By Otsile Kadiege

The recently unveiled, all-new Ranger Raptor went to Ford Performance to get race-ready ahead of its Score International Baja 1000 race debut in the stock class. The Baja 1000, held on the Baja California Peninsula, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious off-road races, attracting competitors from around the globe eager to take on its miles of treacherous desert terrain, steep drops and tough climbs.

Ford Performance worked with Australia’s Kelly Racing to build the Baja-ready Ranger Raptor and U.S.-based Lovell Racing to develop and race the truck at Baja, which begins on Nov. 18.  Lovell Racing, led by multi-time off-road champion and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer Brad Lovell, is one of Ford Performance’s key off-road teams.

In a bid to demonstrate the potential of low-cabon fuels as alternative fuels that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional fuels, Ford’s race-prepped Ranger Raptor will be running on Shell’s one-third blend of biofuel – with its mix of ethanol and bionaptha.

The blue oval automaker is working to achieve carbon neutrality globally across its vehicles, operations and supply chain no later than 2050 and to reach science-based interim targets by 2035.  As Ford launches electrified versions of its most popular nameplates, the company continues to research and develop alternative fuel options across all of its vehicles, including performance racing, to provide customers with low-carbon alternatives. Alternative fuel vehicles can reduce GHG emissions compared to conventional fuel equivalents on a well-to-wheels basis, which includes emissions from both producing and consuming the fuels.

Watch the Baja-ready, next-gen Ranger Raptor being built and put through its paces during its shakedown before the event, here: https://youtu.be/9JPwBPqcbUE