Impressive as it is, the new Ranger Raptor isn’t
meant to compete in racing. If Ford gave the green light, maybe it could race in Australia’s
SuperUtes series. However, for the moment it’ll have to make do with being the
Supercars Championship’s new official recovery vehicle.
The Ford Performance pickup features a unique,
high-visibility livery as well as a roof-mounted light bar, communications
equipment to keep in touch with Race Control, a Dorian timing transmitter to
pinpoint the location of each car on the track, and other specialized
equipment. It also sports a Fox suspension and 33-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain
tires, but otherwise it’s bone stock.
Not that the baby Raptor needed much help in the
performance department. It packs a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel
sending 210 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque to all four
wheels through a ten-speed automatic transmission. Which may not be enough for
a V8 Supercar like the Ford Mustang, but it’s not half bad for a mid-size
pickup.
The specially equipped pickup will be on hand for
all the races this season, starting with this weekend’s Rabble Club Sandown
500.
