Ford has been as successful in motorsport as it has been on the road. Ford vs Ferrari at LeMans instantly springs to mind when talking about the Blue Oval’s motorsport pedigree, and there’s much more to the firm’s motorsport pedigree. However, for all the Everets and Rangers Ford has made, it has never entered the most grueling off-road race on the planet: Dakar. Until now.
Meet the Ranger Raptor T1+, an off-road monster that looks to bring Dakar glory to Ford. The American carmaker will be entering the 2024 Dakar Rally with longtime partners M-Sport and Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) who will help Ford in vehicle development, servicing and event management.
The Ranger Raptor T1+ will be based on the previous generation Ranger available globally and have a 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine under the bonnet. Before tackling the Dakar Rally next year, test races are scheduled to include Spain's Baja Espaa Aragón and Morocco's Rally du Maroc rallies in July and October, respectively.
What’s more, Ford’s quest for the Dakar Rally won’t end in 2024. The American carmaker, along with M-Sport, has already started developing an all-new, custom-built Ranger Raptor which will look to overcome the shortcomings the current T1+ might face at 2024 Dakar. The T1+ will enter the 2024 Dakar Rally on a “finish and learn” basis.
"To lead the charge at one of the ultimate global off-road events – the Dakar Rally – has been a goal of ours,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We cannot underestimate the enormity of the challenge ahead of us. We need to finish and learn first with Ranger T1+ and partners like M-Sport and NWM, who bring their expertise to bear. Together, we can do amazing things in the sand dunes of the Arabian Peninsula.”
He further added: “Our first time in Dakar will be a learning adventure that will help inform how we compete in the future. But as with all racing, we’re not just racing to win, we’re also racing to help build better products for our customers.”
The 2024 Dakar Rally is set to take place over 3,000 miles between January 5-19 in Saudi
Arabia. We can’t wait to see how Ford does in the 45th edition of the iconic event!
