The Baja 1000 - and Hummer vs. Toyota - has been decided
The 672.85-mile-long Baja 1000 race is over, and 328 starters were boiled down to just a handful of winners in various classes. The premier events were taken by Andy and Scott McMillin in the trophy truck category, in a modded Chevrolet Silverado. Andy won the race three years ago as a year ago as Robby Gordon's co-driver, but this year beat the NASCAR pilot by three places. The motorcycle category went to the three-way team of Kendall Norman, Timmy Weigand, and Quinn Cody, who crossed the line about 45 minutes before the McMillin's did.
Behind them, two legends of the race practically had the Stock Mini class to themselves: 20-time winner Rod Hall, along with Emily Miller, and Mike Winkel in a Hummer H3 took on Robert Ditner, Joe Nolan, Kez Ziesemer, and three-time winner Ivan Stewart in a 2010 Toyota 4Runner. Of three starters in the class, these two vehicles were the only ones to finish, and the issue came down to the last few miles: Hall's Hummer suffered a long repair stop at mile 40 and he only passed Stewart's 4Runner for first place just thirty miles from the finish.
While Stewart settles for second – and Hall gets his record-setting 21st class win – it's a triumph for the truck and drivers to have finished the race at all. Congratulations to all involved
[Source: SCORE]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JayP 9:09AM (11/24/2009)
USA! USA!
Wait... that's not right anymore. Who owns Hummer now?
Crap.
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Doug 10:01AM (11/24/2009)
The Chinese, but this vehicle was built under GM ownership in Shreveport, Louisiana.
psyvicpeng 11:29AM (11/24/2009)
"Go Sichuan Tengzhong!" Well, we can probably start saying that next year
John H. 12:56PM (11/24/2009)
Hey, I thought everybody said Hummers were only for looks and parking lots.
Hummers are winning off-road? Madness!
dal20402 9:17AM (11/24/2009)
Silly drivers. Can't tell the difference between a Hummer and an airplane. :p
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JamesK 12:13PM (11/24/2009)
He was only trying to avoid a low flying pelican. It happens more often then you'd think.
mk15 9:20AM (11/24/2009)
Congrats to Hall. Nice to see that the Hummer is actually more than 22-24" chrome wheels and 1.2gigawatts of amplifiers.
Too bad for Toyota, but at least it proves the 4Runner has a good durable chassis if it can survive a Baja 1000.
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JDM Life 9:51AM (11/24/2009)
Toyota Trucks FTW.
Built tough...I wonder if the 4Runner had any TRD parts on it or was it basically stock...if it was near stock this win would be even more impressive.
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H1 Alpha 9:54AM (11/24/2009)
Who cares what parts the toyoder had on it. It Lost. It probably had a rusted out frame.....
The Hummer kicked it's A**. As it should be.
MajorGeek 10:10AM (11/24/2009)
You do understand that FTW means For The Win, right?
JDM Life 10:23AM (11/24/2009)
Sorry didnt notice the 4runner didnt win i read it wrong. My bad.
Still a very good run for the 4runner where the Hummer has issues and the 4Runner did not. Very good. Proves how strong the 4Runner is.
Tourian 11:08AM (11/24/2009)
My first clue as to who won was the picture of the Hummer flying over the finish line. The Toyota was slow enough that it still got passed even after the Hummer spotted it a good lead while it was in for service.
mact 11:54AM (11/24/2009)
You people realize that the 4runner was pretty much stock other than the suspension components/wheels/tires? I say it did extremely well considering it was one of the few vehicles that even finished.
mact 11:55AM (11/24/2009)
H1, you're an idiot.
Leclerc 12:07PM (11/24/2009)
@ H1. You actually think that a Hummer is a better vehicle than a 4Runner? Meathead, you probably drive a H2 to compensate for other shortcomings. I would take a Runner over that bloated rattletrap anyday.
spin cycle 12:21PM (11/24/2009)
Leclerc:
Look at the photo above. The Hummer even has the stock wheels. Maybe even the stock tires. Do you see a lot of mods on there other than the suspension, required roll bar and the lights?
John H. 12:59PM (11/24/2009)
@leclerc: I'd take a H2 over a Toyota any day of the week.
Leclerc 2:20PM (11/24/2009)
@ John H. You go with that one. I am sure your reasons are a little different than mine. If your talking reliability, resale value, fuel economy and so on, I will take my runner. If you need a vehicle to match your ego, then keep your H2.
thefourthheat 4:59PM (11/24/2009)
lol Tourian, because in real life we all have repair crews following us around right? The Hummer might very well be more capable than the 4Runner but it's pretty clear that the 4Runner has the right to call itself a real SUV, and some people might appreciate the whole not breaking down thing.
IOMTT 5:09PM (11/24/2009)
Actually, Honda won. Check the results...CRF450X FTW! I guess the Hummer and the 4 Runner are good for getting your bike to the trail.