Ford announced today that its 2017 F-150 Raptor will be entering the Score Baja 1000 off-road race scheduled for mid-November in Mexico.
Four-time Baja 1000 winner Greg Foutz will drive the truck during the 49th annual race in Baja California. Foutz says the 2017 Raptor is the most production-based truck he’s ever run.
“The stock engine, transmission and powertrain calibrations are phenomenal,” he says. “Suspension-wise, everything else – including its wheels and BFGoodrich K02 tires – is carried over from the 2017 production model.”
The truck is powered by a new high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that delivers 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque.
The Foutz Motorsports team added only a chromalloy steel safety cage, puncture-resistant fuel cell, racing seats and full race harness, along with LED lighting courtesy of Rigid Industries to meet SCORE rules. The factory-spec Raptor springs and Fox Racing shocks were revised to accommodate the added weight from the safety cage and fuel cell.
Other production vehicle updates that carry over to the race truck include the high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body and high-strength steel frame, all-new six-mode Terrain Management System and advanced four-wheel-drive torque-on-demand transfer case.
Foutz has run the new Raptor in several Best in the Desert events in 2016, including the most recent 645-mile General Tire Vegas to Reno race in August, which he completed in 15 hours.
