Ford Performance and M-Sport Gear Up for the Ultimate Challenge: Dakar Rally 2025

The Dakar Rally is hailed as the ultimate test of endurance in off-road racing. In 2025, Ford Performance and M-Sport will take on Saudi Arabia’s unforgiving terrain with their purpose-built Raptor T1+, competing in the elite T1+ category.

For over four decades, the Dakar Rally has pushed the limits of human and mechanical resilience. This year’s event runs from January 3 to 17, spanning nearly 5,000 miles between Bisha and Shubaytah. Participants will face an unpredictable landscape and diverse weather conditions, challenging the skills of drivers, navigators, and the durability of their vehicles.

The T1+ category represents the pinnacle of FIA rally raid racing, featuring custom-built machines based on mass-production engines. Ford’s Raptor T1+ is equipped with the formidable Ford Coyote V8 engine, FOX suspension, and a lightweight yet robust design. Rigorous testing has honed this vehicle into a rally car ready to conquer Dakar’s extreme conditions.

Ford’s 2025 Dakar team boasts a lineup of top-tier talent:
- Carlos Sainz Sr., a four-time Dakar winner and living legend
- Mattias Ekström, a versatile champion in rallycross, DTM, and Dakar
- Mitch Guthrie Jr., a rising star from the United States
- Nani Roma, a two-time Dakar champion in both bikes and cars

At the heart of this endeavor is a technical partnership with M-Sport, merging decades of rally expertise into a vehicle engineered to withstand relentless pressure. The collaboratively developed Raptor T1+ embodies the cutting edge of rally raid performance and is poised to take on the Dakar Rally’s formidable challenges.