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Murrieta, CA
Brenthel Industries and Jeff Bader had quite a season in 2019. Jeff is one of the racers who take part in Brenthel’s Arrive, and Drive program that handles preparation and transportation for teams who partake in the service. Like the name says, Jeff Bader just needs to show up when he wants and the truck is waiting. Racers are able to concentrate on racing, and leave the logistics to Brenthel. The service works for busy executives, or for racers who don’t have the many resources necessary to build, prep, and maintain an entire race team. Additionally, when it comes to overhead, Brenthel’s Arrive, and Drive is much more cost affective than supporting the infrastructure typically necessary to be competitive.
Jeff took the wheel of his Brenthel truck just before the start of his first race in 2019, the BITD Parker 425. He meshed perfectly with the truck; going on to finish every mile of every race in the Best In The Desert series, and earning the Rookie of the Year title. With a title in his first season racing off road, Jeff decided to take on another huge challenge by competing in the SCORE International Baja 1000.
The B1K is a daunting task for any race team. Racers spend days or weeks prerunning the course to learn where to go fast, and where to avoid catastrophe. Jeff enlisted the help of veteran racer Dan fresh to drive the first portion of the race. Jeff would get in and bring the truck to the finish. It’s a risk driving the second half. You never know what shape the truck will be in, or if it makes it that far at all. The Baja course is filled with every peril known to off road racing. Whether it’s a peninsula run, which goes all the way south to LaPaz, or a loop race as it was this year, the challenges are just as immense. This year Mother Nature pounded the course with 4 inches of rain that forced SCORE to delay the race for 24 hours so landslides, and some of the standing water could drain. Despite gallant efforts by SCORE and Baja locals, the course was still flooded in many areas, and filled with mud, rocks, and debris. Anyone who made it to the finish line earned their spot on the podium.
For Jeff, and Dan, they excelled. They were running in the front pack all night while other teams succumbed to the punishment. When they crossed the finish line, they were the second Trophy Truck Spec Class truck to make it the entire way. If not for missing a virtual checkpoint along the way, which resulted in a ten minute penalty, they would have finished second place in Jeff’s first Baja 1000, and first race ever in Mexico; instead they were on the podium in 3rd, and 15th overall; beating many Unlimited class cars and trucks.
The missed checkpoint happened early in the race while Dan was driving. He came up to the area where the VCP was located to find a huge crowd of spectators blocking the course. In order to avoid them, he inadvertently missed the check point. The fans in Mexico are simply incredible, but sometimes they are too enthusiastic and can get in the way. Many times they are on the spot when something goes wrong, and willing to jump in and help the drivers. They are just part of what makes racing in Mexico so incredible.
Congratulations to Jeff Bader, and Dan Fresh, but they weren’t the only Brenthel trucks who survived one of the nastiest Baja 1000 in years. Out of 22 starters, the 3 Brenthel trucks that competed in Trophy Truck Spec all finished in the top 10. Robert Malone finished every grueling mile to come home 6th place. Andrew Entwistle finished in 10th place after racing for 23 hours and 44 minutes. That’s the kind of effort it took to get to the finish in this year’s Baja 1000.
As Jeff Bader proves, Brenthel’s Arrive and Drive program gets you up to speed, and in contention in a hurry. If you are new to racing, or want to fast track your offroad racing career, give Brenthel a call and find out how easy it is to jump into a competitive truck with an experienced team behind you with Brenthel’s Arrive and Drive program. Give them a call at (949) 642-3003 or go to https://brenthelindustries.com/ to find out how you can compete off road in one of the many competition vehicles they produce. Ask about the Gen 3 truck chassis that is causing quite a stir amongst those racers who have been behind the wheel of one; like Jeff Bader.
Photography By: Bink Designs & Get Some Photo