Ford will make its debut at the 2024 Dakar Rally in this Ranger racer.
Notable Debut
While Ford has participated in - and won - many prestigious off-road races over the years, including the Baja 1000, King of the Hammers, and the Rebelle Rally, for whatever reason, it has never participated in the iconic Dakar Rally. However, back in June, the automaker announced that it would in fact be competing in the grueling event starting in 2024 - though it won't be in a racing version of the recently-redesigned Ford Ranger, but rather, the older-gen model seen here.
Photos: Ford Performance
Solid Reasoning
There is, however, one good reason for this decision - Ford hasn't yet readied a new Ranger racer suitable for Dakar, though it has been testing a largely stock Ranger Raptor at various other events with great success. Thus, for 2024 only, the older Ranger T1+ will take on Dakar. However, this machine is certainly no slouch, and it has accrued its own fair amount of success in recent years.
Photos: Ford Performance
Unique Combination
Developed in conjunction with Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) and Ford's rally partner M-Sport, the Ranger T1+ is powered by the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which isn't available in the production version of the pickup, and has spent the last few years competing in the South African Rally-Raid Championship with great success. However, the Ranger T1+ destined for Dakar has received a host of updates, though Ford is obviously being coy on what those might consist of.
Photos: Ford Performance
Bespoke Setup
Otherwise, with its short wheelbase, stubby bed, large wheels and tires, and unique livery, it's pretty obvious that this is no production pickup. In between there lies a bespoke suspension that has been revised following 6,000 hours of testing, and according to M-Sport technical director Chris Williams, features "a new damper and wishbone setup resulting in an improved motion ratio and making full use of Reiger's latest damper technology, designed specifically for rally raid."
Photos: Ford Performance
Winning Duo
The Ranger T1+ will be driven at Dakar by two-time winner Nani Roma and Gareth Woolridge, who handles vehicle assembling at NVM and also piloted the Ranger T1+ to victory in the 2023 South African Rally-Raid Championship. Regardless, Ford has low expectations for the 2024 Dakar Rally next month, calling this a "finish and learn" exercise as it works on an all-new Ranger Raptor-based racer for the 2025 running of the event, though we're obviously still interested to see how the older truck fares.
Photos: Ford Performance
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