Raptor Racing

The F-150 Raptor to race in the Best in the Desert’s new factory stock class

By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Ford Performance is ready to prove the capabilities of its latest off-road-centric performance truck in the most grueling of environments. The company will campaign a lightly modified version of the production pickup in the 2016 Best in the Desert off-road racing series’ new factory stock class.

“The all-new Raptor has the DNA of a Baja race truck, with a purpose-built engine, chassis and suspension that enables it to travel fast over challenging desert landscapes or crawl over rocky terrain,” said Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer, Ford Performance.

The Raptor was already well-prepared for this series right off the dealer lot, as the only racing mods for this series are race-optimized Fox Racing Shox, race-optimized springs, a custom roll cage, Mastercraft racing seats, five-point harnessbelts, LED light bars, a racing fuel cell and a RacePak digital dash/datalogger.

“This is the most stock truck I’ve ever seen in my time building Ford race trucks,” said Greg Foutz, owner of Foutz Motorsports, Ford’s truck builder and primary race truck driver. “Without custom technology or other modifications, this all-new Raptor is ready to prove the toughness and performance in the Best in the Desert series.”

You can follow the 2017 Raptor’s racing exploits at the following events:

• Parker 425, Parker, Arizona, Feb. 4-7
• Mint 400, Las Vegas, March 10-14
• Laughlin Desert Classic, Laughlin, Nevada, May 5
• Vegas to Reno, Nevada, Aug. 17-20
• Bluewater Challenge, Parker, Arizona, Sept. 10-Oct. 6
• Pahrump Nugget 250, Pahrump, Nevada, Dec. 1-4

2017 Raptor Desert Racer Gallery

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