Custom VW Tackles Brutal Desert Race
A group of friends have brought their skills together to transform an old-school Volkswagen Beetle, named Tope, in order to take part in one of the world’s most ruthless races. The Baja 1000 is a Mexican desert race which takes place annually in the Baja California Peninsula. It’s the longest point to point off-road race in the world, that's run in a single day. Josh McGuckin, one of Tope's mechanics, explained how much of a challenge preparing for the race was for the team. He told FutureStudiosCars “Driving this car in the Baja 1000 can be summed up for me in one word, exhausting.” To an outsider the car would appear as just a “really old bugg” but once inside, “suddenly it just comes to life”. Starting with the VW Beetle was a huge undertaking for the team, as they had to modify the classic 1970 car to be suitable for the incredibly harsh conditions. However, the extreme nature of this race did take its toll on the well-loved vehicle, “every time you come back from a race, you’re constantly rebuilding and replacing everything”, Josh explained. The bugg may not be the fastest car, but it’s capable of doing the job for this team. And the teamwork paid off as Tope triumphantly reached the finish line. Josh spoke about his relief and elation, “every time we race this car, we learn something new."
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00:000000004PUI寿 name
00:01Driving this car in the Baha 1000 can be summed up for me in one world.
00:05Exhausting.
00:08You are out in the middle of nowhere
00:10and there is a constant barrage of input and stimulus.
00:16You get in the car and you think it's a really old bug
00:18and then suddenly it just comes to life roaring, just incredible!
00:27Project Baha play was born
00:28When a group of friends set about entering one of the world's most brutal off-road races in an old-school Volkswagen Beetle.
00:38The Baja 1000 is the longest point-to-point off-road race in the world that's run in a single day.
00:44We decided to race it because we just really like a challenge.
00:48They took a 1970 Bug, threw in a roll cage, added all-terrain tires, an auxiliary oil cooler and a whole heap of other mods.
00:57We started with the stock Volkswagen motor, we've lifted the suspension using all-stock components,
01:02put a fuel cell, breathing, new shocks, a GPS, a radio, and all new lighting so you can see in the night.
01:09It's a very stock-looking car on the outside, but there's a few features that give it away,
01:13like these big, goofy skid plates and these really bright lights.
01:16Every single component on it was purpose-built by the team to race the Baja 1000.
01:22And in addition to that, the Volkswagen logo is blessed by the Pope.
01:25With modifications complete and holy approval, the team named the car Topey and set out for the desert.
01:35The Beetle's perfect for this race because of the preparation that goes into it.
01:39It's able to get through a lot of the really difficult terrain that takes out other vehicles.
01:43When you get into the interior of the car, you get into the GPS and the radio,
01:47you've got an intercom and you've got air that pumps into your helmet so you can breathe in the dust.
01:52The custom dash gives you all types of information from gauges and switches.
01:56You can turn on each light individually and all of the things that makes it so that you can continue on in the race.
02:01Every time you come back from a race, you're constantly rebuilding and replacing everything,
02:06so it's really just throwing money out the window.
02:08And it's not just about the car. In a race where many vehicles don't go the distance,
02:14to even have a hope of completing the course, there's a whole crew behind the scenes.
02:21There's a lot of people that have to bring fuel and tools along the course because it's very remote.
02:26So we like to put all the names of all the people that support the car on the top.
02:30I wanted to be a part of this project because it's always been a dream of mine to race the Baja 1000.
02:36It seemed like one of the greatest adventures a person could have.
02:39My role on the team is co-driver, graphic designer, art director and webmaster.
02:44You could be doing anything on any given day.
02:47One day you could be fabricating a mount for the traction boards, and another day you could be wiring up the communications.
02:52This might not be the fastest car, but it sure is capable. It'll go up nearly anything you point it at.
03:00It feels great to be sitting in the car again. Every time I drive this thing, I'm always amazed at how capable it is.
03:05It's a 40-year-old car that's mostly stock. It is not originally designed to drive on this terrain so good.
03:14It's quite a bit of fun to drive. Man, I love driving this thing. It's amazing.
03:21You get in the car, you think it's a really old bug, and then suddenly it just comes to life.
03:26It's roaring, it's fast, it's just incredible.
03:28Driving this car, the Baja 1000, can be summed up for me in one word. Exhausting.
03:35You are out in the middle of nowhere and there's a constant barrage of input and stimulus.
03:44Driving this car is like riding a bike. It's so good.
03:48And the teamwork pays off as Topey reaches the finish line.
03:52Every time we race this car, we learn something new, so the next step for this thing is to continue to develop it and make it better
03:58so that we can race it again in the 2020 Baja 1000.