Ford’s 'Ultimate Raptor' takes podium at maiden home country race

MANILA: The Ford Raptor T1+, which was dubbed as the Blue Oval brand’s “Ultimate Raptor,” has attained second place overall at its first-ever race on American soil. 

Specifically, it secured a podium finish at the 2026 Casey Folks Vegas-to-Reno race, a challenging 800-kilometer all-desert rally-raid competition. Notably, the Raptor T1+ was piloted by Mitch Guthrie Jr., together with co-driver Kellon Walch. The pair, aboard the FIA-spec  Dakar-qualified Raptor T1+, finished the race in a blistering seven hours and 43 minutes. 

Despite the grueling desert terrain, which the team ran at full tilt, the Ford Raptor T1+ rally raider reportedly saw no mechanical issues at all. 

Per Ford, the success of the Raptor T1+ at this US-based competition helps gather data to prep for its next Dakar run. On the one hand, Ford wanted to see how the “global” Raptor would fare against purpose-built American desert race vehicles.

So far, the Ford Raptor T1+ has already won a double-podium (second- and third-place finishes) and six stage wins at the 2026 Dakar Rally across Saudi Arabia.

“Bringing the Raptor T1+ home to race in the United States was important to us, but doing it with Mitch and Kellon and finishing on the overall podium makes this a really special moment for Ford Racing,” Ford Racing Global Director Mark Rushbrook said. 

“This truck was developed to compete at the highest level of rally raid around the world, and this weekend we saw that capability translate to a very different challenge in the American desert. In the 125th anniversary year of Ford Racing and as America celebrates 250 years, America’s race team brought the ultimate Raptor home with an American driving team and fought at the front,” Rushbrook added. 

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Ford Raptor T1+

While sharing a name with the famous Ford Ranger Raptor and the F-150 Raptor, the Raptor T1+ is a custom-built full-on race vehicle designed to conquer Dakar. 

Propelling the model is a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine fitted with plenty of custom parts. Per FIA rally-raid standards, the said engine is limited to produce up to 360 horsepower.

Contrary to the production Ford Ranger Raptor, which uses internal bypass dampers, the Raptor T1+ uses external bypass dampers. It also gets more in the way of wheel travel, maxxing out at 350 millimeters (mm). This goes together with its 400 mm of ground clearance and a set of 37-inch all-terrain tires. 

On that note, Ford fans who want a taste of the Raptor T1+’s Dakar-oriented capabilities can turn towards the Ford Ranger Raptor, which currently retails at P.2799 million for the 3.0-liter V6 version and P2.645 million for the 2.0-liter Bi-turbo diesel variant. 

While not having as many cylinders as the Raptor T1+, the Philippine-spec Ford Ranger Raptor V6 is still a powerhouse, churning out 391 horsepower and 583 Newton-meters of torque. This pairs with a class-exclusive electronically controlled active exhaust system and a suspension equipped with Fox Live Valve shocks. 

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