SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1508148
JIMCO 3.0 The Navarro Family Carries The Race Car Company’s Legacy Into The Future By Mike Vieira Jimco vehicles have been a dominant fixture in all forms of off-road racing for decades, with a truly impressive record of podium finishes and championships. The company has a remarkable number of wins in various classes under its belt, including yet another SCORE Class 1 Season Championship with the Jimco Hammerhead campaigned by Wilson Motorsports in 2022. The mid-engined Hammerhead is the most recent evolution of Jimco’s Class 1 platform, which like its predecessors, the Champion and the 2000, remains the one to catch. In fact, in the 2022 SCORE season, two Jimcos were on the podium after each race. Over the years, the company has earned an unprecedented 25 “Chassis Manufacturer of the Year” titles from SCORE International. Whether it’s the Class 1 Buggy, Trophy Trucks, Class 10, Luxury Pre-Runners, 4-Seat UTV Pre-Runners, Dakar Rally vehicles, or even Australian Pro racers, the Jimco name has become synonymous with the latest and greatest in off-road technology and quality. Today, the company is now in its third era of ownership, under Rafael Navarro III and Rafael Navarro IV. The father and son took the reins in March 2023, after the untimely death of former owner Robbie Pierce in January 2023, through a deal that had been in the works over the previous couple of years. Long-time designer and company veteran Barry Karakas will continue in his important role as Director of Operations and R & D. Rafael III says, “It was going to be four guys in this thing. It was going to be Robbie, myself, my son, and Barry, all driving this thing. We’re down to three of us, and Robbie’s spirit will always be with us. Obviously, things change in terms of the overall vision when someone’s not here, but we’re off-road racers at heart, so we kind of know how to make it up on the fly.” The original plan had been for Pierce to continue to work in partnership with the Navarros during a gradual ownership transition, but after the scuba diving accident that took his life in early January, the new owners are forging ahead on their own to uphold the legacy of both Pierce and the original owners, the Julson family. Founded in 1975 by Jim Julson as an outgrowth of building his own Class 9 1200cc vehicle for him and his son Mike to race, that first Jimco’s impressive performance led to a high demand and rapid expansion for the company. Julson’s success meant moving the business from his home garage to a shop in Santee, California, and leaving his job as a civilian engineer for the Navy behind, to build race vehicles as a full-time occupation. Mike eventually joined the business and then took over running it after Jim’s retirement in 1989. Robbie Pierce then purchased the company in 2018, when Mike Julson retired. Over the last few years, Rafael IV had been manufacturing parts for Jimco at his RTECH Industries machine shop, including those for the company’s new all-wheel-drive Trophy Truck, and developed a good relationship with the business, and with Pierce. The bond between them was a natural result of the Navarro family’s long-standing involvement in off-road racing and other forms of motorsports. He says, “In 2018, I raced with Robbie in his Trophy Truck in the SCORE Baja 1000, but the relationship with Robbie actually started through my dad with his other forms of motorsports, and it just grew stronger. We’re racers. My dad’s been racing since the ’90s, and I’ve been racing since I was 13, and we knew what Jimcos were about. Our first SCORE Championship was actually in a Jimco.” While the family has participated in, and had business relations with, a very wide variety of automotive competitions, they have a special fondness for off-road racing and are certainly no strangers to the off-road community in Baja. Beyond their racing exploits, the family is the founder and owner of the legendary Pete’s Camp resort in San Felipe. Rafael III says that his passion for Baja races dates back to the early 1980’s. “When I was a teenager, I used to go down to San Felipe with my folks, since we had a home and business there. When the SCORE San Felipe 250 or the SCORE Baja 500 would come through, that really got me interested.” Those early days were also when the connection with Jimco really began. He says, “Even back when I was a youngster, and I didn’t have enough money to build a new car, Mike (Julson) always took the time to speak with me. He was always great with me, and I loved that, and that’s part of my early affinity for the brand. When we won that first championship, Mike was super stoked, as we were, and so the brand has always resonated with me.” To this day, the two men are still in contact with each other. That interest in racing led to him working with BFGoodrich as a liaison in Mexico in those early days, then on to Jackson Motorsport Group. He maintained those ties through college and law School, then moved