Ford performance announced its intention to compete at the Dakar Rally 2024 with a purpose-built racing version of the previous generation Ford Ranger Raptor.
The Dakar Rally is “the pinnacle of off-road racing,” according to Ford Performance Global Director of motorsport Mark Rushbrook, who spoke with auto expert.
The latest iteration of the infamous terrain rally will begin on January 5, 2024 and be held in Saudi Arabia. The Ford Ranger Raptor Drivers preparing to compete at Dakar Rally 2024 will be in the Rally Raid T1+ category.
It’s completely unrelated to the near-original Ranger Raptor that just topped the competition’s Made 4WD category Finke Desert Race 2023.
Ranger Raptor T1+ race car will be equipped with a version of 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 petrol engine This feature is available in the current generation Ranger Raptor.
Power output has not been confirmed at this stage, but the current Australian Ranger Raptor produces 292kW of power and 583Nm of torque.
This Ranger Raptor T1+ race car was developed by Ford Performance in partnership with UK-based M-Sport and South Africa-based Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM).
The team undertook a series of development stages through 2023 and continued testing the Ranger Raptor T1+ race car.
Test races ahead of the Dakar Rally 2024 are expected to include Spain’s Baja España Aragón and Morocco’s Rally du Morocco in July and October respectively.
Ford has yet to announce who will drive the Ranger Raptor T1+ at the Dakar Rally 2024, but Mr Rushbrook said “several drivers have been selected”.
Ford Performance will enter the 2024 Dakar Grand Prix with a “go to the finish line and learn” spirit and will return in 2025 with the all-new Ranger Raptor, custom-built, built to T1+ regulations.
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Current Ranger Raptor
It was at the Dakar Rally 2025, the Blue Oval intends to “come back upstream and win”.
At this stage, it is still unclear what competition Ford will have in the T1+ category at the Dakar Rally 2024.
This year Toyota Gazoo Racing passes the T1+ category at the Dakar Rally with a highly modified version of HiLux used a version of Lexus LXTwin turbo V6 petrol engine.
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