Ford Bronco R Prototype Completes 2020 Baja 1000

Ford’s Bronco has a long, illustrious history at Baja going all the way back to 1967. And now that the all-new 2021 Bronco is soon making its way to dealerships, a prototype race version of the resurrected 4×4 machine made its return to the desert. Just as you’d expect, it made Ford’s engineers proud.

The Bronco R Race Prototype, driven by Cameron Steele, Shelby Hall and a team of veteran off-road racers, finished the 53rd SCORE-International Baja 1000 in Class 2 last week in only 32 hours. The success was a milestone for the pilots and their co-drivers (Johnny Campbell, Curt LeDuc and Jason Scherer), as well as a clear indication of the superiority of the Bronco brand and Ford’s engineering. The race prototype was powered by a stock 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine and Ford 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. It was further bolstered by the “Baja Mode” of the Terrain Management System, which will also be seen on the final production versions.

“When Bronco returned we said it would follow in the legacy of the first-generation Broncos that forever changed the off-road landscape – and today’s finish demonstrates we’re continuing the ‘Built Wild’ pedigree of Bronco,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance motorsports.

A pre-production 2021 Bronco two-door Outer Banks model also made its first appearance at Baja. That trim and others will become available to consumers early next year.

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