Rod Hall Racing and H3 trucks take two unofficial wins at the Baja 1000!

Mike Winkel and the H3 Stock mini crosses the finish line at 4:53pm to be declared the unofficial winner! This makes TWO unofficial titles for the Rod Hall Racing Team in the 2009 Baja 1000!

Both classes (Stock Full/Stock Mini) were tight battles for the drivers. Chad Hall completed the full course on his own with little to no errors during the race. Rod Hall, Emily Miller, and Mike Winkel all drove the H3 Stock Mini truck with mechanical issues and log jams but came through to take the win.

Congratulations to both trucks and the Rod Hall Racing Team!

Quote from the road...

"WOW, this is something to see, all 3 trucks @ RM537.5 so close you can't tell who is in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd! Ivan Stewart got in @ BFG5. We will need grand spoters!" - Rick Grabowsky

Chad Hall named unofficial winner of the Baja 1000!

At 10:52 this morning Chad Hall was named the unofficial winner for the Baja 1000 Stock Full Class! With a neck to neck race Chad remained calm and got the job done being the sole driver of the H3 for the full 672.85 miles.

The Stock Mini truck has been brought back in the race as well for a solid run by Emily Miller. We had a chance to touch base with Emily when she got out of the car, "I never felt tired and it was a clean run with great pace. I did my best to take care of the steering and I am confident that Mike Winkle will continue to catch up the lost time."

Currently Stock Mini #761 is 32 minutes behind the Honda Ridgline team and 3.5 minutes behind the Toyota team. "We are still in this!"

Congratulation to the entire Rod Hall Stock Full team, updates to follow about Stock Mini.

Early morning Update for the H3's!

It has been a cold and dark night in Baja while Emily Miller in the H3 Stock Mini and Chad Hall in the H3 Stock Full continue to push through the evening. The sun is slowly trying to peak through at 5:46am and both teams are looking forward to it. Emily Miller, currently at RM371 has be making back miles she she jumped in the truck. She has almost made the full loop from Pit 2 to 4 and should arrive within the hour.

had Hall has been pushing for the lead and has taken it again against his Baja 1000 2009 rival of the day, Kent Kroeker (#861)! They are currently at RM515. Keep checking back to Rod Hall Racing and Twitter for up to the minute race details!

Rod Hall Teams Look Strong Even with Mechanic Issues

Rod Hall Racing Teams are doing great and staying strong even through some mechanic issues. 10:09pm at the BAJA 1000 course and Chad Hall is sticking it out right behind the Factory Dodge team and driver, Kent Kroeker. He currently is at RM 319.

The Stock Mini truck #761 ran into a few issues with failed steering rack and pump power that has now been fixed and Mike Winkle is 40 miles outside of Pit 2 (RM167) where Emily Miller waits patiently!

For more updates follow the Rod Hall Team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rodhallracing1!

Chad Hall in head to head race at the Baja 1000!

It is 6:08pm and the Baja 1000 is well underway for our two Rod Hall teams. Chad Hall is in an impressive head to head race with the Factory Dodge car just half a mile behind them and in front of the Toyota and Honda teams. Chad currently is at RM191.

Our Stock Mini truck drove off the start line with Rod Hall in the drivers seat but shortly there after blew a steering rack seal and was not able to move for just under an hour. Rod stuck it out and was able to get the truck moving again and currently Mike Winkle is in the the drivers seat at RM111.

Josh Hall attentively sits at home as the two teams push forward. He calls it a typical Baja 1000...

"Looking at the way the race is unfolding it is a typical Baja 1000. No reason to be worried or feel like there is big drama because Truck 761 is 54 miles off the lead. This is the race."

Emily Miller just recently made it to Pit 2 and is suiting up to run her leg of the race in the dark.

Both teams sound good and the Baja 1000 continues...

