Toyota Running Almost Stock 4Runner At Baja 1000

Ah, now this is what I like to see. No, not truck racing, per se (although the Baja 1000 does have a certain mad attraction to it). What I really like to see is car companies using racing as a proof of concept venue; and extended R & D lab that we all end up benefiting from.

So, when I came across this item, that Toyota will be running almost stock 4Runner in the upcoming Baja 1000, well, how can I not treat that as good news. Not only will it make for a better 4Runner, but it will also show us something that is quite rare: An SUV actually being used off road.

Look, I got nothing against SUVs, and I mean SUVs of any stripe. And I mean from H1 Hummers on down. What I most certainly DO have something against is idiots that use SUVs to get groceries or pick up the kids from soccer practice. That's just dumb. Think a little bit the next time you go and buy a car, a'aight?

Anyway, the Toyota Motor Corporation (can we start calling them ToMoCo now?) will be taking a "nearly stock" 2010 4Runner and racing it in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, which takes place in the next couple of weeks or so. Not only that, but the driver of the 2010 4Runner will be none other than Ivan "Ironman" Stewart. Ivan "Ironman" Stewart is to Baja what Richard Petty is to NASCAR. And yeah, from what I understand, he's about as nice as "King" Richard too.

Now, Toyota has been throwing around that phrase "nearly stock", but they haven't 'fessed up yet and said what changes to the production truck will be. But the class rules decree that competitors have to stay pretty close to factory specs. The class specs DO allow for more serious mods to the suspension as well as whatever is needed inside for a safety cage.

Note that in the picture of the Baja truck, the rear tail gate is gone and the wheels have been swapped-out wheels. And even though ToMoCo hasn't said it, you'd have to guess that the truck will be sporting new, or overhauled shocks and a minor engine tune.

So, good for Toyota ... now let's see some of the engineering deployed out amongst the sand, rocks, snakes, coyotes an etc. end up in showrooms.

Source: AutoBlog