0
0
This coming January, four fearsome V8-powered Ford Raptor T1+ cars will race the world’s toughest rally. Ford M-Sport scored a podium finish on their Dakar debut in 2025, now the mighty American manufacturer is out to take top spot.
Ford M-Sport have spent an entire year tuning up their Dakar Rally machine following their successful debut on the Saudi Arabian dunes earlier this year. Now their talented driver lineup of Carlos Sainz, Mattias Ekström, Nani Roma and Mitch Guthrie Jr. are heading back to the desert for the 48th edition of the Dakar Rally, running January 3-17. Last time out the team recorded an overall podium finish in the Ultimate class, now they want the win.
Here is all you need to know:
– The covers are off the all-new Ford Raptor T1+ ahead of the 2026 Dakar Rally. Various mechanical modifications have been implemented since Ford’s hard-charging V8 machine made its Dakar debut earlier in the year. Ford M-Sport stand on the cusp of their second shot at the Dakar with a retained driving lineup of Sainz, Ekström, Roma and Guthrie Jr.
– Sainz is already a four-time winner of the Dakar’s Ultimate class, his two most recent wins coming since the rally’s relocation to the Middle East. The Spaniard’s vast experience has been tapped into by the team as they tweak their car’s setup for success on Saudi Arabia’s sand dunes.
– Carlos Sainz #225 said: “Since the beginning of this project I’ve been working with the engineers to develop our car. We’ve made improvements to the suspension, braking, transmission and so much more. All of this adds up to give us faster car for this Dakar.”
– Sainz will race alongside Lucas Cruz, co-driver for all four of his prior Dakar wins. A win with Ford will distinguish Sainz as the only driver in Dakar history to win with five different manufacturers.
– Ekström finished the 2025 Dakar Rally as Ford M-Sport’s best placed driver, claiming a podium result with third overall in the Ultimate class. Ekström’s pedigree across a wide variety of racing disciplines have helped him to improve across all five of his Dakar entries to date.
– Mattias Ekström #226 said: “Our target is to win this Dakar. Last year we finished third, now we have potential to fight for the top. We need two weeks of clean racing, but at the Dakar that’s tough.”
– Ekström’s aiming to keep his BFGoodrich KDR EVO tyres on the right track for all 13 timed special stages. In the navigator’s seat will be fellow Swede Emil Bergvist for their sixth Dakar together.
– Legendary Dakar competitor Roma adds even more firepower to the Ford Raptor T1+ driver lineup. Roma holds the rare distinction of being a Dakar winner on both two and four wheels. The Catalan’s three decades of Dakar experience make him an invaluable member of the team.
– Nani Roma #227 said: “Going to Saudi Arabia reminds me of how the Dakar used to be in Africa. We spend entire days racing through wide open deserts and this is something so special.”
– It was Roma who drove the Ford Raptor T1+ to its first-ever Dakar stage win during the team’s debut in 2025. Alex Haro was on co-driving duties that day and he will join Roma again in 2026.
– As the Ford Raptor T1+ made its Dakar debut, Mitch Guthrie Jr. entered the Ultimate class for the first time in 2025. Guthrie Jr. seamlessly stepped up from the Dakar’s Challenger category and showed plenty of pace as he mixed it with the very best, finishing fifth overall in Ultimate.
– Mitch Guthrie Jr. #228 said: “Ahead of this Dakar we’ve had more time in truck and we’re more comfortable with the great team we have around us. Our aim is to do even better than last time.”
– The all-American race crew of Guthrie Jr. and co-driver Kellon Walch can write an unforgettable chapter of Dakar history by bringing home a win to Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
– The Ford Raptor T1+ machine that Sainz, Ekström, Roma and Guthrie Jr. will race in Saudi Arabia next January has undergone an intense program of improvements since its Dakar debut. Look out for lighter, sleeker bodywork, new gullwing doors, DRL front lamps plus a polycarbonate laminate windscreen among other modifications to the car. The vehicle is built around its roaring 5.0-litre Coyote Darkhorse V8 engine, a power unit that has already proven itself at the Dakar Rally.
– Ford M-Sport and its impressive driver lineup will race the 2026 Dakar Rally, January 3-17. The 48th edition of the world famous rally starts and finishes in the city of Yanbu. Over 5,000km of racing against the clock is spread over an opening Prologue Stage on January 3 and a further 13 timed special stages on the sands of Saudi Arabia. Two weeks of intense racing action over treacherous terrain such as sand dunes and mountain canyons will push everything to the limit.
