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Baja 5B goes 120 miles across the desert!
In a first-ever endurance test of its kind, a Baja 5B has been driven non-stop across 120 miles of unforgiving unpaved roads across the sun-blasted desert of the American southwest!
A Tough Yearly Tradition
Full-size desert racers from across North America take part in the annual Barstow to Vegas off-road race, pitting themselves and their cars against the elements and the rough desert terrain. Even though the usual equipment for this race means 30-inch knobby tyres, suspension travel of more than a yard and vehicles such as desert racing trucks and specialist racing buggies, we knew that this was the best endurance challenge the Baja could undertake. With enough fuel and a couple of spares, it would be fun to get the Baja across a desolate, uninhabited stretch of classic southwestern American desert.
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Team HPI prepares for the journey
HPI USA R&D; team member Thad Garner drove the Baja from a specially prepared off-road quad racer which was handled by a professional desert racer. Support team members from HPI USA and US magazine Xtreme RC followed on quads and dirt bikes, filming and taking pictures of the trip.
Although many sections of the dirt roads were heavily rutted or strewn with huge rocks, there were smoother sections that allowed the Baja to stretch its legs, reaching a top speed of 45 mph!
With only six stops to fuel the Baja, the car and its team made the historic journey in less than 6 hours of running time! This meant an average of nearly 22 mph for the Baja! Not fast enough to beat the best Barstow-to-Vegas race time, but certainly fast enough to make it the roughest, toughest off-road RC car in the world! |
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