SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/631836
JASON LAFORTUNE AND THE HONDA RIDGELINE TEAM PRE-RAN THE COURSE IN THEIR FORD BRONCOS BEFORE THE 2014 BUD LIGHT SCORE BAJA 1000 RACE. While it was much nicer driving to the race on the freeways, there is no comparison once you hit the dirt. The Bronco is faster, tougher, and easier to get through the tight technical sections of the course" Eugenio's Bronco is a mild build but just as capable. "My Bronco is borderline stock with only a few upgrades, but I log thousands of race course miles in it every year scouting for good photo locations. All I've added is an old-school style coil bucket up front with some King shocks, Threat racing under-the-bed shock hoop with Kings in the rear, a UMP filter and some Baja Designs LED's to light the way." Eugenio said. " The biggest upgrade for me were the tires. I've been really happy with BFG and have been running them for nearly 16 years without a single issue. That along with a Lowrance 7200c GPS, PCI race radio, cell signal booster, a Yeti cooler for the drinks and a set of Mastercraft seats that recline, because you basically live in your rig when working an event. You'd be surprised where you can go in these rigs with very few modifications and a little common sense, you don't need a wazoo pre-runner to make it around. Broncos are a work horse, plus they look cool." Choosing the Bronco for photo going was really a no brainer. In order to be able to do the job you need a solid reliable vehicle that you can trust to take you to the edge of Baja and back safely," added Eugenio. "For me, the Bronco was the perfect platform to work from. It's four-wheel drive, good power, and plenty secure lockable space for gear were some of the selling points for me. Most importantly there are tons of them in Baja so parts are plentiful. " Many modern race teams also like using these older Ford Broncos to pre-run a course. As an example, Jason LaFortune of LaFortune Race Cars built and drove the Class 2 Honda Ridgeline at the 2015 Baja 1000. He also recently built a new pre-runner 1984 Ford Bronco. LaFortune's fully caged Bronco rides on 35 inch General tires and KMC wheels. To control the rubber, the truck has a Fox 2.5 inch coil over and 3.5-inch bypass shock at each corner and a LaFortune Race Cars JASON LAFORTUNE 083 SCORE JOURNAL