PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: A NEW PROKOP ARISES
Throughout his first ten Dakar participations, Martin Prokop was known for delivering solid performances without making a fuss. The former WRC driver from the Czech Republic has never failed to finish the Dakar and has even cracked the top 10 five times, including fifth place in 2024. A regular sight at the top of the privateer ranking, his perseverance as team principal encouraged him to continue his adventure with a prototype to which gave the self-deprecating nickname "Shrek". This time round, he invested in a 2025 Ford Raptor T1+, which he put in the care of his own engineers. "It's nimbler and lets you go faster, but the psychological factor will be key. I'm ready to go as fast as the top drivers", he pointed out during scrutineering on Thursday. It looks like he might have finally got rid of his mental block. Prokop and his Raptor came in third in the special, his third performance at this level in the Dakar. He had already pulled it off in stages 1 of the 2021 and 2022 editions.
