Donahoe Racing Takes on the Baja 1000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: November 11, 2003 Contact: Kreg Donahoe Donahoe Racing Enterprises Phone: 714.632.3033 Paige Donahoe Donahoe Racing Enterprises 562.802.7880 ext 26

Donahoe Racing takes on the 2003 SCORE/Tecate Baja 1000

Anaheim, CA. Kreg Donahoe, owner of Donahoe Racing Enterprises, has decided to take on the challenge of proving that his new Toyota Tacoma/Tundra suspension system, as sold to the public, can withstand the harsh terrains of the California and Mexico deserts. He has entered a Toyota Tacoma in the race known by off-road racers to be the most brutal of all - the SCORE/Tecate Baja 1000.

Donahoe believes the Tacoma will withstand the pressures of the infamous Baja 1000 because the truck will be equipped with a suspension system that was designed utilizing Donahoe’s years of experience in desert racing. This design procedure resulted in an off-the-shelf system that can really perform both on and off the road. “The suspension system is designed with serious off-roading in mind and I can’t think of anything more serious than the Baja 1000,” Donahoe explains. With that in mind, Donahoe and his crew will be competing in the Stock Mini Class in a new 2002 Toyota Tacoma 4WD QuadCab, equipped with Donahoe Racing’s Toyota Tacoma Performance System, in the 36th annual SCORE/Tecate Baja 1000. The only modifications to the vehicle will be those required to meet the safety standards of SCORE International. These modifications include a full 4130 Chrome-moly tubing engine, cab and bed cage; fuel cell; window nets; safety harnesses and racing seats.

Joining Donahoe Racing in this self-imposed challenge is Toyota Motor Sales North America. Toyota welcomed the idea of one of their nearly stock trucks taking on Baja with former Trophy Truck racer, Kreg Donahoe, behind the wheel, by giving Donahoe Racing the 2002 Tacoma with full sponsorship.

The vehicle was picked up from Toyota’s Torrance, California facility on October 17, 2003, and debuted booth at the 2003 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 4 in the Daystar Booth. The help of additional sponsors made the debut in such a short period of time possible. Along with Toyota, Donahoe Racing’s sponsors for this project Toyota Tacoma race vehicle include Kartek Off Road (Riverside, CA); Walker Evans Racing Wheels (Riverside, CA); Goodyear Tires; Toyota Racing Development (Tustin, CA); Delta Tech Lighting (Placentia, CA); Norwalk Toyota (Norwalk, CA); Deaver Spring Manufacturing (Santa Ana, CA); and Krupp Bilstein of North America (Poway, CA), Daystar (Phoenix, AZ) and Off-Road Warehouse (San Diego,CA).

Donahoe Racing’s team is comprised of off-road racers old and new including Donahoe’s father, Bill Donahoe, a champion from off-road’s first generation. Assisting Donahoe in not only the design and fabrication of the Stock Mini, but with driving duties as well, is Donahoe Racing’s lead Research and Development Engineer, Dylan Evans. Donahoe and Evans conducted months of testing on Evans’ personal Toyota Tacoma to develop the design of the suspension system. Together they came up with an unbeatable shock valving and spring rate combination that they believe will beat any obstacle put forth by Baja’s nasty terrains. “I usually only see racing shocks after the race and I have to figure out how they faired by reverse engineering. I’m very excited to see what they do and how they perform during the race. Driving the truck will give me first hand knowledge and great insight for development,” Evans excitedly explains.

Donahoe, who has raced the SCORE/Tecate Baja 1000 several times over the years, says “it will be a long day competing in the Stock Mini Class. Stock Mini is a competitive class. The vehicles are very similar and I look forward to seeing how we fair with our truck built in three weeks to those that have been competing all year. We estimate a finishing time of 32 hours.”
Thirty-two hours is much longer than the finishing time for the team Kreg raced with in last year’s Baja 1000. Donahoe was crew chief for the Toyota/BFG Class 1 Unlimited entry for Groff Motor Sports in the 2002 SCORE/Tecate Baja 1000. With Donahoe leading Groff’s race team (and taking over driving duties of Indy Car Champion, Jimmy Vasser), the team nailed down a great finish to the season. The team’s finishing position was 9th (of 38 finishers). Despite the major difference in suspension design and horse power from Groff’s Class 1 Unlimited car to Donahoe Racing’s new Stock Mini, Donahoe is looking forward to leading his own race team to a clean finish, and hopefully victory, in this year’s Baja 1000.

The 2003 SCORE/Tecate Baja 1000 will take place November 20-22 in Baja California, and Mexico.

For more information about Donahoe Racing please contact Kreg Donahoe at 714-632-3033, or Paige Donahoe at 562-802-7880, extension 26, or visit Donahoe Racing’s web-site at www.donahoeracing.com.

Donahoe Racing Enterprises, a leader in off-road racing suspension and chassis development, is located in Anaheim, California. Donahoe Racing launched its Super Duty and Excursion suspension product line, The Edge Advanced Suspension, in 2001 to better meet the needs of Ford owners. The Edge line was developed based upon Donahoe Racing’s 30 years of off-road racing experience. Donahoe Racing’s products are second to none in the after-market suspension arena, providing the installer with reliable, easy-to-install components, and the driver with desired lift height and the best after-market ride quality available. For more information on Donahoe Racing, please call (714) 632-3033 or visit us on the web at www.donahoeracing.com.

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