SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1542108
RAPTORS RAGE Ford Racing’s F-150 And Bronco Raptors Win By SCORE Journal Staff Photos Courtesy Ford Racing Ford vehicles have been competing in Baja since the start of the official Baja 1000. After numerous Bronco, F-150 trucks, Ranger pickups, and Explorer SUVs competed across the decades, Ford Racing came out with its Raptor program which was also tested in the deserts of Baja. At this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 58th SCORE Baja 1000, Ford Racing proved again that the Raptor nameplate is synonymous with the company’s heritage in Baja racing. Competing in the SCORE Stock-Full Class, the 3.5L F-150 Raptor captured the class win, while a Bronco Raptor secured victory in the Stock Mid-Size class, showcasing Ford as a dominant performance in Baja. “Winning both stock classes at the SCORE Baja 1000 during the 15th year of Raptor is the ultimate validation of what these vehicles stand for,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Racing. “Raptor was born in the desert, and every year we engineer, test, and race with that legacy in mind. These results are a testament not just to our trucks, but to the teams, drivers, and partners who push them to their fullest.” The F-150 Raptor Team The No. 8135 Ford F15- Raptor equipped with a 3.5L V6 conquered miles of rutted terrain and storm-soaked washes. Piloted by Brad and Adam Lovell, Austin Robison, Byam Lovell, Jason Scherer, and Jason Berger, it was the first time an F-150 Raptor with this V6 engine package and drivetrain competed across the Baja peninsula. “We can come out here and pre-run, we can understand Baja, but there is a whole other thing about understanding Baja on race day,” said Brad Lovell, Driver of Record. “That course comes alive — you can’t understate it. We build these trucks that are amazingly tough, we played it smooth, we were patient, we worked through our game plan, and the F-150 Raptor killed it.” The Bronco Raptor Team Ford Racing’s momentum continued in the Stock Mid-Size class, where the Bronco Raptor fought through the Baja night and Saturday storm to secure a victory. The driver lineup consisted of Loren Healy and Eric Davis, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Jeremy Dickinson, and Bailey Campbell and Bryan Crofts. Together they showcased the strength and durability of Bronco’s desert-bred platform 56 years after Rod Hall’s Baja 1000 victory in the Bronco. “What an unbelievable experience and achievement getting the win at this year’s Baja 1000,” said Gittin Jr. “Baja threw us everything it had, and our Bronco Raptor endured every mile and is still ready to hit the highway and drive back to the USA. Ford Racing being here and running four production Raptors — and winning both classes they entered — is a huge testament to what is being engineered by the very passionate Raptor engineering teams, and it is an absolute honor to be a part of this effort. 15 Years of the Ford Raptor As a company, Ford hails this dual victory as underscoring Ford’s commitment to applying real-world racing insight to its production Raptor lineup. The Raptor program has grown from the pioneering 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor to a global family including the Bronco Raptor, Ranger Raptor, F-150 Raptor and F-150 Raptor R. The company continues to use Baja as the proving ground that shapes the evolution of each generation. According to Ford, this year’s Baja program was the largest coordinated Ford desert effort to date with four Raptor race trucks and a unified team of more than 70 engineers, drivers, navigators, and support members working across the Baja peninsula. The group logged more than 20,000 miles of pre-running, testing, development, and racing, creating a continuous pipeline of data and insight drawn directly from desert conditions. SJ