Ford Performance The ‘Matador’ signing was made official through a press release Carlos Sainz, current champion of the Dakar Rally, who at 62 years old maintains the hunger to continue competing and lead the development of a new off-road project. Next to Nani Rome, who will return to ride with the company, will manage the development of the Ford Raptor in which they will participate in the 2025 Dakar Rally.
Having achieved his four previous Dakar victories with Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini and Audi, Sainz seeks his fifth Dakar Rally title on his return to Ford, a relationship forged at the start of his nearly forty-year racing career .
He was at the wheel of the Ford Sierra RS in which he made his debut in the WRC World Championship in 1987. He returned to Ford as a two-time championship champion in 1996 and achieved three victories in the following two seasons before returning to Toyota. The departure of the Japanese brand at the end of 1999 gave way for a third period between 2000 and 2002, with two more victories and a best result of third place.
In its part, Nani Rome, two-time Dakar champion, extended its partnership with Ford and M-Sport after the 2024 learning campaign, they said in the statement.
“I am very excited about this new Dakar Rally project. To be working with Ford again for the fourth time, and to be back at M-Sport, with Malcolm Wilson (founder of M-Sport), who I know well, is really great. My history with Ford goes back to ’87, and I think I was Malcolm’s first factory driver and I’m proud of that. I am excited to drive the Raptor and achieve many goals in this big challenge. One of them is to help Ford win the Dakar Rally,” he explained. Sainz.
In its part, Rome He assured that “it is a great pleasure to participate in this great project, and with an iconic motorsport brand like Ford! With a team like M-Sport, with its history and legacy in the sport, to create a something completely new, I can say that it has been a very exciting few months. The next Dakar is not far, so now is the time to work hard, but Álex (Haro, his co-driver) and I’m very happy to be surrounded by engineers, mechanics and the whole team with great dedication and talent. We get up every day and do what we love with people with the same passion, it’s the best feeling!”
“Taking on such a huge challenge requires the best engineers, designers, team members, co-drivers and drivers, and in Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz we have two of the most experienced and successful drivers in the history of the Dakar. “The Ford Raptor is already showing good results in testing and having two of the best drivers in the world with us gives us confidence in the continued optimization of the car,” he said. . Mark Rushbrookglobal director of Ford Performance Motorsport.
For Matthew Wilson, M-Sport Director and Dakar Team Manager: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Nani back to the team after a great race this year with the Ranger T1+ at the Dakar,” said Matthew Wilson, Team Manager and the Dakar team. “His experience and knowledge are invaluable to us and I’m sure we will continue to learn from him as this exciting program moves forward.”
“Carlos is a legend of our sport and one of the most successful drivers in all formats of off-road racing. His decision to return to Ford and M-Sport after many years is a huge boost for the team and it is great to bring him back to the great Ford family, which is ready to take on the enormous challenge that the Dakar represents. In the current training, we have a great opportunity to learn from the best and further advance the development of the Ford Raptor,” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
