SCI Superstar: Albert Llovera

Hailing from the principality of Andorra in Spain lives the epic rally driver, Albert Llovera. Known for his athletic abilities and his Spanish looks, Albert is appreciated by the SCI community for his tenacity in the face of serious life challenges.

From a star Olympic alpine skier to a paraplegic, he knows what it’s like to have everything taken away. But his story isn’t about loss, it’s about self-reinvention. Read on for Albert’s story.

Why He’s Fearless

Growing up in Andorra, Albert’s life was picture perfect. He loved to ski and soon found himself on the competitive circuit in his teens. He had some serious talent on the slopes. Huge. And when he was 17, Albert was the youngest person to ever compete in the Winter Olympics, competing in the 1984 games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

He had a good showing at his first Olympics (no medals, but still a good run), the next year he found himself at the European Ski Cup. But all didn’t go so well at this event. While in a descent, Albert crashed and broke his back at the lower level. He became a paraplegic, and out went his career on the slopes.

Devastated, Albert had an innate desire to continue competing in any sport at a elite level and he wasn’t interested in any adapted sports. Instead, he found a sport he could still do just as good as able-bodied athletes, and that was motor racing.

Two years after his injury, Albert entered his first motor sport event – the Championship of Andorra – a competition for quad bikes, and by 1989 he was winning rally races, winning the Peugeot Rally Cup in Andorra that year. Throughout the nineties, Albert improved his speed abilities, ranking high in the Speed Championships of Catalonia on numerous occasions.

In 2001, something amazing happened, Albert scored a sponsorship with Fiat, and his career was never the same. Since, he’s competed in the Junior World Rally Championship, finishing 7th in Rally Finland in 2010 and 8th in the Tour de Corse. Albert raced in a Fiat Punto S1600 when he started and now races in a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000.

What’s Next?

Albert has also raced in the famous Dakar Rally, an off-road race every January that crosses three counties – Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. One year he tested a new vehicle, an Optimus Buggy, while doing the race. This 16-day race in South America spans a massive distance, 8,500 kilometers, and traverses deep canyons.

Albert is also a father to his daughter Cristina and he’s been a test pilot the Ekso exoskeleton. He also volunteers for UNICEF, helping deliver wheelchairs to those in need, and he gives motivational speeches for TEDx, schools and businesses and beyond.

– Visit his site: Albert Llovera Official

– Follow him on IG