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The 2017 Ford Raptor Just Finished the Baja 1000

By Kelly G.

Ford, America’s truck leader for nearly 40 years, will enter its all-new 2017 F-150 Raptor in the 49th running of the SCORE Baja 1000 off-road endurance event, Nov. 16-20 (Photo Ford Media)
Ford, America’s truck leader for nearly 40 years, will enter its all-new 2017 F-150 Raptor in the 49th running of the SCORE Baja 1000 off-road endurance event, Nov. 16-20 (Photo Ford Media) /
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Ford brings the new 2017 F-150 Raptor to compete in this year’s Baja1000 to show that this truck in stock form is ready to handle Baja.

The SCORE Baja 1000 is by far one of the most difficult off-road races in the world. When Ford announced that they were going to be sending their new 2017 Ford Raptor down to Baja California, Mexico to race at this year’s event, many people thought the Raptor would show up to the race looking nothing like it does from the factory.

But this was simply not the case. You see, Ford knows they have a built a winner with the new Raptor. And they were confident enough in this vehicle that they brought a virtually stock version to tackle the unforgiving terrain of the Baja 1000 and prove it.

Ford entered the F-150 Raptor in the stock full competition class. That meant that to compete in this year’s race the car had to keep the majority of its stock components from the showroom floor.

Sure, for safety, they had to add a roll cage, racing seats and harness, and puncture-resistance fuel cell, but other than a couple of tweaks to the already impressive FOX suspension, the truck raced as if it just rolled off the factory floor.

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This was a pretty gutsy move by Ford considering the stock full class consisted of only five vehicles!

Behind the wheel of the new Raptor, Ford enlisted the help of four-time Baja winner Greg Foutz. Greg is no stranger to the Ford lineup. Back in 2008, Foutz raced and finished the Baja 1000 with the first-gen Raptor taking 3rd in his class. It took the team 25.5 hours to complete the 631-mile race.

But this year, the team at Foutz Motorsports had 36 hours to complete an 854-mile course.

So how did they do? (Updated) The Baja 1000 was an 854.8-mile loop starting and finishing in Ensenada. The team had to get it done in 36 hours to get an official finish. The Raptor’s time: 35:59:08.151. That’s insane!

Not only did they successfully finish the race but they also drove it back home another 399.87 miles to Foutz Motorsports HQ in Arizona. Not that’s one tough truck!

Next: Did Robby Gordon Finish the 2016 Baja 1000?

Congratulations to the team at Foutz Motorsports on finishing this year’s 2016 SCORE Baja 1000.  Art of Gears was live tracking the Ford Raptor throughout the entire race on the SCORE International App, and we had fun tracking the trucks progress from start to finish.

One thing’s for sure; the new 2017 Ford Raptor was built to conquer a variety of different terrain, and with a finish at this year’s Baja 1000 under its belt, we can expect to see a big jump in orders that are ready to be placed on this popular vehicle.

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