Up until now, only a few photos of the new Ford Raptor T1+ had been seen, certainly not clear and still a true prototype. At the Festival of Speed in Goodwood, however, the brand with the blue oval has finally unveiled its new weapon with which, starting in 2025, it will hunt for the overall victory of the Dakar in the Car class.
The next edition of the world’s most famous Rally Raid will see a new panorama of contenders for victory. In addition to the omnipresent Toyota, which will field the GR Hilux for three official crews, there will also be the arrival of Dacia with the new Sandrider and, indeed, Ford with a completely rebuilt Raptor.
The car was designed by Ford Performance and developed with the help of M-Sport, already a partner in the WRC where two official Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrids are fielded for the crews formed by Adrien Fourmaux – Alexander Coria and Gregoire Munster – Louis Louka.
Ford Raptor T1+
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Just over a year ago, on June 14, 2023 to be precise, Ford announced its official program in the Dakar Car class. A year and a month later, here comes the new Raptor. A very different car from the one that has raced in rally raids until 2024.
No more pick-up shapes: Now the American car follows the lines dictated in recent years by the winning vehicles or those that, often, have fought for success. A compact car, very carefully designed from an aerodynamic point of view to lower the resistance to advancement, but also from a mechanical one, to guarantee competitive adaptability on any type of surface.
The first photos released by Ford Performance, following the exhibition at Goodwood, finally show the lines after the teaser published by the American company last January 17, where it was possible to see only the design of the front lights and the Ford writing in red on the grille. And it is precisely the size of the company’s name that makes it clear how much Ford believes and has invested in this new project.
Ford Raptor T1+
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“Taking on a race as demanding as the Dakar is a daunting task for all of us at Ford Performance, but we have never shied away from a challenge. To meet this challenge, we have partnered with the best in the world with M-Sport and Red Bull, and I think that demonstrates the seriousness with which we are approaching this project,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance.
“The Ford Raptor T1+ is a starting point for our global off-road vision: we want to challenge the best and prove ourselves in the toughest places on the planet. The lessons we’re learning from the Raptor T1+, combined with competing against production trucks in the Baja 1000 and Finke Desert Race, will help make Raptor vehicles even better for our customers.”
It is no coincidence that Carlos Sainz, 4-time winner of the Dakar and reigning champion having won the 2024 edition with Audi, was convinced and signed before the Ingolstadt brand abandoned the category to focus all its efforts on the Formula 1 project that will officially start on January 1, 2026. Together with the Madrid native, Nani Roma is also on the team. Both will be joined by at least one other crew over the next few months.
Ford Raptor T1+
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Matthew Wilson, M-Sport Dakar team manager, added: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support Ford Performance at Dakar with the new Ford Raptor T1+, which will be an incredible adventure. We’ve already completed 10,000 kilometres (6,213 miles) of testing in some of the toughest conditions we could find, so we feel ready to take on the ultimate challenge starting with Baja Hungary next month.”
The first official race in which the Raptor T1+ will take part will be the Baja Hungary scheduled for August 8-10, before returning to action at the Rallye du Maroc, one of the preparatory events for the Dakar, scheduled for October.
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