The fifth edition of the Dakar, organized in Saudi Arabia, will kick off this Friday, January 5th, with a 28 km prologue in the town of Alula and will conclude on Friday, January 19th, in Yanbu, after covering a total of 7,923 km, of which 4,676 will be timed, divided into 13 days of racing. The Dakar, recognized as the toughest rally-raid on the planet, will witness the debut of the M-Sport Ford team in this race, presenting two Ford Ranger T1+. Behind the wheel of the first car (No. 210) will be the Spaniards Nani Roma and Álex Haro, who achieved a great result in the past Rallye de Marruecos. The second Ranger (No. 225) will be driven by South Africans Gareth Woolridge and Boyd Dreyer. Both units are prepared by M-Sport and NWM (Neil Woolridge Motorsport), and the team manager is Matthew Wilson.

The Dakar 2024 is shaping up to be the most demanding one held in Saudi Arabia to date. In this edition, the organizer, ASO, has prepared some novelties that will make this difficulty more noticeable. With the first three stages each having over 400 km of timed sections, the third being a marathon stage (limited assistance), the rally will enter its first week by subjecting the teams to a sequence of three days in the so-called Empty Quarter, a sea of sand and dunes. This will include an unprecedented format: the 48-hour chrono, 532 km of special stages spread over two days, with an automatic stop at 4 pm on the first day, forcing teams to use one of the eight designated bivouacs without assistance. After the rest day in Riyadh (January 13th), the intensity will not decrease, with a final week of tough tracks and a variety of terrains to the north of the country, featuring navigation challenges until the end of the race.

The M-Sport Ford team is entering the toughest and most famous rally in the world after an intense year of work, including various test sessions and two competitions: the Baja España, where Roma finished in sixth position, and the Rallye de Marruecos, where the two-time Dakar champion finished in third place. Nani Roma, returning to the Dakar after a year off, is cautious but optimistic about leading a team that is building for a long-term program: "The year of preparation we've had with tests and races has been crucial to face the Dakar and the future. The months of work have allowed us to create a solid and effective team, dedicated exclusively to Ford's raid project. This commitment will continue with the new Raptor that is being built and that we will debut next season."

A Dakar veteran in its three geographical locations: Africa, South America, and Arabia, Nani Roma boasts five top-three finishes, including two victories—one on a motorcycle (2004) and another in a car (2014). Absent last year due to cancer, which he successfully overcame, Nani Roma, always candid and talkative, states he is "ready as I always am for the imminent start of the Dakar. That doesn't mean it hasn't been challenging to get back in shape; on the contrary, it's been the time I've had to work the hardest. After the surgery and chemotherapy sessions, I was physically affected, a personal setback that I could only overcome with willpower, sacrifice, and medical assistance, of course." He defines his chances with the Ford Ranger T1+ as high, especially if the anticipated toughness requires tapping into the endurance card: "At the moment, we don't have the fastest car, but we have the most resistant. We demonstrated it in Morocco, finishing third and seeing all our rivals struggle to complete it. Throughout 2023, we worked hard. The important thing in a raid car is that it is resistant, and we have that card; now it's about making it as competitive as possible." Nani and Álex flew to Arabia on January 1st. In addition to adapting to the country's weather conditions and attending the organizer's briefing, both Ranger T1+ crews will have a brief contact with the vehicles and the Saudi terrain, all to start the Dakar 2024, the most important event of the season for this off-road motorsport discipline, in the best possible way.