František Brutovský‘s Dakar Rally début will have to wait until 2026 at the soonest. On Tuesday, he revealed that despite making progress on healing his fractured vertebra, he will not be fully healthy in time for the 2025 race.
Brutovský suffered the injury at the Hungarian Baja in August when he rolled his Ford F-150 EVO during the third Selective Section. The accident forced him to be airlifted to hospital, and was subsequently transferred to Motol Hospital in Prague where he was advised to undergo surgery.
Although the procedure was successful and his recovery is proceeding smoothly, there is not enough time for him to get back up to speed. The 2025 Dakar Rally is scheduled for 3–17 January, meaning he only has three months to get better, and this is further compounded by the risk of a second surgery if the vertebra fails to recover properly.
“Today’s check-up at the hospital brought mixed news,” wrote Brutovský. “Luckily, things are healing, but there’s still a risk of another surgery if it doesn’t heal properly. I’m also facing another 7 weeks of bed rest and waiting.
“It’s clear that I won’t make it to this year’s Dakar. The doctors are doubtful even about next season, but I’m giving it 100% to get back as soon as possible! Thank you all for your support and care, I truly appreciate it!”
He and MING Racing Sports had hoped to enter the Dakar for the first time in 2025 with their new Ford F-150 EVO T1+. If not for the injury, the team would have raced at the Dubai International Baja and Qatar International Baja in November to hone their skills in the desert ahead of the Dakar.
Brutovský was not the only injury in Hungary as SSV driver Fidel Castillo Ruiz suffered a broken collarbone during the same stage. It forced Castillo to sit out the Baja TT Sharish Gin in late September, though he has since returned to the cockpit. The accidents seemed to validate fellow Czech driver Martin Koloc‘s concerns about the Hungarian Baja’s course, prompting him to cut his cross-country rally début short.
