Mattias Ekström will compete in the next Dakar at the wheel of a Ford Raptor T1+, and will join Nani Roma, Mitch Guthrie Jr. and his former Audi teammate, Carlos Sainz Sr, within the official team of the American manufacturer, orchestrated by M- Sport.
Inseparable from Audi, Ekström defended the colors of the Ingolstadt brand for no less than 23 years, notably in DTM from 2001 to 2018 (and two titles in 2004 and 2007), but also in GT3 or, more recently, in the championship in the world of rallycross where he created his own team, fielding Audi S1s, again with a title on the line in 2006.
In 2022, the Swedish driver joined the Audi program when the German manufacturer embarked on the project with its RS Q e-tron hybrid. But, while Audi – now involved in Formula 1 – has now abandoned the Dakar after a 2024 edition won by Carlos Sainz Sr, Ekström has chosen to continue its commitment to the event with Ford and M-Sport.
This will be the fifth participation in the Dakar for Mattias Ekström, who had his first experience in 2021 at the wheel of a Yamaha YXZ1000R buggy in the T3 category, before his three editions with Audi.
The new Ford Raptor T1+ will tackle the Dakar in 2025.
Photo de: Red Bull Content Pool
As part of its new collaboration with Ford M-Sport, and in order to prepare for the 2025 Dakar, which will take place from January 3 to 17 in Saudi Arabia, Ekström will take part in the Morocco Rally (October 6 to 12) at the wheel of the all-new Raptor T1+, unveiled in July during the traditional Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.
“Joining the Ford Dakar program is really exciting for me,” rejoices Ekstöm. “Ford and M-Sport have built a vehicle that seems to run wonderfully, and we all have the common ambition to win the Dakar. I have competed in the Dakar four times so far and I can now say that I have some experience to be able to aim for the top.”
“The team also has plenty of knowledge and experience to support this ambition, starting with Ford’s long heritage in motorsport, the proven track record of M-Sport, a very impressive driver line-up, engineers, brilliant technicians, and the rest of the team.”
“I’m looking forward to the first competitive outing with the Ford Raptor T1+ at the Morocco Rally and later the Dakar. I’m here to win it and I hope we have many years of success ahead of us. I’ll do anything what is in my power to achieve this.”
At Ford, Ekström will thus find Carlos Sainz Sr, his former teammate at Audi on the Dakar during the last three editions, and also his team director in Extreme E – the electric off-road series -, when he defended the colors of the Sainz XE Team in 2023.
With the arrival of Mattias Ekström alongside Sainz Sr, Nani Roma and Mitch Guthrie Jr, the Ford M-Sport team has a top-notch squad to play leading roles.
“Welcoming Mattias Ekström to the Ford Performance family is a big step forward for our Dakar program,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance. “Mattias brings a wealth of experience in rallying and off-road racing, and his skills add to a formidable team around the Ford Raptor T1+. The Dakar is an event like no other, but we have full confidence in our team of drivers .”
