Nani Roma: "We're coming back for more next year"

Dakar 2026 | Stage 13 | YANBU > YANBU
January 17 ^th 2026 - 15:10 [GMT + 3]

The 2014 Dakar car champion, Nani Roma, almost equalled his best-ever result by finishing second, 9′42″ off the top spot. He came ahead of his teammate Mattias Ekström, making it two Fords on the podium. The Raptors stamped their authority on the race by claiming six specials over fourteen days of racing.

"Yesterday I broke a wheel 50 metres before the end of the special, but we kept believing in our chances and here we are today, in second place. I only have words of gratitude for my team. This victory doesn't belong to me, but to the team. Without them, nothing is possible. It's also extraordinary to see an iconic brand like Ford committing so strongly to rally raid. We still need to fine-tune a few details, we got caught out by the yo-yo effect. I didn't manage to stay in the right train, so I'm not completely satisfied with myself. You have to congratulate Nasser for pulling it off, but also Mattias, because with two Fords on the podium, we're coming back for more next year."