After over two weeks of gruelling racing through some of the harshest terrains on the planet, Team Ford M-Sport delivered unforgettable moments of skill, perseverance, teamwork – and stage victories – in the Saudi Arabian desert.
Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist claimed third place overall, capping their rally with a decisive Stage 11 victory in the Empty Quarter. The duo set a strong pace before the race even started, securing a P2 finish in the Prologue with just a second separating the leader and a P3 finish in Stage 5. Stage 7 saw Ekström finish second, with Mitch Guthrie Jr. rounding out the podium in third. Guthrie would go on to a very strong result of 5th place showing great maturity and adding to his Dakar experience for the future. With a stage win for Nani Roma as well, the Ford Raptor T1+ has shown that it has what it takes to compete with the best on the global stage.
“We can be very proud as a team that we were able to fight at the front and show good pace and great consistency,” said Matthias Ekström. “The quality of the Ford Raptor T1+ has been so good throughout this incredibly tough race. Now I am looking forward to coming back next year and pushing for the overall win.”

The 2025 Dakar Rally also highlighted the cutting-edge engineering behind the Ford Raptor T1+, a vehicle designed to push boundaries and dominate the toughest off-road environments.
“We have had some real highs and some real lows during this incredible race,” said Matthew Wilson, Team Principal, Team Ford M-Sport. “Losing Carlos so early on in the race and the bitter disappointment for Nani with his issues, was tough for the team but we rallied around Matthias and Mitch and ultimately delivered a podium and two cars in the top five which, in our first full outing with the Ford Raptor T1+, is a great start to the whole program. It’s been a hell of an experience – the team has been incredible over the last three weeks but now we focus on the rest of the Rally Raid season ahead with renewed enthusiasm and confidence.”
As Ford Performance celebrates this podium finish, the team looks forward to the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, where you can expect to see – and hear – the T1+ during the 2025 season.