√Ford Ranger Raptor to take on Finke Desert Race

After battling the Baja 1000 in Mexico, a race-ready Ford Ranger Raptor is heading into the Australian desert for its next challenge.

A battle-hardened Ford Ranger Raptor – ‘fresh’ from the Baja 1000 in Mexico – is poised to line up for the closest off-road event on the Australian calendar, the 2023 Finke Desert Race.

The Finke Desert Race is a 460-kilometre ‘there and back’ off-road course between Alice Springs and Aputula (Finke) in the Northern Territory, which is open to bikes, cars and buggies.

The vehicle will be driven and co-driven by father-and-son team Brad and Byam Lovell of Lovell Racing– the same pairing that was part of a team of four drivers who piloted the Ford Ranger Raptor in the 2022 Baja 1000.

While Ford announced the Ranger Raptor won its class at the Baja 1000, it was the only vehicle in its class.

However, it was still a noteworthy achievement to finish the gruelling event, given the category allowed minimal modifications and required the vehicle to be in mostly stock configuration.

Ford says for the Baja 1000 the Ranger Raptor was equipped with extra safety items, new wheels and tyres, additional lights, more underbody protection, and a 160-litre fuel cell fitted in the truck bed.

Although the category rules allowed for some modification of the springs and shock absorbers in the Baja 1000, a representative of Ford told Drive the heavy-duty Fox suspension in the Ranger Raptor was in showroom-standard condition.

The Ranger Raptor is entering in the Production 4WD class at Finke, which currently has listed competitors including a Volkswagen Amarok and Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series.

There’s another Ford Ranger Raptor entered in the event, driven by Australian desert racing veteran Geoff Pickering.

It is unclear if the Ford Ranger Raptor will undergo more changes for Finke – or if it will run in the same guise as the Baja 1000 (albeit refurbished for the next event). While category rules allow for suspension modification, Drive has been told Ford plans to keep the Raptor’s suspension in showroom-standard configuration.

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The vehicle was prepared by Kelly Racing in Australia, before final testing and development by Ford Performance and Lovell Racing in the US.

Many vehicles that compete in the Baja 1000 fail to complete the entire race, owing to the severity of the terrain. For example, 44 per cent of the top-class Trophy Trucks that entered the 2022 Baja 1000 registering a DNF (did not finish).

One of those included a Trophy Truck to be driven by Toby Price, whose vehicle burst into flames during the race.

In the other stock category for larger ‘full-size’ vehicles, There were two entrants in the 2022 Baja 1000. A Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series – driven by Marc Van Tassel of Ely Nevada won the class with a time of 33 hours, 30 minutes and 37 seconds.

The other competitor, a Lexus LX600 driven by Tomonori Noto of Hokkaido, logged a DNF.

In comparison, the Ford Ranger Raptor finished the Baja 1000 with a time of 26 hours, 21 minutes, 39 seconds. It was driven by Brad Lovell, Loren Healy, Jason Hutter and two Australians: Danny and Andy Brown of ARB 4X4 Accessories.

The fastest time in the 2022 Baja 1000 – set by a Trophy Truck – was 16 hours, 37 minutes and 45 seconds.

This year represents the first time Ford has entered the Finke Desert Race. The event will run from the 9 to 12 June 2023 in the Northern Territory.

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