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One More Win is a tribute film to Rod Hall documenting the legendary off-road racer’s quest to compete in his 50th Baja 1000. To do so at nearly 80 years of age, he had to overcome the ravaging effects of a form of Parkinson’s Disease. The film touches on his amazing career as an off-road racer, his supportive family and friends, and his willingness to share his life with progressive supra-nuclear palsy.
Everyone Wants To Be Rod Hall
Rod Hall owns a “Grand-Master” list of accomplishments in off-road racing. This is an unmatched bucket list any racer would love to achieve. However, none will. Here are just some of those accolades:
- Rod Hall and Larry Minor won their class in the very first 1967 NORRA Mexican 1000. They drove Rod’s Jeep CJ-5.
- Rod Hall would enter the next 50 Baja 1000 races, continuously without missing one, and is the only person to do so.
- Out of those 50 races, he won 25, including an overall win with Larry Minor in a Ford Bronco in 1969. That was incredibly unique and is the only 4×4 production vehicle to ever win the Baja 1000 overall.
- Rod Hall was enshrined in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005.
- Rod Hall had over 200 wins in off-road racing.
How Did Rod Hall Get Into The Sport Of Off-Road Racing?
Rodney Alan Hall was born November 22, 1937, in Southern California. He grew up in rural Hemet, a small agricultural town 87-miles east of Los Angeles. Rod was a motorcycle guy early on until he realized that he could use a Jeep and carry an ice chest, and girls.
Like most Jeep owners in the area, Rod joined the Hemet Jeep Club. He attended jamborees and club races and did well. Through the Jeep Club, he became good friends with future off-road racing stars Larry Minor, Carl Jackson, Jim Loomis, Jim Fricker, and others. Soon Rod started winning marque events like the Afton Canyon Jeep Junket. Rod found a blazing fondness for motorsport competition.
Rod Hall and Jim Fricker were the dynamic duo of off-road racing for decades. – Credit: Trackside Photo
In 1967, Rod was hanging out with Larry Minor when they heard about this crazy race the length of the Baja peninsula. They had a meeting and decided they would use Rod’s Jeep CJ-5. The pair worked well together and earned the win in the four-wheel-drive class. Thus, a young Rod Hall found something he was good at.
Meet The One More Win Film Documentary Team
The film was brought to life by Producer and co-Director Amy Lerner. An accomplished off-road driver herself, she got to know Rod when he was her driving instructor. She brought in British director Richard Heeley to co-direct the film with her, and the two meshed very well.
The documentary was over five years in the making. The finished product was very well received across the board within the film festival community. Among them, the One More Film documentary earned these notables: LiftOff Berlin, ARFF (International Honorable Mention), Red Rocks (Finalist), Breck Film (Audience Favorite), and San Diego Film (Best Documentary).
Why Do Off-Road Enthusiasts Need To Watch This Film Documentary?
The documentary is more than just a film about a racer and his incredible career. In it, there is amazing archival footage and photos of the history that Rod Hall made. Beyond the story of the icon himself, One More Win offers a historical record of how off-road racing grew, and how corporations brought the sport, and its people, to worldwide consumers.
Rod Hall leaves something for his fans who are spread across generations. There are some genuine real gems of wisdom if you listen to the man. These experienced lessons are sprinkled throughout the film. It also captures how his family supports him and works to make his vision of how to end his career in style a memorable reality.
The directors made watching an icon deteriorate and fight to make that last and 50th trip for the 2017 Baja 1000 more than just palatable. You find yourself rooting for Rod the way you root for the underdog in so many movies.
One More Win is complete with interviews from off-road luminaries such as Curt LeDuc, Walker Evans, Chris Collard, Cameron Steele, and Mark McMillan which all concretely distinguish Rod’s impact on the off-road industry. Additionally, the Hall family shares the magnitude of Rod Hal’s passion being passed on to his children. Chad Hall, Josh Hall, and Shelby Hall grew up watching and learning from the legend and now the Hall legacy in off-road racing is far from over.
Shelby Hall Shared Some Insight And Memories Of Her Grandfather
How Can You Watch One More Win?
One More Win is available to rent or own on most popular digital streaming options. Different platforms have different pricing, and some of them give you an option to rent or own. I viewed the film on Amazon for $5.99 where the rental lasts for seven days.
Viewing platforms include; iTunes, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Microsoft Xbox, Vimeo, and Youtube.
Author’s Note
I first met Rod Hall in 1981 as an 18-year-old motorsports photographer. He took a lot of time to talk with me and even bought some of my photos. Over the next two years, as I expanded into motorsports journalism, I could always count on Rod for a good interview. He even would wave at me from time to time as he blasted by in that big Dodge 4×4.
Rod Hall on his way to one of his 200 wins at the 1985 Mint 400. This was during a streak of 35 straight wins in a row. A feat that will probably never be duplicated. Photo by Marcus Clark
Rod Hall made you feel like he was happy to spend some of his valuable time with you. Whether you were a reporter, or a sponsor, or a race official, or a small child, you had Rod’s full attention.
Even though he no longer is with us, by watching this film, you will come away thinking that you too are friends with Rod Hall. That was his superpower, making an impression. It made him a good living, and a lasting legacy as a true motorsports icon.
One More Win Film Photography Provided By Richard Heeley.
