Fun-Haver Off-Road 2021 Ford Bronco 4400 Race Trucks

You’ve probably seen photos of Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healy’s Fun-Haver Off-Road Ultra4 Racing 4400 Ford Bronco’s. These two have really brought the Ford Bronco back into off-road racing.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. has been a fixture in the motorsports world for two decades and was one of the first PRO drivers in the inaugural U.S. Formula Drift circuit when it launched in 2004. He has competed in Formula Drift every year since, until he stepped away as a driver at the end of the 2021 season.

In 2016, Nitto Tire invited Vaughn to race a spec class truck at King of the Hammers. When he got there, he had no clue what to do in the dirt or how to use four-wheel drive. Nitto asked Loren Healy to show Gittin the ropes. Loren Healy won the King of the Hammers championship in 2010 and a King of the Hammers Ultra4 championship again in 2014. That partnership led to the Fun-Haver Off-Road Team; bringing decades of motorsport experience under one awning.

Fun-Haver Off-Road teamed-up with Triton Engineering to create mechanically identical platforms for both Gittin Jr. and Healy. While Triton Engineering handled all of the chassis’ work, including the one-off bumpers and rockers, as well as the installation of the FOX Racing Shox. Identical trucks mean interchangeable parts and only having to familiarize your mechanics with one truck in order to take care of both of them.

Triton Engineering has experience building lighter-weight frames for trophy trucks, but the coolest part of their build is likely the portal hubs at the wheels. The immediate benefit is increased ground clearance, but that is not the only advantage for those looking for an edge over the competition. While not the first time that this sort of tech has made the leap from all-wheel drive trophy trucks to Ultra4, this is the first time that you have individual gears at each wheel with axle shafts spinning in the right direction. You have gears that aren’t trying to twist and rip themselves apart. That allows for more strength in a portal gear. They also move stress from the drivetrain to the wheel, which, lets Loren and Vaughn run smaller drivetrain parts if they like. And they also provide four more inches of ground clearance which is always a good thing to have in the rigorous off-road world of Ultra4.

Racing legends aren’t built on second-rate shocks; that’s why Fox coilovers with Eibach springs and Kibbetech upper A-arms came into the mix. Spidertrax Off-Road swaybars up front and a Triton Engineering trailing arm reverse 4-link in the rear round out this killer setup. the wheels are one of the few things that the two racers differ on; Loren runs Center Line Hammer Beadlocks while Vaughn uses RTR Tech 6 Beadlocks. Both, however, agree on their Nitto Trail Grappler KOH Spec 40/42-inch Trail Grapplers: “We’ve been racing on Nitto tires for as long as I can remember. They’re absolutely amazing,” says Loren. “Nitto went above and beyond designing the K-spec tires and they give us everything we need to win on Nitto tires. That 42-20 is new and only available to racers.” Both Broncs rely on Wilwood calilpers and rotors with Tilton master cylinders, Jamal pedals, and Spidertrax hats for stopping power.

Power comes from a Ford 460 cubic-inch tall deck D3 JGRE engine with Holley throttle bodies, MAHLE pistons, K&N filters, NGK plugs, and NTK sensors, sending 780hp to the driveline courtesy of a Gearworks Turbo 400 transmission. The radiator, heat exchanger, and stand-alone transmission coolers are from CBR Performance.

In the cockpit you’ll find a svelte carbon fiber dashboard. Rugged Radios and Lowrance HDS 9 GPS comprise the communications suite that keeps the drivers on track when they’re out getting it done in the dirt. RECARO ProRacer ORV seats with Schroth Racing harnesses and Lifeline Fire Suppression systems keep them safe and sound.

All of the body panels on these Bronco race truck were CAD modeled and designed. FiberwerX utilized these plans and shaped the panel plugs with their 3-axis CNC and then produced the fiberglass body. RTR conducted all of the finishing work in order to make both trucks photo shoot and race ready.