Ford announced today that the next-generation Ranger Raptor will take on the stock class at this year's Baja 1000.
The race-ready Ranger has been developed as a joint venture between Ford Performance and former Supercars squad Kelly Racing in Australia.
Kelly Racing, run by Todd Kelly, previously ran Nissan's factory Supercars programme before switching to Ford support in 2020.
The team then handed its Supercars programme over to Grove Racing ahead of the 2022 season.
Following the build programme in Australia, the Baja Ranger has since been shipped to the US for final development and testing.
Lovell Racing, run by off-road Hall of Famer Brad Lovell, is set to field the car for the Baja 1000.
“By entering this event, we’re building on the hundreds of thousands of kilometres of development testing and pushing the Ranger Raptor to new extremes,” said Brian Novak, Off-Road Motorsports Supervisor, Ford Performance.
“The Baja 1000 is a demanding event and a well-known proving ground for off-road vehicles. We are excited to compete in this extreme event with Ranger Raptor.”
The Ranger will run on a Shell low-carbon biofuel for its Baja 1000 debut.
“Demonstrating low-carbon fuels in performance settings like the Baja 1000 can help bring biofuels and other clean energy technologies to scale more quickly, and help to make them more available and affordable for everyone,” said Cynthia Williams, Global Director of Sustainability, Compliance and Homologation at Ford.
The Ford Ranger won't be the only Baja 1000 entry with links to Australia, with Toby Price and Paul Weel eyeing outright victory in a Trophy Truck run under the Team Australia banner.
The Baja 1000 kicks off on November 18.
