Ford Racing will field two Rangers at the 2014 Dakar

This is news that will delight the organizers of the Dakar. Ford Racing has announced that it will enter two Rangers for the next edition contested from January 5 to 18 in South America. The assembly of the vehicles was entrusted to Neil Woodridge Motorsport based in South Africa while the logistics were entrusted to South Racing located in Germany. The first crew will be made up of Lucio Alvarez and Ronnie Graue who have three starts on the clock with a fifth place acquired in 2012 and a tenth position acquired this year while they were fighting for the podium before mechanical problems encountered on their Toyota Hilux only drops them to 27th place. The second crew composed of Chris Vasser and Japie Badenhorst will discover the Dakar, but their experience of rally-raids should be taken seriously since they won the South African Cross Country Championship in 2011 and are currently leaders this season.

A first Ford Ranger has already been assembled and should make its first rounds next month. The second vehicle will be ready for the month of October. “We are very proud to be able to take the Rangers built in South Africa to the 2014 Dakar”, comments Jeff Nemeth, CEO of Ford Motor Company's South Africa department. “The Dakar is the ultimate test of man and machine and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate with a phenomenal team that includes both local and general expertise. »