Ford Performance is taking its new Ranger Raptor – which includes “Baja” as one of its drive modes – and putting its money where its marketing-mouth is today (November 18) by lining up to compete in the Score (Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts) International Baja 1000 in Mexico.
For its global racing debut, the Raptor will be competing in the Stock Mid-Size category, meaning the 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission and suspension are all standard - the same as the ute you can buy off the showroom floor.
The racing Raptor was built in Australia by Ford Performance and Kelly Racing, modifying what was allowed by the regulations: wheels and tyres, underbody, driving and safety lights, crew protection hardware and a 160-litre fuel tank, which is fitted into the tray. It will run on biofuel (30 per cent sustainable).
The driving team includes Off-Road Motorsports Hall Of Famer Brad Lovell (of Lovell Racing), who admits the US development team “needed a little reprogramming” to handle the right-hand drive truck through high-speed obstacles.
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Andy Brown, managing director for ARB, which designs and supplies accessories for Ranger, is also part of the driving team. Brown is an experienced off-road racer and will have son (and ARB regional export manager) Danny Brown as navigator.
The Raptor’s livery is in part a tribute to the late Manny Esquerra, aka King of the Desert, who claimed six multi-class Baja victories in a racer based on the US Ford Ranger from 1981-1990. He passed away while racing in 2008.
Ford also won the Baja 1000 outright in 1992 with the Ford/BF Goodrich Rough Riders factory team.
“The Baja 1000 is known around the world as one of the toughest off-road races on the planet,” says Justin Capicchiano, Ford Performance and Special Vehicles engineering manager.
“It’s a difficult race to go and enter any vehicle into, let alone a production vehicle, and the Ranger Raptor we’re racing isn’t far off what you can drive off the showroom floor. We want to show the absolute capability of this truck in one of the most grueling off-road races so that our customers can have total confidence in their Ranger Raptor.”
