Ford’s inaugural Raptor Rally in Utah draws father-daughter Raptor owners from as far away as Nova Scotia

Ford Motor Company’s F-150 Raptor model is a hopped-up F-150 pickup truck, with a widened track and upgraded suspension, that boasts high-performance off-road prowess and includes several design features to maximize traction and control. The first Raptor was conceived in the engineering shop of Ford’s SVT (Special Vehicle Team) high-performance division and introduced in 2010.

The first-ever Raptor Rally, a one-day off-road extravaganza exclusively for Raptor owners, took place back in September this year in the middle of the mountains and deserts near Fairfield, Utah.

That’s about 5,300 kilometres from Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, where I meet Zina Fabris and her 2017 F-150 Raptor.

Zina is a Halifax resident who can make the auspicious claim that she is the Raptor owner who drove the furthest to get to the Rally in Utah.

Zina did the 5,300-km trip in two legs. The first half was behind the wheel of her flashy blue 2017 Raptor, a truck she adores and doesn’t know what she’ll do when she has to replace it.

She drove her well-loved Raptor from Halifax to Elliot Lake in Ontario. There, she met up with her father, René, who happens to be the previous owner of his daughter’s truck and current owner of a 2021 F-150 Raptor, also well-loved.

So, what inspired Zina and René to make the longest trip of any Raptor customers in North America to attend the inaugural Raptor Rally in Dad’s red 2021 Raptor?

When Zina realized she would be on the road for 50 hours to get there, then 50 hours to return home, she may have asked herself a similar question: What have I done?

But, when they arrived at the spectacular site of the first-ever Raptor Rally in Fairfield, Utah, there was a palpable buzz of excitement in the air and Zina declares the whole experience was unforgettable.

She describes hundreds of eerie lights speeding in a giant circle. Dust swirling, climbing higher in great clouds, being kicked up by the beefy tires of almost 300 Raptors, growling in the pre-dawn darkness.

Raptor owners are a loyal lot. And René is a fine example.

“I have owned four Raptors, a 2010, 2014, 2017 and 2021,” he tells us, adding, “I have always driven Ford vehicles as has the family logging business. It was my son who pointed out the new Raptor in 2010.”

René recognized that buying a purpose-built truck would save him from becoming one of those people that “lift their trucks to go off-roading but end up getting towed as the trucks are not made for that kind of abuse.”

So, what did René and Zina think of the very first Raptor Rally they drove over 5,000 km to get to?

Zina recounts the action-packed day of trail driving, sand dragging, Baja-style course workshops, rock crawling along a 33-degree incline (Dad liked that one!) plus hot lap opportunities with pro-off-road racers like Vaughn Gittin Jr., Loren Healy, and Chris Polvoorde.

Did René learn anything new about his Raptor? He reports a new respect for the level of technological advancements between the 2010 model and his 2021. And adds, “I now know what some of those buttons are for,” sheepishly calling himself “a dinosaur”.

What was the highlight of the whole experience?

For René, besides the actual Rally, getting to meet up with old friends on the way, see some bucket-list sights like Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and spending time with his daughter were at the top of his list.

It’s obvious from the twinkle in Zina’s eyes that she enjoyed the road trip with Dad, despite the distance, but her eyes twinkle just a bit more when we ask: “Did Rene jump his truck?”

At the Rally, the pièce-de-Raptor-résistance was bound to be the opportunity for all the gathered owners to jump their trucks off a built-up section of trail. Who doesn’t want to defy gravity in their Raptor?

“He didn’t want to!” We look at Zina in disbelief.

“I said, ‘Dad, I didn’t drive 50 hours to NOT jump the Raptor. I’m jumping your Raptor.’”

Done.

“How fast did you get going?”, we wanted to know.

“I have no idea,” Zina replied. “They said, ‘Just floor it and go’ and that’s what I did!”

There couldn’t have been two more perfect participants in Ford’s first-ever Raptor Rally. A father-daughter team, not just Raptor owners, but huge fans of the model.

Would you do it again? In a heartbeat, René says.

Zina hasn’t answered that question yet, but Rene has a list of friends signed up to go Raptor Rally #2 next year. Maybe Zina can skip that 100-hour road trip… for now.