2017 Ford Raptor is Out to Prove It's the Best in the Desert
Ford will be campaigning a 2017 F-150 Raptor in the upcoming 2016 Best in the Desert off-road racing series.
The truck will compete in the new factory stock class and will run in six races during 2016, taking place across Arizona and Nevada. The truck will be a modified version of the 2017 Raptor, though many of the important bits stay the same as the production version, including the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 with over 411 hp, the Torsen front differential, dual exhuast and 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels with BFGoodrick All-Terrain KO2 tires mounted.
The truck will also use the 10-speed automatic transmission found in the new road-going Raptor.
SEE ALSO: Watch the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Prototype Go Off-Roading
“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.”
So what has been done to this Raptor? The team has added three-inch diameter external-bypass front and rear Fox Racing shocks, race-optimized springs to increase ride height, a custom fabricated roll cage, a five-point harness and window nets, an LED light bar, racing fuel cell, Lowrance GPS unit, a digital dash and a data logger.
To see the new Raptor run the at the Best in the Desert, check out one of the races listed below.
Best in the Desert Races 2016
- Parker 425, Parker, Arizona, Feb. 4-7
- 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
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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