Collino was invited by Ford Argentina and Ford Racing to join the M-Sport Rally Raid Team during one of the most important competitions on the continent: Desafío Ruta 40, a round of the World Rally-Raid Championship, the global Rally Raid championship organized by the FIA and FIM.
Throughout the week, the Collino team was involved inside the bivouac alongside the official Ford Racing operation, sharing setup sessions, logistics, and pre-race preparation with historic figures such as Carlos Sainz Sr. and Nani Roma, as well as the engineers, technicians, and mechanics who represent Ford in the Rally Dakar and the World Rally-Raid Championship.
For Collino, this experience meant far more than a press or hospitality opportunity. It was a source of learning, inspiration, and validation to continue developing products and projects connected to high-performance motorsport.
Experiencing from the inside how an official Dakar-level team operates makes it clear just how far engineering, physical preparation, strategy, and mechanical reliability are pushed. Every detail inside the camp is designed to perform in some of the harshest conditions on the planet.
And that is exactly where the true value of these experiences appears: the knowledge born from the toughest competition in the world inevitably transfers into Ford production vehicles, as well as into the components and developments Collino continues to create for real-world and high-performance motorsport.
Ford Raptor T1+: A Beast Developed for Dakar
The absolute star of the bivouac was the impressive Ford Raptor T1+, the vehicle developed by Ford Racing together with M-Sport to compete in Dakar and the W2RC.
The Raptor T1+ uses a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V8 engine with dry-sump lubrication, mounted to a T45 steel tubular chassis and combined with carbon-fiber body panels. Its suspension features massive travel, designed to absorb impacts at extreme speeds across sand, rocks, and completely destroyed terrain.
Some of its most remarkable specifications include:
- Naturally aspirated 5.0L Ford Coyote V8 engine
- Competition T45 tubular chassis
- Carbon-fiber bodywork
- 400 mm of ground clearance
- More than 70 degrees of approach angle
- Extremely wide track for maximum stability
- 355 mm ventilated Alcon brakes with six-piston monoblock calipers
- 37-inch tires developed for Rally Raid
- Minimum weight close to 2,010 kg
Beyond the numbers, what is truly impressive is seeing these vehicles operate in person. The level of suspension absorption, the speed at which they cross impossible terrain, and the overall robustness of the package make it clear why the Rally Dakar remains the most extreme laboratory in global motorsport.
Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma: Two Dakar Legends
Sharing time with drivers such as Carlos Sainz Sr. and Nani Roma was also a very special experience.
Carlos Sainz Sr. is one of the greatest legends in world rallying. A world rally champion, multiple-time Dakar winner, and an absolute reference in international motorsport, he continues to compete at the highest level with remarkable intensity, discipline, and precision.
Nani Roma is another historic Dakar name, with victories both on motorcycles and in cars — an extremely rare achievement within Rally Raid.
Seeing both drivers work alongside Ford’s technical team helps reveal the human, professional, and technical depth behind every result in a competition of this level.
Experiencing Dakar from the Inside
Beyond everything experienced inside the bivouac and around the Dakar vehicles, the Ford Racing team provided one of the competition units so guests could ride along and experience firsthand how a vehicle of this type works.
The sensation is difficult to explain. The acceleration, the suspension’s reaction speed, and the vehicle’s ability to cross obstacles at completely unexpected speeds create an entirely new perspective on what competitive off-road racing truly means.
Ford Argentina also provided a fleet of Ford F-150 Raptor and Ford Ranger Raptor trucks, which were used throughout the week to drive through real Dakar and Desafío Ruta 40 competition roads and sectors in San Juan.
That is where another fundamental aspect becomes clear: understanding how all this technology and experience gained in extreme motorsport eventually reaches production trucks. Suspension systems, electronics, traction systems, geometry, cooling, and structural durability are technologies born in competition that later evolve into vehicles any driver can enjoy every day.
For Collino, it also represents a key opportunity to absorb that knowledge and transfer it into its own products and developments, both for modern pickups and classic high-performance projects.
A Very Special Conversation with Martín Galdeano
Another standout moment from this experience was a conversation with Martín Galdeano, who personally expressed his intention to build a classic Ford pickup for personal use equipped with Collino products.
Hearing something like that from Ford’s top executive in South America represents a major motivation to keep growing and developing products at the highest level.
The Collino Helicopter Over Desafío Ruta 40
As part of this coverage, the helicopter wearing Collino colors could also be seen flying over the competition, used to broadcast the race and follow the leaders of Desafío Ruta 40 from the air across San Juan and Mendoza.
Seeing the Collino logo in the sky during a round of the World Rally-Raid Championship, following the most extreme vehicles on the planet across some of the most challenging terrain in the world, is an image that clearly represents where the brand is headed.
Extreme motorsport educates, inspires, and constantly pushes the limits of engineering.
And Collino wants to be part of that path.
