Shane McGlaun
Ford has been named the official truck and SUV of SCORE-International Off-Road Racing. The collaboration between the racing organization and Ford comes just as the new Ford Bronco R prototype is set to take to the desert in the Baja 1000. The Bronco R was unveiled earlier this month and gives a hint at what the production Bronco will look like.
Ford debuted the Bronco R and will take part in the SCORE Baja 1000 as part of its celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bronco, taking the only overall 4×4 win to date in the Baja 1000 in 1969. The Bronco R will be driven during the event by what Ford calls an all-star team that includes defending Baja 1000 Trophy Truck champ Cameron Steel.
The goal of the Bronco R in SCORE competition is to demonstrate the upcoming production Bronco powertrain and architecture. Ford is mum on exactly what that powertrain is, but the sound coming from the Bronco R sounds like EcoBoost power. The question is if Ford is using the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost four found in the Ranger, paired up with the same 10-speed automatic.
Ford’s Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, says that the all-new Bronco and F-150 Raptor are built to live and play in the sand of Baja. We hope that Ford puts equal emphasis on rocks and other terrain for the Bronco. The new relationship with Ford and SCORE means that Ford is the lead sponsor of 13 races in the SCORE World Desert Challenge Series, which includes the 2019-2022 Baja 1000 range along with the 2020-2022 SCORE Baja 400, 500, and San Felipe 250 events. The agreement will also see a Ford presence at other SCORE-related events like the Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo held in Pomona, California each year.
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This is a great fit for Ford. Trucks & SUVs are Ford’s bloodline.
The Ford GT proved what it could do in the GTLM series, even with the whole “Balance of Performance” fiasco. It did not make sense for Ford to stay in with a superior car that was tuned down to allow other manufacturers to have a chance. This series should have been about racing to find ways to improve your car and finding drivers who could push them to the limits to do so.
I am glad Ford is dropping their efforts there and going with SCORE.