Family Dynasty - Retracing the Mexican 1000 Course with Rod Hall and Team Hummer

We began our 1000-mile joy ride in the same location as the 1967 Mexican 1000 opening ceremonies; Tijuana's bull fighting arena.

Known by locals as La Frontera, the land beyond Baja California's tourist zone is more than the desolate wasteland one might imagine from the window of a jumbo jet. It is a wild yet inviting place of remote pueblos, centuries old Jesuit missions, rustic cantinas and some of Mexico's most historic hotels. With only one paved road threading the nine hundred mile peninsula, the only way to experience it is by car, or should we say 4x4.

It is also home to the longest non-stop automotive race on the planet, the Baja 1000. As 2007 marks the fortieth running of the 1000, we slipped behind the wheel of a 2008 HUMMER H3 Alpha for a five-day retrace of the 1967 route with Rod Hall, Team HUMMER owner and the winningest racer to this country's credit.

Back in 1967, Mama Espinoza's cantina in El Rosario was one of the race checkpoints. There were only five between Tijuana and La Paz, one thousand miles to the south. It didn't matter how you got to La Paz as long as you hit each checkpoint. Without fuel stations in the remote areas, the checkpoints also served as fuel depots (included in the entry fee). Miss a checkpoint and you might have been facing a long walk home.

Blasting down a sandy two-track four hundred miles south of our starting point in Tijuana, I lifted from the skinny pedal, braking hard into a loose corner, then back on the gas as the H3 regained its momentum.

I glanced over at my co-driver expecting a nod of approval. With the disposition of my high school wrestling coach, he assertively commented, "You'll never be a competitive racer if you don't use left foot braking... remember to brake with your left foot...." Heeding the advice, I slid my left foot onto the brake at the next turn, staying on the accelerator through the apex. The H3 dove into the corner with purpose, brakes controlling velocity while all 295 horsepower from the new 5.3-liter V-8 yearned for more open road. Dispersing a spray of gravel and dust in our wake, the H3 drifted through the apex, shooting out the other side like shot through a barrel. "See, now that was better." Noted my new coach. This wasn't my first time behind the wheel of a HUMMER. But it was my first time behind the wheel

Both the H2 and H3 received upgrades to the powertrain for 2008. The H2's 6.2-liter small block aluminum V-8 churns out 393hp, a 20-percent increase over the previous model. Under the bonnet of the H3 now sits 295-horsepower 5.3-liter V-8 that churns a noteworthy 317 ft-lbs torque at 4000rpm.

of V-8 powered H3 Alpha with Rod Hall riding shotgun.

"My general thought is that you can only make three mistakes, the forth time you have problems."

Hall was no stranger to these parts. Forty years ago in 1967, he and teammate Larry Minor bounced over these same whoop-de-doos on the first 1000-mile race from Tijuana to La Paz, then known as the Mexican 1000. In a basically stock Jeep CJ-5 equipped with the stiffest dual shocks they could find, rock solid thirteen-leaf springs, a tool box and a Coleman cooler, Hall and Minor left Tijuana with a compass, a map and a few words of wisdom from friend Bill Hardy. 

"We had never been to Baja," Hall lamented, "We hadn't pre-run the course, and quite frankly didn't now where the heck we were going." But his friend's words, "If you get lost, head south by southeast and you'll

Besides the dust, whoop-de-doos and endless two-tracks through unfenced backcountry, Baja is about food, fun and camaraderie. Ensenada's Horsepower Ranch, which served up a mean carne asada, was our jumping point into the desert.

get to La Paz" were words to live by, and Hall and Minor took them to heart. Somewhere around midnight, near San Ignacio, about half way down the 900-mile peninsula, the proper direction came to question. "It was between us and Larry Stroppe to win the race... we pulled out the compass and headed southeast... it pointed straight into some three foot deep silt beds... and that's were we went. It saved us from going the wrong way."

From that first Mexican 1000, Hall was hooked on racing, eventually turning his hobby into a full-time gig. Over the next forty years, Hall would pull down more podium finishes than any other driver in the country. Gaining international recognition in the mid-80's, Hall knocking off two wins in the 12,500-mile Repco Reliability Trials in Australia, a 2nd place in the African Marlboro Safari in Kenya, and was on the first American team to complete the grueling Paris to Dakar Rally. Back at home, he rallied a 37-win streak in the SCORE and HDRA series, and seventeen Baja 1000 victories. Do

Somewhere south of San Ignacio Hall lamented about his first 1000, "We had never been to Baja... We hadn't pre-run the course, and quite frankly didn't now where the heck we were going." But my friend Bill Hardy gave us a compass and said, 'If you get lost, head south by southeast and you'll get to La Paz.' It pointed straight into one nasty silt bed, and that's the way we went." ,Hall added "Don't stop, if you do, someone's gonna run right into the back of you."

we need to say that if Rod Hall is giving advice, we're listening?

