The all-new Ford F-150 Raptor race truck competes in the Best in the Desert Mint 400 off-road race.
Hard rock resonates through the cabin from satellite radio as Ford’s production-based 2017 F-150 Raptor race truck finished the demanding Best in the Desert Mint 400 off-road race this past weekend.
Greg Foutz and Tim Casey were at the helm of the Ford F-150 Raptor race truck, which is the only stock truck competing in the Best in the Desert factory stock class for full-sized trucks (Class 1200), making it the first such vehicle to finish a race in this class.
The Ford F-150 Raptor race truck is one of 19 teams in the limited group out of 68 in total to to finish the 2016 Mint 400.
“We’re really pleased with the F-150 Raptor’s performance,” said Foutz. “The all-new F-150 Raptor race truck was strong throughout, and its new high-output EcoBoost® engine and transmission are seriously impressive.”
The factory stock class is the most production-specification class in the history of Best in the Desert. F-150 Raptor race truck leverages the built-in capability and features of the production F-150 Raptor, including:
- Fully boxed, high-strength steel frame
- High-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body
- All-new high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine paired with all-new 10-speed transmission and torque-on-demand transfer case
- Ford Performance 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels with next-generation BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires for enhanced off-road performance
Additional factory stock features:
- Windshield, air conditioning, power windows and door locks
- Instrument panel and dashboard, including Sirius-XM satellite radio
- LED headlamps and taillamps
Modifications made to the race truck:
- Race-optimized three-inch-diameter external-bypass front and rear FOX Racing Shox similar to stock F-150 Raptor’s segment-exclusive, three-inch-diameter internal-bypass FOX Racing Shox
- Race-optimized front and rear springs raise ride height for additional ground clearance, and provide increased compression rate to handle extreme terrain and additional weight of competition-required roll cage
- Custom-fabricated roll cage
- MasterCraft seats with five-point harness safety belts and window nets
- Rigid LED light bars, racing fuel cell, Lowrance GPS, Racepak digital dash and data logger