Ford Raptors Tame the Dakar Rally

Ford’s second and third double podium The result more than reinforced the strength, depth of its Raptor T1+ program.

If anything, the 2026 Dakar Rally was a huge success for Ford Racing. On the eve of the slumbering giant confirming huge new motorsport advances across multiple categories, its existing Dakar program delivered and then some.

It may not have won, with that accolade going to wily desert fox Nasser Al Attiyah and his Sandrider, but the Ford Raptors led much of the distance and won no less than six stages of the epic 2026 race en route to a hard-earned double podium finish. The result more than reinforced the strength, depth, and momentum of the Ford Raptor T1+ program at the world’s toughest off-road race.

“Dakar is the ultimate proving ground, not just for outright speed, but for durability, teamwork, and trust in the vehicle,” Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook explained of the Dakar effort, “To leave Dakar with a double podium, multiple stage wins and all-Ford podiums, and strong results from both our factory and customer teams says a lot about how far this program has come. Dakar also makes it clear what it takes to win and we’re proud of this result. We’ll keep pushing to win this race.”

Raptors Added a Double to 2025 Debut Podium

The Ford Raptor T1+ debuted at the Dakar with a third-place finish in 2025. Now it’s added a second and third place overall in 2026 as the car and team continues to prove itself as a force to be reckoned with at the highest level of rally-raid competition. As it sets its sights on the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship season.

Ford started and finished Dakar on top. German Factory Ford Raptor duo Mattias Ekström and co-driver Emil Bergkvist claimed the prologue and went on to win the final stage. Inbetween that, Czech Raptor privateers Martin Prokop and Viktor Chytka were third on the opening day before the Raptors kept a watching brief on Day 2 and then came back swinging when American factory duo Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch’s led Prokop and Chytka to a Raptor 1-2.

After keeping pace on Wednesday, the Fords were back at it on Thursday’s sixth stage as Spanish factory team Nani Roma and Álex Haro pipped Guthrie and Walch only to be relegated back to second on a penalty. Prokop and Chytka made it a Ford 1-2-3. Into week 2 and Ekstrom and Bergqvist became the first crew to win more than once at Dakar 2026 with Guthrie and Walch third on Sunday.

The Raptors were 1-2 Into Week 2

By Tuesday, Spanish factory Ford Raptor crews Roma and Haro led teammates, four time Dakar winner and former double World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz by a minute. The Fords were at it again as Ekstrom and Bergqvist beat French Raptor privateers Romain Dumas and Alex Winocq and Sainz and Cruz to a 1-2-3 on Thursday before Ekstrom closed off with that final stage win on Saturday.

Overall, while Attiyah won, Nani Roma and Alex Haro ended second overall ahead of Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergqvist. Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz followed made it three Raptors in the top five, while Mitch Guthrie and Kellon Walch saw to all four factory Ford Raptors ending in the top ten.

Beyond the factory entries, Ford’s Dakar customer racing program delivered strong performances of its own. Martin Prokop and Romain Dumas both recorded second-place stage finishes to underscore the Ford Raptor T1+’s competitiveness beyond the factory lineup as the Ford Raptors now focuses on the 2026 W2RC World Rally Raid Championship.

Images: Ford Racing

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