Most of us have heard of the pre-runner truck, a concept that originated from off-road racers with the desire and the funds to have a separate race vehicle dedicated solely for running the racecourse before a race. Sometimes it’s a full-fledged Trophy Truck with the comforts of luxury car.

From the ranks of elite Trophy Truck teams come some wicked machines made to run hard on dirt and smooth on the street. One of the most requested luxury pre-runner builders is Craig Stewart and his crew at Stewart’s Raceworks out of Santee, California. With over 25 years of off-road experience, the mastermind Stewart continues to evolve the performance and comfort of the pre-runner.
 

Off-Road.com was invited out for testing of the new TSCO Ford Raptor pre-runner, which was made for Gary and Mark Weyrich, who finished fifth overall at the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 500. As we reported in an earlier in Off-Road.com News, this is not the same truck you might see on the street or Ford showroom floor. It’s a full-blown, hand-built mechanical masterpiece—the first Ford Raptor luxury pre-runner of its kind.
 

This new TSCO Ford Raptor has created a lot of buzz in the off-road community. Described as “one of the most spectacular pre-runners ever to grace the pages of Masterpiece in Metal,” Craig Perrone immortalized Stewart’s Racework’s Ford Raptor in the June 2011 issue of Dirt Sports magazine (http://dirtsportsnation.com/). We couldn’t agree more with Mr. Perrone.
 

Stewart’s Raceworks ups the ante with impressive numbers:
• 600 hp Ford V8
• 525 lb.-ft. torque
• 26 in. front wheel travel
• 31 in. rear wheel travel
• Wheelbase: 134 in.
• Length: 228 in.
• Height 74 in.
• Track width: 90 in.
• Weight: 5,900 lbs.

If you want more, make sure to check out the video series that takes us on the journey of how the Stewart’s Raceworks Ford Raptor PreRunner came to life at http://stewartsraceworks.com/video_gallery.php

SOURCE:
Stewart’s Raceworks
http://www.stewartsraceworks.com/