Another day of the Dakar 2025 won by the Franco Sport teams: the duo Pedro Gonçalves/Hugo Magalhães set the 14th best time in the ninth stage – 9th among the competitors in the World Rally-Raid Championship – while Mário Franco/Rui Franco were in 16th place, both in the category reserved for SSV prototypes in the Challenger category.
Crossing the Empty Quarter is the immense challenge that the pilots face over the next two days.
“We are very happy! The experience accumulated in recent days has produced results.” Pedro Gonçalves’ first words upon seeing the excellent 14th time achieved in the ninth stage. “It went well, with a regular pace and no major navigation problems. Another important step was to recover the spirit of the unfortunate Saturday. Tomorrow, we will face the Empty Quarter for the first time. A personal desire that I face with great expectation”, confesses the 47-year-old pilot navigated by Hugo Magalhães.
With the 16th fastest time on the stage, the duo Mário Franco/Rui Franco, also driving an X-Raid YXZ 1000R, assisted by Franco Sport, moved up one more place in the classification table, occupying 17th place. “Not bad for someone who started the rally from last place”, began by highlighting Mário Franco. “Today wasn’t easy in terms of navigation, but there are only three days left, even if it’s just two days of Empty Quarter, where anything can happen. Let’s see how things go, but there will be many difficulties.”
Tomorrow’s stage
The 10th stage of the Dakar 2025 is disputed between Haradh and Shubaytah, with 642 timed kilometres in length, 123 of which are timed. A special stage starting at dawn, with a long road connection taking the teams to the vast sandy expanse of the Empty Quarter. The special is as challenging as it is short, with surprises on every dune. Recklessly driving over the top of a dune can be the perfect recipe for a rollover, while a less fortunate trail choice can mean tens of minutes of being stuck. But this day is just the beginning of the adventure in the kingdom of the dunes.
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