The 56th SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by K&N has just concluded, and while the challenging course, rough conditions, and poor weather posed a challenge to racers and vehicles alike, the Ford Bronco Raptor and the Ford F-150 Raptor both reached impressive victories in the mid-size and full-size stock classes.
“Ford is a family company with not only a goal to win, but to also further develop our street Raptors for customers around the world to enjoy,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “The Baja 1000 not only served as a testament to all the hard work from people on the ground and those in Dearborn, Mich., but this event also emphasizes our continued global commitment to the sport and making better products for our customers.”
This desert endurance race is famous the world over as a test of what a vehicle can really do when pushed to the limit, and this year, it was a chance for both the Bronco Raptor and the F-150 Raptor to further establish their presence in the SCORE stock classes. This year was also about title retention for Ford, after a 2022 win with the Ranger Raptor.
The race spanned a nearly 1,200-mile course up the Baja Mexico peninsula from La Paz to Ensenada, a first in the storied history of the Baja 1000. Crossing sandy coastlines, thick beds of silt, treacherous rock fiends, and more, the Bronco Raptor and the F-150 Raptor were both able to complete the race with impressive times, unofficially 40:37:47.820 for the Bronco and 41:44:45.634 for the F-150.
“We are so proud to be able to get these trucks across the finish line,” said Brian Novak, Ford Performance off-road racing supervisor. “Baja is one of the most difficult races in the world, and that is why we use it as a proving ground for our technology. The team is proud to show again this year how capable the Raptors really are.”
“I am very proud to be here in Ensenada,” said Brad Lovell, team principal for the Ford Performance Baja 1000 program. “It’s been a shared goal for over a year between Lovell Racing and Ford Performance to get here. There is so much camaraderie and teamwork – with other teams that have been my competitors, my friends and my teammates to get the vehicles here. It’s certainly not an easy task. The level of preparation, work and planning for unexpected circumstances that goes into a 1,200-mile point-to-point race is daunting. Today, I feel so much relief that the plan worked out, and overall, have pride in the vehicles in that we had the chance to show what the Raptor brand is capable of.”
“Winning the Baja 1000 in the Raptor R will go down as one of my favorite victories in my racing career,” said Loren Healy, F-150 Raptor R racer. “The amount of work that went into the race efforts for both the truck and the Bronco Raptor are absolutely mind blowing. Somewhere around 100 people came together as a family and made magic, getting both these stock production vehicles to win their classes in the second longest Baja 1000 ever. It truly is an honor to be a small part of this epic, history-making team.”
Interested in seeing more updates about Ford racing? Make sure to continue reading our blog here at Haldeman Ford!