When talking about racing, Thailand isn’t the first country that springs to mind. There is, however, a Thai driver that competes in Formula 1 in the guise of Alexander Albon. But most importantly, the Asian country boasts a rather diverse racing scene.
Thailand is also where a Ranger has been modified to carve corners on the blacktop, and even though it looks like the Raptor, the racing truck couldn’t be more different under the skin. Modified by Ford’s local racing division for the Super Pickup class of the Thailand Super Series, this fellow here has leveled up from the 2.0-liter EcoBlue to the 3.2-liter Duratorq inline-five diesel augmented by a GReedy turbo.
Speaking to CB Media at Bira Circuit, racing driver Sandy Stuvik mentions that the engine has been “boosted as much as we can” without getting into the finer details like crankshaft and rear-wheel output figures. Speaking of wheels, the regulations limit the dimensions of the rubber shoes to 245/40 by 17 inches whereas the bone-stock Ranger Raptor comes standard with 285/70 by 17-inch tires.
Another difference that needs to be highlighted is the rear suspension. The biggest giveaway of this truck starting out as a regular Ranger is the leaf-spring suspension at the rear axle instead of a multi-link setup like you may find on the off-road variant. Even more interestingly, Ford Thailand Racing has retained the six-speed manual transmission instead of upgrading to a lighter and more aggressive sequential.
Be that as it may, there are obvious go-faster upgrades over the factory specification. In no particular order, this double-cab workhorse is equipped with Ohlins remote-reservoir shocks, Wilwood brake calipers, Hankook super-sticky boots, more aerodynamic body panels, a huge rear diffuser, and a center-piped exhaust system with two exits. Of course, the rear wing can be adjusted depending on the track.
This marvelous machine isn’t perfect, though. On the day the following video was filmed, the Raptor-like racing truck blew a gasket while testing, meaning that the manifold and the turbocharger had to be removed in order to repair the straight-five diesel motor.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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