stirfry
Member
- First Name
- Scott
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2026
- Threads
- 4
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 67
- Location
- Detroit, MI
- Vehicle(s)
- 2025 Ford Ranger Raptor
- Occupation
- Engineer
- Thread starter
- #1
I attended the Ranger Raptor Assault Driving Course this past weekend and it was outstanding. I had no off-road experience, but other drivers in the class had varying levels of experience. All of us in the class were Ranger Raptor owners, and interacting with them during the day, we all felt the class was amazing.
Registration and Pre-Course Communication:
I purchased my 2025 Ranger Raptor in April 2025 and registered for the class in January 2026. The class took place in July 2026. After registering, they verified I was eligible, and then I received a confirmation e-mail. I started hearing from them again about a month before the course, mainly to verify I was still attending and asking if I wanted to purchase the optional insurance or HD recording package (I did not purchase either). You can add a second driver for an additional charge or they can just attend the reception dinner the night before the class (also extra).
Reception Dinner:
The reception dinner allowed me to meet other Raptor owners. Several drove their Raptors to the event. I personally liked seeing how others added aftermarket equipment. Attendees were as from far away as New Jersey, Florida, and even Canada. We all introduced each other and the host gave us some cool history about the Raptor brand. The menu was simple--a buffet style dinner salad, a pasta salad, veggies, potatoes, baked chicken and a sliced top sirloin. There was also a simple dessert. I thought all the food had good flavor and made for a good dinner.
Hotel Choices:
The program offers a discount for some of the local hotels in Tooele. The discount prices are on the website. I chose to stay at the Home2 Suites in Tooele, which was a 6 minute drive from the driving school. I highly recommend this hotel--clean, friendly, a great breakfast, and larger rooms. I stayed an extra day to get in some hiking. There were several great choices and I had a blast.
Start of Class Day:
After checking in, we gathered in the classroom for helmet fitting. The instructors (four of them) introduced themselves and then went over the agenda for the day. They spent aout 40 minutes going over some off-road basics and some of the off-road controls on the truck. It was reasonably comprehensive, but they stressed learning is better out in the field. I agree. We were provided with a small booklet that went over a lot of what they covered. After dismissal from the classroom, we were assigned to a truck. Unless you signed up with a partner, you were assigned another single driver. In my class, each truck had two drivers. Each instructor had three trucks. The trucks were equipped with radios for communication. The lead trucks with the instructors were stocked with water and sodas. Eat a good breakfast, because only granola bars and coffee are provided for breakfast. There is some Wheelhouse swag available for purchase in the lobby of the driving school.
Activities:
The first activity is an off roading trail located a few miles out of town. One driver tackles the first half, the other driver tackles the second half. The trail was quite a bit of fun and I was amazed at how the Ranger Raptor handled in Off-Road mode. The instructors are in the lead vehicle, and they check to make sure you have the settings right on the truck (they had given instruction of the settings over the radio ahead of time). We ripped through the trail at a very reasonable speed, and the instructor did a great job of keeping the group together.
The second activity took place at Wheelhouse's Training Center a few more miles outsie of town. The first activity there was a very short handling course that is completed in three different truck modes--Normal, Off-Road and Baja. Again, it was quite eye-opening to experience the difference. Next was a lateral tilt and hill climb--teaching us how to get into Rock Crawl mode, how to integrate the front camera in our driving decisions, and how to use the trail control cruise settings. We then progressed to a short section that showed us how and when to use both the front and rear differential lockers.
Next, we headed a little more out of town to a mountain climb and descent. In this activity, we used all the skills we learned in the previous activities to traverse a really nice mountain trail. The instructors gave us instructions over the radio telling us when to engage the differential lockers and when to use trail control. This activity was my favorite, as it really increased my confidence in changing modes of the truck on the fly. I was simply amazed at what the Ranger Raptor could do, and how well it executed the drive. Each driver completed the entire climb and descent. Lunch was served at this activity, which was a boxed lunch with a sandwich (three choices), chips and a cookie.
We then headed back to the training facility for two different Baja courses. This is where we learned how to leverage the power of the Raptor in both 2WD and 4WD Baja modes. Each driver completed each course several times to increase confidence. Personally, I was able to get significantly more aggressive in my acceleration, steering and braking in my second and third runs--much more aggressive than I ever thought I would be comfortalbe with. But the Ranger Raptor handles and grips so well, it just kept asking for more. For many, this was their favorite activity.
