With the sole aim of defining the starting order for the first stage of the Dakar 2025, the prologue did not compromise the aspirations of the drivers registered by Franco Sport, one of the few Portuguese structures present in the race.
On the opening day of the Dakar, the duo Pedro Gonçalves/Hugo Magalhães (X-Raid YXZ 1000R) set the 30th best time in the Challenger category, while Mário Franco/Rui Franco recorded the worst record, due to time lost repairing a suspension ball joint, following a contact with a stone. Antonio Maio was the 25th fastest among motorcycles.
The day he celebrated his 47th birthday was also the day of his Dakar debut for Pedro Gonçalves. “Everything went well”, the pilot began by saying. “I was aware of the importance of the prologue, after, in the Morocco Rally, I started the first stage in the last position and suffered a lot as a result. Therefore, the strategy for today was to set a fast pace, but without risking anything. I could have had a better result if I had chosen a more ‘aggressive’ approach, but that’s okay. I am fulfilling more than one dream, as participating in the Dakar was nothing more than an illusion. I just want to enjoy and have fun, as much as possible, in the next few days”, concluded the technology entrepreneur, who, in the prologue, set the 30th best time in the Challenger category, accompanied by Hugo Magalhães. A navigator with excellent results, both in rallies and off-road, but who is also participating in the Dakar for the first time.
Less happy in the prologue, the duo Mário Franco/Rui Franco, also driving an X-Raid YXZ 1000R, were unable to avoid touching a rock. “A small touch resulted in a big problem: the suspension ball joint broke and we lost around 45 minutes making an impromptu repair to finish,” said Mário Franco. “It is a Dakar that has already started to be the Dakar, already putting our capacity and resilience to the test to finish the race. Once again we managed to prove that we are prepared for this, but fortunately, today’s result only defined the starting order for tomorrow, not representing lost time”.
Regarding tomorrow’s stage, the person responsible for Franco Sport confides: “The prospects are not the best, but they are not the worst either. Due to what happened in the prologue we will go after our opponents, but we will give everything we have to achieve a good result. We know it will be a very difficult stage, as we will be chasing trucks and suffering from dust. Therefore, the strategy is to attack, but safely, to climb the rankings as much as possible and, the next day, start the second stage in a good position.”
A reference also goes to António Maio (Yamaha WR450 RALLY), who, benefiting from the support of the Franco Sport structure, set the 25th-best prologue time among motorcycles.
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