Carlos Sainz flips over during 2025 Dakar Rally
Dakar Rally
General
Carlos Sainz Sr. can forget about prolonging his Dakar title. Carlos Sainz's father flipped his caer over and came to a standstill during the second stage. The Spaniard is reportedly doing well.
In the 48-hour stage, Carlos Sainz Sr. stalled after 327 kilometres. Sainz's Ford Raptor went over a sand dune, which flipped the car over in the process. The damage to Sainz and Lucas Cruz's car is huge, according to footage shared by the organisation. Both men were unhurt after the crash, though, fortunately.
Title progression 'impossible' for Carlos Sainz
After their crash, Sainz tried to restart the car, got ahead briefly, but then reportedly stalled again. Mitch Guthrie, Sainz' teammate at Ford, had come to see if he could help the duo. However, he was unsuccessful, after which Guthrie continued on his way.
It is a big blow for the five-time and reigning Dakar champion. Sainz had started the 2025 Dakar Rally well, finishing eighth after the first stage. Because of the damage, Sainz hopes for a good result have now almost evaporated. Especially since it happened during the 48-hour stage, where competitors cannot work on their cars in camp, but have to spend the night at designated areas along the way where drivers are provided with tents and food.
However, the organization has since reported that Sainz and Cruz are back on track, but the damage to the car and the accumulated deficit are enormous.
@CSainz_oficial flipped his Ford Raptor at km 327!
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 5, 2025
Thankfully, the crew is unharmed and managed to get back on track, but the car took some heavy damage.
#Dakar2025 #DakarInSaudi pic.twitter.com/XQvASVcUAM
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica
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