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An estimated 700 people brought 400 Ford F-150 Raptors, Ranger Raptors and Bronco Raptors and converged on Lake Havasu, Arizona, for the second annual Raptor Rally. Ford’s Raptor performance vehicles are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. What better way to show your love for your vehicle than to go tear up the trails? The Raptor Rally brings together enthusiasts and pro drivers. Owners get the chance to learn from the pros and see what is planned for the future.
Learning to Harness Horsepower at the 2025 Raptor Rally
The rally, held in Lake Havasu, Arizona, offered a day and a half of off-road experiences like dynamic trail drives and the ability to jump their own Raptors. Owners can also participate in expert workshops. Representatives from 11 different Raptor clubs also attend and inform owners about other events that take place throughout the year.
Professional off-road racers like Vaughn Gittin Jr., Loren Healy, Brad Lovell, Mitch Guthrie Jr., and Bailey Campbell were on hand to meet the Raptor owners. Much like NASCAR Racing, there is a direct correlation between Raptor’s racing experience and the capability of production vehicles.
Building the Raptor Community
Off-roading has exploded in recent years with more and more people wanting to head out on to the trails. The number of vehicles that are equipped for off-roading has exploded as well. Vehicles like the 2025 Ford F-150 Raptor, Bronco Raptor and Ranger Raptor carry a lot of horsepower and torque. Going out on the trails requires more than just buying the vehicles, you have to learn to operate them safely. A wise friend once told me, “If you don’t know how to handle a four-wheel-drive, it means you will get into trouble four times faster.” That is why Ford is committed to making sure it provides opportunities like the Raptor Rally to teach people how to off-road safely and responsibly.
Ford is capitalizing on the popularity of the Ford Bronco and the powerful Raptors to grow its own off-roading community. Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, loves speed and performance. He is determined to make the company a force in racing and also respected for its off-roading chops. Farley often posts on his X and Instagram accounts about the company’s racing success and off-road performance.
Unleashing the Ford Raptors
The Ford F-150 Raptor has two available engines. The 3.5-liter twin turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 has 450 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque. The high-output supercharged 5.2-liter V8 is even more powerful with 720 horsepower and 640 lb.-ft. of torque. The Raptor features FOX Racing Shox and a unique Raptor grille. Most of the F-150 Raptors ride on 37-inch wheels, but 35-inch wheels are also available.
The 2025 Ford Ranger Raptor has a 3.0L twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine. It kicks out 405 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. of torque. Full-time four-wheel drive is standard. Like the larger F-150, the Ranger Raptor also features Fox Racing Shocks with Live Valve Technology. It has seven selectable drive modes, including Baja mode, for off-road performance. The Ranger Raptor rides on 33-inch tires. The Ranger has a top speed of 107 mph.
The 2025 Ford Bronco Raptor is equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost V6 engine producing 418 horsepower and 440 lb.-ft. of torque. It features Ford's High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) 4.0 system with FOX Live Valve dampers, and advanced 4x4 with locking front and rear differentials. The top speed is 111 mph, and it has a 4-door body style.
The Raptor Rally is designed by Ford Performance for fun but also learning how to harness that much horsepower safely. Pro drivers helped teach owners off-roading skills.
2024 F-150 Raptor Calibration Package
Ford unveiled a new performance package at this year’s rally. 2024 F-150 Raptor owners with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine can now upgrade its performance with a new 50-state legal performance calibration kit that provides more power and improved performance across the RPM range. Ford Performance Parts calibrations are engineered and dyno tested to deliver more power and increased performance while maintaining reliability.
This calibration increases peak torque to an impressive 554 lb.-ft. and boosts horsepower to 466 horsepower. It has an MSRP of $850 and is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile Ford Performance Parts warranty when installed at a Ford dealer.
Ford Photo
Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.
Follow Mary Conway at @MaryConwayMedia and send her car news tips for future stories.
Image by Ford.
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