How does M-Sport rate its first Dakar?

There was disappointment for Carlos Sainz, but Mattias Ekström delivered a third-placed podium

M64_0775-Edit (1)

A year ago, M-Sport founder Malcolm Wilson was an interested spectator, keen to keep an eye on what his company was about to embark on over the next 12 months.

As the 47th edition of the Dakar Rally came to a close last Friday, he stood beneath Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist on the finish podium; the Swedish duo having just secured third place on the team’s maiden voyage in the classic rally raid.

“You can imagine, we’re all very, very happy,” Wilson said. “Obviously, we had a big ambition, but to get on the podium for the first time, we’re very happy. We’ve certainly learnt a lot and we are looking forward to next year.”

Ford’s first full factory assault on the Dakar got off to a tricky start as team leader Carlos Sainz suffered heavy damage after rolling his car on the second stage. He was forced out on safety grounds with a damaged roll cage.

The same day, team-mate and compatriot Nani Roma suffered a blown engine. All seemed rather gloomy at M-Sport.

“Losing Carlos was a deflating moment, but we knew Nani could carry on and we knew that we could use that as a productive next week,” said Wilson, team principal of M-Sport’s Dakar project.

“It was tough because Carlos and Nani’s issues happened at the same time, which means that effectively you are down to two cars in the race. [But] I have to take my hat off to Nani for the support role that he’s done and how he just did it with no questions asked.”

Many would have forgiven M-Sport for taking things more carefully after that, but that isn’t what this team is about. It wants to win, all the time.

The bounceback, through Ekström and the fourth Raptor T1+ of Mitch Guthrie Jr, proved it has what it takes to compete with the very top of the cross-country rallying field.

“It’s a great result, two stage wins [one for Roma and Ekström in stages 10 and 11 respectively] in there as well which is brilliant, both in the dunes as well,” reflected Wilson.

“We obviously had a lot of pace elsewhere but we never got the win, so to get the stage wins in the dunes was great. If somebody had offered us that result, I think we would have probably bitten your hand off!

“But you know what we’re like at M-Sport, we want to win and to be that close is a great result. But we want more; we want to rest right now but we’re already thinking and planning for the next Dakar.

“It’s a fantastic result and we should definitely savor it, because coming here with a new car, the speed and the reliability that we’ve had has been brilliant.”

M71_2770

M-Sport was delighted with a podium and two stage wins, but wants more in 2026

After a tactical start to the Dakar, Ekström and Bergkvist settled into third place from stage three and were never usurped from that position.

The pair, who often had to bear the brunt of the mechanical misfortune during their time with Audi, engaged in a lively scrap with the Dacia Sandriders of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger during the second week.

A stage win in the penultimate test of the rally as Al-Attiyah was hamstrung by two punctures all but secured a breakthrough podium result.

“Being on the podium is a nice feeling, there are so many fast cars and so many fast drivers in good teams and to come as a rookie team with Ford and M-Sport, who have built a great car, it would be unrealistic to ask for more than a podium,” Ekström told DirtFish.

“The competition here is really tough and they have been here for years, and Yazeed [Al-Rajhi] who won, big compliments to him too. I have seen him training, training, all the time, it’s a well-deserved win for him. But also, for Henk [Lategan] and Brett [Cummings], they have done a really good race too and it was a good fight with them.

“We will analyze, execute and hopefully come back stronger next year.”

Key to Ekström’s podium and the fifth place for Challenger graduate Guthrie was the teamwork implemented following Sainz’s retirement.

Initially, Guthrie was the one to help El Matador get back into the rally but, after his engine failure, support duties fell to Roma who was a more than willing participant.

“I didn’t feel any pressure [after Sainz’s crash],” added Ekström. “I just felt disappointed and sorry for Carlos, but I know that if you want to have a good race here, you have to have very strong team-mates.

“Last year, Carlos won the race due to very good team strategy, and if you don’t have any team-mates around you, then it becomes really difficult.”

What happens now?

M-Sport will now turn its attention to the rest of the World Rally-Raid Championship, which reconvenes at the end of February for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

While four Raptors took the start in the Dakar, the team will half its effort for each of the remaining rounds, alternating its line-up between the four official drivers.

“The plan is to have at least two cars in each W2RC event, that was always the plan,” Wilson said.

M64_0064

Two Raptors will be entered on all remaining rounds of the W2RC

“Ford has gone to the effort to enter the championship and we will use it for the development of the car. You need to test, but we’ve learnt a lot here that you only learn from events. That’s going to be a great help for us.

“There’s also the thing about keeping the drivers sharp, so the plan when we entered the championship was to alternate between the drivers to keep them all as sharp as possible. The more seat time they can get, the better we will be. We need to keep them sharp and get results while we’re at it.”

Wilson is also open to the idea of supplying customer Raptors in the future, should the interest be there.

“If there is enough interest, that’s obviously something we have done quite successfully in the past so I am sure with the result we have had, we will get some interest,” he added. “But from a factory effort, four is enough at the moment.”

Comments