into a career in business development and motorsport management for all forms of racing in North America for BFG. Later he moved on to Pirelli to work in a similar capacity. Now recently retired as a Chief Marketing Officer for Pirelli’s North American Motorsports unit, his attention is focused on Jimco. Meantime, Rafael IV has used his mechanical and aerospace engineering degrees to good advantage in designing and developing advanced technology components for Jimco as a contractor, and now as a direct owner. The CAD and CNC capabilities that led his RTECH Industries to success will now be incorporated with Jimco’s services. On the path that led to buying Jimco, Rafael IV says, “It really started with us wanting to connect my passion, and my family’s passion for racing, with other things that we do businesswise. With my engineering degree, building race cars was a perfect fit.” The duo feel that their practical experience as racers, combined with engineering and business knowledge they have, will be a huge help in moving the company forward and staying at the forefront of design. Rafael III says, “It’s not only the books, and the math, and the engineering prowess and all that, but it’s also the behind-the-wheel experience. Not too many guys have both sides of that, and that’s a critical thing. It’s one thing to be book smart, but if you don’t have the practical side, that takes something away.” Right now, although the Navarros are still getting their feet on the ground as the new owners, they have plans that they are already beginning to implement at the same 16,000-square-foot facility in Santee, California that has been the company’s home for many years. “We’ve got to focus on the product,” says Rafael III, “We definitely want to come out there with some new stuff, and we’re working on it. A lot of the focus here at the brand has been on trucks, and that’s what’s hot, that’s what’s selling, and they’re getting expensive, but we’ve got a pretty strong field of guys campaigning our Class 1 cars. We’ve got to stay up and develop that platform, and we’ve got to put some attention to the Limited Buggy Classes. That’s where we started, and I think there’s a need for some attention there to bring some innovation, and maybe some new design.” Additionally, finalizing development on their new “Dragon” all-wheel-drive Trophy Truck platform is also a top priority at present. Decked out in “Dodger Blue”, that vehicle made its debut at last year’s SCORE Baja 1000 with Los Angeles Dodgers owner, Bobby Patton, and the late Robby Pierce at the helm, as part of the Fastball Racing Team. This 1050 horsepower beast utilizes a 125-inch wheelbase and 93-inch track width to maximize traction through its 5-speed sequential transmission with integral transfer case and boasts 24 inches of front wheel travel and 32 inches at the rear. It’s designed to be the ultimate in the evolution of off-road performance, and they’re looking to have it fully ready for the 2024 SCORE season. An area that Jimco had been struggling with in recent years, that the Navarros intend to increase their focus on in the future, is the retail side of their business. They want to make it easier for buyers to purchase their components, as well as parts from their vendor partners, through an upgraded website that will not only showcase the products they have available but make them easier to order. Race vehicle safety is also on the agenda, in continuation of Robbie Pierce’s legacy as the former owner of Mastercraft Safety and Impact Racing Products, and an inductee to the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame for his safety innovations. The company remains a Master Wholesale Distributor for both Impact and Mastercraft. Looking forward, Jimco will be seeking to branch out further. As Rafael III says, “We know the size of the pond that we’re in, and there are only so many fish in it. You’ve got to be looking outside, looking to do different things. There were a lot of things that I didn’t think were priorities, but now we have a different perspective. We need to find all kinds of things to keep the lights on.” And indeed, there was something that the Navarros couldn’t talk about when we spoke that involved an OEM and an oil company to show that they could work outside the box and are ready, willing, and capable of working on new things. No doubt, the family’s varied business interests and experience, from motorsports to farming, to resorts, to real estate, will be major assets in the continued success and expansion of Jimco around the world. As Rafael III says of the Jimco brand, “It has a meaning, it has strength, and we want to do what we can in this third edition to propel it forward to get it on the podium, and get it recognized again for all the things its accomplished.” The company was born out of a passion for racing, and it’s clear that the new owners have that same fire and enthusiasm for the sport. It sounds like the company is still in good hands as they move into the future.