ROD HALL'S STROPPE-BUILT DODGE
TRUCK IN THE 1979 SCORE BAJA 1000.
A LIFE-LONG
FRIENDSHIP BEGINS
During those early days of off-
road racing, Stroppe's Broncos
would compete with Rod Hall's
CJ-5 many times. "My Jeep kept
beating Bill's Broncos," said Hall.
"I remember Bill saying that he
knew how to fix the problem.
His solution was to build me a
car and give me a ride. That was
in early 1969. Later that year at
the Baja 1000 was the first time
that Larry Minor and I teamed
up in the Stroppe Bronco, and
we won the race," said Hall.
Rod Hall was one of Stroppe's
greatest supporters and remains
grateful for the opportunities
given to him at the beginning of
his racing career. "Bill Stroppe
gave me the opportunity to
make a career in racing," said
Hall, who is still very active
in his off-road racing career,
a tenure that has spanned
more than five decades.
"There's always a person
who gave us our first chance,"
said Hall. "As much a Stroppe
was given the opportunity,
he befriended, taught and
mentored others, giving racers
and fabricators big breaks. At
the same time, he cheered them
on to achieve accomplishments
of their own. Bill Stroppe
was all of the above. He was
my mentor and he kept me
going straight. He taught me
about the business we are in.
The thing he really stressed
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SCORE JOURNAL
