Nathan Hayashi’s 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor sticks out on the Rallye du Maroc entry list. Despite looking like it could compete in Stock, the truck is actually legal for the Ultimate class for prototype cars under a very rarely used subcategory of “ULTS”.

“ULTS” stands for “Ultimate SCORE”, which refers to vehicles that also comply with SCORE International regulations. Such cars were common when the Dakar Rally ran through South America in the 2010s since SCORE was based just a continent above, but since stayed in the Americas as the discipline mainly races in Afro-Eurasia nowadays.

Article 8.4 of the FIA Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations covers SCORE vehicles, which begins by stating those legal for Baja “may be accepted, on condition that the competitor provides evidence that his vehicle is recognised by the ‘SCORE International’ organisation. The vehicle must bear a safety inspection seal according to Art. GT2 of the SCORE general regulations.” The final eligibility for rallies still depends on the FIA. UTVs optimized for SCORE can also be approved as part of the “CHGS” subclass of Challenger.

While Hayashi hasn’t raced in SCORE, Bronco Raptors typically show up to Baja in the Stock Mid-Size or Heavy Metal Limited classes depending on how many racing upgrades are made. Even though that side of Mexico hasn’t quite been touched by Hayashi and his team yet, he’s no stranger to the country as he finished second overall at the Sonora Rally in March.

It took until July for the FIA to formally approve the Bronco Raptor for rallies, though The Gear Shop Technical Motorsport Team still had to survive scrutineering on Friday and Saturday if they wanted to race in Morocco. Hayashi compared the process to a “treasure hunt” since teams had to go to various stations to get their vehicle approved. Save for missing a sticker on the door and tow straps and some last-minute corrections on Saturday, things seemed to go pretty well.

A race official called the Raptor “very interesting” and quipped that inspecting it helped diversify his repertoire because of how unique it is.

“For a car coming from the other side of the world with no experience with our system of FIA verification, it’s really good,” he added.

After Morocco, Hayashi and the Bronco will compete at the Dakar Rally for the first time in January. The Gear Shop will be just the third Canadian four-wheel team to take part.

“This is real,” Hayashi proclaimed. “Now, we’re going. Tomorrow’s the race.”

Featured image credit: The Gear Shop Inc.