Historic Truck Showdown Coming To NORRA Mexican 1000

Five iconic, Historic era trucks designed and built by some of the most significant constructors in the sport will be competing against each other at the NORRA Mexican 1000 April 26th through May 4th. Two of them will be piloted by the same drivers who helped them to achieve legendary status.

This lineup of legendary trucks is simply amazing. It includes the Nelson and Nelson built Chevrolet of Larry Ragland named “Arnold.” Ragland will be back behind the wheel again. Larry has won the Baja 1000 overall 4 times in Arnold. If not for trailing Ivan Stewart by a little over a minute in 1998, Ragland and Arnold would have won five times in a row. Aside from some modern safety equipment added during its refurbishment, Arnold is just as it was when last raced.

Get ready to witness the unstoppable force that is Mark Post and his legendary Rivera Racing truck, the awe-inspiring "Black Diamond"! As the longest continuously raced unlimited truck on the planet, Black Diamond embodies sheer grit and relentless determination. Mark Post, a true icon in off-road racing, clinched the Mexican 1000 overall victory in 2018 aboard Black Diamond, showcasing his unparalleled skill and unwavering resolve. Adored by fans year after year at NORRA, Mark and Black Diamond ignite the racecourse with electrifying battles, where victory hangs on the razor's edge, determined by mere seconds. With his unyielding spirit, Mark is geared up to seize yet another overall triumph at this year's Mexican 1000, setting his sights on conquering the coveted Era trophy and etching his name in NORRA off-road racing history once more!

Dave Clark originally built this next historic truck for Kyle Taylor in 2002. Dave is known for outside the box thinking and this truck is a fine example. Instead of trailing arms in the rear that run front to back, the arms that locate the rear end mount in the rear and point forward. The shocks are mounted entirely behind the rear end housing. The truck will be raced by the Mexican team of Guillermo Zamacona, Alejandro Abaroa Geraldo and Isak Rodrigo Frayle Geraldo.

Another Mexican team is competing in the beautifully restored Simon and Simon racing Ford F-150 built by Russ Wernimont in 1991. This truck won the Baja 1000 in 1992 with a blistering time of 16 hours and 53 minutes. That time rivals the pace we see today from top teams using all the modern technology available. After a meticulous restoration where they worked directly with Russ Wernimont, the team won the Historic Truck and Truggy class at last year’s Mexican 1000. They are back again this year with Pedro Perezpliego, Rody Amaya, Luis Fernando Gonzalez, Carlos Olmos and Carson Wernimont. Carson is Russ’ son and shares the same skills as a fabricator. He is also a fast driver.

The fifth truck (so far), that will be competing is currently at Lafortune Race Cars being finished. The truck now owned by Bob Briggs was originally built by Dale White as a class 8 truck in the 90’s. The chassis has been revised with the removal of the original factory frame rails that made it class 8 legal. It’s now closer to an unlimited truck from the same era but still retains most of the original truck. Many of the class 8 trucks of that era went straight into the unlimited truck class after it was created. The factory frame rails on many of these class 8 trucks were not really structural. They were there only to satisfy the rules. This truck will be returned to competition once again at the Mexican 1000 after the restoration is complete.

This battle of the historic trucks will no doubt spill over into the race for the overall win. Will Larry Ragland take another 1000 mile Baja win? Will the latest technology found in Steve and Bryce Menzies’ all-wheel drive Mason truck be able to outpace the most innovative trucks of the 1990’s? We also have a stacked field of Evolution Unlimited Buggies that will be vying for supremacy. With such a variety of terrain on this year’s Mexican 1000 course, there is no clear advantage to the trucks of any race era over the Evolution Unlimited Buggies. Like most years, we won’t know who will come out on top after six days of racing until the final finish line in San Jose Del Cabo.

Everything you need to know about the NORRA Mexican 1000, and NORRA 500 can be found at norra.com Go to the site and find out for yourself why NORRA has exploded in popularity. You can experience the same fierce competition and incredible adventure those early thrill seekers sought in the 1960’s when you join NORRA in Baja. See for yourself how NORRA Honors the Past, while Forging the Future.

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