Ford’s 2025 Dakar Rally ambitions will rest on the ability of the new Raptor T1+ that had its dynamic debut at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, to the backdrop of Ford winning the timed shoot-out competition with its all-electric SuperVan.
The new Raptor T1+ dune-buster that’s engineered in collaboration with M-Sport will be driven by two teams comprising Spanish Dakar legends Carlos Sainz with navigator Lucas Cruz, and Nani Roma with navigator Alex Haro. Additional teams of drivers will be announced later in 2024.
Sixty-two-year-old Spanish driver Sainz Sr, who’s nicknamed “El Matador”, is the “grand seigneur” of international rallying and a top flight racer for more than 40 years and four-times Dakar rally winner. He and navigator Cruz have entered and won many races together from as far back as 2010.
Roma and Haro are also veterans of the Dakar, with Roma’s participation in the gruelling race spanning 29 years. He has won the Dakar rally on two wheels and four, and Haro has confidently navigated for the duo on many campaigns.
The Dakar rally that kicks off in Bisha, Saudi Arabia, from January 3-7 will be the Ford Performance division’s first official foray in the top flight off-road race. Previously, the entity that runs the brand’s motorsport activities gave support to the campaigns of past generation Ranger T1+s developed by the Pietermaritzburg-based Niel Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) towards a competitive Dakar Rally T1+ vehicle.
The Ford Raptor T1+ has an advanced front and rear independent double-wishbone suspension with adjustable coilovers and Fox dampers riding on 37" tyres with 350mm of wheel travel and a 400mm ground clearance.
A 5.0l V8 based on the Mustang Coyote engine beats upfront and will power the Raptor T1+ on the 14-stage rally, which includes the return of the 48h chrono marathon stage and a three-day adventure in the Empty Quarter.
“The Ford Raptor T1+ is a stake in the ground for our global off-road vision — we want to take on the best and prove ourselves in the toughest places on earth,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports.
The competition schedule of the new Ford Raptor T1+ includes the Baja Hungary (August 8-10) and Rallye du Maroc (October 4-11) before entering the toughest off-road race in the world in January 2025.
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