Ford Performance has completed its driver line-up for the highly anticipated 2024 Dakar Rally, with Audi exile Mattias Ekström joining the previously announced Carlos Sainz, Nani Roma, and Mitch Guthrie Jr. The Swedish motorsport veteran, fresh off his departure from Audi after 25 years, brings a wealth of experience, including two DTM titles and a 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship crown.
Ekström’s switch to Ford comes after three stints at Dakar with Audi, where he emerged as a formidable competitor. The Swede will now drive the Ford Raptor T1+ under the management of M-Sport, alongside his navigator Emil Bergkvist, with their first competitive outing scheduled for the Rallye du Maroc this weekend.
“Joining the Ford Dakar program is really exciting for me,” Ekström said. “Ford and M-Sport have built a vehicle that looks, sounds, and drives awesome, and we all have a common ambition to win the Dakar Rally. I have had four tries at Dakar so far, and now I can say that I have some experience to be able to aim for the top.”
Ekström’s addition to the Ford team has been in the works for a while, according to M-Sport team principal Matthew Wilson, who praised the Swede’s versatility across various motorsport disciplines. “We have followed Mattias’ career for a long time, from his DTM days to the FIA World Rallycross, and now the Dakar Rally,” Wilson said. “He has shown fantastic speed and ability in all forms of motorsport, and his performances in off-road racing have been no different.”
Ekström, a four-time Dakar stage winner, will be joined by fellow Ford newcomer Mitch Guthrie Jr. The American off-road ace, who won the Challenger class at Dakar in January, will make his debut in the T1+ category at the 2024 Dakar Rally but will compete in Morocco with his regular Red Bull Junior Team USA Taurus.
“For me, driving for Ford in the T1+ category is a dream come true,” Guthrie Jr. said. “I’m eager to race against the best of the best.”
The announcement of Ekström and Guthrie Jr. solidifies Ford’s impressive line-up and wraps up the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) “silly season,” marking the end of driver market speculations.
X-Raid Mini Prepares Updated Dakar Challenger
Meanwhile, X-raid Mini has revealed its plans for 2025, marking a major shift with the introduction of its first petrol-powered Dakar car, the JCW Rally T1+. Having phased out its previous diesel model, the new JCW Rally 3.0i will make its debut in Morocco after initial testing in Trier.
Leading X-raid’s charge is Guillaume de Mevius, who made a surprising switch from Overdrive Racing. De Mevius, who finished second at the Dakar Rally earlier this year in a Toyota Hilux DKR T1+, will now drive for X-raid alongside seasoned navigator Mathieu Baumel. Guerlain Chicherit, a Dakar veteran, also returns to X-raid, joined by rising Portuguese talents João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro.
With Ford Performance and X-raid Mini fielding formidable line-ups and updated machinery, the 2024 Dakar Rally promises to be an intense showdown, featuring top-tier talent and cutting-edge technology.
