Ford Ranger Raptor Baja rally racer revealed!

Ford doesn’t hide the fact that it's Ranger Raptor performance pick-up truck was inspired by the famed Baja 1000. In fact, the Ranger Raptor even sports a ‘Baja Mode’ which primes the engine’s anti-lag system, adds weight to the steering, reduces electronic driver aids, and de-restricts the exhaust, all in the name of off-road performance.

Now though, said mode in the stock car has been made more permanent in this Ford Ranger Raptor Baja rally racer that was just unveiled today.

Jointly built by Melbourne-based Kelly Racing and US-based counterparts Lovell Racing, this Ranger Raptor Baja racer will enter the famed Baja 1000 race this month in the stock category.

Meeting the stock category’s regulation, this specially-built racer doesn’t differ much from the Ranger Raptor you’ll see in showrooms today. Some of the new bits bolted-on include a bull bar, LED light bar, beefier bash plate, up front, Method Racing alloy wheels, as well as a snorkel. At the rear, there’s also another LED bad shining on the bed, the latter now housing a set of spare tyres too.

Underneath, this Ranger Raptor rally racer appears to ride on the same Fox Racing suspension hardware as found in the stock, road-going car it underpins. This, along with several key additional reinforcements, made this truck’s platform almost unique and, crucially, granted the ability for it to better handle terrains at higher speeds too.

Notably, the Fox Racing suspension mentioned, which consists of aluminium upper and lower control arms, long-travel front and rear springs, plus coils equipped with refined Watt’s linkage at the rear, work in tandem with 2.5-inch Fox Live Valve position-sensitive dampers that’s linked to the drive modes.

Touted as “the most sophisticated ever primed on a Ranger Raptor”, these shocks are also filled with Teflon-infused oil to cut friction by a claimed 50%. Additionally, they offer maximum damping force in the last 25% of shock travel to better protect against bottom outs, especially when landing from a jump. Ford adds the system can also stiffen the rear dampers to prevent squatting whilst under hard acceleration.

Lastly, this race-prepared Ranger Raptor is also powered by the twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 mill that’s also offered in the road-going model. It delivers 392 HP ( 292 KW) and 583 NM to all four wheels via full-time 4x4 system. Interestingly, this racer’s powertrain will run off a “low-carbon” biofuel developed by Shell, which is a mix of ethanol and bio-naphtha – a product derived from vegetable oils and other organic waste.

Taking place this month from Nov 15 to Nov 20, the 2022 edition of the famed Baja 1000 takes place at the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. Ford has proven highly competitive in the past here with its production cars; the F-150 Raptor and Bronco have all ran and completed the race before. The Ranger Raptor racer featured here is expected to do the same.