Ford—undoubtedly as part of its new plan to sell you more trucks and SUVs—has chosen to take on the Dakar Rally in 2024, and it’s sending a ‘badass’ version of its Ranger pickup to compete in the Rally Raid T1+ class.
Except it knows you don’t simply turn up and win the Dakar straight away, so it’s sending an old-gen Ranger-based racer on a ‘finish and learn’ basis first, to lay the groundwork for a proper tilt in a Ranger Raptor in 2025.
The pickup will harness the power of Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine, with testing and development work set to take place at Spain’s Baja Espana Aragon in July and Morocco’s Rally du Maroc in October. Ford Performance’s program will also rope in M-Sport (which competes in the World Rally Championship in a hybrid Puma) and rally raid specialists Neil Woolridge Motorsports to make sure the Ranger is up to mustard come the Dakar in January.
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“To lead the charge at one of the ultimate global off-road events—the Dakar Rally—has been a goal of ours,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “We cannot underestimate the enormity of the challenge ahead of us. We need to finish and learn first with Ranger T1+ and partners like M-Sport and NWM, who bring their expertise to bear. Together, we can do amazing things in the sand dunes of the Arabian Peninsula.
“Our first time in Dakar will be a learning adventure that will help inform how we compete in the future. But as with all racing, we’re not just racing to win, we’re also racing to help build better products for our customers.”
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
