The Blue Oval announced today the formation of a full factory Dakar programme using a T1+ version of the Ranger, which will be run in collaboration with Neil Woolridge Motorsport in South Africa and M-Sport in the UK.
The programme will effectively be launched in stages, with an existing NWM-built Ranger, powered by a 3.5-litre Ecoboost engine and based on the previous generation model, further developed for the 2024 Dakar.
That will be an exploratory effort at the famous rally raid, rather than an effort aimed at victory.
An all-new Ranger will then be developed by Ford Performance, NWM and M-Sport for the 2025 event, where Ford hopes to be in contention for the Dakar crown.
What will power the new Ranger T1+ is yet to be revealed.
"We know it's a big endeavour that we're taking on here, and not something where we can just show up and be successful," said Ford Performance boss Mark Rushbrook.
Source: Autosport