Last Weekend, 58 Raptors converged in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for 3 great causes. The Wounded Warrior Project, testing the capabilities of the Raptor in the harshest winter conditions, and just some all out good times. It was, without question, a huge success. Good times were had by all, the Raptor performed flawlessly, and thousands of dollars were raised for the WWP.
Media Attention
Ford finds an unlikely sales star in Raptor pickup
Ford Racing(Also features my Race Red in the photo)
Subsequently, the article below appeared on StangTV.com
Video: The SnoBall 500 Is A Winter Raptor Rally | StangTV
Sponsorship was outstanding with sponsors contributing more than $20,000 in prizes as well as swag for the participants. Original sponsors were Icon Vehicle Dynamics, White Star Industries, and Raptor Performance Group. Coming on board later was Roush Performance and another 45 or so. All were absolutely fantastic.
The organizers, Mark and Jason, were successful in gaining us access to SVT for a tour and Q&A session with Jamal Hameedi, his engineering team, and marketing manager. This alone was worth the entrance fee. For those interested, the link below takes you to a summary of questions followed by a few pics I took in the small section of the garage they allowed us access to.
What would you ask SVT Engineering? - Page 10 - FORD RAPTOR FORUM - Ford SVT Raptor Forums - Ford Raptor
Following the tour SVT, we were welcomed at Roush Performance where we were well fed and joined by a Raptor they had prepared for the event. This was a perfect opportunity for cold-weather testing and tuning of their RoushCharged 6.2 and they seemed to have an equally good time.
The run involved a 500 mile trek through truck trails and logging roads covering the western upper peninsula of Michigan where we were greeted with a comprehensive taste of winter conditions. Ice covered roads, snow covered roads, high winds, deep snow, white-out, and sub-zero temperatures. The white-out was commonplace when following another Raptor and provided for some tense moments.
Day 1 of the run began at the Island Desert Resort and Casino in Bark River and took us up to Gwinn where we were accommodated for lunch by the good people at the Up North Lodge. They too were sponsors to this event.
Following lunch, we conquered steep and narrow trails, deep snow, white-out and nighttime wheeling before arriving in Houghton where we stayed for the night. The following day, we took off to Copper Harbor and returned on Route 26 which runs along the western shore of the Keeweenaw Peninsula.
[youtube_browser]lXw5D7B8Tk0[/youtube_browser]
We lunched this time in Houghton before taking off to for Ontanogan. This is where we met the worst of conditions as we traveled the north shore of Michigan along Lake Superior. Roads were slick, winds were strong and visibility was minimal.
We then took on a couple more trails heading southward and concluded the run at Lac Vieux Desert Casino in Watersmeet. Monday morning featured a banquet, a drawing, and temperatures of -11* F. We couldn’t have asked for better weather.
One of the prizes for the raffle following the run was a race rack fabricated by Jimmy of WSI (White Star Industries). Jimmy is the creator of the OD Green Raptor below. His truck is a beast and he definitely knows how to drive it. Although he did somehow manage to wind up in a ditch.
[youtube_browser]lwAy5UK28QA[/youtube_browser]
[youtube_browser]FpkszXEbosA[/youtube_browser]
Must see> Jimmy digging himself out of the ditch.
Jan 23, 2013 8:58pm | Facebook
Random Pics
While I do have several hours of video, I don’t possess the talent to create anything like those below. All are well done though the 2nd part of one isn’t available yet. The 3000 picture video turned out great despite the fact the team that shot it intended to shoot regular video. They made do with what they did get and with excellent results.
[youtube_browser]7uMQJf4mkB8[/youtube_browser]
[youtube_browser]Jlf2tOCm4_A[/youtube_browser]
[youtube_browser]GFqdvFUEV1M[/youtube_browser]
Scores of more of great photos can be found at the SnoBall FB page, the Krazy House Customs blog, and in the Roush FB album linked below.
http://www.facebook.com/SnoBall500?ref=ts&fref=ts
http://krazyhousecustoms.com/snoball-500-raptor-run/
Snoball 500 visits ROUSH Performance | Facebook
I lost confidence in my Toyo tires early on. They have their place as shown in the video below but didn’t want to bite in the corners. This slowed me down where others were negotiating the same corners with ease. This………. is probably my most redeeming moment (at the 1:10 mark).
