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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00:00004 Project Baja
00:25001 Project Baja was born.
00:29and a group of friends set about entering one of the world's most brutal off-road races
00:34in an old school Volkswagen Beetle.
00:39The Baja 1000 is the longest point-to-point off-road race in the world.
00:43It's run in a single day.
00:45We decided to race it because we just really like a challenge.
00:49They took a 1970 Bug, threw in a roll cage, added all-terrain tires, an auxiliary oil cooler
00:55and a whole heap of other mods.
00:57We started with the stock Volkswagen motor.
01:00We've lifted the suspension using all-stock components, put a fuel cell, breathing, new shocks,
01:06a 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, loopy 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.
01:36The 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.
02:09And it's not just about the car.
02:11In a race where many vehicles don't go the distance, to even have a hope of completing the course,
02:18there'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,
02:26and so we like to put all the names of all the people that support the car on the top.
02:31I 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,
02:50and another day you could be wiring up the communications.
02:53This might not be the fastest car, but it sure is capable.
02:56It'll go up nearly anything you point it at.
03:00It feels great to be sitting in the car again.
03:02Every 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.
03:09It is not originally designed to drive on this terrain so good.
03:15It's quite a bit of fun to drive.
03:17Man.
03:19I love driving this thing. It's amazing.
03:22You 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.
03:29Driving this car, the Baja 1000, can be summed up for me in one word.
03:34Exhausting.
03:36You're out in the middle of nowhere, and there's a constant barrage of input and stimulus.
03:45Driving this car is like riding a bike.
03:47Just so good.
03:49And the teamwork pays off as Topey reaches the finish line.
03:53Every time we race this car, we learn something new.
03:55So the next step for this thing is to continue to develop it and make it better
03:59so that we can race it again in the 2020 Baja 1000.