Dakar veteran to hand Ranger T1+ its competitive debut in Spain

Following an intense test and development phase led by Neil Woolridge Motorsport in conjunction with M-Sport, the revised pick-up will go up against the clock for the first time on the gravel event.

Both Roma and Woolridge are familiar to the Ranger T1+ having played a key role in improving it over recent months, with key changes being made to its chassis, cooling, performance and reliability.

Roma has also been simultaneously providing feedback and input for Ford’s upcoming Ranger Raptor T1+ which is scheduled to compete on the 2025 Dakar Rally.

Roma – who has competed in 25 Dakar Rallies and is one of a select few to win it on two and four wheels – says that he is looking forward to finding out how the all-wheel-drive machine stacks up.

“This has been a really nice process developing the Ranger T1+,” said Roma. “The car has changed a lot since the first time I tested it compared to the last test we recently completed in Morocco.

“All the mechanics and engineers have done a super job in stabilising the car while improving reliability and increasing its performance. We’ve been working together in a good direction; the Ranger is a strong car, we still have some points to work on but it’s in a great position right now.”

Baja Spain Aragon is Nani’s home event and one he is intimately familiar with and although the Ranger T1+ is being driven in anger for the first time at it, he is still aiming to come away with a solid result.

“I always work to win in all the races I have entered in the 30 years I have been racing. I have won Baja Spain nine times, four on bikes and five in cars so it would be very special to win a tenth with Ford for this new project,” said Nani, who will be teaming up with Alex Haro.

“Winning is always my goal and especially as it is my home race but this time it’s a little different. I haven’t competed for one-and-a-half years, and I’ve very new surroundings.

“We don’t currently know exactly where we are compared to the other teams, the next Baja Spain has all of the factory players there which means it is the perfect opportunity to see where we are with the Ranger.”

Meanwhile Woolridge – the lead technician for new vehicle assembly – heads to Spain with Boyd Dreyer as the current leader of the South African Rally-Raid Championship although he is keeping his expectations in check.

“We have completed a series of extensive test sessions with M-Sport and NWM in South Africa, Dubai and Morocco, and with the upgrades we have added, largely with cooling and dampers, it has made a huge difference in the performance of the car,” he said.

“For Spain, it's a very new event for Boyd and I. The format is a bit different which we will need to get used to, but the terrain will be similar to some places we have raced at before and we are hoping to just go and learn with the team.

“It’s our first competitive outing together with M-Sport so the aim is to go there, learn, work, and build our strength together as a team to deliver a good strong result. The most important goal for us is getting to the end in a good strong position.”