BAJA 1000 BLOG - CONTINGENCY

Contingency was smooth today for both H3s. The guys were up early and the trucks were finished and back to the beach houses by 1:00. However, the morning took a turn when we received word from Josh Hall that he would not be able to return to Baja for the race. Earlier in the week, he had a family emergency which cut his pre-run short.

Josh is the Driver of Record on the blue H3 in the Stock Mini Class. Our initial plan was that he would take the truck off the line to BFG Pit 2 and then would jump in Chad Hall’s H3Alpha in the Stock Full Class at BFG 4 and race to the finish. Josh is such a tremendous driver. He is so unbelievably fast and skilled that we knew he would shake things up right off the line. Chad has soloed the race plenty, but given how rough the course is, he was happy to have his brother sharing the driving duties.

Needless to say, it is a good thing that Josh is at home – doing the right thing by being with his family right now back in the US. However, it is tough to not have him here with us. He and Chad do so much of the organization and team management and he is such a vital part of the race plan in this year’s 1000. Fortunately, Rod and Chad have so much experience in Baja and they were able to construct a solid race day plan. So once again for his 42nd time, Rod will take the truck off the starting line.

Stay tuned and keep on the BLOG and TWITTER tomorrow and watch the Stock Class races unfold. Our trucks leave the line at approximately 12 noon. Good night for now from Ensenada.

BAJA - PRE-RUNNING DAY 4

It's Tuesday morning and the team is having a home cooked breakfast at Rancho El Coyote - just west of Mike's Sky Ranch. This place is a must stay if you are in Northern Baja. It is completely off-the-grid and the hospitality is second to none. We spent the last two days on the San Felipe side and the course hasn't changed too much - rough and essentially huge whoops for miles. As Sam Cothrun called it, "the Mesopotamia of Whoops."

This is Day 4 of our pre-running and we have gotten alot accomplished. We are running the west side of the course today - and will stay in Erendira - a cool little village on the bluffs above the Pacific ocean.

The team meets us tomorrow afternoon in Ensenada. This year, we are happy to have Michelle Naranjo joining the team and covering the race and our progress via various outlets. You can find her posts at http://www.twitter.com/missmotormouth.

Race Update Information

Baja 1000 race updates here. Check back throughout the week and race. Team updates will be posted approx. every two hours once the green flag drops on Friday morning.

Baja 1000 Pre-Running Begins for Rod Hall Racing Team

It's hard to believe it is already November and we are headed back to Mex. Saturday morning, Rod, Josh, Chad, Mike Winkel and Emily head to pre-run the course. This year marks the 42nd Baja 1000 and Rod's 42nd running of the race. He's making history again, but this year he'll be backing up his winning sons who are fielding the two H3 HUMMERS.

Chad Hall is Driver of Record of his silver H3 Alpha. He will be racing for his 8th class win and his 3rd win in this particular truck. The truck was built and debuted in 2007. Since then Chad has captured the 2007 1000 win, 2008 Baja 500 and Baja 1000 wins. Chad said that he's been wanting to get the suspension dialed in perfectly and finally after the Vegas to Reno (win), they were able to spend some time testing and tuning. "We made slight changes but they made significant impact and we are able to run a couple mph faster." The youngest Hall is tough to beat, consistent, fast and incredibly experienced in Baja. He'll be running against the diesel Dodge and the Lexus.

Josh Hall is Driver of Record on the blue i5 in the Stock Mini class. Josh sold the H2SUT this year to Greg Knowles of Perth, Australia and said "goodbye" to his truck in style by grabbing several selective stage wins at the Australasian Safari Rally - seven days through the Outback of Australia. Josh raced in the blue truck at the 40th Anniversary race and in an exciting run against the Millen's FJ, he was able to help his father capture the meaningful win. Josh was humble when talking to him, but make no mistake, he's known for his speed, skill and incredible focus. "I see it the same way again this year, I'm here to help Pops get his 20th win. But we have great, experienced competition, and we know it is a tough race to just get to the finish line."

