Ford Reveals Bronco Race Truck at KoH

By Dusty Rhodes

Today, Ford Performance revealed the all-new Bronco 4600 race trucks that will run in ULTRA4 stock class at the annual epic off-road event, King of Hammers, in Johnson Valley, California. For years, Johnson valley as served as an engineering development playground for the Ford Raptor and more recently the Ford Bronco. The all-new Bronco 4600 race truck, instantly recognizable as a production Bronco, is designed to inspire upcoming two-door and four-door customers looking to prep vehicle for off-road racing in the ULTRA4 series.

Built on a Sasquatch™ Package, Bronco 4600 utilizes race-tested production 2.7-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, SelectShift® 10-speed automatic and second-generation T-6 chassis, similar to the Bronco R that raced 2019 and 2020 Baja 1000. It serves as a test bed for a growing list of Ford Licensed Accessories and Ford Performance parts alongside the independent performance aftermarket.

Taking learnings from the Bronco R Race Prototype that ran the Baja 1000, the Bronco 4600’s competition-tuned suspension features Fox coilover shocks with remote reservoirs and Fox pneumatic bump stops at all four corners. It also features Wilwood Engineering brakes and 35-inch BFGoodrich® mud-terrain T/A® KM3 tires mounted to Method Race Wheels 202 Forged Beadlock wheels.

Heavy-duty front portal hubs from 74 Weld are mounted to Triton Engineering control arms with heavy-duty Howe hydraulic steering rack with cooler. A factory Dana™ AdvanTEK e-locking differential with RCV custom halfshafts deliver front wheel torque. In back, Triton Engineering rear links support a Dynatrac ProRock XD60® axle with an ARB 35-spline Air Locker® and Spidertrax Spider 9™ axle shafts and hubs. Ford Performance supplies modified front and rear modular steel bumpers and a Warn® ZEON® winch, while RIGID® LED off-road lights improve night vision. A custom roll cage by Geiser Brothers and first-ever FIA off-road-certified race shells from Recaro® are added inside. We expect most if not all of these components to be offered soon by either Ford Performance, or via key strategic aftermarket providers like 4WD Parts/www.4wdparts.com.

“Bronco 4600 underscores how ready the all-new Bronco is for competition and how Ford Performance is committed to driving the brand’s success across multiple off-road series,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports.

Proven Drivers

Bronco 4600 series teams feature an all-star lineup of off-road racing veterans, including Fun-Haver teammates Vaughn Gittin Jr. and two-time King of the Hammers champion Loren Healy. In addition, a Bronco 4600 will be driven by teammates Jason Scherer, a three-time King of the Hammers champion and Bailey Cole, seasoned racer in ULTRA4 and Score Baja 1000 winner in class. A third Bronco 4600 race team includes Brad Lovell, who has won championships in ULTRA4, and his brother Roger Lovell, a professional engineer who has used his talents in off-road design and also has multiple off-road racing wins and championships.

Inspired ‘War Paint’ Pays Homage to Bronco Brand’s Race Legacy

Bronco 4600 race trucks feature a new livery leveraging factory 2021 Bronco colors – Race Red, Oxford White and Velocity Blue. The front design takes inspiration from the 1969 Baja 1000-winning Bronco, with matte black hood, plus white upper and red lower body lines that transitions into a more modern Bronco design scheme extending rearward.

“Our new ‘war paint’ scheme tells the Bronco race story – up front is chapter one that traces back to the victorious 1969 Bronco, then, as you travel along the side, the lines get more diagonal, more futuristic, signaling the future of the brand,” said Scott Guan, Bronco designer.

The hood sports a white Bronco logo. Like Bronco R Race Prototype and Bronco Sport Rebelle Rally trucks, Bronco 4600’s “R” in the grille is distinctly red.

Official Truck and SUV of ULTRA4 and SCORE Off-road Racing

Recently, Ford became the official truck and SUV of SCORE-International Off-Road Racing, which holds the Baja 500, Baja 1000 and San Felipe 250 championships. Ford also serves as official vehicle of Best in the Desert.

Testing Footage

Bronco Nation accompanied the Ford Performance engineering team for testing of the Bronco R in Arizona last summer, check out our video on the Bronco Nation YouTube channel by following this link https://youtu.be/Rx0tDm3U-0w .