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In the hallowed halls of off-road motorsports history, the legendary Rod Hall is a figure who stands out for a variety of reasons. As a professional racer, Hall has more than 250 wins to his name, including 21 Baja 1000 wins and 18 Baja 500 wins.
He is the only man to have raced every Baja 1000, and this year, he is being honored by the National Off Road Racing Association by serving as Grand Marshal for the upcoming 2014 General Tire Mexican 1000, set to take place May 10-14. The race will span over 1,300 miles from Ensenada to San Jose Del Cabo, and Hall and NORRA couldn’t be more excited.
The Bill Stroppe-prepared Bronco (left) in which Hall and Larry Minor won the 1969 NORRA Mexican 1000. Hall and co-driver Jim Fricker (Fricker is on the left) also rode together for years (right), in the early Bronco.
2014 marks the fifth annual running of the Mexican 1000, also known as the “happiest race on earth,” and is set to feature some of the most famous names in off-road, not the least of which is Hall. He joins the ranks of previous grand marshals for the race, including Parnelli Jones, Bruce Meyers, Dave Despain, and Mark McMillin.
Hall is scheduled to make a special appearance at the “Welcome Fiesta and Driver’s Meeting” on May 9th, where he will deliver an opening welcome to the racers. He will also attend daily post-rally parties at a few of the overnight stops along the race course, including the “Rally Awards and Celebration” at the beautiful San Jose Del Cabo near the coast.
“Well, first of all it’s really an honor to be named as the Grand Marshal for the fifth annual rebirth of the NORRA Mexican 1000 rally,” said Hall. “Going back to Baja without the pressures of racing but with the excitement of seeing all these guys and their unique machines will be great … I am just tickled to go down there with NORRA and hang out for a week just being Rod Hall.”
Rod Hall and perennial co-driver Jim Fricker spent more than a decade scoring wins in Dodge pickups like this one.
NORRA president Mike Pearlman shares Hall’s excitement as well, saying: “Let’s face it, Rod Hall is one of the sport’s true originals, and we are pleased and proud to have him join us for the 2014 NORRA Mexican 1000. It’s great to add a legend like Rod Hall to a rally that’s shaping up to be the best Mexican 1000 yet!”
Read up on the race’s details on the NORRA website, and be sure visit its Facebook page for photos, promotions, history, and much more.
