Autoblog
Did the Baja 500 Too! Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
06-05-08 12:20 PT
While
we were in the big, desert crushing 6.2-L V-8 HUMMER H2 SUT,
our good friends from Autoblog rode shotgun in the tiny,
little 5.3-L V-8 HUMMER H3 Alpha SUV at the SCORE Baja 500.
Kidding!
The
HUMMER H3, driven by Chad Hall, won the Stock Full Size Truck
Class in 13:09:53 for Chad's first win in the Baja 500 and
his second class win this season. The H3 was the first
production vehicle to cross the finish line.
In The Dirt Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
06-05-08 12:20 PT
I'll let this picture and video tell their stories of what it's like to race in the Baja 500. It's rough and tumble and extremely competitive.
From races like the Baja 500, HUMMER has made more than twenty production changes to the H2 SUT. Most of the changes were updates to bushings materials, for increased durability, and rerouting wires, to prevent fraying and wear from off-roading.
Odds
and Ends Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
06-01-08 22:43 PT
We're still working on video from inside and outside the H2
SUT. Until then, here's a few other interesting items from the
race.
The
2008 Baja 500 featured
289 starters, including 150 cars
and trucks and 139 motorcycles and ATVs. There were a
total of 195 finishers, the third most in the event’s
40-year history, for an impressive finishing percentage of
.675.
The
number of entrants was down significantly from last year's all-time
high 492 starters. Some blamed fuel prices but
most spoke about the dramatic increase in crime and violence
in Northern Mexico since last year's Baja 1000, when many vehicles
were broken into or stolen. In May, 14 people were killed in the
region when a drug battle broke out between Mexican
federales and mobsters. And
when we crossed the border back into the U.S. this morning,
a customs agent pointed out the civilian H2 in our
two HUMMER convoy had its driver's-side lock punched out. We just
missed having our truck stolen!
There's
one other truck worth mentioning that competed in the Baja
500's Stock Mini Truck Class - a Honda Ridgeline. The Ridgeline
has been competing in Baja events for the past two years. It
won its class at the 2007 Baja 250.
Honda
brought a brand new Ridgeline to the race yesterday. Seeing
the unibody Ridgeline compete was strange. It's not a pickup
you'd expect to see on the course. At Pitstop 2 they were in the
lead by more than 10-minutes before breaking a suspension component
late in the race.
The
Ridgeline finished in 2nd place, behind Rod Hall's HUMMER H3
SUV.
We'll
have a full rundown on the Baja racing Ridgeline later this month.
Team HUMMER Runs Hot and Cold at Baja 500. Mostly Hot With
Two Stock Class Wins and Rod Hall's Record 18th Career Victory at the Baja 500! Me? I Ran Too Hot. Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
06-01-08 02:03 PT
We've just walked off the finish line of the 2008 Baja 500. Here's a quick recap of the day.
2008 Hummer H2 SUT - Did Not Finish
2008 Hummer H3 5.3-L V8 - Wins Stock Full Size Truck Class
2008 Hummer H3 3.7-L I5 - Wins Stock Mini Truck Class
I planned to make it to Pitstop 2 with driver Josh Hall and co-driver Sam Cothrun before swapping out with a new passenger, Jason Jacopian. Instead I exited at Pit 1 after getting hit hard from the heat. Nomex underwear, a Nomex fire suit and dropping my water bottle inside the truck exhausted me after 2.5 hours and 75-miles in the truck. Doh!
Unfortunately, the HUMMER H2 SUT also left the race early, about 10-miles before the second pit. No word on the cause but four spark plugs lost their electrodes, leaving the truck's 6.2-L V-8 with only half its eight cylinders. The engine will be torn down by GM's powertrain engineers to figure out what happened.
How
was Josh Hall's run in the H2 SUT when I was in the passenger
seat? Mind blowing. He's a machine who swallowed seven different
class vehicles with the H2 SUT before we entered the first
pit stop. As expected there were moments where visibility was
zero because the air was choked with dust. Each time Josh adjusted
his speed and picked the best line to stay on course and pass
the cars and trucks who's dust was blinding us.
The fans were wild. Almost all were enthusiastically cheering us on, though I was nailed with an empty beer can thrown through the front of the cockpit - there's no windshield in the truck. Our helmets protected us from natural and artificial debris. We were all doused with Tecate, splashed on the truck by another spectator.
