With the 2009 season fast approaching, Ford truck drivers are looking to have another successful year of off-road racing after the rough and tumble 2008 season where Ford was, once again, the dominant manufacturer. Ford trucks have proven during several decades that there is no better manufacturer when it comes to competing in grueling races that go way beyond the average vehicle wear-and-tear. In fact, Ford trucks have been so dominant in the sport that the Ford F-Series is the leading winner of off-road races and the Ford Ranger is in second place.
“Ford learns a great deal through our off-road racing and grass roots racing programs,” said Cliff Irey, Offroad/Truck Racing Engineer. “To us, ‘Built Ford Tough’ is more than a slogan, it’s a way of life. It’s part of our culture.
“Ford Racing has a few tricks up our off-road racing sleeves for the upcoming year. Be sure to watch for more great results from Ford truck drivers during the 2009 season.”
The Best in the Desert Racing Association will kick off the 2009 off-road racing season this weekend with the Epic Racing Products Parker 250 in Parker, Ariz. Though there aren’t any trucks competing in this weekend’s events, a 2010 Ford Raptor F150 SVT will be on display at the host hotel, the Bluewater Resort and Casino.
Race participants will also have an opportunity to look over the new Raptor at the pre-fun run, where they can sign up for preferential allocation in they wish to purchase one soon.
Throughout the history of off-road racing, Ford has been the vehicle of choice. The people racing Ford trucks far outnumber the people who aren’t. And the people who are driving Fords are walking away with race wins, podiums and championships.
In the Best in the Desert Racing Association, where Ford is the official vehicle, Ford trucks regularly made up at least two-thirds of the entire field at any given race in 2008. Throughout the season, Ford drivers had taken 90 percent of the podium spots in the classes that Ford vehicles competed.
Last season, Ford trucks competed in nine different classes in the Best in the Desert Racing Association and Ford truck drivers won six of the nine championships in those classes.
In the season finale, the Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic, Ford drivers came away with victories in six of the classes and scored eight second-place finishes and four third-place finishes to earn a total of 17 podium appearances at just one event.
In Championship Off Road Racing, a short-course racing series, there were three classes where Ford trucks competed in 2008, and Ford drivers swept championships in all three classes. Carl Renezeder won the Pro 4 class, Rob MacCachren won the Pro 2 class and Marty Hart won the Pro Lite class.
In the World Series of Off-Road Racing, a short course series in the Midwest, Ford earned Manufacturer of the Year honors in 2008.
Female driver Heidi Steele had a tremendous season last year in her Ford Ranger. She ran in a modified compact pickup class category and became the first woman driver to win a Best in the Desert off-road racing truck championship. Steele also became the first woman truck champion in SCORE after taking a second-place class finish in the illustrious Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. She also won the title in Championship Off Road Racing.
Ford’s dominance can be assured in the future as well, evidenced by the recent launch of the new Ford F-150 SVT Raptor R that was created with off-road racing in mind. Ford sent a Raptor prototype to the famed Baja 1000 to compete in Class 8. The Baja 1,000 is one of the toughest races to complete in the entire world, with only 50 percent of the entrants even finishing the race. The Raptor prototype not only finished the race, completing all 631 miles, but it came in third place in its inaugural race.
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