The last activity was a demonstration lap with the instructor as the driver. This is the only time during the day that I sat in the back seat of the truck. Wow, they made me feel like I drive like a grandpa. What an exhilerating experience showcasing what the Ranger Rpator can do! There were several opportunities for restroom breaks and hydration breaks. We never turned the trucks off, so the A/C was running all the time. Helmets were only required for a few of the activities.
For all activities, I had just as much fun as the passenger. The instructors were very informative and very encouraging. They provided praise when deserved and guidance when needed. These guys are racers--and they were so excited to share their knowledge and help us gain experience. The instructors were simply awesome.
Graduation:
The activites ended at about 3:30 and it took about 30 minutes to drive back to home base. Upon gathering back in the classroom, we were congratulated by the instructors and were provided a completion certification and some swag! We received a really awesome Raptor backpack (only for the Raptor owners, not the guests), a Raptor Assault decal, and a Raptor Assault t-shirt. Guests received a nice plaque commemorating the experience. We also received some information on responsbile trail riding and preservation, as well as information on some of the aftermarket equipment that was installed on the trucks.
Final Comments:
A photographer followed the groups of trucks and took pictures the entire day. We were sent an e-mail with a link to the pictures--there were 545 for my class, and my truck was featured in about 40 of them. They can be downloaded for free. A sample of the pictures are below this post text.
I was really surprised that I was the only one in the class where the dealership told me about this opportunity. The instructors were disappointed in this, as well. Ford, this is a super selling point for Raptor owners--let them know about it other than just a post card and an e-mail!! Others in the class initially thought they were a scam or other type of junk mail.
For any Raptor owner--regardless of off-road experience--this is a fantastic off roading school. I never knew the Ranger Raptor was such a capable truck, and to learn about it and experience it first-hand is invaluable. I will never look at my truck the same again. The instructors were sure to comment that these trucks have been with them since they were built and they have been incredibly reliable. Based on the mileage of the truck I was assigned, it had been through this course nearly 100 times and other than a few squeaks in the interior trim when going over rough terrain, you'd never know it. Impressive.
Enjoy the pictures, and I hope this post helps you decide whether you want to attend this course. I highly recommend it.
Registration and Pre-Course Communication:
I purchased my 2025 Ranger Raptor in April 2025 and registered for the class in January 2026. The class took place in July 2026. After registering, they verified I was eligible, and then I received a confirmation e-mail. I started hearing from them again about a month before the course, mainly to verify I was still attending and asking if I wanted to purchase the optional insurance or HD recording package (I did not purchase either). You can add a second driver for an additional charge or they can just attend the reception dinner the night before the class (also extra).
Reception Dinner:
The reception dinner allowed me to meet other Raptor owners. Several drove their Raptors to the event. I personally liked seeing how others added aftermarket equipment. Attendees were as from far away as New Jersey, Florida, and even Canada. We all introduced each other and the host gave us some cool history about the Raptor brand. The menu was simple--a buffet style dinner salad, a pasta salad, veggies, potatoes, baked chicken and a sliced top sirloin. There was also a simple dessert. I thought all the food had good flavor and made for a good dinner.
Hotel Choices:
The program offers a discount for some of the local hotels in Tooele. The discount prices are on the website. I chose to stay at the Home2 Suites in Tooele, which was a 6 minute drive from the driving school. I highly recommend this hotel--clean, friendly, a great breakfast, and larger rooms. I stayed an extra day to get in some hiking. There were several great choices and I had a blast.
Start of Class Day:
After checking in, we gathered in the classroom for helmet fitting. The instructors (four of them) introduced themselves and then went over the agenda for the day. They spent aout 40 minutes going over some off-road basics and some of the off-road controls on the truck. It was reasonably comprehensive, but they stressed learning is better out in the field. I agree. We were provided with a small booklet that went over a lot of what they covered. After dismissal from the classroom, we were assigned to a truck. Unless you signed up with a partner, you were assigned another single driver. In my class, each truck had two drivers. Each instructor had three trucks. The trucks were equipped with radios for communication. The lead trucks with the instructors were stocked with water and sodas. Eat a good breakfast, because only granola bars and coffee are provided for breakfast. There is some Wheelhouse swag available for purchase in the lobby of the driving school.
