Ford Bronco Sweeps Grueling King of the Hammers Off-road Race

Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn had a podium-sweep at the Ultra4 stock-class race as part of the 2022 King of the Hammers race week that was run Jan. 21 to Feb. 5 in the Johnson Valley in California.
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The Ford Bronco Raptor swept the podium at the 2022 King of Hammers race week Ultra4 stock-class race. // Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
The Ford Bronco Raptor swept the podium at the 2022 King of Hammers Ultra4 stock-class race. // Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.

Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn had a podium-sweep at the Ultra4 stock-class race as part of the 2022 King of the Hammers race week that was run Jan. 21 to Feb. 5 in the Johnson Valley in California.

The new Bronco Raptor, revealed to the world on Jan. 24, was onsite in Hammertown (Johnson Valley) to witness victory by the very race trucks that led to its creation. Bronco Raptor is equipped with off-road technology and hardware inspired by the challenging Ultra4 Off-Road Racing Series.

“With a commanding 1-2-3 finish at the King of the Hammers Ultra4 stock-class race, Bronco Brand and Ford Performance are proving that Built Wild capability, durability, and innovative design are second to none,” says Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “Our Bronco 4600 racers continue to elevate our motorsports heritage and further underscore how Bronco models can be tuned from the showroom floor to compete in the grueling ULTRA4 stock class series.”

Ultra4 Racing is the epitome of grueling off-road competition, and the famed King of the Hammers in the Johnson Valley in California is one of the most difficult and extreme off-road competitions in the world.

Winning the ULTRA4 4600 stock-class was the team of Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healey in the No. 2567 Bronco 4600, while the team of Brad Lovell and his brother Roger Lovell in the No. 4621 Bronco 4600 placed second, and Bailey Cole and Jason Scherer placed third in the No. 13 Bronco 4600.

Each of the podium-winning Bronco 4600 race vehicles are built from factory stock Bronco two-door SUV chassis and powered by race-bred 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine with competition-tuned High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) System. The same Built Wild innovative design and durability testing that went into the Bronco two- and four-door SUVs is inherent in Bronco 4600 race vehicle, which serves as a test bed for Ford Performance parts and accessories.

Like the first-generation Bronco that took the 1969 Baja 1000 outright, Bronco 4600 builds on this winning tradition starting with a Bronco two-door SUV with stock powertrain running on a competition-tuned High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) System.

Built on a Bronco two-door with Sasquatch Package, Bronco 4600 utilizes a race-tested production 2.7-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 SelectShift 10-speed automatic and second-generation T-6 chassis. It serves as a test bed for a growing list of Ford Licensed Accessories and Ford Performance parts alongside the independent performance aftermarket.

Taking learnings from the Bronco R Race Prototype that ran the 2019 and 2020 Baja 1000, the Bronco 4600’s competition-tuned high-performance off-road stability suspension features Fox coil over shocks with remote reservoirs and Fox pneumatic bump stops at all four corners. It also features Wilwood Engineering brakes and 35-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrain T/A KM3 tires mounted to Method Race Wheels 202 Forged Beadlock wheels.

Heavy-duty front portal hubs from 74 Weld are mounted to Triton Engineering control arms with heavy-duty Howe hydraulic steering rack with cooler. A factory Dana AdvanTEK e-locking differential with RCV custom half-shafts deliver front wheel torque. In back, Triton Engineering rear links support a Dynatrac ProRock XD60 axle with an ARB 35-spline Air Locker and Spidertrax Spider 9 axle shafts and hubs.

Ford Performance supplies modified front and rear modular steel bumpers and a Warn ZEON winch, while RIGID LED off-road lights improve night vision. A custom roll cage by Geiser Brothers and first-ever FIA off-road-certified race shells from Recaro are added inside.

Bronco brand and Ford’s collaboration with ULTRA4 signals a growing presence in the off-road enthusiast realm. Recently, Ford stepped up to serve as official truck and SUV of SCORE-International Off-Road Racing, which holds the Baja 500, Baja 1000, and San Felipe 250 championships. Ford also serves as official vehicle of Best in the Desert.

To learn more about 2022 Bronco two-, four-door and Bronco Sport models, visit here.