Due to arrive in showrooms this fall, the F-150 Raptor is making a couple stops on the way, competing in the 2016 off-road racing series "Best in the Desert." Sharing much of its platform with the production model, the Raptor race truck will demonstrate how a desert-born pickup is able to tackle the toughest terrain.
“This is the most stock truck I’ve ever seen in my time building Ford race trucks,” said Greg Foutz, owner of Foutz Motorsports, Ford's truck builder and primary race truck driver. “Without custom technology or other modifications, this all-new Raptor is ready to prove the toughness and performance in the Best in the Desert series.”
The Raptor race truck gets its motivation from the same second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine that will power the production version.
The Raptor makes its racing debut beginning February 4 in Parker, Arizona. With six events in the series, "Best in the Desert" concludes in December at the Pahrump Nugget 250.
2017 Ford Raptor prepares for grueling off-road racing series Best in the Desert https://t.co/Y4Nqko4Atm pic.twitter.com/GExnhhgwrU
— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) February 3, 2016