M-Sport Debuts towards Shaping Dakar’s Future

M-Sport will enter the world of rallying for the first time, partnering with Neil Woolridge Motorsport (NWM) to become the global distributor of NWM’s Ford Ranger T1+ and eventually competing in the Dakar Rally.

M-Sport will become the European headquarters for South African squad NWM, as the two companies join forces to develop a rally-raid customer-facing programme that will sit alongside M-well-established Sport’s rally operation.

NWM is an independent squad with a long-standing association with Ford, similar to M-Sport. The two teams are working toward a long-term objective of competing in the Dakar Rally.

M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson said, “Myself and Matthew have recently been out to South Africa to meet Neil Woolridge and his sons and discuss their Ford Ranger T1+,

“It’s a momentous and exciting prospect for me, after almost 45 years in the rally business, rally-raid and Dakar have always piqued my interest. It is a discipline that I do not underestimate though, and I am all too aware it requires years of experience and expertise.

“M-Sport and NWM have a shared vision, we feel that our respective outfits complement each other in a way that would create an unrivalled rally raid outfit. The NWM Ranger has definite potential, it is built on a very solid foundation, Matthew tested the car during our visit and was very positive about his experience. It’s fair to say I’m not one to stray away from a challenge, it’s what I love about motorsport and it’s no secret we have some work to do to contend for the prestigious Dakar Rally. That said, I am confident that M-Sport and NWM have the tools and know-how to push the Ford Ranger T1+ to new heights.”

The Ranger T1+ will be tested and developed by M-Sport and NWM, with the South African Rally Raid Championship serving as a possible competition testbed. The driving will be done by Lance Woolridge, a Veloce Extreme E driver, and his brother Gareth, sons of team owner Neil Woolridge.

It’s the latest in a long line of new initiatives for M-Sport, which has recently teamed up with Ford Performance to produce a Mustang GT3 racing vehicle for the IMSA series in the United States and will also be supplying the TOCA engine to teams in the British Touring Car Championship starting this year.