Yep, this is considered a stock race.
Ford
Earlier this week we had the Ford Bronco turn into a unlimited class 4400 King of the Hammers rock crawler. Today, Ford debuts with the stock-class version, something that should be more easily accessible to your average Janes and Joes who wants to race: it’s the Bronco 4600 racing sports utility vehicle, and it’s on its way to King of the Hammers.
For those who are not like me desert rats, King of hammers may mean nothing to you. It’s one of the worst, ugliest, smartest races on the planet. What started as a group of friends chasing through the boulders of Johnson Valley, California, evolved into a week-long event, complete with a pop-up town called Hammertown and no less than six individual races, all organized by the sanction body Ultra4 Racing.
This Bronco stock fits into the 4600 stock class. However, do not think that stock means unchanged. The rules stipulate that the inventory framework, bodywork, engine and transmission must be used, but that teams can install upgraded tires, gearboxes, axles and the like. Even upgrades to suspension components are allowed, provided they are the same type. Leaf feathers must therefore remain leaf feathers, tortoises must remain tortuous. You understand the core.
It brings us here. Ford will power the two-door with the Sasquatch package and the 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6, which emits 310 horsepower and 400 pounds of torque. Oddly enough, Ford uses the 10-speed automatic, not the seven-speed manual. I say curious because the automatic crawl ratio has 67.8: 1. This is fine, but it pales in comparison to the manual’s crawl ratio of 94.7: 1, which drivers need when trying to climb these ridiculously large rocks and boulders. Ford did not immediately return a request for comment when asked about the decision.
Regardless, this race-ready Bronco looks pretty good with the 35-inch BF Goodrich KM3 tires wrapped around Method beadlock wheels. And it has to go pretty far into the rocks thanks to upgraded Triton Engineering control arms, RCV half-axles and a Dana lock case. Upgraded rear Triton Engineering links and a Dynatrac XD60 rear axle are complemented by an ARB Air Locker and Spidertrax Spider 9 axle and hubs.
This craft not only has to conquer the rocks, but must also be a high-speed eater if it wants to win races. As such, it carries Fox coils with remote reservoirs and pneumatic bumps. The Bronco 4600 also features a full roll cage, a Warn winch, LED lights by Rigid and FIA off-road certified seats by Recaro.
Every Friday’s Every Man Challenge would be the perfect race for the Bronco 4600, but alas, the company went to great lengths to get the unlimited 4400 Class Bronco ready to race on Saturday and has not even tested the 4600 yet. Ford says it’s We’ll start racing as we get closer to Bronco’s production, with a number of excellent drivers including Vaughn Gittin Jr., Loren Healy, Jason Scherer, Bailey Cole, Brad Lovell and Roger Lovell.