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ITP BAJACROSS TIRES
DOMINATE THE BAJA 1000!
The ITP/Carlisle car works the silty,
rocky whoops. |
The DragonFire-prepped ITP/Carlisle
Teryx stops for service mid-race. This
entry went from start to finish — and
then some — on one set of BajaCross
tires and T-9 Pro Mod wheels.
The Sportsman UTV class winners, left to
right: Larry Roeseler, Reid Nordin, Todd
Romano and Hans Waage. |
There is no tougher test of man and machine
than the SCORE Baja 1000. ITP has just aced that
test by winning the 2009 event in the Sportsman
UTV class on BajaCross tires and T-9 Pro Mod
wheels. This class was dominated by the Team
Green Kawasaki DragonFire Racing team, with Reid
Nordin, Hans Waage, Todd Romano and Larry
Roeseler at the wheel of their Kawasaki Teryx.
This talented crew enjoyed a nearly flawless
run, completing the 672-mile/1000-kilometer
course in northern Baja in a time of 24:32:37,
for an average speed of 27.41 mph over what many
considered to be one of the most demanding Baja
1000 courses in some time. Of 328 starters, just
185 finished — only 56.4 percent! It was the
second big win for the team this season, having
captured the Baja 500 in June on BajaCross tires
as well.
If not for some fuel-related technical
issues, the second car fielded by this team
could have had a real shot of making it a
one-two performance. Driving duties in the
DragonFire Racing-prepped ITP/Carlisle Teryx
were handled by Dave Roberts, Bob Viau, Chris
Koch, John McCarthy, Cody Currie and Fred
Sutter, with backing from Black Rock off-road
wheels and Ultimax performance belts. This entry
was the fourth Sportsman UTV entry to cross
finish line in Ensenada, but was just outside
the official time limit. This was an outstanding
performance for a team with limited experience
in Baja, in a new car that was put together in a
very short timeframe. Everyone agreed that it
was a great adventure, and vowed to return.
Both teams benefited greatly from the
durability and performance of their ITP
BajaCross tires and new ITP T-9 Pro Mod spun
aluminum wheels (with ITP T7 Beadlock rings). In
an event that’s notoriously tough on tires,
neither team suffered a single tire failure. The
Roberts-led squad even ran the same set of tires
and T-9 Pro Mod wheels they used for over 200
miles of pre-running in the weeks leading up to
the event! It was an outstanding debut for the
T-9 Pro Mod, proving their lightweight yet
durable capabilities in the world’s most
rigorous test lab.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this
inspiring effort. You showed once again how
tough it is to compete in the Baja 1000, and how
ITP tires and wheels can stand up to the test!
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