[youtube_browser]EcWC7K4fPDY[/youtube_browser]
If you have a Raptor and can get into next year’s event, I would highly recommend it.
Media Attention
Ford finds an unlikely sales star in Raptor pickup
Ford Racing(Also features my Race Red in the photo)
Subsequently, the article below appeared on StangTV.com
Video: The SnoBall 500 Is A Winter Raptor Rally | StangTV
Sponsorship was outstanding with sponsors contributing more than $20,000 in prizes as well as swag for the participants. Original sponsors were Icon Vehicle Dynamics, White Star Industries, and Raptor Performance Group. Coming on board later was Roush Performance and another 45 or so. All were absolutely fantastic.
The organizers, Mark and Jason, were successful in gaining us access to SVT for a tour and Q&A session with Jamal Hameedi, his engineering team, and marketing manager. This alone was worth the entrance fee. For those interested, the link below takes you to a summary of questions followed by a few pics I took in the small section of the garage they allowed us access to.
What would you ask SVT Engineering? - Page 10 - FORD RAPTOR FORUM - Ford SVT Raptor Forums - Ford Raptor
Following the tour SVT, we were welcomed at Roush Performance where we were well fed and joined by a Raptor they had prepared for the event. This was a perfect opportunity for cold-weather testing and tuning of their RoushCharged 6.2 and they seemed to have an equally good time.
The run involved a 500 mile trek through truck trails and logging roads covering the western upper peninsula of Michigan where we were greeted with a comprehensive taste of winter conditions. Ice covered roads, snow covered roads, high winds, deep snow, white-out, and sub-zero temperatures. The white-out was commonplace when following another Raptor and provided for some tense moments.
Day 1 of the run began at the Island Desert Resort and Casino in Bark River and took us up to Gwinn where we were accommodated for lunch by the good people at the Up North Lodge. They too were sponsors to this event.
Following lunch, we conquered steep and narrow trails, deep snow, white-out and nighttime wheeling before arriving in Houghton where we stayed for the night. The following day, we took off to Copper Harbor and returned on Route 26 which runs along the western shore of the Keeweenaw Peninsula.
[youtube_browser]lXw5D7B8Tk0[/youtube_browser]
We lunched this time in Houghton before taking off to for Ontanogan. This is where we met the worst of conditions as we traveled the north shore of Michigan along Lake Superior. Roads were slick, winds were strong and visibility was minimal.
We then took on a couple more trails heading southward and concluded the run at Lac Vieux Desert Casino in Watersmeet. Monday morning featured a banquet, a drawing, and temperatures of -11* F. We couldn’t have asked for better weather.
One of the prizes for the raffle following the run was a race rack fabricated by Jimmy of WSI (White Star Industries). Jimmy is the creator of the OD Green Raptor below. His truck is a beast and he definitely knows how to drive it. Although he did somehow manage to wind up in a ditch.
[youtube_browser]lwAy5UK28QA[/youtube_browser]
[youtube_browser]FpkszXEbosA[/youtube_browser]
Must see> Jimmy digging himself out of the ditch.
Jan 23, 2013 8:58pm | Facebook
Random Pics
While I do have several hours of video, I don’t possess the talent to create anything like those below. All are well done though the 2nd part of one isn’t available yet. The 3000 picture video turned out great despite the fact the team that shot it intended to shoot regular video. They made do with what they did get and with excellent results.
[youtube_browser]7uMQJf4mkB8[/youtube_browser]
[youtube_browser]Jlf2tOCm4_A[/youtube_browser]
[youtube_browser]GFqdvFUEV1M[/youtube_browser]
Scores of more of great photos can be found at the SnoBall FB page, the Krazy House Customs blog, and in the Roush FB album linked below.
http://www.facebook.com/SnoBall500?ref=ts&fref=ts
http://krazyhousecustoms.com/snoball-500-raptor-run/
Snoball 500 visits ROUSH Performance | Facebook
I lost confidence in my Toyo tires early on. They have their place as shown in the video below but didn’t want to bite in the corners. This slowed me down where others were negotiating the same corners with ease. This………. is probably my most redeeming moment (at the 1:10 mark).
[youtube_browser]EcWC7K4fPDY[/youtube_browser]
If you have a Raptor and can get into next year’s event, I would highly recommend it.
