Ford Performance will be doing what I imagine a lot of its owners wish they had the time and money to do. The company is taking an F-150 Raptor R and Bronco Raptor off-road racing at the 56th SCORE Baja 1000 from November 13-18.
To prove how capable its Raptors are, Ford will be modifying them as little as possible. With just a small handful of upgrades, in addition to the necessary safety modifications, both are decent representations of something that customers could be driving on the road.
In the case of the F-150 Raptor R, the powertrain has only had its intake system modified slightly. However, power still comes from a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 that makes 700 hp (522 kW/710 PS), and is paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Read: 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor Gets Aggressive Refresh, New Tech, And More Off-Road Hardware
In addition, the truck’s FOX Dual Live Valve shocks get custom internal valving that has been tailored specifically to the Baja 1000. To go with that, the front and rear coil springs have been designed to handle the punishment of the desert race. Elsewhere, the modifications were made for safety or to allow it to carry extra bits.
The truck will be run by Loren Healy, who is a King of the Hammers champion, Jason Scherer, who a three-time King of the Hammers champ, and John Williams. It will be competing in the Stock Full-Size class.
Meanwhile, the Bronco Raptor will also get modified FOX Live Valve shocks with custom internal valves, but its coil springs are stock. Like the F-150, it also gets a custom bumper, and high-intensity LED lights for nighttime running, as well as custom Method Wheels. However, the 418 hp (312 kW/424 PS), 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine is completely untouched for the competition.
The SUV will be driven by Brad Lovell and Jason Hutter, who won the 2022 SCORE Baja 1000, as well as Bailey Campbell, a veteran off-roader, who recently ran the Rebelle Rally in a Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally. The Bronco Raptor will be running in the Stock Mid-Size category.
More than just a chance to prove the off-road chops of its performance trucks, the 2023 SCORE Baja 1000 will also be a test ground for the company, according to Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance’s global director of motorsports.
“The Baja 1000 is one of the most difficult off-road endurance races on the planet, making it as much a competition as it is a development and learning proving ground for us,” said Rushbrook. “Racing Bronco Raptor and F-150 Raptor R in the Baja 1000 will help Ford continue to learn from and improve both vehicles under the most extreme conditions.”
