Dakar 2025 has already had its fair share of ups and downs for Ford Performance. Right out of the gate, the Ford Raptor T1+ of four-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz Sr. went for a tumble, ending up on its roof and forcing Sainz’s retirement from the race. However, another Raptor, driven by Nani Roma, went on to take its first stage win in the event, and now, The Blue Oval has followed that performance up with another stage victory.
That win came in Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally. Mattias Ekstrom and Emil Bergkvist finished 41 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Nasser Al-Attiyah, in a decisive victory. Ekstrom and Al-Attiyah battled hard until Ekstrom finally pushed the Ford Raptor ahead at the 94m mark. The Ford Performance duo led a three-car breakaway from the rest of the field as Ekstrom, Al-Attiyah, and Yazeed Al-Rajhi gapped the rest of the field by over 10 minutes by the time the race wrapped up.
The stage win marked Ekstrom’s fifth overall stage win in the Dakar Rally, and now, he’s poised to finish on the event’s podium for the first time in four attempts in the desert, tailing Al-Rahji and Henk Lategan.
Back-to-back in the dunes! @mattiasekstroem and @emilbergkvist1 take the @Ford Raptor T1+ to first place in Stage 11 of the @dakar Rally🥇 pic.twitter.com/7TTqWZGnKZ
— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) January 16, 2025
The 2025 Dakar Rally marked the first run in the Saudi desert for the Ford Raptor T1+, hot on the heels of a stellar performance in 2024 with the Ford Ranger T1+. The Ford Raptor T1+ was developed in conjunction with M-Sport, harnessing off-road-ready technology like a front and rear independent double-wishbone suspension developed in conjunction with Fox, along with three-way adjustable coilovers and four-way adjustable external bypass dampers with remote reservoirs at each wheel.
The off-road racer harnesses the tried and true 5.0L V8 Coyote engine, which is fitted with a dry-sump oiling system and a custom exhaust for this application. With no shortage of off-road talent behind the wheel – including Sainz, Ekstrom, Roma, Mitch Guthrie Jr. and Kellon Walch – a podium finish is a stunning result for The Blue Oval.
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