After two decades with the Audi factory works team, Mattias Ekström is the latest addition to the Ford M-Sport Dakar team. He joins fellow ex-Audi and multiple Dakar Rally winner Carlos Sainz Sr. and American off-road racer Mitch Guthrie Jr.
Although Ekström isn’t so much a household name in the Philippines compared to Sainz, his CV is nothing to scoff at. Boasting more than 25 years of racing experience, he is a World Rallycross champion and two-time DTM champion, and has taken multiple titles at the Race of Champions. He has also raced in Australia’s V8 Supercars series, USA’s Nascar Cup, and the World Rally Championship (WRC). This entry marks the veteran’s fifth year tackling the Dakar Rally.
Sainz, meanwhile, needs almost no introduction. You have seen him in Drive to Survive as he imparts his knowledge to his son and namesake Carlos Jr., who is of course competing in Formula 1. An off-road legend, he won the WRC twice in the ’90s, during what most consider as the golden age of the series. Speaking of golden years, Sainz is now 62 years old, making him the oldest person to win the Dakar Rally as of 2024 and the first driver to win with four different manufacturers: Volkswagen, Peugeot, Mini, and Audi.
Joining Ford now makes sense for the two veterans. Although the brand is a newcomer to the Dakar Rally as a works team, it has a storied history in off-road racing as well as the production chops—not to mention the funding—to make a mark in the most grueling of races. Sainz is also celebrating a homecoming of sorts, as his first WRC appearances was behind the wheel of a Ford way back in 1987.
Guthrie, Ford M-Sport’s third driver, is an American off-road racing ace, having won the Baja 1000 in his class and taken some stage wins in previous Dakar entries. This outing in the 2025 staging of Dakar will mark his debut in the T1 class.
Ford M-Sport is conducting a shakedown rally this weekend, as it competes in the Rally of Morocco amid the twisting landscapes and the sands of the Sahara. This is in preparation for its 2025 Dakar Rally campaign, which will see it field four Raptor T1+ units in the premier event.
The Ford Raptor T1+ is a V8-powered monster, boasting a Fox suspension system and a unique build that draws on key elements found in the Ford Raptor production vehicles—a welcome change given how race cars normally breed production cars and not the other way around.
It would seem that Ford is looking to fill the void left at the top of the Dakar Rally leaderboard after the abrupt departure of Audi from the series. Time will tell if it will be able to mount a successful campaign, but with the best of the best forming a formidable lineup, we have high hopes for the team as it competes in Morocco.
