Winner of the 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally by triumphing for the third consecutive year in the Veteran Trophy, Mário Patrão returned to Portugal and gave an overview of his participation in the most important off-road competition in the world at a press conference held at the Crédito Agrícola building in Lisbon. In his 11th participation in the great marathon held in Saudi Arabia, the Portuguese rider, who competed aboard a Honda CRF 450 RS2 Rally, won 11 out of the 12 stages played, in a competition that covered a total of 7,881 kilometers, of which 4,727 were timed.
“We had a good Dakar where almost everything went very well. It was a tough Dakar, with many kilometers, very tiring, with many dangers, a lot of sand, a lot of rocks, but the bike performed well, we didn’t have any major issues. There were some falls, but I recovered well from them. It was good for me and important for the sponsors. We were very safe, we didn’t take too many risks. We took risks when necessary, but always with some caution, because the race can end at any moment if something goes wrong and we can come home earlier. It’s necessary to be careful. We took that care and things turned out well. We gained some advantage, some comfort from the first days, and at some point the concern was no longer about the opponents, but about myself and the machine,” explains Mário Patrão about his first sporting experience aboard the experimental Honda CRF 450 RS2 Rally.
“We were contacted by Honda at the end of November to find out if we wanted to be part of the project. We tried to understand what bike it would be and what the goal was. We were invited to test the bike in Italy in mid-December, but that ended up not being possible. What was most difficult was going to the Dakar without knowing the bike. When we arrived, we did a 60 km shakedown. In the prologue, I had a lot of difficulty with the bike, in the first stage as well, but then everything happened naturally, I got used to it. The bike is good, it has conditions, this Honda project gave quality guarantees and I knew I would be fine with the bike they would give me. That’s why we took the risk of doing a Dakar without testing the bike. I was confident, and everything went well,” said the rider who has more than two dozen national titles, divided between off-road and enduro.
With a sports career since 2006 linked to Crédito Agrícola where many titles and successes have been achieved, Mário Patrão thanks all the support he has received and admits that he has difficulty imagining how his journey would have been without this very important contribution. A partnership that, for Crédito Agrícola, has also been very positive:
“This experience has been very positive for Crédito Agrícola, which has raised our brand. The name of Crédito Agrícola has been taken to the four corners of the world through Mário Patrão’s performance. He also promotes our brand throughout the country, which is in line with the focus on regional valorization and development, since Crédito Agrícola is the Portuguese bank with the largest banking network,” said Licínio Pina, President of the Agrícola Group, who added about the pilot’s performance: “We have followed Mário’s journey with great enthusiasm and the pilot has shown resilience and achieved an excellent victory. It is a pride for us to have him as a sponsor and to be able to share this victory with him.”
