These custom Ford beasts are something else
“Sainz.” Sainz was always the answer when the Ford reps in Morocco asked me who I would like to ride with in the Raptor T1+ race car. An absolute legend, Carlos Sainz Sr. has always been my hero, having watched him since his WRC days where he won two world championships. Many an early morning was spent with my dad on the sofa as El Matador masterfully weaved his car through countless turns on his way to winning multiple rallies.
Now I wouldn’t say I have claustrophobia, but I have to admit that the moment I was strapped in and the door was closed, there was a moment where I may have started hyperventilating from the tightness of it all. Thankfully, the car actually has an air-conditioner blowing cold air down my back, so it was a good consolation.Once my helmet comm system was connected and I could speak to Mattias, he could clearly hear my labored breathing.
It is generally easy to make a fast car, but to feel a car have this much grip, this much acceleration off the line, when that line is made up of soft sand and rocks is a wholly transcendent experience. We quickly made our way up the gears, with each shift a violent break in power as the single AP racing clutch tried to cope with the torque being force-fed through the system.
It was fascinating, violent, emotional, and a dream come true, all rolled into a four-minute explosion of determination. The determination of the drivers to prove that they had what it takes to win in Dakar, and the determination of the Ford M-Sport team that engineered, built, and tuned the Raptor T1+ into an instrument that will forcefully make that dream come true.
Ford Dakar Rally Team Ford Rally Team Ford Carlos Sainz Ford Mattias Elkstrom
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