DEARBORN, Mich. (October 3, 2024) – The toughest endurance off-road race in the world demands the best drivers to take on the ultimate task and Ford Performance has embraced this challenge for the forthcoming Rallye du Maroc, the traditional curtain-raiser for the legendary Dakar Rally. The Ford Performance team in Morocco will be led by two of the most renowned off-road racers in the world – none other than Matthias Ekström and Carlos Sainz Sr.

WRX champion Ekström and four-time Dakar champion Sainz join American off-road ace Mitch Guthrie Jr. and two-time Dakar champion Nani Roma to round out the Ford 2025 Dakar Rally driver lineup. All drivers and their navigators have previous Dakar competition experience.

“Our goal has always been to build a diverse and powerful team, and with the additions of Mattias and Mitch, we’ve achieved that. We have a blend of Dakar champions and rising stars, all equipped with the capability to push the Ford Raptor T1+ to its full potential. The Rallye du Maroc is our last chance before Dakar to push man and machine to the limit and we intend to do just that.”

– Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports

Rallye du Maroc will serve as a pivotal step in the development of the Ford Raptor T1+ ahead of the 2025 Dakar Rally by providing the team a proving ground to refine the utility vehicle under real-world rally conditions.

Ekström will join forces with Sainz for the 2024 Rallye du Maroc (Oct. 4-11), a key event on the rally raid, or open terrain race, calendar. Both drivers will take on the challenging Moroccan terrain in a pair of Ford Raptor T1+ utility vehicles, the purpose-built rally raid racer engineered in collaboration with longtime Ford Performance partner M-Sport to handle the extreme demands of desert racing.

Ekström’s extensive experience in both rally raid and circuit racing, combined with Sainz’s legendary Dakar victory record, makes for a formidable pairing.

“Joining Ford Performance for both the 2024 Rallye du Maroc and the 2025 Dakar is an amazing opportunity. I’m looking forward to competing alongside a legend like Carlos in the Raptor T1+. Rallye du Maroc will be the perfect test for Dakar, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together.”

– Matthias Ekström, Driver

The Ford Raptor T1+ represents the pinnacle of Ford’s off-road engineering, featuring advanced suspension, a powerful V8 engine, and extreme performance designed for the harshest environments. In August, Roma demonstrated the Raptor T1+’s capabilities in its competition debut with a strong performance at the Hungarian Baja, recording the fastest overall time of all competitors.

The Raptor nameplate, synonymous with off-road performance, is at the core of Ford’s off-road ambitions, bringing a legacy of durability and power to the world’s toughest races.

Matthew Wilson, M-Sport program director, emphasized the team’s strategy: “The experience we gain from Rallye du Maroc will be critical as we continue to refine the truck for Dakar 2025. With drivers like Mattias and Carlos behind the wheel, we know we’re in a strong position to compete at the highest level.”

Ford Performance’s entry into Dakar 2025 represents a new era for the brand, as it strives for success in one of the world’s most grueling motorsport challenges. With a lineup that blends seasoned Dakar champions with rising off-road stars, Ford is positioning itself for a strong rally raid effort. The team will continue to focus on vehicle development, strategy refinement, and driver preparation through the 2024 Rallye du Maroc as a critical step toward their ultimate goal: leaving an indelible mark in the dunes of the Dakar Rally.