If the duo Pedro Gonçalves/Hugo Magalhães achieved a positive 28th time, in the Challenger category, in the opening stage – and debut for both – of the Dakar 2025, Mário Franco and Rui Franco lost more than two hours, following the breakdown of a suspension triangle of the X-Raid YXZ 1000R. A truly unhappy start to the race for the Franco Sport drivers.
António Maio (Yamaha WR450 RALLY) was 34th fastest among the bikes.
The debut in Dakar is happening positively and smoothly for the duo Pedro Gonçalves/Hugo Magalhães. At the controls of the X-Raid YXZ 1000R registered and assisted by Franco Sport, the drivers set the 28th best time of the stage among the SSV prototypes in the Challenger category.
“Mission accomplished!”, highlighted Pedro Gonçalves, upon arriving at the bivouac, located in the Saudi city of Bisha. “Until km150, the stage went smoothly and at a good pace. Soon after, we fell into a navigation trap, along with other teams and were lost for about 10 minutes. When we returned to the track, we got in the middle of several competitors and suffered a lot from the dust. We also lost time helping a team that had rolled over and looking for an alternative path to a road blockage. Without these setbacks, we could have done a little better, but it’s the Dakar being the Dakar. We are having fun, we are aware that we have a lot to improve, but we are achieving our objectives. Tomorrow, we will continue with the same record and it looks like we already have dunes.”
Less luck was the duo Mário Franco/Rui Franco again. If, in the middle of the stage, the Franco Sport team had already overtaken almost half of its opponents in the Challenger category (remember that it had started in the last position), then it remained on the track for more than two hours. “We were going at a good pace, after overtaking several opponents, but at km190, in an area with zero visibility due to dust, I was unable to avoid a small departure from the track, which resulted in the breakage of a front suspension triangle”, justified Mário Franco. “We lost more than two hours solving the problem and as it was already night when we resumed the race, we came at a moderate pace so as not to take risks and not exceed the time that would dictate our disqualification. Now it’s time to rest and recover the car in the best possible way for the 48-hour stage.”
Also entered by Franco Sport, a reference for António Maio (Yamaha WR450 RALLY), who set the 34th time in the first stage. The pilot, a GNR Major, lost around 15 minutes in a trial area, with the motorcycle wedged between two rocks.
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