With 500 races over three decades behind him, the experienced driver from Lleida faces the biggest sporting challenge of his career.
The goal is to complete his first participation in the Saudi event and finish in the Top 5 of the SSV category, driving a Can-Am Maverick X3 co-driven by Jaume Betriu, best rookie in motorcycles in the 2020 Dakar.
Pons arrives at the event having completed 14,000 kilometers in three years, a wealth of experience that allows him to face the challenge with his homework done.
“For years I've thought that the Dakar has to be my next goal, and that's why I started a preparation plan to ensure I was as ready as possible for my debut in this historic race.”
November 28, 2023
Eduard Pons is counting down the days until he embarks on the greatest adventure of his life: the 2024 Dakar Rally. The driver from Lleida will make his debut in the next edition of the Saudi event with the dual objective of reaching the finish line and fighting for a Top 5 spot in the SSV category (previously known as T4). He will do so alongside motorcyclist Jaume Betriu, who this year made his debut as his co-driver.
Before the vehicles are shipped from Barcelona to Saudi Arabia in a few days, the Pons Rallysport team revealed the details of their participation at a presentation for media, sponsors, family, and friends at the Clos–Pons winery in L'Albagés (Lleida).
At 55 years old, and with over 30 years of experience in the world of rallies, Eduard Pons will become a rookie on January 5th in motorsport's biggest challenge: the Dakar Rally, a race he had always dreamed of competing in and which will finally come true. He leaves behind more than 500 races in various championships, two Spanish Rally-Raid Senior class championships (2018 and 2019), one S-CER Silver championship (2021), four absolute Catalan rally championships (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022), and one more Aragon Championship in the specialty (2017).
“The Dakar is the race I always wanted to do,” Eduard Pons admits. “My career has always been linked to rallies, regionally, nationally, and internationally. For years I've thought that the Dakar has to be my next goal, and that's why I started a preparation plan to ensure I was as ready as possible for my debut in this historic race.”
The Pons Rallysport's “Road to Dakar” project began to take shape in 2021 in the Spanish Cross-Country Rally Championship, where he won the T4 class in all the races he competed in. The following year, he competed in the FIA Cross-Country Bajas World Cup, where he finished fourth after being in second place halfway through the season. This 2023, he has participated in most of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship events, which has allowed him to accumulate nearly 7,000 timed kilometers – plus 14,000 km overall in the three seasons – of experience on all types of terrain, with some notable performances, such as in Argentina, where he was leading the race with a large advantage when a breakdown delayed him to the third step of the final podium.
Aware of the tough competition he will face in the SSV category, the driver from Lleida has his objectives very clear for the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally. “The first thing is to reach the finish line. I'm making my debut in a Dakar and I want to complete the course, which is a challenge in itself, but I think we will be competitive enough to fight for a Top 5 finish in our class. I even think we could aim to be close to the podium if we don't make mistakes. I'm aware that the Dakar is unpredictable, so we'll have to go stage by stage to try to reach the end with the best possible options,” Pons comments.
To tackle this significant challenge, Eduard Pons will have Jaume Betriu sitting next to him. Betriu, who debuted as a co-driver this season, has Dakar experience, extensive competitive background, and strong mechanical knowledge. Betriu, 36 years old and from Coll de Nargó (Lleida), won the Rookie Trophy and finished 14th in the motorcycle category at the 2020 Dakar Rally, while in the following year's edition he improved his results by finishing 12th overall.
Betriu's transition from two to four wheels – in terms of rally – has been forged in recent months of the season, with the trust placed in him by Pons Rallysport. He is one of Spain's most competitive and decorated enduro riders. In his extensive off-road career, he has achieved two Enduro World Championship runner-up titles in E3 (2020 and 2021), eleven national enduro titles (three absolute in 2015, 2016, and 2017; six in E3 in 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, and two in E2 in 2015 and 2018), as well as a national Cross Country title (in 2012).
The Pons / Betriu duo will try to achieve their goals with the indispensable help of the South Racing team. The German-Portuguese team is a benchmark in the SSV category, as evidenced by their six consecutive Dakar victories since 2018. This team will be responsible for ensuring the setup and reliability of the Can-Am Maverick X3 – one of the most competitive machines in the category – with which Pons Rallysport will debut in the world's toughest raid with race number #407.
The sporting director of Pons Rallysport falls on the shoulders of Cándido Carrera. Co-driver for Dani Sordo in the Hyundai Motorsport team in the World Rally Championship (WRC), the Galician combines experience and knowledge to manage the logistics and race preparation in the best possible way, ensuring all elements fit perfectly.
The 2024 Dakar Rally will kick off on January 5th with the prologue in the Saudi town of Al-Ula. After that initial contact, Pons Rallysport will have to complete twelve stages totaling 7,891 kilometers, of which 4,727 will be timed, before reaching the finish line in Yanbu on January 19th. The organizers believe this will be one of the toughest editions of the race in memory.
