Since January 3, the Dakar Rally-2026 world championship in rally raids has started in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The race finish is also scheduled for January 17 in the same city.
Under the flag of Kyrgyzstan, the crew of Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltzov, representing the Ford factory team, is participating in this prestigious marathon. The racers are using the new Ford Raptor T1+ No. 217, competing in the colors of the M-Sport Rally-Raid Team. Both athletes are registered to participate in the rally with licenses from the Kyrgyz Republic.
At the moment, after eight stages, the crew is in 55th place overall among 80 teams. The best result was achieved in the third stage, where the athletes from Kyrgyzstan finished in the top ten.
The Dakar Rally is considered one of the most challenging and prestigious events in the world of motorsport, annually gathering the strongest teams and leading factory crews from around the globe.
