Català
• The driver from Lleida arrives at the Saudi event after being crowned FIA World Champion of Baja in the Challenger category, in addition to finishing third overall.
• At the wheel of a Taurus T3 Max from the Nasser Racing team, with Jaume Betriu as co-driver, Pons will aim for a Top 5 finish in an extremely competitive class.
• “We’re racing with a completely new vehicle, with all the key evolutions tested and developed by Nasser Al-Attiyah himself. If we are consistent, I believe that finishing among the top five is a realistic goal.”
A new chapter in Eduard Pons’ Dakar adventure. The driver from Lleida is now ready to face his second participation in the world’s toughest race, this time as the newly crowned FIA World Baja Champion in the Challenger category and third overall, a milestone that places him among the favorites in his class for the upcoming Saudi event.
On this occasion, Pons Rallysport will have the support of Nasser Racing, the team of multi-champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, which he joined in the final part of his successful season. After a 2024 full of kilometers and learning in international settings, the team has worked intensively to fine-tune every detail for the 47th edition of the Dakar.
The Taurus T3 Max stands out as one of the most competitive machines in the Challenger category. The reliability and improvements introduced after the 2024 campaign will be crucial to tackle the tough stages of this edition’s route. Pons highlights the team’s hard work in preparing the car:
“We are racing with a completely new vehicle, with all the key evolutions tested, especially in terms of cooling, radiators, ventilation, and the water and differential temperatures. With this unit, in which Nasser Al-Attiyah himself has participated in the development, the guarantee of success increases significantly. It’s a team with a winning mentality, and I really enjoy driving a Taurus from this team.”
Once again, Jaume Betriu will accompany him as co-driver in this challenge. A native of Coll de Nargó (Lleida), Betriu was the best rookie (14th) in motorcycles in the 2020 Dakar and has a notable career in enduro, with a total of eleven national titles (three overall, two in E2, and six in E3), as well as two world championship runner-up titles in E3. His navigation experience, extensive mechanical knowledge, and strategic racing ability make him a key figure for the team.
In their second joint participation, Pons and Betriu have set the ambitious goal of fighting for a top position in their category. The driver from Lleida is aware of the harshness of the event and the high level of his rivals, but he trusts in the team’s preparation and the accumulated kilometers to take a step forward compared to last year. Thanks to his Gold driver status, obtained after winning the FIA World Baja Cup, he will have the advantage of priority in the starting order. This factor, along with his registration in the 2025 World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC), provides him with a key opportunity to position himself further up the ranks from the start.
“Our goal is to reach the Top 5 in Challenger. We need to start the race in a more conservative way to avoid pushing the mechanics too hard in the first week and gradually increase the pace in the final stretch. The first stages will be very complicated. The terrain is very tough and rocky, and the second stage will be 48 hours long, followed by the marathon stage. This will be a critical point, and once we get through it and reach the rest day, we can take things a bit more relaxed. If we are consistent, I think finishing in the top five is a realistic goal.”
The driver from Lleida combines over three decades of rally experience with the drive of someone who knows he is in a very good sporting moment. He has two Spanish Rally Championship titles in the Senior category (2018 and 2019), one S-CER Silver championship (2021), four absolute Catalunya rally championship titles (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022), and one Aragón Rally Championship title (2017), in addition to finishing the 2024 Dakar in SSV. The recent championship win adds an extra boost of confidence, but also the caution required by such an unpredictable competition as the Dakar.
In addition to being a driver, Eduard Pons is the CEO of a company dedicated to the agri-food industry, specializing in oil and wine, with over four generations of history. Balancing this aspect with motorsport is not always easy:
“The Dakar requires a maximum commitment, just like managing a business. My family is key to this balance, as they understand my passion for the sport and are also involved in the business,” he explains.
This balance, although demanding, provides him with the tools to face his next challenge with the highest possible preparation and confidence.
The Dakar Rally 2025 promises to be one of the toughest editions in recent years, with a route of more than 5,000 timed kilometers that will test the endurance of both the participants and their machines. It will start on January 3 from Bisha, a town in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, and finish on the 17th in Shubaytah, in the Empty Quarter, after a total of 12 stages and 14 days of competition. With race number 309, Pons Rallysport is determined to demonstrate that experience and teamwork are key to reaching the finish line, and even securing a top position in the standings.