Currently reading: Driven: Ford's epic £2m Dakar Rally monster

Ford is hoping to score its first Dakar Rally victory with M-Sport’s Raptor monster truck

Some opportunities don't come along that often - and aren't the sort of thing you say no to. Such as the chance to drive a £2 million Dakar Rally challenger in a private forest. How exclusive was this opportunity?

Well, at the time I climbed behind the wheel, only three people outside of rally outfit M-Sport had been trusted with this toughest of all 'Built Tough' Ford trucks: F1 star Carlos Sainz (whose rally legend namesake dad is a current Ford Performance driver), some other bloke and me. And no, I didn't bend it - thank God.