FORD

 ME 

• A year ago, he admitted that the most significant career challenge was competing in and winning the Dakar Rally. And he came very close in the last edition. Firmly in third place from the start of the rally, he was only 24 minutes behind the leader as he approached the decisive stages of the Empty Quarter. The Ford M-Sport driver ultimately finished on the podium (3rd), his best Dakar result to date.
• Born in Sweden, Mattias Ekström developed his passion for motorsports with a wide variety of vehicles, taking advantage of his country's wide open spaces. This multi-talented virtuoso has excelled in various disciplines: two DTM titles, a World Rallycross Championship, three victories in the Race of Champions, and the very first title in the Pure ETCR series.
• A pure Audi man, the Swede has spent his entire career with the legendary German brand. Before taking his place in the driver's seat of the RS Q e-tron in rally-raid, the 43-year-old driver got a taste of the Dakar in 2021 when he competed in a Yamaha T3. Although he did not finish, the experience gave him an insight into the difficulties involved.
• A year later, for Audi's much-awaited Dakar debut, the Swede was the team's top performer, finishing in the Top 10 (9th). He is also the only Audi driver to have finished every Dakar Rally the brand entered, with two stage victories along the way.
• This aficionado of powerful engines will again rev up the V8 engine of his Raptor in the upcoming Dakar Rally, with his usual co-driver Emil Bergkvist at his side.