Ford Ranger Raptor Is Supercars Championship’s Official Recovery Vehicle

Impressive as it is, the new Ranger Raptor isn’t meant to compete in racing.

If Ford gave the green light, maybe it could race in Australia’s SuperUtes series. However, for the moment it’ll have to make do with being the Supercars Championship’s new official recovery vehicle.

The Ford Performance pickup features a unique, high-visibility livery as well as a roof-mounted light bar, communications equipment to keep in touch with Race Control, a Dorian timing transmitter to pinpoint the location of each car on the track, and other specialized equipment. It also sports a Fox suspension and 33-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, but otherwise it’s bone stock.

Not that the baby Raptor needed much help in the performance department. It packs a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel sending 210 horsepower (157 kW) and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque to all four wheels through a ten-speed automatic transmission. Which may not be enough for a V8 Supercar like the Ford Mustang, but it’s not half bad for a mid-size pickup.

“It’s great to have the Ranger Raptor – the ultimate Ranger and a vehicle we know resonates with fans,” said Supercars series chief Sean Seamer. “It’s a vehicle with the strength and dependability we need, and shows Ford and Ford Performance’s complete commitment to our sport.”

The specially equipped pickup will be on hand for all the races this season, starting with this weekend’s Rabble Club Sandown 500.

“The Recovery Raptor needs to able to respond to incidents at a moment’s notice, whether they be on the race track itself or off-track in the mud, gravel or sand,” said Alastair Walker, the series’ head of recovery. “I’m looking forward to getting used to the vehicle and really stretching it to its full capacity. I’m sure it will provide an excellent tool to assist the team and me moving forward.”