As Ford Authority previously reported, The Blue Oval was set to make its debut at the 2025 Dakar Rally in the all-new Ford Raptor T1+ racer this month, an event that's widely known as being one of the toughest off-road races on the planet. To help the automaker make this effort a strong one, it enlisted four-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz Sr., along with Nani Roma, Mitch Guthrie Jr., Kellon Walch, and Mattias Ekström to drive the brand new machine. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as well as Ford had hoped.
Rather, Sainz Sr. wound up flipping the new Ford Raptor Dakar Rally racer on its roof at one point, though the team was able to get it back upright and continue on with the race - after they removed a considerable chunk of the vehicle's bodywork. However, it seems as if this damage was more than cosmetic, as Ford Performance wound up announcing that the automaker's 2025 Dakar Rally ended a bit prematurely due to additional damage discovered on the vehicle's safety cage.
Ford noted that not only is this a potential safety issue for the drivers, but also, it goes against FIA regulations, so ending its Dakar efforts early was clearly the right move. It's a disappointing result for certain, but it's a safe bet that the automaker will be back next year to give it another go - and hopefully, produce better results.
The same part present in certain models from the factory.
The elimination of the tax credit won't help.
After it was purchased in pieces.
With minor updates and a brand new powerplant.
Featuring an outer piece that could easily be swapped out if desired.
Aftermarket parts could cause safety issues.