Ford teases Dakar Rally entry

MANILA: Ford Motor Company has teased its upcoming entry for the 2025 Dakar Rally.

The photo released by the American carmaker (see above) appears to be a Ford Ranger Raptor pickup truck with its rear end covered with claddings, vents, and diffusers. It is also stamped with the Ford Performance badge.

Per the Blue Oval brand, active testing of the 2025 Ford Raptor has begun and Ford Performance — the Dearborn-based brand’s performance division — is looking to successfully compete in one of the toughest races in the world.

“The scale of our ambitions in off-road racing are unparalleled in Ford’s recent history and nothing is more clear in that ambition than our challenge to take the Ford Raptor to the legendary Dakar rally,” Ford Performance Motorsport Global Director Mark Rushbrook said.

“Taking on such an enormous challenge requires the best engineers, designers, team members, navigators, and drivers, and in Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz Sr., we have two of the most experienced and successful drivers in Dakar history. The Ford Raptor is already showing promising signs in testing and having two of the best drivers in the world with us for the ride gives us confidence for the continued development of the truck,” he added.

Carlos Sainz Senior (Sr.) and Nani Roma will be two of the four drivers who will sit behind the wheel of the rally truck.

Sainz Sr. is looking to snatch his fifth Dakar Rally win as he once again partners with Ford. On the other hand, Roma extends his partnership with the company and M-Sport after the 2024 effort driving the Ford M-Sport T1+ Ranger.

“It is such a pleasure to welcome Nani back to the team after a great run this year in the Ranger T1+ in Dakar. His experience and knowledge were invaluable to us and I am sure we will continue to learn from him as this exciting program moves forward,” Ford M-Sport Director and Dakar Team Manager Matthew Wilson noted.

“Carlos is a legend of our sport and one of the most successful drivers across all formats of off-road racing. His decision to return to Ford and M-Sport after so many years is a huge boost for the team and it is great to have him back in the extended Ford family ready to take on the huge challenge that Dakar presents. With testing well underway, we have a great chance now to learn from the best and push the development of the Ford Raptor forward even further,” he added.

Ford Ranger Raptor in PH

The Ford Ranger Raptor is available here in the Philippines.

It was introduced sometime last year and had all the bells and whistles including rugged exterior appointments, model-specific interior trims, “Raptor” badges peppered in and outside the pickup truck, 2.5-inch FOX-branded shock absorbers, and a 2.0-liter Bi-turbo diesel engine mated to a 10-speed Selectshift automatic transmission.

The Ford Ranger Raptor is sold here in the country with a price tag of P2.339 million.

Photos from Ford Motor Company and Juan Paulo Papa

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