Rod Hall, Emily Miller and Mike Winkel will also be driving the event. Thad Stump, Sam Cothrun and Dana Morris will be taking the navigator's seats.

We will be posting BLOGs throughout next week and constantly throughout the race as information from the team is available. We will also be posting Twitter updates and YouTube videos.

V2R Notes from Chad

Looking back on the Vegas to Reno, I thought it was deceptively fast. The roads were not wooped up like San Felipe or Primm so the speeds we were running were faster. I assume that because of the speeds, it led to mistakes which would make sense by the number of broken down, rolled and wrecked vehicles. We averaged 40 mph each day, which is fast for a stock truck.

The rack seal blew on Day 1, but other than that, the H3A had no problems. I missed the 10 car from it’s ability to run so smooth through the rough, but it is amazing how fast the H3A with 8’ in the front and 11” in the back can go. Running that truck back-to-back for three days gave me a different perspective on it. It is a durable, fast, nimble truck. And even though it is fast, I think we can make it faster. I really think that the H3A is such a bad ass truck, that no one else can compete against it - especially in the long races. I look forward to getting it ready for Baja.

HUMMER forever…

Vegas to Reno #1

It's Tuesday and part of the team departed Reno this morning in route to Las Vegas. Tomorrow is Tech and Contingency for the Vegas to Reno. This year, the race is a three-day, 1000 mile event - starting in Beatty, Nevada and finishing near Carson City.

This year, Rod Hall Racing will be fielding two H3s in two stock classes. Chad Hall has been running a class 10 car with Johnny Harrah, but at the last minute had the opportunity to race his H3 Alpha in 4100. Chad tested the car this week and was happy with how fast it was running. His co-driver is Thad Stump who just returned from seven days of racing in the Outback with Josh Hall. Emily Miller will be running the blue H3 I5 in Class 3100 with Sam Cothrun in the co-driver seat. Sam owns SamCo Fabrication and has prepped both trucks for the event.

We will be updating from Vegas and on Twitter, so sign up today. Our Twitter name is rodhallracing1. Live tracking will be available on www.bitd.com.

FINAL - LEG 7 - KALGOORLIE TO KALGOORLIE

It is a beautiful evening in the classic western style mining town of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The ceremonial finish just came to a close and the celebrating is about to begin. It was a short day with 2 Selective Stages and Josh was on fire. He and Thad were second off the line and quickly moved to the front when #100 blew an early turn. He set a blistering pace and won the first Selective by one minute fifty-five seconds over Bruce Garland.

At the start of the second Selective, he was running a similar pace, but had a flat approximately halfway through the course. We are waiting on the official results, but currently he is listed as 7th for the stage.

Thad noted the course was rougher - more similar to racing back home. It suited Josh perfectly and the team is happy to be celebrating another stage win - making it three days in a row of bringing home a Selective. Congrats to great driving and navigating. Amazing to think this is Thad's first time in this particular role.

The sun is setting and we will be packing up early in the morning to transfer back to Perth. The team has accomplished what it set out to do - scout the race, learn the nuances, and show Australia what the Americans and the HUMMER H2 SUT can do. Despite a few early setbacks that penalized the team's overall result, the goals were not only reached, but far exceeded.

Hats off to the great competitors and race organizers. Many thanks for the hospitality and fun. We've made great friends in Western Australia and look forward to coming back in 2010.

Posted by E. Miller

LEG 6 - LAVERTON TO KALGOORLIE

SECOND STAGE WIN FOR JOSH HALL!

Another great day for Hall Racing! The Leg consisted of 3 Selective Stages - 86.99, 242.75 and 62.02 kilometers. The day was tight, technical and overgrown in many sections. As the race is nearing the end, the competitors were definitely pushing it. Several competitors suffered multiple flats. However, after yesterday's flats on the H2, Josh was running Slime and had only one tire lose air at the end of Selective Stage 2. (Technically, the Selective Stages were considered #15-17 as they are progressively recorded. But for ease of reference, we refer to the Selectives per day.)

