching Real Madrid's successes through his family. That is why, in addition to enjoying the games in the stands of the Bernabéu as a fan, the driver went a step further with his proposal in 2006: he presented his candidacy to the white club to fill the position of president that had become vacant that same year. Something that the team managers rejected, but they did proclaim him an honorary member in 2020 for his winning desire and the Real Madrid spirit that so identifies the team.

8. Did you compete for Cïtroen in the 2005 World Championship after your retirement?

Following Sainz's decision to retire from the world rally championships, Cïtroen asked him as a favour to take part in the rallies in Greece and Turkey in order to help the other Cïtroen driver, Duval, score points with his help. Not only did he meet the expectations of Guy Frequelin, the Cïtroen director at the time, but he also demonstrated once again with his first and third place finishes that his performance was still sky-high after his retirement and 17 seasons of competition.

9. Sainz created a project with Ford to train new drivers.

It was in 2000 when Carlos Sainz founded, in collaboration with Ford, a project to hunt down and train new talents in the world of rallying. Some of the young drivers that Sainz trained alongside Ford professionals were Oscar Fuentes, Fernando Medina, Esteban Vallín and Txus Jaio, who became Spanish gravel rally champion for two consecutive years: in 2002 and 2003.

10. Did you know that Sainz is an army advisor?

In addition to his passion for sport, in 2014 he showed his support for the Spanish army by becoming an advisor to the Guadarrama XII Armored Brigade, giving him the power to carry out movements and obligations in desert areas.

Now that you know a little more about Carlos Sainz's personal life and successes, you certainly don't want to miss what's coming up. The driver has earned the fame and affection of rally fans for his talent, tenacity and personality. Without a doubt, he is an athlete who has proven to be a great professional, but also a great person throughout his career.