FJ Cruiser Race Truck To Debut At
The 38th Baja 1000
Photos: Toyota
The FJ Cruiser Race Truck
will make its racing debut at the 38th Baja 1000 from November
15-18, 2006. The grueling race is run from Ensenada to La Paz
across Mexico’s beautiful, but barren Baja California. Entered
in the Mini Stock Class, the FJ Cruiser Race Truck will be
driven by the father-son team of Rod and Ryan Millen, with
additional driving support from Adam Dupre.
The FJ Race Truck contains
several performance and safety modifications including a revised
suspension and heavy-duty rollcage among the most visible, yet
it remains primarily a stock vehicle. Performance features
include BFG A/T LT285/75R16 tires on 16-inch black TRD wheels
with two onboard spares. The Fuel Safe Sportsman 22-gallon fuel
cell provides an added safety feature.
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The Race Truck is based on
the all-new Toyota Racing Development (TRD) Special Edition FJ
Cruiser sport utility vehicle (SUV). The TRD Special Edition FJ
Cruiser is a unique limited edition package available on 2007 FJ
Cruiser four-wheel-drive models. The special package contains
several performance, exterior, and interior enhancements.
Only 3,200 of the TRD Special
Edition FJ Cruiser will be produced. It goes on sale at Toyota
dealerships this week.
Rod Millen is synonymous with rallying,
off-road racing, and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. After enjoying
tremendous success in rallying, Millen joined forces with Toyota in
1991, where he dominated the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Racing Series,
becoming the only driver in the 12-year history of the series to win
three consecutive Grand National Sport Truck titles. Rod is also the
current record holder in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb with an overall time
of 10 minutes 4.6 seconds, set in 1994 in an all-wheel drive Toyota
Celica Turbo. He claimed five overall Pikes Peak Championships and eight
class championships.
Following in the family tradition,
Ryan Millen has enjoyed motorsports success since he began racing
pee-wee dirt bikes in 1994. Racing in New Zealand, Ryan captured the
2002/03 South Island Formula Ford Championship.
Rod Millen founded MillenWorks in 1980.
The company evolved from a high-performance racing company into today’s
diverse engineering, prototyping and product development business.
Headquartered in Tustin, Calif., MillenWorks has teamed with Lockheed on
unmanned military vehicles, and also specializes in concept vehicles,
contributing to the Lexus IS 430, Lexus Street Rod, Toyota Retro
Cruiser, and the Ultimate Toyota Celica.