The ride was smoother than I expected. The 5-point race harnesses, competition seats and long-travel suspension soaked up all but the biggest ruts and rapid-fire deep washboards. Once of twice my entire body went numb from a hard-hit to the truck. Awesome!
We'll have video and pictures to share from in and outside the H2 SUT in the coming week, so you can see how rough and competitive a ride it was.
At least if the H2 SUT didn't finish, Team Hummer still took stock class victories with its other 2 H3 SUVs, driven by Chad Hall and Rod Hall.
By the way Rod Hall - he's 70 years old and winning the Baja 500. Truly amazing and inspiring.
And the catheter - worked like a champ!
The Race Starts In A Few Hours. Watch Out for Nerfers! Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-30-08 23:59 PT
In a few hours it will be time to wake up for final race prep.
Tonight I practiced getting in and out of the HUMMER H2 SUT's middle seat and learning where all the tools are stored in the truck, should we need them for a mechanical stop. It's my job to watch the rear view mirror for faster vehicles (e.g. trophy trucks) so they don't come up and 'nerf' us from behind. Nerfing is when another racer politely taps your bumper at 40-mph to ask you to move aside so they can pass. I'm also responsible for double checking the navigation system for skull and crossbones signs that mark very dangerous spots on the trail.
Communications etiquette in the truck works like this. I have a microphone that connects to my helmet. I talk only to co-driver and mechanic Sam Cothrun, and Sam speaks with driver Josh Hall or me. I don't communicate with Josh, so he can maintain his focus.
Here's a picture of Josh Hall taken earlier this evening.
We're expected to start off the line around 10 am. Should everything go well, the H2 SUT will finish the race around 12 or 1 am Sunday morning. I'll be in the truck until the second fuel stop, 206-miles into the race.
Oh yeah, got my catheter today, too. Remember, Baja racers don't stop for bathroom breaks.
Small Trucks You Can't Have Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-30-08 23:36 PT
You'll see many vehicles in Mexico that you can't buy in the states, including small trucks.
This two-seat Chevrolet Toronado runabout is powered by a four cylinder 1.8-liter gas engine with a manual transmission. Check out the small step built into the cargo box, below the B-pillar. The bed is small but it's deep. The rear suspension is coil sprung. I also see some 2007+ Chevy Silverado 1500 influence in the rear wheel arches.
Crew cab Ford Rangers are also common. How many of these could Ford have sold the past 5 years in the U.S.?
Wake Up, Eat Breakfast, Go for a PreRun Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-30-08 11:47 PT
This morning started very early. We were on the road at 6:30 am to prerun the first 44-miles of the Baja 500.
While the other 400 miles, or so, can be explored immediately after the Baja's race organizers disclose the year's course, the first miles are closed until two days before the start of the event, so Ensenada doesn't get covered in dust.
Wow, there's lots of dust.
Portions of the trail narrow to single track widths with tall bushes on both sides. When sunlight hits the fine particles of dirt suspended in the air it gets filtered into a dense and blinding brown fog that makes the path almost impossible to see. We were well spaced from another HUMMER in front of us, so we only hit a few brownouts. Visibility will be incredibly bad tomorrow with all the racers tossing dirt into the air.
Add to the poor visibility a random assortment of organic objects that stray on and off the trail. There's chickens, dogs and lots of people, especially kids.
GPS is critical to navigating the trail. We averaged about 25-mph during the pre-run. Tomorrow we'll be running at 30 to 35-mph. The turns come up incredibly fast. The truck's navigator has to be extremely focused so you don't get off the route and lose precious time. Every second counts!
Speaking of all the twists and turns on the course, Baja 500 Race Director Sal Fish has to negotiate with numerous private land owners and Mexican government officials to obtain permission for the racers to cross the trails that lead outside Ensenada. It's a never ending task that takes all year to complete. Contrast this with off-road races that take place in the United States. Since American competitions tend to happen on public lands, usually only a single permit is need from the Bureau of Land Management. Nice job Sal!
TForce Motorsports Toyota Tundra PreRunner Powered By General Motors Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-29-08 23:42 PT
TForce Motorsports brought their brand new Tundra D-Cab PreRunner to this evening's Baja Legacy Party at Horsepower Ranch. The sharp looking truck immediately caught my eye and the attention of most of the party's guests.
