Network
The talk of the automotive world this week may be the SEMA show, but there is plenty going on in the off-road world. The 2016 Baja 1000 is three weeks away and with prerunning starting October 22nd it is time to prep the vehicles heading down to touch the course.
Mila Performance is prepping Steve Sourapas’ prerunner to head down with Terrible Herbst Motorsports to prerun the course. Steve’s son, Brett, will be racing with the Herbst in the no. 19 Trophy Truck with Tim Herbst.
The truck looked like it just rolled out of the shop. According to Keith Mila de la Roca, it is still the original paint job.
The Sourapas prerunner was originally built by Keith Mila de la Roca when he was with Stewart’s Raceworks. The truck was in to have a once over and some bolts swapped out before heading across the border. “It feels good to be back under the truck,” Keith said. “It has been about eight years since it was built.”
Keith Mila de la Roca back under a truck that he was a part of building close to 8 years ago. Steve Sourapas' prerunner will be used by his son, Brett, to prerun for this year's Baja 1000.
Getting a prerunner prepped for Baja is almost as important if not more important than getting the race vehicle ready. “When prepping a vehicle it is important to check all the suspension pivots, hiems, and make sure there are no leaks,” Keith said. “Also, make sure the radios work, have a SAT phone, bring cash with you, and have a plan. Make sure daily goals are set out to make sure a part of the course is covered if not covered twice. Nothing is worse than having to spend time in fixing something or getting a late start when you should have been prerunning.
The Herbst are taking their two new Trophy Trucks down to their first Baja 1000. They raced earlier this year in the Baja 500.
For Brett, this year’s Baja 1000 is his first race in Baja. He has been racing the BITD series with his Herbst Smith Fabrication built Trick Truck. “I can’t put it into words, I have been dreaming of the opportunity to race this since I was a little boy,” Brett said. “Racing the Baja 1000 is one thing, but getting my first shot at it in a Trophy Truck and have a shot at being the first vehicle to finish the race will be something I’ll never forget.”
Prepping is the key to success. Making sure the race truck is ready is just as important as the prerunner.
One thing drivers and teams talk about is how grueling the course is, but for Brett, it is something to experience. “Honestly, I’m looking forward to all of what this challenging course will throw at us,” he said. “Mexico is such a beautiful place and I can’t wait to take it all in and see what this year’s course has to offer.”
Brett is no stranger to the truck he will be driving in Baja. Herbst Smith Fabrication built the current truck he his racing for Sourapas Motorsports. “We have been watching how he has been racing since he got the truck,” Mike Smith of Herbst Smith Fabrication said. “He’s fast and stays calm in any situation.”
These trucks are capable of plenty of wheel travel and give the drivers a vehicle that reacts just like the race truck. The only difference between the two is the prerunner has air conditioning.
Most notably this year, Brett finished fourth in the Mint 400 and sixth behind Troy Herbst during Vegas to Reno. In the video below you can see how he drives playing cat and mouse with Jason Voss during the BlueWater Desert Challenge.
“It’s definitely an exciting feeling getting to race for a legendary team like the Herbst family,” Brett said. “I personally want to thank them for the opportunity and having faith in me.”
Be sure to follow Off Road Xtreme the entire week of the Baja 1000 as we will be following Terrible Herbst Motorsports. From prerunning to race day we will bring all the highlights!
