ABU DHABI: Ford has dropped images of the Raptor rally raid car that will participate in the 2025 Dakar Rally, featuring four-time winner Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz Sr in the driver lineup. The final design has not been disclosed, but the team aims for victory.

Sainz Sr. hopes to win the Dakar Rally for the fifth time, rejoining forces with Ford. Meanwhile, Roma continues his collaboration with M-Sport and Ford, following their partnership with the Ford M-Sport T1+ Ranger in the 2024 campaign.

The teaser suggests a Ford Ranger Raptor with vents, diffusers, and a covered rear end adorned with the Ford Performance badge. The 2025 Ford Raptor’s active testing has started, with Ford Performance aiming for victory in the Dakar Rally.

Matthew Wilson, M-Sport director, and Dakar team manager, hails Carlos’s return to M-Sport and Ford as a significant boost. Carlos is known to be an off-road racing legendary figure enhancing the readiness of the team to tackle the Dakar Rally’s formidable challenge.

The Dakar Rally originally ran from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal but currently takes place in Saudi Arabia. The event was relocated by the organisers in 2009 to South America due to safety concerns for competitors and then moved again in 2020 to Saudi Arabia.

The next-gen Ranger Raptor is currently available in the UAE. It is equipped with a 3.0L V6 Twin-Turbo EcoBoost Engine and can handle the most challenging off-road conditions.

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