Behind The Scenes Interviews With One More Win Film Maker, Amy Lerner
Amy Lerner, the chief producer, is an accomplished off-road racer in her own right backing her passion. Here are some of her listed racing accolades: Stage 9 win in the 2022 Dakar Classic in Saudi Arabia and finishing 35th overall, 3rd place Mint 400 Vintage Class, 4th place Mint 400 Production SUV, 1st place Overall Production Australasian Safari Rally, Top 10 finish at Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, 4th Rebelle Rally.
After learning of Lerner’s global motorsports pedigree, we had to get her thought on what inspired this project.
Off Road Xtreme: What does it mean to you as filmmakers and off-road racers to be a part in capturing the story and historic moments?
Amy Lerner: As a racer, it was incredible to be a part of history. The record Rod Hall set is one that will never be broken. Filming gave me access to so many of the legends of the sport and the real pioneers of desert racing in Baja. Baja racing today looks exciting and dangerous but learning what the first adventurers experienced in those early days running down the Peninsula, it was a testament to grit, spirit and courage. As a filmmaker, the story I thought I was going to tell, a racing biography and a record quest, became a very human story of struggle, family and the fight for a final victory. I am honored to have been given the access and trust to share what Rod went through to make it to the 50th Baja 1000.
ORX: What was the most memorable experience out of all of it?
Amy Lerner: Personally, the moment when Chad and Rod left the start line of the 50th Baja 1000 is one I won’t forget. Rod had been through so many challenges with his health. For a time, we were not sure he would physically be able to get to Baja. He was determined to make it, emotional, as he suspected it might be his last face. When they finally crossed the start line in the H1, I collapsed in a puddle of tears of relief that no matter what happened in the next 36 hours, my friend had achieved his goal.
ORX: What will you remember most about hanging out with Rod Hall?
Amy Lerner: His humor, his friendliness and his calm, determined demeanor. I first met Rod training for the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles in Morocco. I had never driven off-road and had no idea who he was. One night, we went to a restaurant. We walked in and there’s a murmur “that’s Rod Hall, it’s Rod Hall”. I, of course, googled him when I got home but still did not really get it. After 5 years of friendship and mentorship, I remained unaware even when we went with Rod to Ensenada to film him at the NORRA Mexican 1000. We walked into contingency and every other step, someone stopped Rod to take a picture, get an autograph or just tell Rod how much of an inspiration and a hero he was. The term ‘living legend’ took on a new significance.
ORX: What would you tell the film viewers and readers of the article about living life and pursuing dreams?
Amy Lerner: Rod Hall was a man who found what he was good at and took his talents all over the world in pursuit of championships. He would get an idea to go to Africa or Australia for a race and not stop until he was able to make it happen. Racing is what he loved and that passion drove him. He was an ‘everyman’ who made it to the top and he inspired so many, myself included, to go for it and keep at it until you figure it out and achieve your goals.
Behind The Scenes Interviews With One More Win Film Maker, Richard Heeley
Richard Heeley: It was a privilege to be invited to tell the Rod Hall story. Film making is all about telling stories and Rod’s story was definitely one that was worth capturing. The more I learned about what Rod had achieved, the more amazing it seemed. To have raced in the Baja 1000 for 50 years was an incredible achievement in itself. But for Rod to have won his class 25 times out of 50, in a race where starters have less than a 50 percent chance of making it to the finish line, was extraordinary.
On top of that, seeing a man taking on a very personal fight with failing health, was deeply moving. And always, Rod kept his humility and his sense of humor. He was just a lovely guy to be around. Most of all Rod displayed his strength and determination, in a situation where so many of us would have simply given up. Never was his personal mantra: “To finish first, first you have to finish”, so apt.
ORX: What was the most memorable experience out of all of it?
Richard Heeley: I’m British, and so my experience of Desert Racing was a bit limited before I got involved with directing One More Win. There are really only two desert races that British people tend to have heard of, which is the Dakar Rally and the Baja 1000, so to find myself standing on the Baja Peninsula watching the race happen in front of me was a real thrill.
Getting to know Rod Hall, his family and the rest of the team, was a real privilege. It felt as though I’d been invited right into the top table of desert racing royalty. This opened up the doors and allowed us access to other famous names, like Walker Evans, Bob Bower, Curt Leduc and Cameron Steele, all real characters.
But, of course, the most memorable moment has to be watching Rod cross the line for the 50th and final time. Everything had been leading up to that point and it was very special to witness Rod getting his final win. The celebration, but combined with a tinge of sadness, knowing that you are witnessing the end of an era.
ORX: What will you remember most about hanging out with Rod Hall?
Richard Heeley: His dry sense of humor, and his humility. He’s a racing legend and yet he was so modest, and unfailing polite to his many fans. I also realized just what he meant to the racing community by the sheer number of people who wanted to come up and shake his hand. No one seemed to have a bad word about him, and that’s pretty unusual for anyone who had won as often as he had.
ORX: What would you tell the film viewers and readers of the article about living life and pursuing dreams?
Richard Heeley: Rod followed his dreams and carved a career in a field that didn’t even exist when he started out. His determination and bravery should be an example to all of us. If you want to achieve something you have to go out and grab it, and that is also what Amy Lerner did in making the film. As a first time co-director and producer, Amy astonished me with her steely determination to get One More Win made. She achieved her dream and, thanks to her, Rod Hall’s legacy has been preserved on film, and I’m very proud to have helped. He deserved it!
