DUBAI: An extreme racing version of the Ford Ranger will lead the expansion of Ford Performance global off-road racing to include the iconic Dakar Rally in 2024 and beyond.

Ford Performance has raced and won from Le Mans to Monaco, Daytona to Bathurst and Finke to Ensenada, but it has yet to take on one of the toughest races on the planet — the Dakar Rally, which in January 2024 will be hosted for the fourth year running in Saudi Arabia.

“I think we are committed to this cycle plan that we have in motorsports and always looking for more opportunities where it makes sense, where we can deliver on our pillars, which includes the engineering innovation, tech transfer, the marketing, tying into our name plates and to different regions of the world,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.

Ford’s commitments recently saw the American manufacturer announce its return to Formula One with reigning world champions Oracle Red Bull Racing from 2026, and over the weekend took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now it is set to take on the Saudi dunes.

“I was there myself for Dakar earlier this year to see and understand what we had committed to already at that point in time,” Rushbrook added. “And it was fantastic to see the infrastructure that is there, the commitment from Saudi to motorsports, in so many different disciplines. So definitely appreciate the opportunity to compete there.”

The first step in the multi-year plan to compete in the Dakar Rally is to finish and learn in collaboration with longtime partners M-Sport and Neil Woolridge Motorsport for vehicle development, servicing and event management.

“To lead the charge at one of the ultimate global off-road events — the Dakar Rally — has been a goal of ours,” said Rushbrook. “We cannot underestimate the enormity of the challenge ahead of us. We need to finish and learn first with Ranger T1+ and partners like M-Sport and NWM, who bring their expertise to bear. Together, we can do amazing things in the sand dunes of the Arabian Peninsula.”

Leading the charge into the 2024 Dakar Rally, taking place Jan. 5-19 in Saudi Arabia, will be a purpose-built, high-performance Ford Ranger racing in the Rally Raid T1+ category.

The joint Ford Performance, M-Sport and NWM team has implemented a series of development phases through 2023 and continues testing with the Ranger T1+, based on the previous generation global Ranger, with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine.

Test races are expected to include Spain’s Baja Espana Aragon and Morocco’s Rally du Maroc rallies in July and October, respectively, before tackling the Dakar Rally next year.

“Our first time in Dakar will be a learning adventure that will help inform how we compete in the future,” said Rushbrook. “But as with all racing, we’re not just racing to win, we’re also racing to help build better products for our customers.”

For the 2025 Dakar Rally, Ford Performance and M-Sport are developing an all-new, custom-built Ranger Raptor designed to Dakar’s T1+ class regulations.

“The Dakar Rally is truly among the pinnacle of global off-road racing events,” said Malcom Wilson, M-Sport managing director. “We’ve achieved great success over the years with Ford in FIA WRC and can’t wait to apply this same level of focus, energy and effort to competing with Ranger in Dakar.”

M-Sport is well regarded as a leading developer and campaigner of the M-Sport Ford Puma HybridRally1 in the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile’s World Rally Championship, as well as engine builder for the Mustang GT3 program. NWM has played a pivotal role since the infancy of the Rally-Raid Ranger, as the team developed and built units at its facility in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, specified to compete in full Dakar T1+ regulations in the South African Rally-Raid Championship and around the world.

JEDDAH: The Union Internationale Motonautique has confirmed Jeddah will host the world’s first electric boat racing series in early 2024.

The UIM E1 World Championship is a developing electric boat racing series created by Formula E and Extreme E founder Alejandro Agag and Rodi Basso, a former director of motorsport at McLaren with a background in Formula One engineering.

The E1 teams and pilots will make their competitive debut in Jeddah using a course that is set to be situated on the city’s spectacular waterfront.

E1 organizers will be conducting feasibility studies and evaluating several potential race locations along the Red Sea, following which the final venue and event dates will be confirmed.

The event is in partnership with the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, which have significant ambitions for the rapid growth of water sports in Saudi Arabia as part of its Vision 2030.

After signing the partnership with the UIM, Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Salman Al-Saud, chairman of the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, said: “This partnership with E1 will help us to accelerate the growth of water sports in Saudi Arabia. The exciting foiling racing with the world’s best pilots is the perfect catalyst to inspire participation in water sports amongst the 9 million people living on the Red Sea coast, whose lives will be transformed through the sustainable technologies being developed and showcased by E1. It will be an honor to host in Jeddah the inaugural event of this exciting new world championship.”

Meanwhile, Basso, cofounder and CEO of E1, commented: “It’s a fantastic day for the UIM E1 Championship as we confirm our first-ever racing calendar. After opening the racing in the Middle East, the action will move to Europe where we will be racing in the historic and beautiful harbors of Venice and Monaco, before culminating in the vibrant port of Rotterdam. We keep the door open on new venues for the calendar and expect to confirm very soon. It’s an exciting time for the UIM E1 Championship as we attract more teams and cities to be part of our fast-growing journey.”

Each E1 race event on the calendar will take place over the course of two days consisting of practice sessions, qualifying rounds, and knockout races to determine the winner. RaceBird pilots will compete head-to-head in multiple heats with the fastest teams, advancing until a winner is crowned.

The participating teams will be given RaceBird boats and required to send two participants who will take turns driving for the duration of the race on the weekend.

Four teams have registered for the competition’s 10 participants so far.

Tennis star Rafael Nadal will participate in the Spanish team, while F1 driver Sergio Michel “Checo” Perez Mendoza will be with the Mexican team. The other two participants so far are the Venice team and the Drogba team, owned by Ivory Coast footballer Didier Drogba.