Thad noted that Josh's driving was incredibly smooth and fast today. And by Stage 3, Josh had captured his second stage win by :19 seconds in a short 62.02 KM stage! Several trucks had difficulties and the previous race leader - #110 - is now out of the race after hitting a tree. The trees and brush were definitely thick, and when Thad stepped out of the truck, the crowd got a great laugh as heaps of brush came pouring out.

We are now in Kalgoorlie - the final stop of the seven day event. Tomorrow is a short day with two Selective Stages and three transit sections, for a total of 164.98 kilometers of racing. And on another note - Annie Seel, the Huseberg rider who rode into the pit at the end of the second selective with a large stick impaled in her leg, through her boot. The story around the bivvy is she tried to remove it herself on the trail, but was unable to. The medical team was able to remove it onsite and within a short period, she was on her bike and back on course. Congrats to Annie!

FOR RACE PHOTOS AND VIDEO - CLICK ON RODHALLRACING.COM.

LEG 5 - LAVERTON TO LAVERTON

JOSH AND THAD CAPTURE SELECTIVE STAGE WIN

Today's Leg had Josh Hall written all over it - long selectives with next to no breaks. However, it was a rough start and before RK 60, Josh had two flats - leaving them with no spare. They were unable to get assistance at the refuel area as Marathon rules only allow Service Crews to fuel the truck. Competitors are not allowed any other assistance and exclusion is the penalty. Now we know why most of the trucks race with three spares.

The flats resulted in Josh running a little more conservatively until the last stage of the day - an 86.86KM selective. At that point, he turned it up. He took the tight, technical slalom style section all out and posted his first stage win! He beat out Bruce Garland by :19 seconds.

After a rough start in the first couple days, it was apparent the team refocused, decided to take each day at a time, set goals for individual stages and legs, and learn the nuances of this rally for a future return. Josh is a gifted driver, Thad the perfect co-driver and the truck is super capable. We look forward to the final two days of racing. Despite what happens now, it has been a tremendous experience for the team.

Remember to check out the You Tube daily recap videos by clicking here.

LEG 4 - LEONORA TO LAVERTON

Good evening from Laverton, Western Australia. We are now spending two nights in this bivouac which will make our journey tomorrow a little easier. Today was another great day for the team - the HUMMER ran flawlessly, Josh was fast and Thad is nailing it in his role as navigator. In three Selective Stages, they posted 6th, 3rd and 2nd respectively. The overall result was third fastest for the day. Needless to say, the racers now know the team is truly competitive.

Tomorrow, Josh is third off the line. We have been told the day is the "toughest" out of the seven with 460 KM of Selective Stages and 85 KM of transit sections. Essentially, it is an all out race for the day with minimal breaks. It is also the second of three "Marathon Legs" - meaning the team has to perform their own service. Our support team can only refuel the truck. The long, all-out racing could favor Josh's experience with grueling endurance events.

Rod, Jason and I will be heading to various parts of the course in the morning to grab video, photos and update the action as cell service allows. Make sure you sign up for Twitter posts to keep up with the latest.

See you tomorrow!

LEG 3 - MT. MAGNET TO LEONORA

GOOD NEWS!

It was a redeeming and rewarding day for Josh, Thad and the H2 team and we are happy to report great news. The longest day so far on the rally, the guys had 4 selective stages and 7 transit stages, for a total of 745.68 km. The first selective east of Mt. Magnet was 122.59 and they took it relatively easy with the goal to warm up, settle in and focus on completing the day. By the time they entered the Agnew Service Area around 4 pm, they had made considerable time on a substantial portion of the field.

We saw them approximately 30 km into the last selective stage and they were moving fast. It was apparent that they were running a very competitive pace. We are now at the bivouac and checking the results as they keep coming in. Although these results are unofficial, here are the team’s result from each competitive stage today – 6th, 2nd, 5th, 3rd.

