Used Baja 1000, a product that is about to run out of stock Ford Ranger Raptor this weekend will test its mettle at the Finke Desert Race in the Northern Territory.
The Raptor will be driven by American father and son Brad and Byam Lovell, who are also members of the team that drove the car to victory at the Baja 1000.
“Compared to Baja, it’s less dangerous here so you can push hard,” said racer Brad Lovell, who says he will mostly ride the car in four-wheel drive.
“Here the speed is higher because the terrain… is more stable. It’s an endurance race, but it’s definitely more of a sprint than the Baja 1000.”
The race will take place June 11-12 and consists of two sections, each about 226 kilometers long.
Unlike the Baja 1000, where the ute has no competitors in its category, there are several other vehicles of its kind at Finke.
Although it is competing in the Production Class and has an unchanged powertrain, the racing Raptor has a few key differences from the Rangers available to the public.
Along with the necessary motorsports and safety kits inside, the Finke racer gets proper off-road wheels and tires, extra lights (but less so compared to the Baja), a plastic rear window , a stronger guard and underbody shield, and a 160-litre fuel tank. fuel cell in the tray.
“We’re experimenting with a sport setting on it, so when you put the shock absorber in sport mode it locks in,” said Justin Capicchiano, Ford Performance and Special Vehicle Program Manager. complete shock absorber.
“So when you’re recovering, it’s not rolling on the wheels much, it’s basically just holding them down, squeezing the tires into the ground,” he added, though he ruled out real plans. show this form of recovery. mode in a production Raptor.
Other changes since the Baja 1000 handled ute include different towing belts and changes to the fuel filter. It’s also running with a backdoor here, which it doesn’t have in Mexico.
At launch, Ford said the Raptor’s frame was so heavily reinforced compared to the regular car (and its predecessor), it was almost a unique platform.
Aside from owners pushing hard on the back roads and having the occasional adventurous player want to hop on their car, it’s clear that some of that reinforcement is aimed at getting the Raptor ready for the desert.
Underneath the skin, the road car’s suspension includes aluminum top and bottom control arms, long-travel springs front and rear, and a fine-tuned Watt link fitted with coils at the rear. after.
There’s also 2.5-inch Fox Live Valve position-sensitive dampers linked to the drive modes. These shocks – billed as “the most sophisticated ever on a Ranger Raptor” – are filled with Teflon oil to reduce friction by up to 50%.
They provide maximum damping force during the last 25 percent of shock travel to protect against severe bottom-up impacts, such as when grounding. Ford adds that the system can also stiffen the rear dampers to prevent the Raptor from squatting during strong acceleration.
Power in Raptor comes from one 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 do 292kW power and 583Nm torque, which is sent to all four wheels through a full-time all-wheel drive system.
The car will be maintained and managed by Walkinshaw Performance, which Ford says is sister to the Walkinshaw Andretti United Supercar team that recently switched from Holden Commodores to Mustang.
As for what happens to this particular car after it finishes Finke, Ford says the end game is for it to become a museum piece.
“Whatever we do with it after this, it will never be crushed,” Mr. Capicchiano said.
THAN: Everything Ford Ranger
