Ford Efficiency has introduced its intention to compete on the 2024 Dakar Rally with a purpose-built racing model of the previous-generation Ford Ranger Raptor.
The Dakar Rally is the “pinnacle of off-road racing” based on Ford Efficiency international director of motorsport Mark Rushbrook, who spoke to CarExpert.
The most recent iteration of the notorious off-road rally will kick off on January 5, 2024, and be held in Saudi Arabia. The Ford Ranger Raptor racer set to compete on the 2024 Dakar Rally shall be within the Rally Raid T1+ class.
It’s utterly unrelated to the virtually inventory Ranger Raptor that simply topped its Manufacturing 4WD car class on the 2023 Finke Desert Race.
The Ranger Raptor T1+ racer shall be powered by a model of the 3.5-litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that options within the current-generation Ranger Raptor.
At this stage energy outputs haven’t been confirmed, however the present Australian-specification Ranger Raptor produces 292kW of energy and 583Nm of torque.
This Ranger Raptor T1+ racer has been developed by Ford Efficiency in collaboration with UK-based M-Sport and South African-based Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM).
The staff has applied a collection of improvement phases by way of 2023 and continues to check the Ranger Raptor T1+ racer.
Take a look at races earlier than the 2024 Dakar Rally are anticipated to incorporate Spain’s Baja España Aragón and Morocco’s Rally du Maroc in July and October, respectively.
Ford hasn’t introduced who shall be driving the Ranger Raptor T1+ rally racer on the 2024 Dakar Rally simply but, however Mr Rushbrook mentioned “a few of the drivers have been chosen”.
Ford Efficiency goes into the 2024 Dakar Rally with a “end and be taught” mentality and can return in 2025 with an all-new, custom-built Ranger Raptor constructed to T1+ class laws.
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Present Ranger Raptor
It’s on the 2025 Dakar Rally the Blue Oval intends to “return and win”.
At this stage it’s unclear what competitors Ford can have within the T1+ class on the 2024 Dakar Rally.
This 12 months Toyota Gazoo Racing took out the T1+ class on the Dakar Rally with a extremely modified model of the HiLux that used a model of the Lexus LX‘s twin-turbo petrol V6 engine.
MORE: Every part Ford Ranger