Tomorrow, we travel from Leonora to Laverton. There are 3 selective stages for a total of 301.17 and 163.81 transit stages for a total of 464.98. The progressive total of kilometers covered for all three days is 2390.17. We are waiting on tomorrow’s starting list, and because of the strong results, the HUMMER will have a much better starting position.

Jason Jacopian is working hard to get video posted tonight, but internet speeds have been challenging. With tomorrow's shorter stages, we are headed in early to get the video out and a mid-race update posted.

Stay tuned and good night from the Outback!

LEG 2 UPDATE - GERALDTON TO MT. MAGNET

It’s a tough day for the team. I’m writing this update from Yalgoo which is known as the entry into the Outback. The day was over 600 km with two special stages – the first 244.75 km and the second 134 km. We saw them pass approximately 25 km into the first selective stage and they were running hard and strong. Just beyond that point, they were able to pass the car that started 2 minutes before the #111 H2.

Rod, Jason and I headed from RK 25 to RK 134 – the start of the “Timed Crossing” – and were able to catch the race leaders and record splits. The first truck off the line started 36 minutes ahead of Josh, but last year’s winner (Riley #100) who started in third position had moved up to first place by this point and put almost 8 minutes on that first truck. Based on how fast Josh was running when we first saw him, as the clock kept ticking, we knew there must be a problem. He came through the “Time Crossing” at approximately noon, and told us he broke a brake line and needed brake fluid.

Approximately 20 km down the course there was a tough creek crossing with one stuck medical vehicle. The team stopped and surveyed the area, chose a line and proceeded on across the deep mucky bog. The section was seriously wide and the truck got stuck beyond their ability to get out on their own - up to the diff and skid plate. After several tries and assistance from other vehicles, a recovery vehicle with 20 feet of Snatch Um strap was able to move them a few inches – just enough to get #111 unstuck.

Needless to say, a disappointing day. However, despite a big penalty, tomorrow is a new day and it’s a long event.

LEG 1 UPDATE - PERTH TO GERALDTON

FOR CURRENT RESULTS – CLICK HERE FOR THE SAFARI WEBSITE LIVE PAGE

Good evening from the coastal town of Geraldton. We are approximately 350 km north of Perth and settled in at the bivouac. The competition today consisted of short “special stages” (SS) – approximately 100 km total - as well as several transition stages. A "special stage" is where the competition happens essentially. The team ran into troubles midway through the stage when the insulation around one of the two mufflers basically had collapsed and clogged – causing the unit to become extremely hot and basically glowing when Josh was able to get a visual. After using one fire extinguisher, they made a wise decision to wait for the sweep to grab another extinguisher before continuing on. The team was down for approximately 30+ minutes but were able to pick off a couple trucks before the transition stage.

The second special stage was a short loop with many hard to see turns. In the first kilometer off the start, the team followed the deep ruts in the track, only to turn back as many teams had to do as well. Stories back at the bivouac confirmed that a majority of the field missed at least one or more turn. However, Josh reported that Thad did an excellent job navigating and we could tell from the in-car footage. There is no doubt that although he is new to it, he’ll make an excellent navigator for the long-haul.

The team is now working on the second muffler which was starting to develop the same problem as the left. Although the truck will be louder, the problem should be fully resolved. The H2 starts in 17th position tomorrow morning as we head east to Mt. Magnet. We have not been issued our road books yet, but will know the stages and distances shortly.

PROLOGUE

We are wrapping up the first "official" day of the rally. The Prologue was a short stage intended to define the seeing for tomorrow's start. The course was 15.84 KM through a forested area east of Perth. The truck was running great but a navigational error cost the team 4 KM. Fortunately, the Prologue does not count against the team for the overall scoring, but does determine Leg 1 starting order. So tomorrow, they will be starting near the back of the pack. But then again, nothing new in the world of Stock Full racing back home. Veteran racer Bruce Garland ran the fastest time - 12:04 with an average speed of 78.8 kph.

