The Dakar Rally is known as one of the most grueling off-road races in the world as competitors complete nearly 5,000 miles. Ford Performance driver Carlos Sainz Sr. tested this reputation with a rollover crash that destroyed part of the purpose-built Ford Raptor T1+.
The incident occurred after Sainz crossed the seventh checkpoint at the 325-km mark. The Raptor flipped over and landed on its roof in the sand. This left Sainz stranded in the desert. However, the Ford Performance driver did not give up.
Sainz's teammates arrived at the scene of the crash and helped him flip the damaged Raptor back onto all four wheels. The team then ripped off parts of the bodywork that had sustained the most damage in the crash. Once this process was complete, Sainz got back behind the wheel and continued the stage.
The @dakar spirit in its truest form. When the going gets rough, @CSainz_oficial and Lucas Cruz prove the meaning of ‘Built @Ford Tough,’ with big thanks to @mitchguthrie5 and @KellonWalch for the assist - team work! 💪 pic.twitter.com/wINfGASKOy
— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) January 5, 2025
While Sainz was able to continue in the Dakar Rally, he lost crucial time due to the rollover crash. He lost 40 minutes and ended the stage 49 minutes and 33 seconds off of the pace. This puts him 22nd in the overall classification.
"Carlos, unfortunately, had a problem at around kilometre 327," said Malcolm Wilson, team director of M-Sport Ford, per Autosport. "At that point, he was in first or second place, we're not sure, so he was opening up the track.
'He was on a dune and they landed upside down, with the roof of the car on the ground. Mitch (Guthrie Jr.) managed to help him, and then he stopped for a while to obviously move some damaged parts and that sort of thing.
"It looks like, from what we've seen, there's no structural damage," Wilson continued. "It's been running at a reasonable pace, flat out after the accident. (The Fords) will be together and hopefully we'll have a chance to implement repairs.
"Then, the most important thing is to bring him back tomorrow, and from what seems to have been lost, it's maybe around an hour, which on the second stage of the Dakar is a lot, but there's a long way to go."
Sainz is a four-time Dakar Rally winner. He is part of the four-driver Ford Performance team, joining Guthrie, Mattias Ekström, and Nani Roma.