In a dramatic turn of events, rally legend Carlos Sainz’s highly-anticipated debut in the new Ford Raptor T1+ at Rally Morocco has hit a major snag, as the four-time Dakar champion was forced to withdraw from the second stage due to technical issues. This sudden setback has effectively dashed any hopes for victory in his first rally-raid outing with Ford’s latest beast.
The Raptor, a result of the collaboration between M-Sport and Ford Performance, was touted as a formidable contender after its victorious debut at the Hungarian Baja in August with veteran driver Nani Roma. But even the presence of Sainz, the most decorated driver in Ford’s lineup, couldn’t prevent disaster. The Spaniard, with an impressive 42 stage wins and four Dakar titles under his belt, was unable to even start the second stage.
“Unfortunately, this morning, I fired up the car and we saw an issue with the data,” Sainz explained. “The team decided to check it properly and not take the risk to go out with the car and break something at this point of the rally. It’s not the right thing to do. We decided to quit, and this is what we are doing.”
Sainz remains optimistic, however, hoping to resume competition later in the rally to gather valuable mileage in preparation for future events. “Yesterday was a positive day even if we still have some small issues. We are happy in general, so let’s see how Mattias [Ekström] goes today and see if he can win the stage.”
Meanwhile, Mattias Ekström, piloting the sister Raptor, could only manage the 10th-fastest time, though he climbed to seventh overall after early leader Mathieu Serradori’s Century CR7-T suffered a pace drop near the penultimate waypoint.
Dacia Sandrider Shines as Al-Attiyah Leads the Way
Dacia’s new Sandrider is making waves with Nasser Al-Attiyah at the helm, as he pushes for his third consecutive World Rally-Raid Championship title. Al-Attiyah delivered an impressive performance, finishing just 13 seconds behind Toyota’s Lucas Moraes, who claimed the stage victory.
Al-Attiyah’s path to another title looks increasingly clear after rivals Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) and Guerlain Chicherit (X-Raid Mini) faced significant setbacks in stage two, with Al-Rajhi dropping 13 minutes and falling to sixth overall.
In the second Dacia Sandrider, rally icon Sébastien Loeb clocked the third-fastest time, climbing to fifth overall, while Guillaume de Mevius capitalized on Sainz’s misfortune to secure second place in the new X-Raid Mini.
