Bradley is extremely diligent about pre-running the Baja 1000 course, he says at 100 mph plus - especially at night - you have to know the route well, or you won't make it to La Paz in one piece.
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"We don't play golf or tennis, off-road is what we do, and it is our passion," says Tom Bradley Sr.
Tom Bradley's number 805 Chevrolet Class 8 truck is not only the most recognizable off-road truck in Mexico, it's also the winningest.
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Bradley Racing has in fact been fervent about racing in the desert, specifically the Baja peninsula, for 32 years. Since 2000 the team has won more races and championships than any other off-road truck in Mexico. For the last 12 years Bradley has been racing with his son, Tommy. Besides racing alongside his dad, Tommy also races in CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing) in the Midwest, where he has now clinched the Crandon World Championship the last four years in a row. For this year's running of the Baja 1000 the team however will be racing separate trucks.
You need to feel the freedom...the adrenalin going maximum speed, our truck does not have wings but it can fly, says Bradley.
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"Tommy is driving Trophy Truck number 45 in this race next week for Gary Magness, and I will be in truck number 805," says Bradley.
Bradley Sr. has won four Baja Championships and three Mexican National Championships in all thus far. In 2006 he was also honored with the Overall Off-Road Driver Award.
"The race shop is in La Paz, Mexico, and all prep work is done there," remarks Bradley regarding his residence being listed as Nevada and Mexico. "I fly down monthly to race in Baja. Tommy and I live in Las Vegas where we each have our own glass business. Tommy mostly races in the U.S., and all my racing is in Mexico."
Bradley's lure for Baja is powerful, and why not, Baja is the world's longest peninsula, and it's the last outback left in our corner of the world. The peninsula is divided into the state of Baja California in the north and the Baja California Sur in the south. Except for two large coastal plains on the Pacific side, the peninsula consists largely of rugged mountain ranges, with one peak, San Pedro Martir, reaching more than 10,000 ft above the Sea of Cortez. The Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California, is the body of water that separates the peninsula from the Mexican mainland. The land is desolate and arid. The only naturally cultivable areas are isolated mountain valleys. The austere immensity from horizon to horizon has woven many into its magical spell.
"We are pre-running all this week, using a GPS that has a chip that has been pre-marked by SCORE to show the route - all 1061 miles of it," says Bradley. "We also mark it as we go, for dangerous spots, special landmarks and pit areas. At 100 mph plus - especially at night - you have to know the route well, or you won't make it to La Paz in one piece."
Class 8 has a special attraction for Bradley as well, "It's a real production Chevrolet that has been modified to race in the Unlimited Truck Class," explains Bradley about his truck. "The engine is the same as a Trophy Truck, only the suspension is different because we have the original chassis and driving compartment, whereas a Trophy Truck is built out of tubular steel, like an Indy or NASCAR. Our goal is to get first place in Class 8, and we will try to move up on the Trophy Trucks and Class 1 Unlimited cars, that start in front of us."
In 2006, Bradley Off-Road Racing made a bold move, entering three different racing Series, the Baja Sur Championship, the Mexican National Championship and the Coppel Challenge. The result was yet another triple Off-Road Championship, winning all three Series in CLASS 8 Unlimited Trucks.
"Our entire professional career has been with K&N filters," comments Bradley. "We use all the K&N filters possible on the truck - carburetor, oil, breathers, etc."
Last year Bradley Racing won the biggest race of the year in Mexico, the "Dos Mares 500" and he was the first overall truck to finish, ahead of the Trophy Trucks. In all, his team was active in six major races in 2009, winning the Baja Sur Class 8 Championship for the fifth time in ten years.
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