FORD has announced that the next-generation Ranger Raptor will be its latest off-roading bakkie to tackle the Score International Baja 1000, which is one of the toughest off-road races in the world.
The Ranger Raptor will be racing on a low-carbon biofuel, demonstrating the potential of these fuels in the most demanding environments.
Ford Performance worked with Australia’s Kelly Racing to build the Baja-ready Ranger Raptor and United States-based Lovell Racing to develop and race the bakkie at Baja, which begins on 18 November.
Lovell Racing, led by multi-time off-road champion and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer Brad Lovell, is one of Ford Performance’s key off-road teams.
The Ranger has long been a global icon for Ford and this bakkie was built and tested in Australia before being brought over to the US for final development and testing before the endurance race.
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“By entering this event, we’re building on the hundreds of thousands of kilometres of development testing and pushing the Ranger Raptor to new extremes,” said Off-Road Motorsports Supervisor at Ford Performance, Brian Novak.
“The Baja 1000 is a demanding event and a well-known proving ground for off-road vehicles,” he said.
The Baja 1000, held on the Baja California Peninsula, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious off-road races, attracting competitors from around the globe eager to take on its miles of treacherous desert terrain, steep drops and tough climbs.
The Ranger Raptor will use Shell’s one-third blend of biofuel with its mix of ethanol and bionaphtha.
“Demonstrating low-carbon fuels in performance settings like the Baja 1000 can help bring biofuels and other clean energy technologies to scale more quickly and help to make them more available and affordable for everyone,” said global director of sustainability, compliance and homologation at Ford, Cynthia Williams.
