After two weeks of gruelling competition - which has seen more than a few household names come a cropper - Yazeed Al Rajhi has won the 2025 Dakar in a privately entered Toyota Hilux. It’s the first time a native has won the event when it’s been held in Saudi Arabia, surely a point of note as the country aims to further its motorsport standing across the globe.
There were notable finishes throughout the top order in fact, with another factory entered Hilux of Henk Lategan coming home second, just under four minutes behind Al Rajhi. It was looking like the South African’s Dakar this year, only for a couple of less impressive days to drop him from the lead. Ford will leave Saudi chuffed with a podium place at its first attempt, Mattias Ekstrom finishing third in the Ranger T1+ with a Coyote-evolved V8.
The Dacia Sandriders, coming into the event full of confidence after such a good display in Morocco at the end of last year, could only manage fourth with five-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. In a punishing event, those Ultimate category cars were the top four, with another M-Sport Ford of Mitch Guthrie in fifth, an hour off the lead.
With stage wins across the event and strong drives from its entire team, Ford will be impressed with its Dakar performance. That top-five finish from Guthrie was especially notable in his first Dakar, and lending help to teammate Carlos Sainz Sr. after an early roll was ‘an extraordinary demonstration of grit and teamwork.’ Ford and British team M-Sport of course have a rich rallying history together, though something like Dakar represents a very different challenge. To have achieved a podium at the first time of asking will surely go down very well at a firm which has announced that it would like to be the 'Porsche of off-road'.
“We have had some real highs and some real lows during this incredible race,” said Matthew Wilson, Team Principal of Team Ford M-Sport. “Losing Carlos so early on in the race and the bitter disappointment for Nani (Roma) with his issues, was tough for the team but we rallied around Matthias and Mitch and ultimately delivered a podium and two cars in the top five which, in our first full outing with the Ford Raptor T1+, is a great start to the whole program. It’s been a hell of an experience – the team has been incredible over the last three weeks but now we focus on the rest of the Rally Raid season ahead with renewed enthusiasm and confidence.”
The World Rally Raid Championship now moves onto Abu Dhabi for the Desert Challenge in February, before moving to Africa and Europe for the rest of the season. It promises to be one to watch, with Dacia hoping to recapture some of last year’s form, Ford wanting to build on its Saudi success and Hiluxes never out of contention - with full factory support or independently entered, clearly.
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