I spoke with TForce crew member Matt Riggle, who laid out the specs on the truck. It's powered by a stock Chevrolet LS2 V8, positioned aft between the cargo box and rear cabin, behind the b-pillar. The Tundra's LS2 generates approximately 375-hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. Mr. Riggle says the team chose the LS2, "because it's reliable and we can run regular Pemex gas (instead of racing fuel)." The truck also uses King off-road racing shocks and Baja T/A tires from BF Goodrich.
Former Indy car racer and Indy 500 winner Danny Sullivan co-owns TForce Motorsports with Dan Friedkin, a Toyota dealer. The team is not directly sponsored by Toyota, according to Mr. Riggle.
Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Friedkin also drive the team's new 765-hp Toyota Tundra Trophy Trucks that will race in this year's Baja 500 and Baja 1000.
The Tundra PreRunner will support the Tundra Trophy Truck during the race and will be used by the crew to check out the course before the start of the Baja 500.
One Horse Town Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-29-08 23:12 PT
Team HUMMER owner, patriarch and legendary off-road racer Rod Hall drives his H3 past a lounging horse at the end of the block in the neighborhood where we're staying.
Rod is going for a record 18th win in this year's Baja 500. He's currently tied with Ivan "The Iron Man" Stewart, at 17 wins each. He'll be driving an H3 SUV in the Stock Mini Truck Class.
We've Arrived South Of The Border. Here's Our Ride. Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-29-08 22:52 PT
Two hours driving from L.A. to the Mexican border and another 90 minutes in an H3 coasting down the Baja peninsula to Ensenada and we've arrived at our headquarters for the next few days.
Here's a shot of Team HUMMER's H2 SUT that we'll be taking the passenger seat in for Saturday's 40th running of the Baja 500. Josh Hall will be piloting the truck. More about Josh later in the week.
Note the sophisticated security precautions used to protect the truck - stacked spare tires and wheels and a plywood 'windshield'. HUMMER spokesperson Nick Richards denies the wooden windshield will be a new accessory this fall.
Mike
Levine: A+ Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-28-08 08:12 PT
My
DJ Safety racing suit arrived via UPS yesterday and there's
a couple of things to point out about this functional
garment.
Between
the nomex underwear and suit, I'm not feeling as paranoid as
before, considering I'll be sitting over the H2 SUT's fuel
cell during the race.
My
name is on the front. Next to it it says, A+.
That's neither a reference to my college GPA (I wish!), nor is it to
indicate my personality type to other racers. A+ is my blood
type. Am I oversharing yet?
3-days
and counting.
If
You Happen To Be In Mexico Thursday Night Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-26-08 20:21 PT
Grab
some tickets to where we'll be this Thursday night - the Baja
Legacy Party at Horsepower Ranch, outside Ensenada.
This
year, the Baja Legacy is set to honor a stellar list of inductees
including Robby Gordon, current NASCAR driver and three-time
SCORE Baja 1000 overall winner; Vic Wilson, a two-time Baja
1000 race winner who claimed the very first overall title in
the inaugural 1967 Mexican 1000; Bruce Ogilvie, a multi-year
Baja motorcycle champion and long-time manager for Honda’s
factory teams and Bruce Brown, the famed director of the groundbreaking
motorcycle film “On Any Sunday” and the man who
first exposed Baja racing to the world by producing ABC television’s “Wide
World of Sports” coverage of the 1968 Mexican 1000.
All of this year’s recipients are scheduled to be on hand to sign their
plaques and claim their space in the Carrera Cantina’s Hall of Fame. The
honorees will join a distinguished group of past inductees that includes Sal
Fish, Bruce Meyers, Corky McMillin, Malcolm Smith, Ron Bishop, Drino Miller,
Dick Landfield, Doug Robertson, Bob Gordon, Ivan Stewart, Larry Roeseler, Walker
Evans, Larry Ragland, Frank Vessels, the late Mike Thomas, Bob Steinberger, Rod
Hall, Don Adams, Johnny Johnson and Jason Baldwin (posthumously).
HUMMER
will provide helmet, catheter and all-weather jacket.
