If the new Ford F-150 Raptor looks like a Baja race truck to you, you’re not alone. Ford seems to think so too, so it’s entering the new model in the Baja 1000 in a couple of weeks from now.
What you see here isn’t a race truck loosely based on the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor, but a near showroom-stock, pre-production model that’s only been modified to meet safety regulations. So it has a chromalloy roll cage, racing seats and harnesses, puncture-resistant fuel cell, and additional LED lighting.
The suspension was revised to accommodate the added weight of the safety equipment, but otherwise it’s the same truck as you’ll be able to buy soon from your local dealership. That includes the 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 with its 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque, as well as the ten-speed automatic transmission, the wheels, and BFGoodrich K02 tires.
The truck will be on display at the SEMA show this week before it hits the dunes for the 49th running of the SCORE Baja 1000 starting on November 16. There it will compete in the stock class with a mandate to bear the 25:28:10 in which the previous Raptor finished the 631-mile rally in 2008.