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Off-road Hell: Ford dominates grueling Baja 1000 in Raptor R, Bronco, Raptor Trophy Truck
Posted by Talbot Payne on November 27, 2023
Ford Motor Co. put an exclamation point on its “Built Ford Tough” truck tagline last week, winning three classes at the grueling, 56th running of the Baja 100 off-road race.
A factory-sponsored, Ford Performance V-8 powered F-150 Raptor R took Stock Full class honors and a factory Ford Bronco Raptor won the Stock Mid-Size division. To complete the hat trick, a heavily modified, 1,000-horsepower, private-entry Ford Raptor won overall in the Trophy Truck class on a typically tortuous course made more difficult by torrential rain conditions on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.
The SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by K&N has long been a manufacturer proving-ground for off-road performance, and Ford’s history runs back to 1969 when a Bronco (piloted by off-road legend Rod Hall) won overall — the only production truck to win the whole enchilada in a multi-class race that includes motorcycles and purpose-built trucks. The win helped make Bronco a legend — a feat that continues to buoy the badge today as it takes on showroom competitors like the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner which also have Baja 1000 history.
The Bronco Raptor’s win this year in the mid-size class followed a factory-team Ranger Raptor pickup’s class win in 2022. The race vehicles were stock builds but for safety additions like roll cages and light bars. The F-150 and Bronco Raptors are on sale in U.S. showrooms, while the Ranger Raptor is due for the 2025 model year. Bronco Raptor even outpaced big brother Raptor R, crossing the finish line an hour ahead after more than 40 hours in the desert.
“Ford is a family company with not only a goal to win, but to also further develop our street Raptors for customers around the world to enjoy,” said Ford Performance Motorsports chief Mark Rushbrook. “The Baja 1000 not only served as a testament to all the hard work from people on the ground and in Dearborn, but this event also emphasizes our continued global commitment to the sport and making better products for our customers.”
As part of its icons marketing strategy which features the F-150, Bronco and Mustang models, Ford is leaning hard into motorsports with its Ford Performance division and a significant commitment to win high profile races. In addition to NASCAR and NHRA drag racing, Ford has also targeted endurance race series.
On track the Blue Oval is focused next year on winning the world’s most prestigious endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in a GT-class Mustang GT3 Dark Horse.
Baja is the jewel of the off-road endurance world, the crowning race in the four-race SCORE series. This year’s win was significant for Ford as it has gone all-in on performance halo off-roaders across a model lineup that includes the Maverick, Ranger, and F-Series pickups as well as the Bronco SUV.
Endurance racing is an integral part of performance manufacturers’ production development. Running flat out in harsh conditions not only puts drivetrains, suspensions, and tires to the ultimate test, but attracts top-drawer engineers to company programs. Ford has made endurance racing a particular focus with factory-backed teams competing in major races.
“The Baja 1000 is the ultimate test of manufacturers’ machinery,” said Tom Zielinski, CEO of Detroit 4Fest, Michigan’s premier off-road event in Holly. “It’s also a great marketing tool. ‘Ironman’ Ivan Stewart proved Toyota capability in pickups by running Baja. Trucks are the profit center for brands today and Baja is how you prove credibility.”
Beyond factory team efforts, vehicles and parts from Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Jeep, and other brands are entered by private teams in multiple 4×4 classes. In Baja history, Ford engines have produced 15 overall winners, with Chevy, 12, VW, 12; and Toyota, two. Ford also leads the way in chassis winners with 19 overall trophies followed by Chevy with 12.
Underlining its commitment to the sport, Ford expanded to a two-truck program this year which — despite the Baja 1000 title — actually ran a 1,200-mile course from La Paz to Ensenada. Wearing BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires and off-road Fox shocks, the Raptors navigated everything from sandy Pacific coastlines to thick silt beds and rugged rock sections.
The Bronco Raptor was powered by its stock, 418-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 engine, while the Raptor R was stuffed with its standard, 700-plus horsepower, 5.2-liter, supercharged V-8. The Bronco Raptor finishing with an unofficial time of 40:37:47 hours and the F-150 Raptor R 41:44:46 hours.
By comparison the overall-winning, purpose-built Red Bull Ford Raptor SCORE Trophy Truck covered the course in a staggering 22.35.33 hours at an average speed of 58 mpg. With tough frames, 25 to 36 inches of suspension travel, and 1,000 horsepower from their mighty V-8 engines they are kings of a race that saw heavy attrition from the 335-entry field from 20 countries in classes covering cars, trucks, UTVs and motorcycles.
Just 178 entries finished due to a rash of accidents, broken parts and mechanical failures
“We are so proud to be able to get these trucks across the finish line,” said Brian Novak, Ford Performance off-road racing supervisor. “Baja is one of the most difficult races in the world, and that is why we use it as a proving ground for our technology. The team is proud to show again this year how capable the Raptors really are.”
Driver Loren Healy, one of off-road racing’s top names, brought home the F-150 Raptor R to victory.
“Winning the Baja 1000 in the Raptor R will go down as one of my favorite victories in my racing career,” Healy said. “The amount of work that went into the race efforts for both the truck and the Bronco Raptor are absolutely mind blowing. Somewhere around 100 people came together as a family and made magic, getting both these stock production vehicles to win their classes in the second longest Baja 1000 ever. It truly is an honor to be a small part of this epic, history-making team.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch his “Car Radio” reports on 910 AM Superstation.