Ranger Raptor triumphs at Baja 1000

An Australian developed and built Ford Ranger Raptor race vehicle has proven the capabilities and endurance of the next-generation Ranger, successfully completing the annual Baja 1000 off-road race in Mexico.

Ford has a long history of success at the Baja 1000, including with earlier generations of the Ranger, in the 1980s and ’90s. More recently, an F-150 Raptor won its class at Baja and Ford also campaigned a prototype of the all-new Bronco in the annual desert race ahead of its public launch.

For the Ranger’s return to Baja in 2022, Ford Performance called in resources from around the globe, including Kelly Racing here in Australia (better known for their time in Supercars), which took a stock Ranger Raptor and incorporated the various additions to make it race ready.

As the vehicle was entered in the ‘Stock Mid-Size’ class, modifications were limited. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, ten-speed auto transmission and suspension were all unchanged from stock, but wheel and tyre upgrades are allowed and underbody protection can be added, too. A long-range fuel tank was added, along with various safety features and lighting upgrades, as the Baja 1000 sees competitors race the desert course into the night.

“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,” explained Justin Capicchiano, Ford Performance and Special Vehicles Engineering Manager, Australia.

To transform a stock Ranger Raptor into a race-ready vehicle, Kelly Racing were given ten weeks, which Todd Kelly described as intense.

“The team at Ford Performance in Australia and the U.S. were amazing and while the nights were long, I’m so glad I got involved in this project,” Kelly said.  

“I’d heard the stories about this Ranger Raptor, but it wasn’t until I got my hands on it and drove the thing that I realised just how impressive it is. The powertrain, the chassis, the suspension have been built to do Baja, so all we had to do was work within the rules of the class and fit the cage, the fuel system and safety gear.” 

After completion, Kelly Racing tested the ute here in Australia before it was shipped to the US for fine tuning by Lovell Racing and Huseman Engineering.

To drive the race-prepped Ranger Raptor at the Baja 1000, Ford Performance pulled together a team that included Brad Lovell, Byam Lovell, Loren Healy, Paul Blangstead, Eric Davis and Jason Hutter, along with the father and son team of Andy and Danny Brown, better known for their global aftermarket accessories business ARB. Curt LeDuc, an Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer in the US, managed the factory-backed effort.

Being a near-stock vehicle, the Ranger Raptor remained in right-hand drive configuration, which was an additional challenge for the US drivers. It also ran a low-carbon biofuel supplied by Shell, with refuelling and basic maintenance the only interactions allowed throughout the race.

Being the only entry in the Stock Mid-Size class, Ford was using the Baja 1000 more as a test of the Ranger Raptor’s durability than beating competitors or chasing the outright win.

While more than 100 competitors failed to finish, the Ranger Raptor completed the two-day, 1000-mile (1,600km) event without a major incident and was able to be driven back to Ford Performance’s base in California.

“Ford Performance Australia put their heart and soul into this project, with Kelly Racing to start us off,” said Brian Novak, Off-Road Motorsports Supervisor, Ford Performance. “When we took it over on the North American side with Lovell Racing and Huseman Engineering, it all came together seamlessly. There’s just so many people that came together to do this, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

The Browns were equally proud to be a part of the successful project.

“Coming over here and entering this event has been on our bucket list for years,” said ARB Managing Director Andy Brown. “The Ranger Raptor? What a truck - it feels ready to go again. I can’t believe how reliable it was, how strong, how stout, how it handles, how it goes, how it stops. It’s just the complete package.”