Auto News: HUMMER Returns To Baja Seeking Victory
General Motors Corp. - May 23, 2007
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Article provided by: Truck Trend Magazine
Team HUMMER owner Rod Hall and sons Josh and Chad bring their winning tradition to the Baja peninsula once again, as they prepare to race their stock-class H2 and H3 in the 2007 SCORE International Tecate Baja 500, June 1-3, in Ensenada, Mexico. 2007 marks a special year for Team HUMMER as owner and H3 driver Rod Hall prepares to enter his 40th consecutive Baja 1000.
Hall, 69, is a living legend in the off-road racing world. His relentless and unfailing driving ability has earned him a record 18 career wins at the Baja 1000 and the distinction of being the only driver in history to win the Baja 1000 overall in a four-wheel drive vehicle. Moreover, Hall today remains the only person to have raced every Baja 1000 in a four-wheeled vehicle in the 39-year history of the event.
Team HUMMER H2 at the 2006 Baja 500
Hall enters the 2007 race as one of only two racers in Baja 500 history with 16 career class wins. He joins his son, five-time Baja 1000 winner, Chad Hall in the Team HUMMER H3 as mini-stock class defending champion. In 2006, Rod and Chad teamed with Car & Driver Magazine editors Larry Webster and Alan Taylor to finish first in the stock mini class, becoming the first mini-stock entry to finish the Baja 500 since 2001. That victory also secured Hall his 16th Baja 500 class win.
"With 12 years of experience racing stock-class Hummers, I believe that they are the most capable off-road vehicles straight from the factory," said Rod Hall. "In fact, Hummers were the only stock-class vehicles to finish both the 2005 Baja 1000 and 2006 Baja 500, which speaks volumes about the vehicles' capabilities."
Hall's eldest son and three-time Baja 1000 winner Josh Hall returns to Baja in his full-stock class, GM Engineering-built HUMMER H2. Behind the wheel of the H2, Hall has earned the reputation as a skilled and fierce competitor. He enters the 2007 race with a three-race winning streak, including a dominant class victory at the 2006 Baja 1000.
To follow the progress of Team HUMMER in the 2007 SCORE Tecate Baja 500 live, visit www.rodhallracing.com, June 2, 2007.
About Team HUMMER
Team HUMMER was founded by legendary off-road racer Rod Hall in 1993. Since then, Rod and his sons Josh and Chad have compiled 11 class wins at the Baja 1000; 47 podium finishes in the Best in the Desert (BitD) Racing Association series; and five BitD class championships. Team HUMMER competes with the H1 Alpha, H2 and H3 in the stock class, which features production-based vehicles with stock frames, stock suspension designs and production-based engines. For more information about Team HUMMER, visit www.rodhallracing.
About HUMMER
HUMMER is a division of General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, which employs about 321,000 people globally. HUMMER is one of the world's fastest growing truck brands, with a product line-up that consists of the H2, H2 SUT, H3 and the H3x. There are 173 HUMMER dealers nationwide.