Baja 1000: Team TROPHYLITE event summary

Team TROPHYLITE Wins class 7.2 at the Baja 1000

Team TROPHYLITE brought their best efforts to run a factory supported team at this years Baja 1000. Bringing home a first place trophy for Team TROPHYLITE tops off the weekends journey. Winning class 7.2 (ecotech powered truck class) in just under 27 hours. A last minute deal was formed to have a team run one of the General Tire TROPHYLITE house trucks at the Baja 1000, lead by TROPHYLITE president and owner Greg Foutz. Series Sponsor KC HiLiTES stepped up to be the race title sponsor on the truck for the special Baja 1000 event. Utilizing the spec tire used by all TROPHYLITE trucks, the General Grabber AT2, the team conquered the rugged and rocky terrain of the Baja peninsula.

"Racing the Baja 1000 is one of those things that you have to experience to truly understand the magnitude. The whole Team TROPHYLITE crew did a great job getting us to the finishline. The truck ran great and we had no mechanical issues at all. I got the truck stuck for a couple of hours down in our section about mile 225. Tony from General Tire and I were able to dig trenches to get the truck out of the silt and keep moving. Thank God we made it back to the finish safely! The truck still had all of its body panels and looked like we could race it again today. I am proud of Richard and Mike for getting us through one of the hardest Baja 1000 races I have seen. This is a great accomplishment for TROPHYLITE and for all of our sponsors. We ran my section which included the Matomi wash rock garden and I didnt have any flats or anything for our entire run. I want to thank everyone involved and especially our sponsors that made it happen. KC HiLITES really helped, along with General Tire, Fox Shox, Currie rear ends, MasterCraft, and KMC wheels." Commented Foutz about the effort

Driving responsibilities were handled by 3 driving teams. Leading the way from the start line and driving to the Borrego pit at mile 205 was Mike West from BBQ Island www.bbqislandinc.com . Greg Foutz, TROPHYLITE president, drove the roughest section of the race and ran the 200 miles from Borrego down to Matomi wash and back to Borrego through San Felipe. Greg was joined by General Tire's own Tony Talbert in the right seat to test the durability of the General Grabber AT2 tires in person. For the last leg Richard Cassey ran clean in the final section all the way back to Ensenada for the finish and win.

Mike West lead the team off the line from the start in Ensenada and said "The truck was great. I cant beleive how durable these TROPHYLITE trucks are. We ran pretty hard and the truck held up awesome. I cant beleive that these trucks cost so little and are this capable. We are buying one for sure. Running the Baja 1000 like this and winning has been a dream for me for years. I am super excited. Thanks to everyone who helped get it together."

"Racing the Baja 1000 in a TROPHYLTE truck was a great adventure for me. Running down the beach area heading for the finish line was a huge thrill. One of those bucket list deals. The views and scenery we saw when racing up the beach was just awesome. If you haven't done this at least once you just have to find a way to make it happen. These trucks are great." said Richard Cassey at the finish line just after winning the event.

The final race of the General Tire TROPHYLITE® Series will be here before you know it! With a very close points chase and a purse of $65,500 on the line, the final round is sure to be exciting. Be sure to visit the TROPHYLITE® ( www.TROPHYLITE.com ) website often for the latest news, updates and photos!

-credit: tt