Even with a crash at the beginning of the run, this Raptor grabs second place in the class.
This week’s “Freaky-Ford Friday” video comes to us from the SwarfWorks YouTube channel and it features a 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor participating in a wintry hill climb event. This footage was captured at Snow Snake Resort in Harrison, Michigan, with a camera system that includes various metrics of the vehicle, giving us a great first- person view of the snowy racing action.
The Machine
Since this entire video is captured from the first- person perspective, we never actually see the truck, but thanks to the video details, we know that we are virtually riding along in a 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor. The truck is competing in the street stock class, so the odds are good that it is stock down to the tires, but as the most capable half-ton, off-road truck in America, it doesn’t need many upgrades to outshine the competition.
However, a little patience by the driver could have secured the win for this EcoBoosted F-150.
The Run
The racing action begins right at the start of the video, with first obstacle being a big, uphill climb. The Raptor driver hammers hard right away, storming up the hill with a little too much speed.
The crest of the first hill creates a pretty substantial jump, followed by a quick left turn. The Raptor hits this first jump with so much speed that it essentially flies off of the course, clearing the snowy curb and crashing through a wooden fence. At that point, the video pauses and rewinds for another look, showing us nearly three Gs of force when the truck slams down from the first jump.
Although this Raptor gets off to a rough start, the driver is able to cruise around the tight course smoothly enough to grab second place in the Street Stock class. We don’t know how badly the class winner beat this Raptor, but if not for the rough start, this F-150 may have won its class.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
