The production-based off-road racer was built and developed by Kelly Racing in Australia last year before being shipped off to Baja to be run by Lovell Racing.
The Raptor will now return to Australia for a factory-supported tilt at the famous Finke Desert Race in the Production 4WD class.
Brad and Byam Lovell will continue to drive the car while the Finke effort will be coordinated by Walkinshaw Performance.
“Bringing the Ranger Raptor to the Finke Desert Race is the next stage of Ford Performance’s strategic global racing plan,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports.
“Ranger is our flagship platform for global off-road racing, and after conquering the Baja 1000 in the Stock Mid-Size class, we decided the next stop should be back to Australia, where the production truck was developed, to tackle the toughest off-road race down under.
“We know this truck has all the requirements to be successful at this event, but we’re not going to be resting on our laurels. This will be a full Ford Performance effort to ensure we are putting our best foot forward for this event."
For experienced off-road racer and Ford test driver Brad Lovell, a trouble-free run from Alice Springs to Aputula and back will be the key to success.
“The Finke Desert Race is one of the toughest events on the off-road calendar, and one that we’ve wanted to take on for a long time,” said Lovell.
"The Ranger Raptor is an incredible machine, and we're confident that it will perform exceptionally well in the race. We're looking forward to pushing ourselves and the vehicle to the limit.
“Byam and I make a great team, and I'm confident that our combined skills and experience will help us navigate the challenging terrain and finish strong. We know the truck is good, it ran faultlessly at Baja, and we’re aiming for more of the same at Finke."
The Finke Desert Race will take place on June 9-12.
