Ford Invites Ranger Raptor Buyers to Off-Road Assault School

The next-gen Ford Ranger pickup is starting to arrive at dealerships, including the first-ever stateside launch of the Ranger Raptor. If you know Ford lingo, you know the ‘Raptor’ delineation means a souped-up, all-out off-road machine built a few notches above whatever packages you can get on lower trims (in this case, the Ranger’s FX4 Off-Road Package). 

And if you know Ford, you know they’ve been on a kick giving buyers of these special grades unique experiences, and the Ranger Raptor is no exception. Enter: The Ranger Raptor Assault School.

This program is designed to give owners a taste of what their new pickup can do off the pavement. Held at the Ford Performance Racing School in Tooele Valley, Utah, attendees will experience a day of specialized instruction from off-road driving pros. Expect low-speed rock crawling and high-speed Baja running, touching on a number of important overlanding skills. The whole set of exercises was developed with input from Ford Performance engineering.

“Our goal is for owners, whether novices or off-road veterans, to experience the full capability of Ranger Raptor and get a true understanding of the passion and attention to detail that Ford engineers put into developing it,” said Will Ford, Ford Performance general manager.

The Ranger Raptor Assault School follows in the path of the F-150 Raptor Assault School, and joins other owner experiences such as the Bronco Off-Roadeo and Mustang Dark Horse Track Attack; although, the Bronco program was recently opened to non-owners for a fee. As for the Ranger school, the cost of the one-day event is factored into the purchase of a new Ranger Raptor, so it’s wise to take advantage of it if possible. Trucks and safety gear are provided by the school, as are meals.