game-changing news from
the Ford Motor Company. It
was at the 1969 Pikes Peak
Hill Climb in Colorado's Rocky
Mountains when he got the
word that Ford was getting out
of the racing business…again.
Nevertheless, Ford continued
to be loyal to Bill Stroppe
as a friend and business
associate. The relationship
allowed Stroppe to present
a variety of ideas to which
Ford would lend its ear.
Although the traditional
kinds of racing Ford and
Stroppe had been involved
with were scrapped, Stroppe
still ran Ford's West Coast
media-fleet operations, the
Pantera program, African
Safari Mercurys and the 67'
Stock Car program for Parnelli
Jones. Ford had great respect
for Stroppe's abilities to run a
professional operation, keeping
the Ford media fleet ready for
journalists to test drive new
Ford cars and trucks. Stroppe
had built his business by
treating people right, and doing
the right thing by his primary
client, Ford Motor Company.
THE START OF
RACING OFF-ROAD
Even though Ford formerly
pulled out of big-time racing
in 1966, Ford never really got
out of racing entirely, and
neither did Bill Stroppe. A
STROPPE AND PARNELLI JONES
DROVE THEIR MODIFIED BRONCO
AT THE 1970 BAJA 1000.
039
SCORE JOURNAL