"I've put my face in the dirt a few times, it was usually my fault."

Through the 80's, things were changing in off-road racing and the advance of Class 1 and Trophy Trucks were taking center stage. But Hall decided to stick to the basics, enjoying a long run in stock full-size Dodge trucks. In 1993, HUMMER approached Hall with a proposal to race H1s. With his first run down the Baja peninsula in a military H1, he said, "Well I can tell you one thing, we ain't gonna outrun no one. But if the race is long and tough enough, we just might win this thing... This is one tough vehicle." With two factory prepped but stock H1s, Hall's team pulled off 1st and 2nd place class wins that year.

That was the beginning of a fifteen-year love affair with the HUMMER breed. Today, racing the H3 in stock form is perfect for Hall. "I'm a production kind of guy, unlike the Trophy Trucks, we can't just point-and-stab-the-gas over the three foot rollers..."

"The key to wining Baja is not going fast, the key is to not breaking your vehicle"
Back to Driving Baja 101: The tires lifted off a rise in the trail as ten inches of crisp Baja air separated our H3

In 1967, the iglecia (church) in San Ignacio would have been a dusty blur for Rod and team mate Larry Minor. Arriving around midnight, they were the second vehicle through the checkpoint. Their Coleman cooler was swirling froth of soggy sandwiches and their tool box was rattling so bad they threw it out, save a Crescent wrench and a couple screw drivers.

from the terra firma. Touching down, the front right tire absorbed the initial impact before bottoming out on a whoop-de-do. In the right seat, the seatbelt restraints kept Rod from bouncing off the ceiling. He picked up the CB mic and shared another tidbit of wisdom with me (and the rest of the group). "I have three general questions I ask myself during a race: Am I comfortable behind the wheel? Is my passenger getting a good ride? And am I putting the vehicle exactly where I want it to be?" I gave myself a mental 'F' for the morning.

 

Racing HUMMERs has not been a solo event for Hall. As with many racing families, sons Chad and Josh have followed in their father's tracks, rounding out Team HUMMER's roster. Both have picked up the torch, driving production H2s and H3s to numerous class wins. Chad manages the HUMMER retail division and competes in an H1, while Josh, who joined us for our Baja 1000 retrace and

In Baja, Rod Hall is part local hero, part local legend. When the federalies found out he was in our group, they stopped searching through our gear and wanted autographs. The el captain had his troops detain us while he took a shower for the occasion. Hall, who has gained a great appreciation and respect for the locals, took it all in stride.

currently trains the U.S. Special Forces on proper use of their HUMMERs, rounds out the team in an H2.

 

"I'm not a fast racer, I just win a lot of races"

Donna, Rod's wife of fifty-two years, later shared another little secret of Rod's successes. Hall records his entire pre-run on tape, then sits back with headphones on, and mentally reciting every corner, each canyon and hill climb, and every whoop-de-do until it is engrained in his mind. She also said he is to bed early and up a 05:00 every day, and  avoids reading anything that is written about him. "I think it might make your head swell, and that ain't good." Said Hall. It is these three things, in our humble opinion, that differentiate the master from his disciples.

Scorpion Bay, one of the checkpoints when the 1000 runs the full length of the peninsula, was our camp one night. The town has become a major surf spot for expatriated Americans and the cantina at the point serves up some mean fish tacos.

Throughout our 1000-mile joy ride through the heart of Baja's backcountry, Hall shared more tales of slit beds, washouts and wipeouts that we could share or remember. But with forty years, and over a hundred thousand miles of dirt behind his tires, in his nose and down his collar, one would expect a few noteworthy yarns.
Hall holds a unique blend of competitor and entrepreneur. An even-tempered leader and a perpetual joker, his easygoing mannerisms and down to earth sense of humor are clear signs that youth is in the eye of the beholder. 2007 will mark his 40th bid for the Baja 1000 gold. As we rolled into La Paz on the fifth day, with a thousand miles of wide open Baja behind us, we asked if the 40th will be his last. He just smiled, and in his modest fashion said " I just want to come

On the first 1000. there were no flags, no course markers, just five checkpoints and if didn't matter how you got there.

down and run a good race, hopefully we can win."

 
"On the first 1000, there were on flags, no course markers, just five checkpoints and it didn't matter how you got there."