Ford Performance showed the rest of the field how it’s done at the 2023 Finke Desert Race, bringing a blisteringly fast Ford Ranger Raptor to the sands and taking victory in the Australian desert. The Blue Oval is gearing up to defend its crown this year, and it’s ponying up with an upgraded Ranger Raptor race truck to take it all.
Brad Lovell will return to take control of the same Ranger Raptor that saw him to Victory Lane last year, although it sports improvements that should make it a frontrunner in this year’s race. It’s built on a similar specification to the Baja race trucks, and this year’s truck features weight reduction and optimized suspension calibration. In fact, the Ranger Raptor race truck retains the same suspension hardware and electronics as its road-going counterpart, but features a Finke-spec damper calibration.
“The Finke Desert Race is truly unique, with a challenging combination of high speeds and seriously massive whoops,” said Lovell in a statement. “I’m looking forward to facing off against a stronger field of competitors this year and showing what the Ranger Raptor is capable of.”
Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports, stated, “The Ranger Raptor is Ford Performance’s global off-road racing platform, and we are proud to return to the vehicle’s spiritual homeland of the Aussie Outback to defend our 2023 victory. While the team has been hard at work improving the Ranger Raptor for the 2024 event, our race truck still retains the same engine, transmission, and suspension components that roll off the showroom floor.”
So far on the off-road circuit, Ford found success at the 2024 Dakar Rally with its Ford Ranger T1+, finishing the grueling race with top-20 times to show for it. Looking ahead to 2025, a new Ford Raptor race truck will take to the track, hopefully putting The Blue Oval atop the standings. This new racer will be driven by Carlos Sainz Sr. and Nani Roma, both experienced drivers in their craft.
The Finke Desert Race kicks off on Friday, June 7th, 2024, and will run through Monday, June 10th.
We’ll have more on the next-gen Ford Ranger Raptor soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Ranger news, Ford Ranger Raptor news, and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet