Carlos Sainz Cenamor (Madrid, 62 years old) has no limits behind the wheel and will face a new adventure in the Dakar rally in 2025. The four-time champion of the toughest rally-raid event on the planet will be part of Ford’s renewed commitment to win the prestigious race, where last year it was crowned by Audi with the first hybrid vehicle to win the test.
For Sainz, Ford’s project is not only convincing on a sporting level, but also on an economic and sentimental level. The American brand was the one that introduced him to the world of motorsports, and the first with which he was proclaimed champion in a four-wheel discipline, during the Spanish rally championship in 1987. With a Ford Sierra RS, he competed in his first tests in the WRC world championship as a reward for his excellent performance, and although the titles came under other banners, he also won victories in his three previous stages with the multinational based in Dearborn, Michigan.
“I am very excited about this new project for the Dakar rally. Return to work with Ford for the fourth time, and return to M-Sport, with Malcolm Wilson [fundador de M-Sport], who I know very well, is really great,” comments the Spanish pilot. “My history with Ford goes back to ’87; I think I was Malcolm’s first factory driver and I’m very proud of that. I am excited to drive the Raptor and achieve many goals in this great challenge. One of them is to help Ford win the Dakar rally,” he adds.
Sainz, world rally champion in 1990 and 1992, has competed in a total of 17 Dakars, winning four Touaregs (2010, 2018, 2020 and 2024) under four different manufacturers (Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini and Audi). In addition to being the oldest driver to win the test, he will now seek to extend another unique milestone and win with a fifth different brand.
A fan of the enigma, and accustomed to ending his participation in the Dakar always leaving the doors of his future open, Sainz confirms with his continuity his own potential and also that of the Ford Raptor, the new suitor that will cross the Saudi deserts. The pilot already recognized EL PAÍS in Riyadh, on the way to his last destination, that the project seemed attractive to him. His co-pilot, Lucas Cruz, stated that he saw him motivated to “continue fighting.”
For now, it is unknown who will accompany the Madrid native on the voyage. It is known that the Catalan Nani Roma, also winner of the test, will accompany him as another of the pilots of the project. The Raptor, which replaces the Ranger model that the Folgueroles driver drove in 2024, has already begun its testing and filming phase in England, headquarters of M-Sport. Sainz’s official debut with his new brand, however, is not scheduled until early October, when the Moroccan rally takes place.
Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsport, also gave some insights into the relevance of this new adventure for the brand: “The scale of our racing ambitions off-road “It is unparalleled in Ford’s recent history, and with Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz Sr., we have two of the most experienced and successful drivers in Dakar history.” As Audi did in the past, it is now the American multinational that is investing millions to place the prestigious Touareg in its showcases, a race that no vehicle in the country has won in the 46 editions held.
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