{"id":103413,"date":"2016-02-03T13:09:04","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T18:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=103413"},"modified":"2016-02-03T13:09:04","modified_gmt":"2016-02-03T18:09:04","slug":"fords-new-raptor-goes-off-road-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2016\/02\/fords-new-raptor-goes-off-road-racing\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford\u2019s New Raptor Goes Off-Road Racing"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_103415\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-103415\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Ford-Raptor-Racer.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-103415\" title=\"Ford Raptor Racer\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Ford-Raptor-Racer-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-103415\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ford&#39;s Raptor off-road racer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Only weeks after revealing its new Raptor SuperCrew, Ford says it will send the performance truck out racing as part of the 2016 Best in the Desert off-road series\u2019 new factory stock class.<\/p>\n<p>Based in Las Vegas, Best in the Desert will stage nine races this year, including the Vegas to Reno run, the longest off-road race in the United States. The second event in the series, the Bluewater Resort, gets underway in Arizona on Thursday, February 4th, and marks the official race debut of the 217 Ford Raptor.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_34525\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34525\" style=\"width: 152px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"\/subscribe\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-34525\" title=\"Subscribe 12\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Subscribe-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"152\" height=\"91\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Subscribe-12.jpg 152w, https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Subscribe-12-150x91.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 152px) 100vw, 152px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34525\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Motor Sports News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe all-new Raptor has the DNA of a Baja race truck, with a purpose-built engine, chassis and suspension that enables it to travel fast over challenging desert landscapes or crawl over rocky terrain,\u201d boasted Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer of Ford Performance, in a prepared release.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><strong><em>(Victory, defeat&#8230;and plenty of surprises at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. <\/em><a href=\"\/2016\/02\/victory-defeat-and-plenty-of-surprises-at-the-rolex-24-at-daytona\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Click Here<\/span><\/a><em> for more.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em><\/em><\/strong>Ford first introduced the Raptor in 2008, aiming to offer a full-size pickup beefed up for serious performance both on- and off-road. The 2017 truck starts with the same underpinnings as the latest-generation Ford F-150 \u2013 including its aluminum-intensive body. But it gets a number of upgrades and enhancements aimed at enhancing its performance, appearance and durability.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_103416\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-103416\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Ford-Raptor-Racer-rear-3-4-racing.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-103416\" title=\"Ford Raptor Racer - rear 3-4 racing\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Ford-Raptor-Racer-rear-3-4-racing-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-103416\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The racer shares its 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 with the stock version of the Ford Raptor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A beefed-up 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine paired with a 10-speed automatic;<\/li>\n<li>A new Terrain Management System that quickly adjusts various vehicle settings for different road and driving situations<\/li>\n<li>A torsen front differential to improve front grip and the Raptor\u2019s rock-crawling capabilities;<\/li>\n<li>A unique dual exhaust system, a first for the F-150;<\/li>\n<li>17-inch beadlock-capable wheels with next-generation BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As a factory stock class, Ford\u2019s racing team is limited in what additional modifications can be made, but the Best in the Desert truck will get race-optimized shocks and springs, a custom roll cage, special seats with five-point belts, LED light bars, a racing fuel cell; and special digital navigation and data logging equipment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the most stock truck I\u2019ve ever seen in my time building Ford race trucks,\u201d Greg Foutz, owner of Foutz Motorsports and Ford\u2019s truck builder, said in a statement. \u201cWithout custom technology or other modifications, this all-new Raptor is ready to prove the toughness and performance in the Best in the Desert series.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>(Truck sales keep things humming in a cold January. <\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Click Here<\/span><em> for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em><\/em><\/strong>Foutz will alternate shifts behind the wheel with desert race champion\u00a0Tim Casey.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_103417\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-103417\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Ford-Raptor-Racer-interior.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-103417\" title=\"Ford Raptor Racer - interior\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Ford-Raptor-Racer-interior-300x197.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-103417\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Among the approved, off-road modifications, the Raptor racer gets navi and tracking gear.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Automakers have been beefing up their trucks in a bid to build awareness and brand loyalty. Nissan, for example, chose to launch the brawniest version of its all-new Titan, dubbed the Nissan Titan XD, first.<\/p>\n<p>And makers are using motorsports to demonstrate both the power and durability of those trucks. Honda recently ran the reborn Ridgeline on the Baja 1000, considered the most grueling off-road race in North America.<\/p>\n<p>Ford plans to deliver the production version of the 2017 Raptor to showrooms later this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>(Check out the new Ford GT, <\/em><a href=\"\/2016\/01\/new-ford-gt-set-to-make-its-debut-on-track\/\">Click Here<\/a><em>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Only weeks after revealing its new Raptor SuperCrew, Ford says it will send the performance truck out racing as part of the 2016 Best in the Desert off-road series\u2019 new factory stock class. More from TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103413"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103413"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=103413"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=103413"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=103413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}