Getting Big Air in a Ranger Raptor at Austria’s Salzburgring

SALZBURG, Austria - At this week’s Ready Set Ford event in Austria, guests are being taught how to get some serious air in a Ranger Raptor.

Ford has built a special 2km course on the edge of the Salzburgring to demonstrate the pickup’s extraordinary ability to traverse extreme terrain at speed. And, by the end of the week, some 700 people will have driven the track which features a huge gravel crest – perfect for getting a Raptor airborne. 

Ford comms colleague Joe Morel got to launch the truck over the crest, and he described the landing as “like skydiving on a sofa”.

“First things first, we don’t just point the Raptor at the nearest obstacle and go at full attack,” Joe said. “Yes, this is a tough truck, but it still rewards deft hands and some intelligent use of its features. Selecting Baja Mode primes the suspension for maximum movement, gives me the sharpest and most aggressive throttle response and gearshifts, and opens up the exhaust so it functions like a straight-through system.

“We also want to be in 4A mode. This means the Raptor intelligently sends torque to whichever wheels have the most grip, giving me maximum control and performance on changing surfaces. The steering and seat base let me feel the transitions from mud to broken concrete to gravel as we accelerate towards the crest. I keep my foot down and flick up a gear using the magnesium paddle by my right index finger.

“Any cornering as we near the crest would be exaggerated once in mid-air, so a straight run-up is crucial. You want enough of a jump to show off the suspension, but not so much that it kicks the Raptor’s rear up high or risks loss of control.

“Lifting off the throttle once airborne keeps the truck settled and level as we clear the long gravel downslope below us. It also reduces the forces put through the transmission when we land and helps smooth the transition back to driving. The smart suspension knows each wheel is about to hit the ground again and will stiffen the suspension’s final 25 per cent of travel to stop us from bottoming out on landing, while keeping the initial touchdown soft enough to not fling us off the course.

“I’d mentally primed myself to hit the brakes after the landing bump. Except there isn’t one. It’s smoother than the plane that brought me here. Those Fox dampers and long-travel suspension mean that bizarrely, landing is a non-event. It’s like skydiving on a sofa, and immediately I want to do it again.

“Run over, the Raptor ticks itself cool in the sun, absolutely nonplussed. It could have done exactly the same thing with over half a tonne of garden waste in the back while streaming my favourite podcast through its 10-speaker B&O audio system. The load-anything, go-anywhere potential of this pickup is second to none.”