Class 11 is the toughest class in off-road racing. There, I said it. And if you aren’t familiar with the class, it isn’t full of big suspension trucks, or even stock-style suspension trucks. There are no badass Baja bugs, and certainly no buggies. Nope, these are essentially stock air-cooled VW Beetles, aka a Bug, with some slightly taller tires that have an all-terrain tread on them. That’s it. I mean they have lights to they look cool and racey, but they aren’t race cars. And they compete on the same course as everyone else in the BAJA 1000. They roll over. They get stuck. They go slow. And that’s not the worst part. Nope, the worst part is the suspension travel that is measured in single-digit inches, rather than the feet of travel that some vehicles at BAJA have. These poor little cars are beaten and battered and they shake the passengers inside like a paint shaker. It is brutal.
And it is awesome. Ask anyone competing at BAJA and they will tell you that Class 11 is the hardest core and craziest class. These guys “win” when they finish, because finishing in a car that doesn’t make anywhere close to 100 horsepower and that has no racing suspension under it, is a feat in itself.
But we’ll let the folks in this great movie tell the story. Watch, enjoy, and let us know when you are ready to go race Class 11 at BAJA. Cause it takes someone not quite right to do it.
We are in.
Video Description:
Support a sequel to this film by purchasing GHA merchandise: https://gha-racing.myshopify.com
Think the almighty Baja 1000 is tough in a 800+ horsepower Trophy Truck? Try it in a stock 54 year old Volkswagen Beetle. For years, these ultra limited, severely ill-matched, completely outgunned VW’s, known to fans and racers as Class 11, have been well respected but rarely well documented. Ultimate Underdogs, created by Sauce The Boss, fills that void by giving you a never before seen action packed look into the reality of racing the world’s longest nonstop offroad race, in what is undoubtedly the most grueling, under-appreciated, limited vehicle of them all.
Follow along as the 2021 SCORE Class 11 Champion, Alex Gonzales, and his team – GHA Racing, prepares and races their #1100 Empi equipped 1969 VW Bug at the 2022 Baja 1000. In not so unusual Class 11 fashion, things do not go exactly as planned and the team is faced with several mechanical, mental, physical and logistical challenges along the way, ultimately resulting in an all out make or break dash to the finish as the time limit closes in. We hope this documentary is as informative as it is entertaining and to see many more of you racing Class 11 with SCORE in the near future!
Directed & Edited by @saucetheboss
Filmed by Sauce – @saucetheboss Eddie Cuellar – @eddiecuellarr Richard “Veesh” Krumm – @veeshermang Ryan “Badger” Ruegg – @badgerclit Gio Brito – @gioburrito_ Dylan Pfohl – @dylanpfohl Cesar Gonzalez – @cesar_fpv Ricky Rios – @_rickyrios Denim Cox – @denimcox
Drivers Alex Gonzales – @gharacing Clyde Stires – @el_van69 Tim Sletten – @slettenengineering Armando Ventura – @venturaracing1681 Navigators Pete McLeod – @liveactionpete Chris “Eric” Eiland – @chriseiland Edgar Romero – @edgarromcast #class11 #baja1000 #baja500 #baja400 #sanfelipe250 #ensenada #trophytruck #vwbug #underdogstory #inspiringstory #davidvsgoliath