The Ceremonial Start took place in downtown Perth at sunset. The H2 attracted alot of excitement and interest as it stood out from the Patrols, Pajeros, and other smaller traditional rally trucks. Definitely the absence of a windscreen sparked several discussions on the pros and cons for racing across the Outback. And a final highlight - Rod Hall was given the Australian flag to officially start the division.

Tomorrow's race - LEG 1 - heads north to the coastal town of Geraldton. The total distance is 575.03 KM and consists of two special stages. Josh and Thad leave the line at 8:55 am.

We will be posting as possible, but we understand cell service is limited once we depart Perth. We will do our best with updating as connections allow. However, if you can't find us here, click on the homepage for rally update links.

RACE SCHEDULE

The truck prep is wrapping up and we head shortly to the designated scrutineering time - 1:30 pm Perth time - 10:30 pm PST - back home.  The guys were able to rig up the turn signals required by the governing bodies' race regs, but it made for a late night.  The driver's meeting is tonight and will clarify outstanding questions about rules, regs and schedule.  We will post those specifics and the information about the Marathon Legs.

THE COURSE is a clockwise race starting in Perth and heading north to the coastal town of Geraldton, before turning east, then south to the finish in Kalgoorlie.  Below is the general race schedule.

PROLOGUE - Saturday, August 1st

CEREMONIAL START - Saturday, August 1st

LEG 1 - PERTH - GERALDTON 

LEG 2 - GERALDTON - MT. MAGNET

LEG 3 - MT. MAGNET - LEONORA

LEG 4 - LEONORA - LAVERTON

LEG 5 - LAVERTON - LAVERTON

LEG 6 - LAVERTON - KALGOORLIE

LEG 7 - KALGOORLIE - KALGOORLIE

FINISH - KALGOORLIE - Saturday, August 8th

Australasian Safari Update #4

10:45am Wednesday 29 July (local time)

We’re here!  After 36 hours of travel, including stops in L.A., Melbourne and Adelaide, it was a pleasure to step out of the airport in Perth to link up with Greg Knowles and Josh Ogg.  His lifted H2 out in the parking lot was our clue they were there.  From the airport, we stopped at Henley Saab/Hummer where our H3 was waiting for us.  Thanks to Nick Richards (US Hummer Marketing) and his counter-parts in Australia, they have provided us with a Solar Flare H3 to use in the event as our primary support vehicle.

After some rest we are now down at the Race Torque race shop where Ogg is finishing up the UHF radio installation and Greg is completing the Monit rally computer and M.D. map reader electrical install.  I’m glad that’s not my job!  Jason is also installing all of the camera equipment inside the truck.  So at the moment, it’s a full house around the truck.

In the next few minutes, Stump and I are heading to the mobile Safari HQ, which is located at the Ascot Racecourse near Perth, to finally meet Justin Hunt and his Octagon staff.  According to Justin, that is to be the second thing we do today.

It really is great to be here!  I’ll update this evening after we know what Justin has in mind for us.  

Australasian Safari - Post #3

The team is down to a few days now before the event kicks off. Seven to be exact. Our prep man, Josh Ogg, arrived in Perth a few hours ago and was greeted in Aussie style by Greg Knowles, the race truck owner and key team member. As neither one knew the other, Greg greeted Josh with a hastily created VIP sign as the crowd deplaned. Once in hand, both were off to the port of Freemantle to pick up the race truck in Greg’s H2. While the Australian Customs process has been a bit frustrating for Greg, the good news is that most of our items have finally been cleared and are ready to be removed from the port. After a little rest, Josh has a list of items that must be accomplished to the race truck in order to comply with the Confederation of Australian Motorsports (CAMS) safety requirements. Once at the race shop, I will update the progress of that list.

