OSHKOSH, Wis. (Nov. 20, 2010) — Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) announced today its Extreme Racing team has completed the 43rd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race course in Mexico. The Oshkosh Extreme Racing team ran its Light Concept Vehicles (LCV) through the rugged 1,061-mile desert course and one crossed the finish line in La Paz today.
“Off-road racing teams compete in the Baja 1000 to push the limits, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see our vehicle overcome the difficult desert terrain,” said Chris Yakes, Oshkosh Corporation vice president of Advanced Products Engineering and Oshkosh Extreme Racing team leader. “Our team’s performance on this world-renowned course speaks to both the quality of our technologies and the expertise of our drivers and technical crew. I couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
The two Oshkosh Extreme Racing vehicles, numbered M1 and M2 for the race, were driven by members of California Gold Racing (CGR), led by legendary race driver Glenn Harris. M2 reached speeds of nearly 80 miles per hours and completed the course at 4:20 p.m. PST — approximately 6.5 hours over the limit for scoring purposes.
According to Harris, “There are so many unknowns going into the SCORE Baja 1000 race because of the extreme nature of this event. By finishing one of the toughest off-road races, Oshkosh is demonstrating that this new powertrain and suspension technologies are ready for almost anything.”
“Approximately 58 percent of all vehicles that start the race, are able to finish the race,” said Sal Fish, SCORE International’s President and CEO, which has sanctioned and produced the event since 1975. “I know I speak for the entire SCORE staff and race officials when I say we are impressed with how well the Oshkosh Extreme Racing team performed during their inaugural run.”
Oshkosh Extreme Racing ran two vehicles in the 1,061-mile off-road race. The Oshkosh LCV M1 was unable to meet a checkpoint time requirement, causing the vehicle to receive a “did not finish” result.
The LCV includes the next-generation of TAK-4® independent suspension systems. The new system expands on Oshkosh’s patented TAK-4 suspension by increasing off-road mobility, improving vehicle maneuverability and providing a smoother ride. The Oshkosh ProPulse® diesel-electric powertrain design delivers improved fuel economy and can export significant levels of electrical power.
“I’ve been off-road racing for 30 years now, and this was hands down my favorite race,” said Harris. “SCORE put on another great point-to-point run from Ensenada to La Paz. It was extremely challenging and the vehicles out-performed my expectations. This vehicle thrived where most vehicles have the toughest time in the adverse terrain. We didn’t get stuck once — and the LCV cruised over the silt beds and powered through flooded washes that got deeper and deeper with each passing vehicle.
“Participating in a competitive event like the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 was an amazing experience for our team. The race allowed us to assess the performance of our technologies under extreme conditions and we learned a lot,” Yakes said. “This development milestone was a huge success and our engineers and maintenance experts are eager to apply what we learned to ultimately improve military vehicle fleets for decades to come.”
About the Oshkosh Extreme Racing Team
Oshkosh Corporation, a leading designer and manufacturer of specialty and off-road vehicles and technologies, is participating in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 for the first time. The company is racing two Light Concept Vehicles (LCV) as part of its rigorous testing for next-generation suspension and powertrain technologies. The Oshkosh Extreme Racing team includes members of California Gold Racing, led by legendary driver Glenn Harris.
Oshkosh Extreme Racing team:
Chris Yakes: Off-road racing teams compete in the Baja 1000 to push the limits, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see our vehicle overcome the difficult desert terrain. Our team’s performance on this world-renowned course speaks to both the quality of our technologies and the expertise of our drivers and technical crew. I couldn’t be more proud of our team. Participating in a competitive event like the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 was an amazing experience for our team. The race allowed us to assess the performance of our technologies under extreme conditions and we learned a lot. This development milestone was a huge success and our engineers and maintenance experts are eager to apply what we learned to ultimately improve military vehicle fleets for decades to come.
– Chris Yakes, Oshkosh Corporation vice president of Advanced Products Engineering and Oshkosh Extreme Racing team leader, has an extensive background in testing and development of vehicles for Oshkosh and a history of competitive technology advancement events and demonstrations.
Glenn Harris: I’ve been off-road racing for 30 years now, and this was hands down my favorite race. SCORE put on another great point-to-point run from Ensenada to La Paz. It was extremely challenging and the vehicles out-performed my expectations. This vehicle thrived where most vehicles have the toughest time in the adverse terrain. We didn’t get stuck once — and the LCV cruised over the silt beds and powered through flooded washes that got deeper and deeper with each passing vehicle.
– Glenn has 30 years of experience in motorsports and has won numerous events and championship titles, starting with his first off-road race in 1974. His career highlights include winning the 1991 Manufacturer’s Cup title and several international events in France, Guam, Mexico and Canada. He is the team owner and manager of California Gold Racing Team.
Rob Messina: The team really pulled together to make this a successful event. In addition to helping develop our technologies at a more rapid rate, the Baja Peninsula course presented a lot of parallels to today’s battlefields and will help us to better serve our military customers. For example, when Soldiers and Marines are in theater, they don’t have a shop setup of equipment and parts, which is something we experienced first-hand during our run in the Baja.
– Rob is an Oshkosh director of technologies and Oshkosh Extreme Racing team leader.
Will Higman: It’s great to know M2 completed its first Baja 1000. Because this race is proving technologies that will ultimately help the U.S. military, it’s just as rewarding that the team completed the course as any of my other podium finishes.
– Will has 29 years of professional off-road racing experience and he is a team owner and driver for Will Higman Motorsports. His career highlights include a nomination for the SCORE Rookie of the Year award, Baja 500 winner and multiple podium finishes, Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 multiple podium finishes, 2007 Dakar Rally finisher (only American team to finish the Dakar Rally in a T-4 race truck).
Mike Sabbarese: This race was meaningful in a lot of ways for the drivers — we participated in a new class and drove Oshkosh Extreme Racing to a finish in their inaugural race. It always feels great when you cross that finish line! And driving the LCV was inspirational because Oshkosh is developing these technologies to improve upon the trucks they produce for our troops.
– Mike has 14 years of professional off-road racing and 20 years of off-road driving experience. He is a SCORE crew chief, head mechanic/supervisor at Tustin Buick/GMC and Hummer, and owner of H1 Solutions. His career highlights include being part of six first-place Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 teams.
John Griffin: Everyone on the Oshkosh Extreme Racing team really worked hard to get M2 across the finish line. Our team never gave up. It takes a lot of time, dedication and caffeine to sustain this kind of effort! It’s no wonder they call it ‘the roughest run under the sun.’
– John has 12 years of professional off-road racing and 20 years of off-road driving experience. His career highlights include 52 total SCORE off-road racing starts with 39 podium finishes.
