Ford Performance Dominance in All Classes
The recently finished 2023 Baja 1000 event hosted by Score International could easily be seen as a major promotional opportunity for Ford, despite the difficult obstacles it presented.
Certainly, one cannot overlook the dedication and mastery associated with completing a strenuous race. Nevertheless, the Blue Oval’s vehicles, like the Bronco Raptor and F-150 Raptor R managed to take the crown in their individual divisions even with scarce competition.
“Brad Lovell was the sole driver in the Stock Midsize class when he drove his Bronco Raptor to the finish line. Despite being the only vehicle in the class, Lovell pushed his Ford SUV hard and finished with an impressive time of 40:37:47. It’s clear that Lovell was determined to demonstrate the capabilities of the Bronco Raptor and that he wasn’t taking this ‘competition’ lightly.”
In the full-size stock category, the F-150 Raptor R, driven by Loren Healy, did have some competition in the shape of Team Jaos’ Lexus LX600. However, Ford ended up finishing the race while the Japanese team got a “did not finish” status after 100 miles due to electrical issues. The unbeatable F-150 R completed the course in 41:44:45.
Interestingly, many competitors not directly managed by Ford Performance but using Ford vehicles proved highly successful across the other classes. To illustrate, the top three drivers in the 7SX (mini pickup trucks) class were all piloting modified Ford trucks. Even victory in the fast-paced Score Trophy truck was accomplished by Bryce Menzies at the wheel of a vehicle based on a Raptor.
Ford Performance’s entries have had great success in this event, which serves to show the potential capabilities of their vehicles with only minimal modifications. Consequently, this will naturally draw attention and buyers for their models.
“That’s great, but we think it would be better if Ford got to see some real competition for at least future Baja 1000 events. Chevrolet could potentially enter the Score Baja 1000 Stock Midsize category with the Colorado ZR2 Bison, this year’s CarBuzz Awards winner for ‘Offroad Warrior.’ On top of that, Ram could also bring the fight to the F-150 Raptor R with the 1500 RHO, which is taking over from the outgoing 1500 TRX.”
