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While the majority of the Intergalactic Ford Festival takes place on asphalt, our off-road portion allows some of our more safety-averse participants to get down and dirty on Beech Bend's off-road course. While Broncos and Raptors are probably what comes to mind when you put "Ford" and "Off-Road" together (and rightly so), you'll also see plenty of Explorers, Crown Vics, and even some Mustangs kicking up dirt!
After many years admiring them, long-time off-roader John Sotak from Hannover, Pennsylvania, finally found a deal on a 2010 SVT Raptor he couldn’t pass up. He bought his off-road dream truck in 2016 from a local lot where he knew the owner and his life hasn’t been the same since.
“Because of this truck I was able to meet my friend," Sotak said, in reference to James Dunn, who drove out with him. Dunn helped Sotak on his current career path as a mechanic which has worked out well for him, especially considering it helped him build his off-road toy on a budget.
Despite coming off the assembly line with a great off-road package, the Raptor didn’t last long in its factory state before Sotak was modifying things. He installed a 6.2L V8 Roush supercharger kit and is also responsible for many of the modifications on the truck himself. The light bar is from SVC, but the rear bumper is his design and his welding handiwork.
Most of the parts on the truck that weren’t fabricated by Sotak were picked up secondhand after prowling Raptor forums, including most of the suspension upgrades. The truck rides on 35-inch Mastercraft tires and Sotak loves their grip. They’re kept under control with Icon 3.0s all around, with Camburg upper control arms up front and SVC bumpstops and WSI springs in the rear. It’s got a set of Boatec fenders that were already painted, which he traded for his stock parts. They’re two inches wider, per side and provide a bit more tire coverage, and are ready for the 37s that seem inevitable.
Inside, the Raptor is mostly stock from the front seats forward, with the exception of four-point harnesses that tie into the rear seat belt anchors. Those rear seats are gone, the delete made room for a custom-built toolbox and some MOLLE webbing to hold gear.
“I‘ve been kind of all over with it,” Sotak said, and listed off a number of venues in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Maine, Connecticut, and Georgia that he’s driven. “I’d love to get it out west,” he said.
“Even the Gen 1 is so capable and there’s so much you can do with them to keep up with the Gen II and Gen III Raptors. I put a lot of heart and soul into this truck,” said Sotak. The truck is clearly a heap of fun and tore it up on Ford Fest’s off-road course, but there’s always more on tap. New injectors, a new pulley, and an intercooler are in the works, as he’s hoping for even more power, with a goal of 480hp to the wheels.
Ford Fest brings out the best and worst Ford products around. It doesn’t take a lot of money or a lot of skill to have a lot of fun here in Bowling Green—case in point, Thomas West and the Renegade Racing team.
They picked up this ’96 Lincoln Town Car for only $2,500 and have only a few hundred dollars invested. They added a massive 300-shot of nitrous. The Lincoln is mostly stock, with blocks above the springs allowing added ride height. They installed some used bullet hole wheels with bogger tires, some safety belts and safety equipment, and not much else.
Unfortunately, the stock 4.6L 2V mod-motor didn’t last long. Friday, a mess up while at the starting line resulted in a massive boom that tore apart the intake and added some windows to the block. Thomas was defeated, but his team was hopeful and encouraged him to swap out the engine to make the competition for Saturday. So, they spent the night in the campground installing another stock 4.6L Thomas picked up from his cousin. They fired it up at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, an exhausted Thomas made the event.
“These guys worked their asses off this weekend. I said, you take it, and if you go full send, don’t check up. I’ll give you a day off work,” said Thomas beside driver and employee Andrew Granger.
Andrew hit a significant jump on the off-road course, resulting in total destruction. The front suspension collapsed, and the roof wrinkled, likely due to frame damage. Andrew is fine, but the car… not so much. “Our intention was to put on a show,” said Thomas. The car may live on for another project, but certainly not this weekend. What did the driver have to say?
“I held that throttle until the airbags hit me in the face,” said Andrew.