Pay
special attention to the word between "helmet" and "all-weather
jacket". There's no stopping for bathroom breaks during the Baja.
The
things I'll do...
We're
Baja Bound in Two Weeks! Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-16-08 01:15 PT
I
never thought I'd be excited to be a
backseat driver, but in two weeks I'll be strapped into the middle
chair of Team HUMMER's latest race truck to run the 40th
Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Off-Road Race in the desert
sands outside Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Team
HUMMER's Josh Hall, the oldest son of veteran off-road racer
and Team HUMMER owner Rod Hall, will be piloting our new 2008
H2 Sport Utility Truck.
It's
the H2 SUT's first race at the Baja 500 but Josh is coming off
two recent victories in the super short-box pickup. The first
win was at the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 (also held in Baja
California) in March and the second win was at the Terrible's
Town 250 in April.
We'll
be competing in the Baja 500's Stock Full-Size Truck Class, which
features production-based vehicles with factory frames,
factory suspension designs and production-based engines.
Ever
wondered how to prep a stock pickup to run a race like
the Baja 500? Read on below for our first feature story and stay
tuned in the coming weeks as I blog about getting ready
and participating in the Baja 500!
From
Stock HUMMER to Desert Runner Posted
By: Mike Levine Posted:
05-16-08
01:15 PT
Photos Courtesy of General Motors
The
first step to race in the Baja 500's Stock Full-Size Truck
Class is to pick your vehicle wisely. Team HUMMER has started
with a fresh-off-the-line 2008 HUMMER H2 SUT (pictured above,
sanded for paint prep).
The
2008 H2 SUT received a substantial mid-cycle update that included
an all-new upscale interior and, more importantly, a major powertrain
upgrade to the six-speed automatic 393-horsepower / 415
lb-ft of torque 6.2-liter Vortec V8 engine, from the old four-speed
auto 325-hp / 365 lb-ft 6.0-L V8.
The
6.2-L V8 is the same motor used in the slightly more powerful GMC
Sierra Denali. It will be rolled out
later this year to the rest of General
Motor's full-size light-duty pickups.
While
the engine stayed, the interior was literally stripped to the
metal. The fancy leather seats, sleek instruments, and soft carpet
were removed, along with all the glass windows. Pretty doesn't
impress the clock at the Baja 500.
Next,
a sturdy roll cage was welded into place inside the truck.
The
old gas tank was unbolted and removed and a 'Fuel Safe' racing fuel
cell installed inside the truck.
Uh,
that's directly behind where I'll be seated.
The
fuel cell container is made of steel. It houses a double-coated
penetration-protecting bladder made from ballistic nylon. The bladder
stores the racing gasoline we'll be feeding the engine. For
additional protection, safety foam, or 'baffling', surrounds
the bladder and separates it from direct contact with the steel
walls. Fuel Safe says the foam, "slows fuel cell slosh while
providing explosion resistance."
Whew,
now I'm feeling much better.
Three
Cobra racing seats were installed with 5-point safety harnesses.
Two up front for the pilot and navigator, and one center aft for
witnesses, like me.
The
stock suspension was overhauled with Fox Racing reservoir shocks.
The Fox Shox contain extra fluid to help keep temperatures
down inside the canister, so it can efficiently dampen vertical
motion without fading over the hundreds of miles of the Baja's
rough terrain we'll be bombing across.
Hey,
if Fox equipment is good enough for HUMMER, it looks like it
will be good enough for Ford's
'Raptor' F-150.
37-inch
BF Goodrich Baja T/A KR tires were mounted on the HUMMER's 17-inch
wheels. The off-road rubber features a larger air chamber for
improved shock absorption.
Rolling
under its own power, the next stop for the H2 SUT was at the paint
shop to receive its Team HUMMER black and red exterior.
GPS
was installed - so we don't get lost in Mexico. We might not need
badges, but we definitely don't want to be without GPS.
After
putting the rest of the truck back together, Josh Hall and Co.
took the H2 SUT out for a shakedown before racing it in other
events earlier this year. This will be the first time the H2
SUT has competed in the Baja 500.
Hummer
spokesperson Nick Richards says, "Just add dirt and race!"
And
that, folks, is how you turn a stock full-size pickup into an off-road
desert racer.
