If you ever had any doubts that the latest rendition of the Raptor might not be as rugged as its predecessor, you can lay those to rest. Greg Foutz Motorsports just wrapped up the Best in the Desert series in the new truck and logged over 100 hours and 2,481 race miles through rough desert terrain and intense temperatures.
“We didn’t slap our name on a trophy truck like other manufacturers do,” Brian Bell, Ford Raptor marketing manager, said. “We ran a stock truck with full factory air conditioning, factory glass, AM/FM SIRIUS/XM satellite radio, the same engine and advanced off-road drivetrain and suspension that you’ll soon see at your Ford dealer.”
2017 Raptor Race Mods
• Race-optimized, 3-inch-diameter Fox Racing shocks
• Race-optimized front and rear springs
• Custom-fabricated roll cage
• MasterCraft seats w/ five-point harness safety belts and window nets
• Rigid Industries LED light bars
• Racing fuel cell
• Lowrance GPS
• RacePak digital dash and datalogger
“I know how much we abused that truck, and they were able to capture a lot of data and provide updates as the Raptor readied for production,” Greg Foutz said.
The latest Raptor definitely proved itself, and since it is so close to the production truck, Ford Performance engineers now have a lot of valuable data to ensure the production trucks live up to the Raptor reputation.