Activities:
The first activity is an off roading trail located a few miles out of town. One driver tackles the first half, the other driver tackles the second half. The trail was quite a bit of fun and I was amazed at how the Ranger Raptor handled in Off-Road mode. The instructors are in the lead vehicle, and they check to make sure you have the settings right on the truck (they had given instruction of the settings over the radio ahead of time). We ripped through the trail at a very reasonable speed, and the instructor did a great job of keeping the group together.
The second activity took place at Wheelhouse's Training Center a few more miles outsie of town. The first activity there was a very short handling course that is completed in three different truck modes--Normal, Off-Road and Baja. Again, it was quite eye-opening to experience the difference. Next was a lateral tilt and hill climb--teaching us how to get into Rock Crawl mode, how to integrate the front camera in our driving decisions, and how to use the trail control cruise settings. We then progressed to a short section that showed us how and when to use both the front and rear differential lockers.
Next, we headed a little more out of town to a mountain climb and descent. In this activity, we used all the skills we learned in the previous activities to traverse a really nice mountain trail. The instructors gave us instructions over the radio telling us when to engage the differential lockers and when to use trail control. This activity was my favorite, as it really increased my confidence in changing modes of the truck on the fly. I was simply amazed at what the Ranger Raptor could do, and how well it executed the drive. Each driver completed the entire climb and descent. Lunch was served at this activity, which was a boxed lunch with a sandwich (three choices), chips and a cookie.
We then headed back to the training facility for two different Baja courses. This is where we learned how to leverage the power of the Raptor in both 2WD and 4WD Baja modes. Each driver completed each course several times to increase confidence. Personally, I was able to get significantly more aggressive in my acceleration, steering and braking in my second and third runs--much more aggressive than I ever thought I would be comfortalbe with. But the Ranger Raptor handles and grips so well, it just kept asking for more. For many, this was their favorite activity.
The last activity was a demonstration lap with the instructor as the driver. This is the only time during the day that I sat in the back seat of the truck. Wow, they made me feel like I drive like a grandpa. What an exhilerating experience showcasing what the Ranger Rpator can do! There were several opportunities for restroom breaks and hydration breaks. We never turned the trucks off, so the A/C was running all the time. Helmets were only required for a few of the activities.
For all activities, I had just as much fun as the passenger. The instructors were very informative and very encouraging. They provided praise when deserved and guidance when needed. These guys are racers--and they were so excited to share their knowledge and help us gain experience. The instructors were simply awesome.
Graduation:
The activites ended at about 3:30 and it took about 30 minutes to drive back to home base. Upon gathering back in the classroom, we were congratulated by the instructors and were provided a completion certification and some swag! We received a really awesome Raptor backpack (only for the Raptor owners, not the guests), a Raptor Assault decal, and a Raptor Assault t-shirt. Guests received a nice plaque commemorating the experience. We also received some information on responsbile trail riding and preservation, as well as information on some of the aftermarket equipment that was installed on the trucks.
Final Comments:
A photographer followed the groups of trucks and took pictures the entire day. We were sent an e-mail with a link to the pictures--there were 545 for my class, and my truck was featured in about 40 of them. They can be downloaded for free. A sample of the pictures are below this post text.
I was really surprised that I was the only one in the class where the dealership told me about this opportunity. The instructors were disappointed in this, as well. Ford, this is a super selling point for Raptor owners--let them know about it other than just a post card and an e-mail!! Others in the class initially thought they were a scam or other type of junk mail.
For any Raptor owner--regardless of off-road experience--this is a fantastic off roading school. I never knew the Ranger Raptor was such a capable truck, and to learn about it and experience it first-hand is invaluable. I will never look at my truck the same again. The instructors were sure to comment that these trucks have been with them since they were built and they have been incredibly reliable. Based on the mileage of the truck I was assigned, it had been through this course nearly 100 times and other than a few squeaks in the interior trim when going over rough terrain, you'd never know it. Impressive.
Enjoy the pictures, and I hope this post helps you decide whether you want to attend this course. I highly recommend it.
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