Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healey put their No. 2567 Bronco 4600 across the finish line first. Brothers Brad and Roger Lovell brought their No. 4621 Bronco 4600 into second place, and drivers Bailey Cole and Jason Scherer completed the Bronco hat trick with a third place finish in their No. 13 Bronco 4600. (Image/Ford)

Last week, we took a close look at the Proving Grounds Racing Ultra4 4400 Unlimited Class off-road racer #4415.

But there are plenty of other classes in Ultra4 off-road racing—particularly the 4600 Stock Class, in which the Ford Bronco just capped an impressive performance during the King of the Hammers over the weekend.

Not familiar with King of the Hammers? It’s a weeklong festival of off-roading, culminating in the grueling King of the Hammers race, which includes sections of both flat-out high speed desert running, and highly technical slow-go rock crawling. In short, it’s one of the most challenging off-road events on the planet. You can learn more about Ultra4 Racing here.

(Image/Ford)

And when we say impressive, that’s no understatement: a trio of Ford Broncos raced to first, second, and third place finishes. If you’re keeping track at home, it was only one year ago that Ford first announced that it’s prepping Ford Broncos for Ultra4 4600 Stock Class off-road racing.

So suffice it to say, Ford’s Bronco Ultra4 development team had a pretty busy year.

(Image/Ford)

Let’s be clear though, while it’s in the class name, these Broncos are by no means “stock.” Yet unlike the 4400 Unlimited Class which features custom chassis and drivetrains, the Ultra4 4600 Stock Class has a few more guidelines.

To Run in the Ultra 4600 Stock Class, the Vehicle has to:

  • Use the Stock OEM Frame
  • Use the Factory Engine
  • Use the Factory Transmission
  • Run 35 Inch DOT Approved Tires
  • Have Single 2.5 Inch Diameter Shocks at Each Corner
  • Rely on Mechanical Steering

So if you’re checking your notes, that means these race Broncos are powered by Ford’s 2.7L EcoBoost V6 mated to a 10 speed SelectShift automatic.

But that’s about where “stock” ends here.

Up front, these Broncos are running portal hubs from 74 Weld mounted to Triton Engineering control arms with a heavy-duty Howe hydraulic steering rack. Inside is a factory Dana electronic locking differential with RCV custom half-shafts.

Built for both capability and speed, Ultra4 racers have to be prepared for a wide range of course conditions and technical elements. (Image/Ford)

Out back, Triton Engineering rear links support a Dynatrac ProRock XD60 axle with an ARB 35-spline Air Locker and Spidertrax Spider 9 axle shafts and hubs. Ford looked internally to find Ford Performance front and rear modular steel bumpers.

These Ultra4 race Broncos also get a Warn ZEON winch and RIGID LED off-road lights. Of course, they’re equipped with full roll cages and safety seats/harnesses too.

Ford says that, although they were running plenty of prototype components, these trucks were considered rolling test mules for upcoming Bronco accessories from the Ford Performance Parts catalog. So we’re optimistic that we’ll be seeing some of these race-derived aftermarket Bronco upgrade parts at our local off-road parks sometime soon.

(Image/Ford)