In our first outing at the FAT Ice Race, Loren Healy brought El Bandito, his 1,000+ horsepower 5.2L V8-powered Ford Bronco, to compete in the 4WD class. Built to dominate open desert at triple-digit speeds, Bandito had to adapt to a tight, slick rally-style course where precision matters just as much as power.
To make it happen, Loren reconfigured the truck specifically for the event. Though El Bandito is equipped with massive suspension travel thanks to its FOX suspension system, it was short-strapped to run in a rally-style setup for better control on the ice. While the Bronco couldn’t utilize the 20-plus inches of travel it was designed for, it was still a show to watch the truck squat under acceleration and lift under hard braking, transferring weight as it clawed for grip.
For ice racing, Loren and the team outfitted the 42-inch Nitto Tire USA Trail Grapplers with 4,000 custom-installed studs. On a surface where grip is everything and mistakes are instant, that traction package turned raw horsepower into controlled forward drive. Ice racing isn’t about surviving the slide. It’s about using it to your advantage to set the fastest time possible.
Friday was dedicated to practice laps, giving Loren his first real feel for El Bandito on ice. Limited by course traffic, the Bronco never saw a clean full-throttle lap, leaving us uncertain where we stacked up heading into race day.
Once Saturday came around, it was time for race day. Running a time-attack format, Loren laid down a blistering 35.712-second lap, putting him at the top of the leaderboard and earning a spot in the Shootout against the fastest drivers of the day.
Competing against the top three qualifiers, Loren clocked a 36.804-second lap in the Shootout to secure the overall win. The weekend was sealed the only way it should be, with victory donuts carved into the ice by a 1000+ horsepower Bronco.
Ford was well represented at the event, with the Ford Raptor R running alongside El Bandito with Ford Racing teammate Brad Lovell behind the wheel. 
While this was our first venture into ice racing, it’s certainly not our last. Loren and the crew had way too much fun, and from the looks of it, they already can’t wait until next year!
