The Incredible Journey of a First-Gen Ford Raptor

The Incredible Journey of a First-Gen Ford Raptor

Ford Raptor at Sunset

 

February 3, 2013

Saint Jo, Texas

It was a cool, winter day when Alex Wacker decided to hand his buddy his beer and try something incredible. He hopped in his brand new 2012 Ford Raptor at the Rednecks with Paychecks park and fired it up with a rumble. What happened next would go down in history as a moment to be remembered amongst the off-road community.

He floored the gas pedal and headed down the dirt track towards the ramp looming ahead. He reached 60mph as he hit the ramp, and until this point he had no reservations in this deed he was doing. But as he traveled 90 feet through the air a slight sense of regret trickled into his mind as the ground rushed towards him.

As for what happens next? Well, take a look at the video below.

June 8, 2021

Mesa, Arizona

I sat down with this same Raptor's current owner, Ryan Winner, to talk about what this truck is up to these days. He went on to tell me the story of how the infamous jumping Raptor came into his possession.

The story goes that Alex contacted the fabrication shop Ryan worked at because he wanted to buy a 7200 class race truck from the team. He offered to trade in his totaled 2012 Raptor with additional cash on top to obtain the V6 7200 truck. After looking it over and considering the cost of repairs, they decided to take the deal and get to work restoring the Raptor to stock.

They went through a laundry list of repairs that had to be done. It needed a new frame, all new suspension, and even a new drivetrain (excluding the transmission.) Just like the frame, the rear end housing was damaged so badly it needed to be completely replaced. The passenger seat even broke completely free from that cab when it landed from the jump.

Now these Gen 1 Raptors at the time were going for $60k - $70k. Total cost of the trade and repair came out to $30k. There were only 3000 miles on it, and they figured it was worth it to restore it.

Ford Raptor Rescue Truck

A Raptor Reborn

 

Once the Raptor was back up and running like new, Ryan began outfitting it with aftermarket parts. He installed the earlier versions of the ADD Offroad Venom Front Bumper, the Venom Rear Bumper, and the Race Series Raptor Chase Rack. An aftermarket suspension system was also installed.

Raptor Rescue Truck

They used the truck as a shop truck for a little while, and then as a chase truck for Winner Motorsports Group. At this point Ryan took it over as his personal ride and began outfitting it as a fire & medical rescue truck. He equipped it with a full medical box, fire suppression equipment, advanced airway management, AED, jaws of life, back boards, and more.

Off-Road Raptor

He and his Raptor now serve as part of the Rescue Team for Best in the Desert, where he responds to injured riders or drivers on the track and provides emergency assistance as a first responder.

Raptor Fire Photography

Additionally, he does fire photography and drives out to wildland fires to obtain photos on behalf of fire departments.

This particular Raptor illustrates what great trucks they are, having come back to life after that fateful winter day back in 2013 and then being put to great use over the years... Just like a truck ought to be. Check out ADD Offroad's full line of Gen 1 Raptor Parts and Accessories, our collection of Gen 2 Raptor Parts, and the yet-to-be-released Gen 3 Raptor Parts.


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