The very first Raptor Rally event brought in hundreds of Raptor fans, racers and owners alike!
The inaugural Raptor Rally, an exclusive off-road event held for Raptor owners who want to meet, drive and experience Raptors in the desert, kicked off this month, with nearly 300 owners, fans and VIPs taking part. Held at an ORV facility near Fairfield, Utah (about an hour out of Salt Lake City), this event offered a variety of experiences to all the attendees. For some, it was an opportunity to learn more about their actual Raptors, whether it’s a Ranger, Bronco or F-150. Others came to hammer the Raptors off-road, as they’re made to do, or participate in all sorts of events around the venues. Ford cooked up this program to celebrate the enormous success of the Raptor brand and the folks most crucial to that success — its customers.
Ford brought just a handful of journalists and influencers to the event, and I’m the lucky man on the ground for TFL Studios. Ford organized this Raptor Rally into a sun-baked smorgasboard of seminars, hands-on instruction, special trails and product displays. In addition, aftermarket suppliers who connected to the Raptor, like Fox and Recaro, among others, are on hand to show off what makes their gear a major component to building up any Raptor.
The popularity of the displays showing the three 2025 Raptors is endless. Checking out the venue over a long weekend, I noticed owners and hardcore fans endlessly curious about Ford’s newest offerings. The company had its own engineers on hand such, including Raptor Chief Engineer Carl Widmann, for their discussions throughout the day. With huge amounts of knowledge and enthusiasm, the folks involved with the Raptor project shared tons of inside information about suspension systems, powertrains and testing methods.
Ford’s Raptor Rally reminds me of the Jeep Safari (coincidentally also based in Utah), just with even more horsepower.
Each drive event during the Raptor Rally is about a half-mile from each other. The program includes rock-crawling with major off-camber leans and a steep climbs. There’s a deep sand drag and even a place where they encourage you to jump. Mind you, it’s not as crazy as Ford’s promotional materials since they used professional drivers on closed courses, and we’re talking about everyday drivers (and the insurance liability that poses), so the challenge is a bit more down-to-earth. As a result, Ford positioned the trucks close enough so no one driver could build up a huge amount of speed, as a mindful safety move.
Ford also offered practical workshops, too. Those included how to extricate yourself when you get stuck, the ever-so-fashionable “Tread Lightly” doctrine and the fundamental basics, for those who weren’t already in the know.
Booths at what I dubbed the “Raptor Rave” over the weekend included meet-and-greets with Ford racers, plenty of Raptor-themed merchandise (naturally), food, and games, so a little something for everyone. Throughout the event, an announcer would introduce Ford’s elite onto a center stage, while the company itself took the opportunity to join the party with their own news about what’s coming down the pike for production Raptors as well as upcoming race events.
After a full day of festivities, drives, demos and more, Ford’s team showed off the Baja 1000 Ford Ranger Raptor. They announced their upcoming Dakar racing team, along with other drivers for other rallies.
A more practical solution to current owners, Ford launched its performance tune calibration for the Ranger Raptor’s 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 as well as the 3.5-liter EcoBoost for the non-R F-150 Raptor.
With how well this year’s Raptor Rally went down, I’d count on the event making a return next year and beyond. So, if you own a Raptor or you’re in the market for one, keep an eye out on news coming down the pipeline about next year’s event. It’s definitely worth checking out!
