Ford has a long history racing the Baja 1000. The legacy dates all the way back to 1968, when the first Ford Bronco entered and won with Hall of Fame off-roader and pioneer Larry Minor and Jack Bayer. Larry Minor with Rod Hall would win again in a Bronco in 1969. Rod Hall owns the Guinness World Record for the most class wins in Baja history with 25. Rod would win his final race in 2017 at the age of 79. Then, another legendary racing driver, Parnelli Jones, of both off-road and road course racing fame, won in ‘71 and ‘72 with Bill Stroppe in a Ford Bronco. Robby Gordon would later win with a prepped Ford F-150 in 1989.
Overall Victories
The manufacturer has 23 overall victories at the famed off-roading event, and was absolutely dominant in various classes in the 1990s with their Rough Riders program.
Legend In The Making
In 2008, Ford took an F-150 and took third place in class 8 racing at the Baja 1000, and it was later revealed during its official launch that it was basically a stock Ford F-150 Raptor that went racing without people knowing.
Ever since that ‘08 race, the company has taken great pride in bringing their engines, chassis, brakes, and suspension developments for their trucks and SUVs to the Baja 1000 for the ultimate torture testing.
Success Year After Year
This year, 2023, was no different. The Ford Bronco Raptor and F-150 Raptor R both won their stock classes at this year’s event. The Bronco Raptor won the same event that the Ranger Raptor won last year, the stock mid-size class.
“Ford is a family company with not only a goal to win, but to also further develop our street Raptors for customers around the world to enjoy,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “The Baja 1000 not only served as a testament to all the hard work from people on the ground and those in Dearborn, Mich., but this event also emphasizes our continued global commitment to the sport and making better products for our customers.”
Drivers & Final Times
Driving the brand new Bronco Raptor was Brad Lovell, a 2022 Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, and he would take the checkered flag after a grueling 1,200 miles in just 40:37:47.820. The F-150 Raptor R was driven by Loren Healy, an off-road racing champion in both the Baja 1000 and multiple other off-road racing series. He would cross the line in only 41:44:45.634.
Engines
The Bronco Raptor is powered by a 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 with 418 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque. The F-150 Raptor R has a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 that puts out 700 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque. Both vehicles use a 10-speed automatic transmission.
“Winning the Baja 1000 in the Raptor R will go down as one of my favorite victories in my racing career,” Loren Healy, Raptor R navigator, said. “The amount of work that went into the race efforts for both the truck and the Bronco Raptor are absolutely mind blowing. Somewhere around 100 people came together as a family and made magic, getting both these stock production vehicles to win their classes in the second longest Baja 1000 ever. It truly is an honor to be a small part of this epic, history-making team.”
Leaving Satisfied
Both drivers expressed overwhelming satisfaction and joy with not only the final result of the race, but also with the whole Ford Performance team. Both vehicles were basically stock, save for obvious safety changes. The engine, transmission, and driveline were all the same stock parts you would get in a Raptor product sold at Benna Ford or any other Ford dealer.
At Benna Ford, we offer our customers some of the best prices and services. With more than 100 new and used vehicles to choose from, our outstanding sales team and finance department will work hard to make sure you drive away happy. And our fantastic service department will take care of your new-to-you vehicle as if it were their own.
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