The 2017 Ford Raptor Prepares For The Ultimate Off-Road Test

Manufactures are always trying to put their new vehicles to the test to see how strong and durable they truly are, but Ford is taking it to the next level. Ford is going to be putting their all-new 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor to the ultimate test racing in the Best in the Desert (BITD) series.

“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.

This truck has been outfitted with a roll cage for safety and to be able to pass tech, but other than that Ford claims that it is the same truck that will roll off the production line. This truck also has race-optimized three-inch-diameter external-bypass front and rear Fox Racing Shox similar to Raptor’s segment-exclusive internal-bypass Fox Racing Shox.

The interior of this Raptor looks much like what the factory one will.

Race-optimized front and rear springs raise ride height to gain additional ground clearance and provide increased compression rate to handle extreme terrain, 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 round out the other modifications.

“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.”

The BITD series truly test man and machine. We see no better way of testing and proving what a vehicle can do.

The Raptor will be racing in this weekend’s Parker 425 as well as the following:

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

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.

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.

One thing that everyone has been wondering is how the EcoBoost do in the Raptor. This Raptor as well as the production 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.

This is surely something that we will have to keep an eye on for the 2016 BITD season. Can this truck win its class? Tell us what you think about it in the comments below!