Carlos Sainz Sr.'s 2025 Dakar Rally comes to premature end
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Carlos Sainz, four time winner of the Dakar Rally, and copilot Lucas Cruz, have been forced out of the competition following an FIA technical inspection of his Ford Raptor which found the car unfit to continue.
During the competition's Stage 2, at around the 327km mark, Sainz sr. flipped his Ford Raptor over the dunes which inflicted heavy damage to the car. In fact the Spaniard had no choice but to strip substantial pieces of bodywork from the structure before he could get going again.
Sainz sr.'s car unfit to continue
During a post stage FIA technical inspection check the car's structure was deemed to be deformed beyond the limits set by the governing body to ensure the car's roll cage's integrity. Any further deformation resulting from a subsequent incident could have put Sainz sr.'s and copilot Cruz's safety at risk.
Ford has since issued a statement confirming the Spaniard's retirement from the 2025 Dakar Rally, as quoted by Motorsport.com: “Due to the damage sustained to the safety cage of vehicle #225 [Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz] during the accident in the first part of the 48-hour stage of the Dakar Rally 2025 and in accordance with FIA regulations, it has been decided to withdraw the vehicle,” read the communication.
Tough first full fledge Dakar Rally entry for Ford
Not only did the Saudi desert force Sainz sr. out of the competition prematurely, but teammate Nani Roma also saw his participation put at risk by engine trouble woes on Monday. Although the issues for Roma did not prove to be terminal, they did take him out of contention for the win.
Now Ford's only chance at a Dakar Rally triumph in their first full fledge entry rests solely on Mattias Ekstrom's shoulders, currently placed fifth 13m behind current overall leader, Toyota's Henk Lategan.
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