M-Sport Shifts Gears: Dakar Victory Takes Priority Over Customer Sales
Dovenby Hall, UK – in a strategic departure from its established World Rally Championship (WRC) business model, M-Sport is prioritizing outright victory in the Dakar Rally over maximizing customer car sales, according to team principal Malcolm Wilson. The decision, driven by Ford management led by Jim Farley, marks a significant shift for the British firm, traditionally reliant on a high volume of customer Fiesta sales to sustain its WRC program.
Historically, M-Sport’s WRC participation has been underpinned by providing rally cars to private teams – a model exemplified by the 40 “M-Sport” Ford Fiesta cars entered by 84 crews in the 2014 Portuguese WRC. The team’s brightest moment, the 2017 WRC championship title with Sébastien Ogier, occurred alongside this customer-focused approach. However, for the grueling world of rally raid, the equation has changed.
“We will have seven cars in the Dakar Rally – four factory and three private,” Wilson told DirtFish. ”To be honest, there could have been a lot more, but I have to go with the clear requirement of Ford management. Ford manager jim Farley has made it clear – He wants to win Dakar. That’s the main focus.”
This focus is reflected in the composition of M-Sport’s 2025 factory team, featuring rally raid veterans Carlos sainz, Matthias Ekström, Nani Roma, and Mitch Guthrie. Wilson believes the Ford Raptor T1+ demonstrated its potential in the latter stages of the recent rally, securing two fastest times.
“Already this year we had a real chance to fight for victory. next year we will ride with much more experience and the goal of fighting for victory,” Wilson stated. he acknowledged future expansion of privateer Raptor teams but emphasized, “I don’t want to dissolve our forces. The priority is victory, not the maximum number of customers.”
Confirmed private entries for the 2026 Dakar Rally include Martins Prokops, Romains dumas, and WRC driver Jordan Serderidis. This purposeful limitation of customer entries signals a clear divergence from M-Sport’s WRC strategy,where commercial success and car sales are integral to the team’s continued participation.