My friend Wes Richie – a combat veteran U.S. Navy SEAL - and his company, EXSTA® Advanced Hydration, will be partnering with us for this event to create a stronger competitive package. I used EXSTA® at the last Baja 1000 and will it will in my daily supply of water in the race truck. Hydration and nutrition is a key component to long, back-to-back race days. Check out exstaenergy.com and look for it on our website soon.

The truck is there, the team is complete and even our shirts our done. Justin Hunt authorized us to be able to reproduce the Australasian Safari Rally logo on our team shirts for this year. So with the help of George Thompson our Safari Edition shirts and hats will complete our team appearance. We even look like a team!

All for now, but expect more to follow soon!

Australasian Safari Update #2 - from Josh

It's a little over three weeks away from the Safari and a few more details are ironed out. The race truck arrived in Perth over the weekend and now is on it's way to Freemantle on the western shore of the continent. The container is on schedule to arrive by the 11th and will then start the customs process. The race producer, Octagon, and Austorient have both been extremely effecient at helping us through
this process.

Our all important crew has been finalized as well. Josh Ogg (our SamCo prep guru) arrives in Perth on the 26th to start the final touches on the H2 SUT -"Tigger" as we refer to "him" in the shop.

I will arrive on the 28th with navigator Thad Stump and Jason Jacopian - our go to video pro.

Race truck owner Greg Knowles has lined up two additional Aussies to help with the cause. Daniel Villanova and Graham Jones both have extensive experience with Greg in the Australian Rally Championship and are a welcome addition to the team.

Add in the experience of Rod Hall and the talent of Emily Miller and our team is complete.

There are plenty of additional irons in the fire, so as those items become concrete, I will share that information as well.

All for now.

Australasian Safari Update #1

Here's the latest on the Australasian Safari...

The H2 SUT was shipped out Thursday, June 11th along with spare parts and BFG race tires.  So things look good and the team is continuing to prepare for the 8-day race through the Outback.  

The race begins in Perth, Australia on August 1st.  Josh and Thad Stump will be in the truck each day, with race support from Josh Ogg, Greg Knowles and three additional crew from "down under."  From what we understand, the navigation is traditional rally raid format, not a marked course with full GPS routes we normally experience in US and Baja off-road racing.  The solid history and experience as teammates that Josh and Thad have together over the past several years should pay off.

Currently, Josh is working with the rally to establish which class the H2 SUT qualifies for.  It looks like it will fall into T1.  However, as news occurs, we'll keep you posted.

Vehicle Profile - H1 Test Truck

We just wrapped up the fifth Light Truck Tire Seminar this past Friday for Michelin and BFGoodrich Tires.  Along with organizational duties and demonstration driving, I get the fun job - driving participants on a "hot lap" in one of Rod Hall's "rolling stock." The vehicle is Rod's original H1 HUMMER race truck that debuted at the 1993 Baja 1000 and won the Full Stock class. 

The truck is a GM 6.5 Liter Turbo Diesel equipped with a set of BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM2s and a suspension package that Rod Hall Products developed and distributes to the military. H1s with this suspension package can be driven at the same performance level that we push the truck on the hot lap course, but with approximately 16,500 of total weight. This is critical for soldiers' safety who need to load their vehicles with armor, artillery and gear.  The truck's purpose when it isn't racing around the course for the LTTS program is to test durability and handling of new parts in severe conditions.

The "durability demonstration" - another term for "hot lap" is the best part of the job and great to see people's faces as we zig-zag across the course at speed and hit the new little table top jump.  Most comments range from how surprised they are the truck handles so well or how big the truck is and how small I am.  Some laugh, some yell, some sit quietly white knuckled, but most everyone walks away wanting more.  

Posted by Emily Miller

Update from Chad - Racing Class 10

I am running the 10 car this year with Johnny Harrah in all the BITD events.  We have completed two races - I start and Johnny finishes.  The first race was rough for us.  The car was finished just in time for Parker and we had minimal time to test and tune.  However, Primm was a different story and there were significant improvements in ride and handling.  

