The 2025 edition of the Dakar begins tomorrow. Franco Sport is one of the few Portuguese structures present in the competition, aligning itself with the duos Mário Franco/Rui Franco and Pedro Gonçalves/Hugo Magalhães.
At the controls of two X-Raid YXZ 1000R, from the Challenger category, the drivers’ main objective is to finish the longest and toughest rally in the world, without neglecting the achievement of a good result. The eight-time national off-road champion, António Maio, also benefits from the logistical support of Franco Sport, with the GNR Major lining up at the controls of a Yamaha motorcycle.
The seventh participation in the Dakar is the first major challenge of this year’s season for Portuguese Franco Sport. The team based in Alenquer will participate in the five events that are part of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) calendar, but also in the Portuguese Off-Road Championship.
In this year’s edition of the Dakar, the team enters the pairs Mário Franco/Rui Franco and Pedro Gonçalves/Hugo Magalhães, both driving an X-Raid YXZ 1000R. A side-by-side prototype was developed based on the Yamaha YXZ1000R production model.
With his cousin Rui Franco as navigator, Mário Franco is participating in the Dakar for the third time. After 13th place (2022) and 25th (last year), the driver from Alenquer, national off-road champion in 2018 (TT2 category), admits: “If we finish classified in the top10 it will be very good, but the big objective it’s really about reaching the final podium. It’s a very difficult and long rally and they say the first week promises to be difficult. Therefore, we will seek to overcome adversity, without taking unnecessary risks. The important thing is also to show the potential and reliability of the X-Raid cars that we represent, exclusively, in Portugal, as well as the professionalism of our team, increasingly focused on strengthening itself as one of the references in the sport”.
Pedro Gonçalves makes his debut in Dakar. His passion for sport began with cycling and athletics endurance events, as well as snowboarding and kitesurfing. Interest in off-road competition only arrived years later. “It’s a very complete modality, which gives me everything I want and need in sport: resistance and adrenaline. That’s why, although I’m only now taking my first steps in Rally-Raid, I think I’ll be here for a long time, especially because I can count on the support of my family, my wife, my children. The enthusiasm is great, I know it’s a whole new world for me, which is why finishing the Dakar is my biggest goal.”
At 47 years old, the technology entrepreneur will have Hugo Magalhães as his navigator. He also made his debut in the Dakar, but a name with established credits in rallies, but also in off-road, where he became national champion.
Franco Sport is one of the few Portuguese teams competing in the Dakar. For what is the seventh participation in the longest and toughest rally in the world (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025), the human and logistics structure is based on:
2 pilots + 2 navigators;
5 mechanics + 1 chief mechanic;
1 logistics manager;
1 physiotherapist;
1 team manager;
1 6×6 truck;
1 truck (Transwhite);
2 motorhomes;
1 light 4×4 car.
For Franco Sport, the Dakar is more than a competition; is a platform to demonstrate the performance of the X-Raid prototypes and the professionalism of the team. With the extreme challenges expected for the first week of the race, the team is prepared to face inhospitable terrain and extreme conditions, representing Portugal, with pride, in the longest and toughest rally in the world.
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