This shortcut doesn’t just save time. It makes the second-generation Ford F-150 Raptor look even cooler than it already did.
According to Ford, the F-150 Raptor can haul up to 1,200 pounds and tow up to 8,000 pounds (with the SuperCrew body style). But most customers don’t get it for its ability to get work done. Its fuel economy is not high on the list of priorities, either. People get Raptors because they’re fun and they can use them to do crazy things like long jumps in the desert or make a shortcut through rough terrain whenever they want to.
That’s exactly what Instagram user David Venti (aka dave_venti_khc) does in this short video. He’s in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where a thick blanket of snow covers the ground.
Beyond that, it’s hard to tell where exactly he is (we’re guessing a park), but it’s clear he’s in the right vehicle for the conditions: a Raptor SuperCab. Venti wants to get from his spot in a powder-packed field to the nearby main road. Of course, he could just drive to the closest strip of pavement, then make the appropriate turns to get to his destination, but where’s the fun in that? It goes against the nature of what you’re supposed to do in a Raptor.
Venti decides to do the most Raptor thing possible in the moment and take a shortcut through the deep snow. Correction: make a shortcut. He stays on the throttle and uses every one of his truck’s 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque to charge through the white stuff. The Raptor pulls its weight and keeps moving forward, sending up pristine white plumes from both sides the entire way.
Venti needs all of the momentum he can get on flat land to power through a thick upward-angled snow bank. He keeps his right foot down far enough to enable the Raptor to saw through the fluffy barrier.
Once Venti breaks though, he gets onto the main road in dramatic fashion, power sliding his way to victory and freedom from the icy clutches of Mother Nature.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
