FORD IS ENTERING THE 2025 DAKAR RALLY WITH A RAPTOR RACE TRUCK

It Looks To Be A Replacement For The Existing Ranger Race Truck

by Zac Quinn January 18, 2024, 2:18 pm

The Dakar Rally is one of the most demanding and challenging motorsport events known to man, and for the 2025 racing season, Ford Performance has announced that it will officially compete with a new truck. We’ve already seen how spectacular Ford’s Raptor products perform when it comes to challenging motorsports, but now a new Raptor-branded race truck from Ford Performance is on the way.

Ford Performance Ranger Dakar Race Truck 2024 M Sport — Doesn’t make much sense to run a last-gen bodied Ranger race truck when the new one is on the market, does it?

New Ford Performance Dakar Rally Race Truck: Details

So far, the automaker has only offered a single teaser image of the new creation, and it gives just enough away for us to make some predictions. The bold Ford script finished in red dominates the grille, which ties the design in with the road-going Raptor trucks. C-shaped DRLs offer a menacing appearance and look remarkably similar to the Ford Ranger, though broader and flatter, which suggests that the Dakar racer will be a one-off vehicle. The hood appears incredibly flat compared to the standard Ranger and F-150 Raptors, while the arches are hard to miss, likely to accommodate a wider track and long-travel suspension.

Ford has confirmed that the Dakar entrant will be designed alongside M-Sport, UK-based engineers who have worked with the Blue Oval on numerous occasions. This includes the M-Sport Fiesta WRC and Ford Puma WRX rally car. Ford previously announced that the 2024 Dakar Rally racing truck would be a “custom-built” vehicle based on the Ranger Raptor featuring T1+ specifications, and that certainly appears to be the case here.

Meanwhile, Ford is currently competing in the 2024 Dakar Rally using a NWM FIA T1+ Ford Ranger powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that produces 402 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque (pictured above). Whether or not Ford intends to keep that engine for the 2025 race car remains to be seen. As it stands, the company is using the 2024 Dakar Rally as a learning exercise. Applying the knowledge learned this season to next year’s project. The 2024 season launch event is happening today and can be viewed live via the Ford Performance channel on YouTube.

Written by Zac Quinn

Zac's love for cars started at a young age, after seeing the popular Eleanor from Gone In 60 Seconds. From there, fascination and enthusiasm blossomed and to this day the Ford Mustang remains a favorite. His first job started out detailing cars, but also provided the opportunity to work on restoration including an 1968 Ford Mustang, Pontiac Firebird, and a C3 Corvette, though he left that job before further work and experience could be had. From there, he was a detailer at a car dealership before quitting that job to try and finish college.

Much of his free time while studying was spent watching YouTube videos regarding new cars, or off-roading. 4WD247 is a personal favorite channel which rekindled a dying flame in car enthusiasm, now tailored towards trucks and SUVs and the fun that can be had building up an overlanding rig, and going on adventures, though, that chapter remains unwritten for the time being.

New Ford Performance Dakar Rally Race Truck: Details

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