Running Primm was a real eye opener for me.  The car worked well so we could run it hard.  It is very different from driving a full stock.  It took a while for me to figure out that the whoops are really of no concern, and I can drive it as fast as the engine will pull through them.  You really just have to work on keeping it on the road and not hitting rocks.  I'm also much busier in the cockpit - shifting all the time and sometimes using the clutch.  The car also has huge body roll and wheel travel, which takes getting used to.  The HUMMER is very different - where we focus on not making any mistakes and saving the car to the finish.  Course condition has a much bigger impact on stock trucks.

The Speed team is coming into it's own.  Johnny is a good driver and we believe we will be the car to beat.  We will be testing all next week and Thad Stump will be coming up to join us.  I expect good things and am looking forward to moving into Class 1 next year.  But I'm also ready to get back in the H3Alpha for the Baja 1000 and go for another Stock Full win.

Terrible's @ PRIMM Results

This weekend, Chad Hall ran Terrible's @ PRIMM in Class 10 with co-pilot Thad Stump.  The course was a three-lap 250 mile course just outside of Las Vegas.  The event was divided into two races with the faster classes running second.  Class 10 ran in the second grouping that included unlimited 7 trucks, 1500, Class 8, Class 1 and Trick Trucks.

Chad ran the first two laps and started in 10th position.  The first lap went smooth and Chad was running in 2nd place.  On lap two, he bent a wheel and had a flat.  Lost the power steering near the end of the lap before handing it to Johnny.  Harrah had a trouble free lap and brought it home for 4th place in class and 38th unofficially overall.

Chad noted, "the car is really fast and we are ready to win."  The team will have the chance at the next race, the Vegas to Reno 1000 mile stage race - August 19-23rd.  Check out the "new and improved" BITD.com for more info.  

Have questions for our team?  Send them to info@rodhallracing.com and we'll answer them on our blog.

Parker 425 - Update #3

This just in from Chad -- He confirmed the information about the shift linkage. Took a couple hours to fix, but he did say the car was fast and they had a good run. He handed to car off to Johnny at RM 154, but about ten miles later, the car was hit and looks like it will be a dnf. Chad didn't have the details, but we are holding tight and hoping the guys are okay. More to follow as soon as we hear.....

Parker 425 - Update # 2

It's tough to stare at #1055 , see the MPH remain at zero and wonder what is happening.  But Josh just phoned in -- It's raining hard in Parker, and unfortunately Chad and Thad are stuck at Main Pit working to fix #1055.  At race mile 131, the shift lever broke at the transmission.  They were able to manually engage second gear and limp it in.  The rain started at 11:30 and now at 1 pm, it is still coming down hard.  The plan is to get the fix, hand the car off to Johnny at Graham Well and finish the race and get the points.  Best of luck to the team! 

Parker 425 - Update # 1

Hello Race Fans!

Lots of exciting changes at Rod Hall Racing.  This weekend, Chad Hall competes with trusted co-driver Thad Stump, at the Parker 425.  No, he will not be driving his H3 Alpha, but the #1055 Class 10 car of Johnny Harrah and Speed Technologies.  He will be competing the entire BITD series with Johnny and plans to return to the Baja 1000 in the stock full class behind the wheel of his race proven HUMMER.  Class 10s are open-wheel buggies - with unlimited suspension and limited engines - quite a change from his H3 and H1.

Chad will leave the line at approximately 8:15 and compete against approximately twenty cars. He will drive the first 1 1/2 laps of the 3 lap race - and make the driver switch at Graham Well.  

Rod and Josh are at Parker showing support for Chad's new endeavor.  Rod is actually an "extractor" on the course - ready to pull out stuck, stranded vehicles.  We'll be following on Iritrack and checking in with the Halls to get the latest on Chad's race.