The Honda Off-Road Racing Team returned to Baja California this weekend, and the Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck claimed Class 7 for the second year in a row in the 55th race of the iconic Baja 1000.In the Class 7 V6-powered Unlimited Race Truck competition, Richard Glaszczak and Chip Prescott , drivers of team owner Jeff Proctor 's #709 Honda Ridgeline , faced a challenging course, beginning in the coastal city of Ensenada and continued over very mixed terrain during this year's "Single Circuit" event.

The Ridgeline started strong, and Proctor, the starting driver, quickly took the lead before handing the baton to Prescott at the 242-mile mark. The Ridgeline cemented itself as the Class 7 leader overnight, when Glaszcak took over related driving duties just before 8:30 p.m. m., Pacific time. Not even the slight rollover in the early morning hours slowed the Ridgeline significantly, as the truck sustained only minor body damage.

The Ridgeline came to an end with a time of 21 hours, 42 minutes, and 56 seconds to claim the Class 7 win by a clear margin of over five hours; adding the win in this year's "Single Circuit" event to the Class 7 win in the 2021 "Punto a Punto" race from Ensenada to La Paz .

Quote
Jeff Proctor (team owner/Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck driver) won the V6-powered Unlimited Truck Class 7 for the second year in a row: “As you know, the Baja never disappoints. the exception for us. It was tough. There were a lot of dropouts, we saw a lot of competitors with their broken machines out there. They had everything you can think of. But this Ridgeline is so tough, you have to fight everything to get to the finish line.  

"This was a bittersweet race for me. I'm going to be stepping away from driving duties next season. So this was probably my last time behind the wheel, and we were able to get the Ridgeline [into the winner's circle]. I couldn't be more proud of our entire team. We have some exciting plans that we will detail in the next three to four weeks. We will be announcing our schedule [2023] and our new driver. I will be assuming the role of team principal/team manager. I am definitely not leaving the sport, I'm just taking on this new role."

fast facts

• This year's Class 7 win was the eighth for the Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck in Baja since the program's inception in 2015, including three class wins in the Baja 1000 and five in the Baja 500. In addition to the eight class wins, the Ridgeline also finished second twice in the Baja 1000, and third once in the "500."
• The Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck uses the same production-based, Honda-built V6 engine that also powered Meyer Shank Racing's Acura ARX05 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona , driven by Tom Blomqvist , Helio Castroneves and Oliver Jarvis . The base 3.5-liter engine powers a variety of Honda and Acura passenger vehicles, including the Acura MDX and Honda Ridgeline.

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This weekend's Category 7 win in the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000 was the final race of 2022 for the Honda Off-Road Racing Team.

Links to video and social media content for the Baja 1000 can be found on Instagram ( www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd ), Twitter ( twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD ) and Facebook ( www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD ). You will find more features and videos on YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV) . Posts from the Ridgeline Baja Race Truck efforts can be seen on Instagram at @proctor_race.

Photography:  https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1952481/BAJA_Jeff_Proctor.jpg
Logo:  https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/83597/honda_performance_development__inc__honda_racing_logo.jpg

FUENTE Honda Racing/HPD

 

Source:prnewswire.com

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