The Ford Performance arm of Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn achieved class victories with the Bronco DR and Ranger Raptor in the 2024 SCORE Baja 1000 last month in Ensenada, Mexico.
The Bronco DR, a purpose-built desert racer added another victory to Bronco’s Baja legacy in the Heavy Metal Limited class. At the same time, the Ford Ranger Raptor, based on the production truck available worldwide, delivered a win in the Stock Mid-Size class.
“The Baja 1000 is brutal,” says Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “It pushes every part of a truck to its limits and demands everything from the drivers and teams. This isn’t just about crossing the finish line — it’s about proving that our vehicles can take on and conquer challenges as tough as Baja.”
This marks the third win of the year for the Ford Bronco DR, which has been victorious in every race it has entered in 2024. Brad Lovell and navigator Roger Lovell led the charge for the first third, followed by Jason Hutter and Paul Blangsted, who helped secure the DR’s August victory at Vegas to Reno. Jason Scherer and Jason Berger took the final leg of the 864-mile race.
“This year put an exclamation mark on how brutal Baja is,” says Brad Lovell, who has piloted the DR at all races. “It’s said it’s the toughest race in North America, and I do believe that’s true. Having been involved with Bronco DR testing for quite a while, I always wanted the opportunity to race it here in the 1000 — it’s what we designed it for, it’s where we made it spirited, lively and fun. To understand Bronco’s legacy in Baja and be part of it is overwhelming. Bronco is utilitarian, a jack of all trades, but it has a special spirit and place in Baja.”
The Ranger Raptor’s triumph shows that racing success doesn’t have to come at the expense of real-world capability, according to Ford. The Ranger Raptor truck is built with advanced FOX suspension, a “rugged” chassis, and a twin-turbo 3-liter EcoBoost engine, the same engineering that is available in the global production truck.
“Baja threw everything it had at us this year,” says Loren Healy, who piloted the Ranger Raptor. “We fought some trials and tribulations last night, but this amazing Ford Performance team put everything — their whole hearts and souls — into this, in the dark, in the cold, in the rain. I’m really proud of everyone here.”
Healy and navigator Eric Davis took the Ranger Raptor for the first part of its journey, then handed the keys to John Williams III and Nate Williams, who drove it for the second. Bailey Campbell and Bryan Crofts took it across the finish line in the last part of its 736-mile Baja trail.
