Tenerife Backs "Pink Fox" Dakar Rally Bid for Breast Cancer Awareness
The Tenerife Island Council is supporting Rafael Lesmes's "El Zorro Rosa" Dakar Rally participation, backing his team's breast cancer awareness campaign and collaboration with the Carrera por la Vida Foundation.
The Tenerife Island Council is backing driver Rafael Lesmes's participation in the 2026 Dakar Rally with his new vehicle, "El Zorro Rosa" (The Pink Fox). This support comes through the public company Ideco and Acción Social.
Lesmes, a two-time winner in the Dakar Classic (truck category), and his team, "Dakar por la Vida" (Dakar for Life), will continue to use the rally's global platform to raise awareness about the importance of early breast cancer detection in women, and to highlight the lesser-known issue of breast cancer in men.
A send-off event was held for "El Zorro Rosa" at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, before its departure to the 2026 Dakar Rally. Attendees included Lope Afonso (Vice President of the Island Council), Poli Suárez (Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports), Yolanda Moliné (Minister of Sports of the Tenerife Island Council), Brigitte Gypen (President of the Carrera por la Vida (Race for Life) Canary Islands Foundation), Rafael Lesmes, and Miguel Ángel Domínguez (President of the Canary Islands Automobile Federation). The "Dakar Por la Vida" team aims to spread hope across the dunes of this famous race.
Lope Afonso stated that it was a great pleasure to hold the departure ceremony at the Tenerife Island Council, contributing to the cause and highlighting that it deserves the attention and support of public administrations.
October 19th is International Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Tenerife is uniting both vehicles of the Dakar por la Vida social responsibility project. "El Elefante Rosa" (The Pink Elephant), fresh from winning the Dakar Classic 2025 (truck category), was also present with a new look. "El Zorro Rosa" is now heading to the 2026 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. The team's goals are to emphasize that early detection saves lives and to compete for top speeds in the desert.
During the event, Poli Suárez and Brigitte Gypen signed a collaboration agreement. Through this, the Canary Islands Government will support the Carrera por la Vida Foundation in its sports activities linked to social causes, including the Dakar por la Vida project, involving driver Rafa Lesmes and his team, CUP 59 Motorsport.