See if I remember how to post.

[Captain]

I see Toyota is making a truck for you fellas that want a truck but use it like a car.
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[Thumper]

I see Toyota is making a truck for you fellas that want a truck but use it like a car.

Ha ha ha! You just HAD to drag me into this, didn't you? I used to attend the off-road races with the Bill Stroppe team. Willie Stroppe (Bill Sr's son and partner) was a close friend of mine (still is actually) and I can't tell you how many races I attended with he and the crew. In fact, they stayed here at my house, with the transporter parked in my driveway, when they were down here for the St. Pete Grand Prix. The point is, I know how grueling the SCORE races can be and one of the most brutal, is the Baja 1000 (actually 1275 miles off-road, 1000 miles by road). I used to shake my head at the crazies who would enter Baja in the "bone stock" class. (I called 'em suicidal) These were basically trucks right off the showroom floor and were only allowed to upgrade to the required safety equipment. The detailed tech inspection guaranteed the lines weren't crossed. Not many had the balls to enter that class, but if they did, their chances of finishing were pretty dismal. What's this got to do with Toyota? Well, along came a few bozos with big enough nut-sacks to enter the stock class with Toyotas! They didn't have much competition as the only entries were a Toyota Tundra Pro, a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Ford F-150 Raptor SVT and a Hummer H1, so I guess Dodge and Chevy owners were askeered) (I suppose, technically, you could call GM's Hummer the token Chevy entry)

Well, here's the write-up after the Baja race:

The Toyota Tundra TRD Pro team claimed victory at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 race in the full stock class. While the truck performed flawlessly mechanically, the exterior took a beating. Here's what we know.

The Tundra TRD Pro team finished first among four teams with a time of 35:40:40.581 according to SCORE, the sanctioning body of the race. The Toyota Land Cruiser (200 series) team came in second with a time of 36:30:06.529. The other two teams driving a Ford F-150 Raptor SVT and a Hummer H1 didn't finish. During the first day, the TRD Pro team was able to open a small lead over the other Toyota team. Both the Hummer and Ford teams quickly fell behind. Both of those vehicles eventually developed mechanical issues that forced them to drop out of the race. The only issue the TRD Pro team had was having to change a blown tire. Overnight the TRD Pro team faced its largest obstacle. Damage occurred to the driver's side when the truck got caught on a stuck vehicle, resulting in sheet metal tearing. Although the damage looked bad, it didn't stop the truck from speeding to victory.

A trio of chase vehicles including a 4Runner, Tacoma and Tundra made the trip down to Baja and provided the race truck with fuel, tires and crew support. To add insult to injury, as the other competitors loaded their vehicles onto their trailers and transporters, the Toyota team drove the 1000 miles back to the starting line.

So, it's ok, you can paint bad-ass any color you want .... remember Rick Flair?


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