What a Baja 1000 Winner Says Matters Most in the F-150 Raptor: The Shocks
Ford's off-road video series swaps everyday owners for a desert racing pro. His verdict on the Raptor points straight at its Fox Live Valve suspension.
Ford has put Tavo Vildósola, the Mexican desert racer it credits with a 2010 overall win at the Baja 1000, behind the wheel of a production F-150 Raptor. The drive is the latest episode of "Chasing Off-Road Confidence," the video series Ford runs with navigation app maker onX.
Until now, the series has paired host Chase Gentry with ordinary Ford owners. This is the first episode built around a professional racer. The pair met in the Plomosa Mountains of western Arizona, which Ford chose as a halfway point between the two drivers.
Vildósola races in the SCORE Trophy Truck class with his family team, Vildósola Racing. Ford says his 2010 Baja 1000 victory made his squad the first Mexican national team to win the race outright.
The shocks do the talking
Vildósola's core advice in Ford's write-up is blunt: off-roading "is all about the shocks." That lines up with how Ford sells the truck.
Every 2026 F-150 Raptor comes with Fox Live Valve shocks that adjust damping in real time. Ford also offers optional Fox Dual-Live internal-bypass units. The company says they can deliver upward of 1,000 pounds of damping per corner at high desert speeds.
The standard engine is a 3.5-liter high-output EcoBoost V6 with 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic. The Raptor R swaps in a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 rated at 720 hp and 640 lb-ft. A dedicated Baja drive mode is standard, and 37-inch BFGoodrich KO2 tires are optional.
The episode also highlights the Raptor's Performance View screen. Ford says it tracks vitals such as oil pressure and transmission temperature, along with steering angle, pitch, and roll.
A marketing push with a free trial attached
Ford and onX launched the series on March 31, alongside a complimentary year of onX membership for eligible Ford owners. Earlier episodes followed a Las Vegas mom taking her two sons off-roading for the first time. In May, a truck novice tackled rock steps in an F-150 Tremor.
The onX offer covers new memberships to the Offroad, Hunt, Backcountry, and Fish Midwest apps and runs through Dec. 22, 2028. Owners activate it through the Ford app.
One caveat: the trucks in Ford's footage aren't quite showroom stock. Several carry extra LED light pods. Ford's own on-screen disclaimer also notes that at least one scene shows a previous-model-year truck with aftermarket accessories.
