2021 Ford Bronco Will Compete in Brutal Ultra4 Racing 4600 Stock Class
Photos: Courtesy of Ford
The Ultra4 Racing series is one of the toughest and most grueling off-road races in the world featuring race courses that are filled with massive rocks, huge drops and holes that can swallow up an entire corner of a car; and this year, Ford is planning on racing their all-new Bronco in the 4600 stock class!
A team of legendary off-road race veterans will each have their chance to compete in the all-new Ford Bronco just like the heroes of desert racing did back in the 60s and 70s. This new rough riding dream team consists of three-time King of the Hammers Champion Jason Scherer and his Rock Royalty Racing teammate Bailey Cole, a seasoned Ultra 4 racer who got his start in the 4600 class. All around race car driver, Vaugh Gittin Jr. and two-time King of the Hammers champion Loren Healy will be racing the Bronco as well. The third team to get their seat time racing are Ultra4 champion Brad Lovell and his brother Roger Lovell whom are no strangers to the rocks and have both been instrumental in the growth of Ultra4 racing.
Starting with a 2021 Ford Bronco Sasquatch 2-door as a foundation, the Ford Performance team outfitted their steeds with safety upgrades in addition to a few other modifications to increase strength in key areas on the vehicle to get it ready for the harsh racing environment. Protection for the cockpit comes via a race spec Geiser Brothers Racing roll cage and Recaro off-road race seats.
A set of modular steel bumpers from Ford performance add to the strength of the Bronco while a Warn Winch allows it to move through the course even when the going gets tough. Not all races have blue skies and sunshine and since some of them happen into the dark hours of the night or in the deep woods of Tennessee – Rigid Industries LED lighting at both ends of the Bronco was used to increase visibility and light up the night.
The suspension department was naturally reserved for a set of Fox coilover shocks and hydraulic bumpstops at all four corners for an easily tunable suspension that can be dialed in for the demanding nature of each course.
To bring the Bronco to a halt no matter how rough the going gets, a set of Wilwood Engineering brakes have been shoehorned to fit behind a set of Method Race Wheels Forged 202 beadlock wheels wrapped in 35-inch BFGoodrich KM3 Mud Terrain tires.
Under the hood of these racehorses is a twin fire snorting 2.7L EcoBoost V6 belching out a healthy 310HP and 400 lb-ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission.
To pull these wild steeds through the rocks and slippery corners, a set of 74 Weld Portal hubs mounted on Triton Engineering control arms provide adequate beef to the front suspension while a set of RCV high angle axle shafts transfer the power from the factory Dana e-locker. Sharp turns or sure-footed climbs are just a push of a button away from inside the cab.
Out back, a tried and true Dynatrac ProRock XD60 axle stuffed with an ARB air locker gives the Bronco plenty of strength and traction to handle the rigors of the jarring racecourse from rock gardens to deep silt beds and all the hard pack desert two-tracks in between.
We can’t wait to see what this team does with the Bronco and how it handles the course that the Ultra4 team puts together.
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