BAJA 1000 - #61 Update

At 8:08 pm Friday November 19th, Rod Hall crossed the finish line at the 43rd Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 and continued his streak as the only person to compete in each and every edition of the legendary off-road race. 



 The 2010 Baja marked a new era for Rod Hall Racing, as Rod, Josh and Chad Hall, the most winning family in Baja with 33 wins, debuted the #61 HALL USA in the premier Trophy Truck class.  The team has spent their successful career behind the wheels of production four-wheel drive vehicles and made the decision in 2009 to take their experience across the globe in search of overall wins in the top cross-country rally raids. 



The new 4WD #61 Trophy Truck was completed a mere three weeks prior to the Baja 1000 and the team felt the demands of the race to La Paz would serve as an excellent proving ground for the vehicle.  “We encountered issues that we fully expected, given limited testing before the race,” noted Chad Hall, eight-time Baja 1000 class winner.  “We have additional tuning and work to do, but our goal was to reach the finish line, and we accomplished that.”

Rod Hall Racing and BFGoodrich Celebrate the Career of Off-Road Legend Rod Hall

As the 43rd Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 quickly approaches, Rod Hall Racing and BFGoodrich will celebrate the history of off-road racing legend Rod Hall through a photo and story tribute during the month of October. 



To date, Hall is the most winning driver in Baja, has raced every Baja 1000 since it’s inception in 1967 – winning it 21 times in his class.  His records are impressive and span the globe.  Hall is known for more than the Baja – for his consistency, an impressive finish record and the longest unbroken string of wins – at 35.  To date, he has captured over 220 wins, and two years ago at the age of 71 he took home the SCORE Championships, the BITD Championships and the Toyota Milestone Award. 



With the help of photographer and journalist David Vowell, the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame and BFGoodrich, we are able to present an impressive collection of historical photos from his entire racing career highlighted with his tales unique only to the colorful world of off-road.  Throughout October, we invite you to www.rodhallracing.com where a new photo will be posted daily, along with facts and stories.

Rod Hall Racing Extreme Outlaws 250 Recap

June 21, 2010 (Reno, NV) - The Xtreme Outlaws took over Reno, Nevada and the Grand Sierra Resort for a weekend of motorsports ranging from Freestyle Moto, Supermoto and a hair-raising 250-mile off-road race designed by Northern Nevada local and racing legend Rod Hall.  The course covered four sixty-mile laps in the mountains east of the city.  Last minute course changes took the racers through severe climbs and descents with spectacular views of the Sierra Mountain Range. 


Rod Hall Racing fielded two teams for the first year event.  Hall drove a vintage 1970 442 Olds formerly owned and raced by television star James Garner,  most famously known as “Rockford.”  Hall and the car were a highlight of the event as he led the field with police escort from the Grand Sierra Resort to the official start at the famous Mustang Ranch.  Hall raced the car until he lost an alternator.  A committed fan raced to a local parts store and bought a replacement.  The fix was made and he continued on course to showcase and shakedown the vehicle with media and sponsors taking the co-driver seat.


Emily Miller piloted the HUMMER H3 inline-5 with co-drivers Damien Michelin and Rob Henderson.  The four-wheel drive race truck was well suited to the course, however, she lost a brake line early on the third lap and ran over 60 miles through the mountains without stopping power.  After a final fix of the brakes, they ran hard, narrowly missing the Class 7 win by a mere 2 seconds.

1970 '442 James Garner Olds

Today, Rod Hall is in Mexicali for the start of the NORRA Mexican 1000.   The competition is a tribute to the original edition that took place in 1967.  This year’s race is a fully supported on and off-road rally open to vintage and alternative fueled vehicles. 


Hall is teamed up with Ron Johnson of Tacoma, Washington and as going to be driving the 1970 442 Olds that was originally built for James Garner.  Johnson acquired the car in 2007 and began restoration on what he described as a “incredibly beat up body.”  Today the car is in show-worthy condition and even has the original race engine found by Mondello Racing.  However, that is where the catch is.  Although an "original race motor" sounds great in theory, the team encountered a major setback when taking it for it's final test before loading it on the transporter.  They lost the race motor, forcing them to pull out of the race.  So as of today, people will have to be content to just see the car at tech and contingency where it is on display.   The 442 Olds will be on display next at the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame located inside the famed National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.   The tentative plan is the team will then enter the Extreme Outlaws 250 race in Reno on June 19th for a shakedown run.

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!

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.

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.