2023 Ford Ranger Raptor Completes 2022 Baja 1000

The Baja 1000 rally is one of the world’s most prestigious off-road motorsport races. The 1,000-mile (1,609 KM) long rally raid started way back in 1967, pre-dating the infamous Dakar rally (formerly known as Paris-Dakar rally) by more than a decade.

One of Baja 1000’s categories is the stock mid-class category, featuring road-legal midsize trucks. Competing in said category this year was the all-new 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor. The slightly-tuned Ranger Raptor finished the gruelling 1,000-mile race in about 26 hours and 21 minutes, with the rest of its competitor finished in… null, as said Ford truck was the sole contestant in said category this year.

Driving the Ranger Raptor to its ‘glory’ were its four pairs of drivers and co-drivers, including Brad and Byam Lovell, Jason Hutter and Paul Blangstead, Loren Healy and Eric Davis, and Andy and Danny Brown. Curt Leduc, well-experienced in rally racing, was in-charge of managing the whole team.

Competing in the stock mid-class category, the Ranger Raptor was kept as close to its road-legal siblings as possible, with additional tweaks being done to comply with Baja 1000’s rules and regulation. Said tweaks were the addition of snorkel intake, safety cage, extra LED lights and fire extinguisher, as well as racing harness, Perspex rear windshield and a massive 160-litre fuel tank. The Ranger Raptor also rides on a set of 17-inch wheels, wrapped-in by 315/70 R17-size BF Goodrich off-road tyres.

The rest of the truck is being kept stock, meaning the Ranger Raptor managed to ‘cruise’ from Ensenada to La Paz, Mexico on bone-stock dampers and powertrain. Impressive, indeed.

The Blue Oval-badged Ranger Raptor managed to survive the extremes of Baja California Peninsula, only requiring minor system checks and basic maintenance, aside from refuelling stops. Apart from the dust and grits accumulated throughout the rally raid, the midsize truck arrived at the finishing line in La Paz without sustaining any damages. Immediately after the crowning event, the same Ranger Raptor was driven on public roads all the way back to Ford’s base in Riverside, California.

The all-new, all-terrain Ford Ranger Raptor boasts a whole-new powertrain, swapping the old 4-cyl diesel engine for a larger 3.0-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 petrol mill. All in all, this upgrade sees the Ranger Raptor outputting 392 HP and 583 NM, delivered to all four wheels via Ford’s proprietary all-wheel drive system. Fuelling this Baja 1000 champion is Shell’s exclusive low-carbon biofuel.

The Ranger Raptor’s victory marks Ford’s second-time achievement in this prestigious rally raid, with the American marque previously winning the 2017 edition with an F-150 Raptor.