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M-Sport has been developing Ford Ranger T1+ alongside Neil Woolridge Motorsport [NWM] and Ford Performance to tackle next year’s Dakar Rally, which will be a first for the British squad. The next stage of this venture will see the operation debut the Ranger it has developed for next year's Dakar…

M-Sport, working in conjunction with NWM, revealed plans to take on one of the world's most gruelling rallies last year, which has resulted in an extensive development programme to prepare a Ford Ranger, initially conceived by South African firm NWM.

Eight-time world champion Ogier started the day 0.1s behind overnight leader Tanak but headed to midday service with a 2.5s lead over Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanpera.

The rally has prided itself on being one of the WRC’s jewel in the crown events given its difficulty to win. Its unique stages feature a mix of rough gravel and soft sandy roads sprawled across Kenya’s iconic wildlife-filled savannah. amid changeable weather, poses an altogether different challenge for crews.  

The Blue Oval announced today the formation of a full factory Dakar programme using a T1+ version of the Ranger, which will be run in collaboration with Neil Woolridge Motorsport in South Africa and M-Sport in the UK.

For the first time, Ford will bring its full might to Dakar over a multi-year effort.

Top Performer - Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm

Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe enjoyed a relatively comfortable run through Sunday’s four stages to complete a 33 seconds victory from Hyundai team-mate Esapekka Lappi.

Despite holding a healthy 36.4s overnight lead, Neuville elected to push while the majority of his rivals opted to preserve their cars and tyres.