Mattias Ekstrom will join Ford’s factory programme in the Dakar Rally in 2025 after ending a 23-year stint with Audi.
The Swede will contest next year’s Dakar in a works-entered Ford Raptor T1+, teaming up with Nani Roma, Mitch Guthrie Jr and fellow ex-Audi driver Carlos Sainz Sr in a four-strong line-up.
This would be Ekstrom's fifth straight appearance in the world’s most prestigious rally-raid, having made his debut in 2021 at the wheel of a Yamaha YXZ1000R in the lightweight T3 class.
For the last three years, Ekstrom has been a part of Audi’s cross-country effort with the RS Q e-tron hybrid challenger, scoring four individual stage wins and achieving a best overall finish of ninth in 2022.
But with Audi terminating its rally-raid programme early after Sainz’s stunning victory in January this year and the German marque having no other factory programme to offer to the 46-year-old, he was forced to end a relationship stretching back to his maiden season in the DTM in 2001.
As part of his preparations with Ford for 2025, Ekstrom will take compete in this month’s Rally Morocco with the Raptor T1+.
“Joining the Ford Dakar programme is really exciting for me,” he 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 [in the main T1+ category] so far and now I can say that I have some experience to be able to aim for the top.
“There is also a lot of knowledge and experience in the team to back up the ambition – starting with the long motorsport heritage of Ford, proven track record of M-Sport, very impressive driver line-up, smart engineers, technicians, and the rest of the team.
“I look forward to the first competitive outing with the Ford Raptor T1+ at Rallye du Maroc and later at the Dakar Rally. I am in it to win it and I hope we will have very successful and great years ahead of us.
“I will do everything in my power to make it happen.”
Ekstrom has one of the most diverse CVs of any driver in motorsport, having competed in a wide variety of disciplines since he started karting in 1993.
He initially built a name for himself in touring car racing, winning DTM titles in 2004 and 2007 for Audi as part of a decorated 17-year stint with the factory Abt team.
Ekstrom also clinched the 2016 World Rallycross title with his own Audi-supported EKS team, while a second-place finish in last year’s Extreme E series with the Sainz XE team further underlined his credentials outside of circuit racing.
“Bringing Mattias Ekstrom into the Ford Performance family is a big step forward for our Dakar programme,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance.
“Mattias brings a wealth of experience in rally and off-road racing, and his skills add to a formidable team in the Ford Raptor T1+. The Dakar Rally is a test like no other, but we’re confident in our lineup.”
Ford made an exploratory outing at Dakar earlier this year with a revised version of the NWM-built Ranger, but has developed an all-new prototype for its factory effort in the Saudi Arabia-based marathon in 2025.
The Raptor T1+ was showcased to the public for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, where the American giant revealed its ambitions to “own” the world of off-road and rallying.
On the drivers front, it signed four-time champion Sainz Sr and fellow Spaniard Roma - one of the few veterans to win Dakar on both two and four-wheels - to lead the team in May.
Ekstrom and Red Bull athlete Guthrie Jr have now been added to complete the four-car crew.
