SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1539923
JIMCO RACING Rafael Navarro IV Moves The Company Forward With A Premium Bespoke Approach By Dan Sanchez Photos by Dan Sanchez As a mechanical engineer in aerospace and a champion off-road racer, Rafael Navarro IV is putting his experience into building next-level chassis and adding efficiency to Jimco’s operating systems. After he and his dad, Rafael Navarro III, took over the company in March of 2023, Navarro IV took an engineering approach to race vehicle building. This allowed Jimco to crank out more buggies and Trophy Trucks with improved workflow, and to incorporate various new component designs of his own making. Although the company still occupies its original 16,000-square-foot facility in Santee, California, it’s immediately obvious to see the many changes that have taken place, and how Jimco is moving towards being all-encompassing for its customers. “Our goal is to be a premium bespoke company from chassis to equipment,” said Navarro IV. “We want to present our customers with a high level of service from the vehicle to everything a customer would need to go out and race.” As you walk through the front door, you’re welcomed by a showroom filled with helmets, racing suits, gloves, shoes, and all the personal equipment a new or existing customer would need to go racing. It definitely sets the tone for someone who has the means to build an off-road race vehicle and go racing. “We’ve continued the partnerships Jimco has had with companies like Mastercraft Safety, Impact Racing, OMP, and other racing apparel lines, to offer customers everything from the basics to full custom racing gear if they need it,” said Navarro IV.” Moving past the offices and conference room filled with posters, action photos, and memorabilia, a set of hallway doors opens into the workflow areas. They begin with sections dedicated to prepping customer vehicles for the next race, as well as service bays assembling new vehicles for customers. “When a customer brings in a race vehicle to our prep warehouse, everything gets disassembled, hand cleaned, or automatically washed,” says Navarro IV. “Then all the parts of their vehicle are inspected and prepared for final re-assembly.” Jimco offers various levels of vehicle preparation a la carte, starting from full teardown and repairs, to simple oil changes, suspension service, and more. Customers For Life Part of Jimco’s new approach is maintaining control of vehicle quality and the company’s reputation. To put it simply, if a customer owns a Jimco vehicle, Navarro IV and his team want to be the only team to work and take care of it. Nothing is left to outside hands, even the vehicle’s tires are prepared in-house for the customer. “We have a total of seven prep bays, and we keep two to three of them empty at all times to receive new vehicles,” says Navarro IV. “We do this because there is a constant flux of vehicles coming in and out at all times.” If a customer decides they want a new vehicle, Jimco is fully prepared with inventory and manpower to begin building anything from a Class 10 or Class 1 buggy to a TT Spec or full AWD Trophy Truck. “From start to finish, it takes anywhere from 6-12 months to build a new vehicle,” says Navarro IV. “It also depends on how busy we are and what the customers are looking for.” Another service that Jimco has begun to offer its customers is selling vehicles on consignment. Jimco, as a company, has been making vehicles since 1975, so it’s safe to say that there are many older race vehicles that customers want to update with a new one. According to Navarro IV, their consignment helps Jimco customers with the sale of their older vehicles as their new one is being built. “We just started this and are still in the process of figuring it all out, but we want to be all-encompassing for our customers and will sell their older Jimco-built vehicles on consignment to help.” New Platforms On The Horizon Jimco is also transitioning into developing and designing all new chassis platforms. Many of their new ideas are installed on current projects that are constantly being tested and changed as they work and race them. “While we do that, we’re still focused on current AWD platforms, but we are building what we think works into our new platforms, be it trucks or buggies,” says Navarro IV. “Jimco is known for its buggies, and we want to continue that. We’ve also learned a lot on the AWD Trophy Truck side, working with Rob MacCachren on the Fastball AWD SCORE Trophy Truck Platform. With this vehicle, we are applying some of our new technologies, and we’re very confident about moving forward on this platform, which will put our stamp on what we think is a good design.” Navarro IV knows their new designs and innovations are completely subjective, but with the family’s extensive racing experience, which spans several generations, as well as with the experience of legendary drivers like MacCachren, what is coming out of Jimco is something to be excited about. Some of the latest innovations and designs come from Navarro IV’s racing experience. This includes winning the SCORE Overall Points Championship in 2016 in a Class 10 car, which had never been done before. In addition, Navarro and his dad have been exposed to all kinds of motorsports racing, from road racing, short course, and off-road. “I think off-road has matured into the similar characteristics of other forms of racing,” he says. “Right now, we see multiple tiers ranging from professional teams with AWD and a full-effort program, to teams racing in the 2WD and TT Spec classes, which bring another level of racing from a budgetary standpoint. No matter at what level teams participate, the revenue generated from the additional varieties of vehicles and classes helps the industry. What we want here at Jimco is a unified front between builders and SCORE to make things better for the future of the sport.” Additionally, some of the aerospace engineering expertise Navarro IV has brought to Jimco is investment into fixturing, precise manufacturing repeatability, and removing any deficiencies they see in the building process. This is all in an effort to make vehicle components consistent, and manufactured quickly. “We want to be able to inventory lots of parts, especially those that can be found on AWD, 2WD Trophy Trucks, and TT Specs, for example,” he says. “They use a lot of the same components. So, we’re taking an engineering approach to make these components and have them in stock.” “If you’re not constantly developing and investing, you fall behind,” he added. “Jimco has a long history, and we want to continue to be the best chassis builder. Our competitors have done a good job moving the bar higher, but now it’s our turn to raise it even further. All of Jimco’s chassis are CNC cut, laser bent, and stored ready for assembly. When an order comes in, we pull out the fixtures and begin bringing in the pieces together to quickly and easily assemble,” says Navarro IV. Jimco vehicles have an impressive record of podium finishes and championships. Its newest Hammer Head 9 chassis with mid-engine design is paving the way for Class 1 buggies and championships, while the Fastball AWD Trophy Truck program continues to break new ground while it’s still under development. Over the years, the company has earned an unprecedented 25 “Chassis Manufacturer of the Year” titles from SCORE International. SJ