Best in the Desert: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Prepares for Grueling Off-Road Racing Series
03 February 2016 - 4:01PM
Business Wire
- All-new 2017 F-150 Raptor race truck
continues Ford’s tradition of demonstrating the toughness and
durability of F-150 through off-road competition
- Race truck based on Built Ford Tough
production Raptor, including high-strength, military-grade,
aluminum-alloy body, high-strength steel frame, all-new high-output
3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine and 10-speed transmission,
torque-on-demand transfer case and race-optimized long-travel
suspension
- Ford Performance is a premier
automotive sponsor of off-road racing in the United States;
company’s involvement in racing goes back 115 years to the efforts
of founder Henry Ford
There’s a roar in the desert – spitting sand and kicking up
rocks. It’s the sound of the all-new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor,
running in the 2016 Best in the Desert off-road racing series’ new
factory stock class.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202006496/en/
The all-new 2017 F-150 Raptor race truck
continues Ford's tradition of demonstrating the toughness and
durability of F-150 through off-road competition. (Photo: Business
Wire)
The Raptor race truck will leverage Raptor’s production platform
including its all-new high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine and
10-speed transmission, along with torque-on-demand transfer
case.
“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.
Putting the all-new Raptor through this grueling stretch of
races will help demonstrate how a truck born in the desert is even
more prepared to take on the very toughest of terrain.
Ford Performance is a premier automotive sponsor of off-road
racing in the United States, and the company has a long history in
motorsports. Shelby® GT350R-C Mustang and Ford GT compete in IMSA,
with the supercar also running in World Endurance Championship
international sports cars. Focus races in Rallycross, Fiesta runs
in the World Rally Championship and touring cars, while Fusion,
Mustang and F-Series appear in NASCAR and Mustang CobraJet competes
in NHRA sportsman drag racing.
Production foundation
The purpose-built fully boxed frame of the all-new Raptor – the
backbone of the truck – features more high-strength steel than the
outgoing Raptor.
F-150 Raptor’s chiseled looks are reminiscent of Trophy Trucks –
the fastest and most powerful class of off-road pickups. F-150
Raptor is six inches wider than standard F-150 for improved
stability off-road.
The all-new race truck leverages the built-in capability and
features of the production Raptor, including:
- Torsen front differential boosts
off-road capability further, significantly increasing grip for the
front end and allowing the truck to pull itself over obstacles and
up steep grades – even when traction is split between the front
tires
- First-ever dual exhaust and new Ford
Performance 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels with next-generation
BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires enhance off-road performance
“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.”
Modifications to the F-150 Raptor race truck include:
- Race-optimized three-inch-diameter
external-bypass front and rear Fox Racing Shox similar to Raptor’s
segment-exclusive internal-bypass Fox Racing Shox
- Race-optimized front and rear springs
raise ride height to gain additional ground clearance and provide
increased compression rate to handle extreme terrain
- Custom-fabricated roll cage
- MasterCraft seats with five-point
harness safety belts and window nets
- LED light bars, racing fuel cell,
Lowrance GPS, RacePak digital dash and data logger
The new factory stock class is the most production-specification
class in the history of Best in the Desert. Joining Foutz in the
truck is Tim Casey – both are multiple stock full-class desert
racing champions.
“The technology and innovation built into this truck should help
it surpass the competition,” said Foutz.
Technology to race smarter
F-150 Raptor is powered by Ford’s second-generation high-output
3.5-liter EcoBoost engine that produces more power with greater
efficiency than the outgoing 6.2-liter V8, rated at 411 horsepower
and 434 lb.-ft. of torque. The new 3.5-liter EcoBoost is a
Raptor-exclusive in the F-150 lineup, and paired with an all-new
10-speed transmission for improved efficiency.
A new transfer case, which manages power distribution between
the front and rear wheels, combines the best attributes of
clutch-driven, on-demand all-wheel drive with durable,
mechanical-locking four-wheel drive to send power to the wheels in
slippery conditions.
Pioneering off-road driving mode technology has evolved into an
all-new Terrain Management System™ that enables the driver to
select modes to optimize driving dynamics to environmental
conditions. Six preset modes help the truck power through different
terrain and conditions:
- Normal mode for everyday driving
- Street mode for higher-performance,
on-road driving
- Weather mode for rain, snow or ice
- Mud and sand mode for muddy, sandy
trails and terrain
- Baja mode for high-speed desert
running
- Rock mode for low-speed rock
crawling
Dates and locations to catch F-150 Raptor racing events this
year are as follows:
- 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
For more information on the Raptor race truck, visit
www.ford.com/trucks/f150raptor.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across
six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants
worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and
Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor
Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its
products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160202006496/en/
Ford Motor CompanyMike Levine,
313.323.6854mlevine5@ford.comorJessica Enoch,
313.594.7933jenoch@ford.com
Ford Motor (NYSE:F)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Ford Motor (NYSE:F)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024