Ford is going for 2025 Dakar Rally victory… with a Raptor

With Audi set to bow out of the Dakar Rally - probably after it’s won the thing, with Carlos Sainz Snr currently leading the 2024 edition in the RS Q e-tron - some are beginning to wonder who might challenge for victory in 2025.

Including Ford, which reckons it should be them. Cue a major announcement of Ford’s global motorsport programme, which includes taking a ‘Raptor-branded’ truck to the world’s toughest endurance race next year. The pair of Rangers out there at the moment won't cut it, apparently.

“Racing is part of Ford’s DNA,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley. “We earned that by living in the future not the past. We are committed to making the world a better place by producing vehicles with passion and love that people can’t live without.

“We will race to win everywhere: Mustang on the track and Raptor off-road, to mind blowing EV demonstrators, and unforgettable brand experiences for our customers. There could not be a more exciting time in the history of Ford Performance Motorsports than right now.”

Golly. As well as doing WEC, Le Mans and IMSA with a Mustang GT3, Ford will be dabbling in Nascar, NHRA and Pikes Peak; it’s returning to the latter with an as-yet-untitled ‘EV demonstrator’ having rocked up to the last event with the 1,400bhp SuperVan 4.2.

Not to mention that it’s now knee-deep in developing a new F1 engine with Red Bull ahead of the 2026 powertrain overhaul.

Ford claims to be involved in high-voltage propulsion (EV motors, right?), ICE and turbo manufacturing plus electronics systems, although exactly how much of the workload is being shared between it and Red Bull Powertrains hasn’t been clear since the Red Bull-Ford link-up was announced last year.

Anyway, we’re getting off topic. Ford is going for the outright win in the Dakar in 2025 and its racing Raptor will be developed alongside M-Sport, which also looks after its hybrid WRC car.

Is any of this making you want to go out right now and buy a Puma? Or better yet, a whopping great pick-up truck?