2023 Baja 1000 with Jaos Lexus LX600 (2 Viewers)

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Updates for those of us who don’t do the Grams or the Book of Faces……

😂😂

We made if through contingency & tech today. Chase rigs are all loaded up and depart tomorrow, most before the 8188 departs the start line.

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Koyari-san is in the house. Nathan Clark (on Mud?) sent down a really neat Land Cruiser art piece, he loved it! 😎

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In just a few short hours, @jaos_corporation & @canguroracing will blaze off the start line of the 56th annual @scoreinternational Baja 1000 desert race. The @discoverlexus LX600 is ready to make some dust.

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The festivities kick-off in La Paz at the south end of the Baja peninsula, ending in Ensenada, ~1200 miles & 45-50 hours later. I'll be co-driving for @tomonori_noto from the start line to approx Race Mile 205, where I'll hand off the co-drive duties to @cruisermon

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You can track our progress on the SCORE site:

@jaos_corporation
@tomonori_noto
@lexus_jp
@kybcorporation
@teamtoyotiresjp
@canguroracing
@cruiseroutfitters
@equipt1
@scoreinternational
@i4wdta

#jaos #teamjaos
#lexus #lexusovertrailproject #lexuslx #lx600
#kyb #toyotires #opencountry
#scoreinternational #baja1000. #bajamil
 
So cool!

How much suspension travel are you getting out the LX600?
 
They're getting close to the finish!

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How did it go Kurt?

We finished, sadly an hour over the allotted time (50 hours). I'll post more later but here is a note from Jaos and another from our team

Official statement from @jaos_corporation below.

We accomplished our goal of completing the Baja 1000! After battling through silt, rocks, and mud, in the longest Baja 1000 in history, the Jaos LX600 crossed the finish line in Ensenada after more than 1000 miles and 50 hours of racing.

Unfortunately, we exceeded the time limit by just under one hour and will not be counted as an official finisher. However, we are extremely proud of the LX600 and the team for persevering through all the challenges and battling to the very end.

The dedication of the drivers, co-drivers, and entire support crew kept the race car running strong the entire race without any major failures. We appreciate everything all the sponsors did to make this happen and the support from fans around the world. We look forward to the opportunity to challenge the Baja 1000 in 2024!


From Canguro Racing

Racing the 1000 the last two years with our friends from Japan has been an incredible experience and one that could never be artificially created. US, Japanese and Mexican cultures melting in the cauldron of the Baja 1000 intensity is unbelievably unique and has been truly life changing for the Canguro crew.

It comes with challenges far more nuanced and difficult to navigate than language. American competiveness, at times, contrasts considerably with the kaizen approach of constant improvement being the ultimate goal. Honestly it's so subtle I don't even know if what I just typed is correct.

When we left our last pit we had an outside chance of getting to the finish line under the 50hr limit so we turned @tomonori_noto loose to get there. There was disappointment when the late course mud delayed our arrival. We had fought for 49 straight hours only to come up short.

However, after last year's 90ish mile effort the Japanese team reveled in the incredible progress the LX600 'Layla' in the last 12 months and for them it was time for celebration while acknowledging there is still work to be done in their 3 year Baja Challenge plan. Can't wait to do it again next year
 
So....which truck holds up better? 200 or 300?
Both trucks have had races that have had some issues and others (like this one) that were relatively trouble free. My guess is it would be difficult to say there is a clearly better vehicle between the 200/300. But Baja can throw you curve balls when you least expect it. Having been there with Canguro and chasing for years with them I've seen it first hand. All you can do is prepare the best you can and then cross your fingers that luck is on your side and Baja doesn't bite. The team you go into it with makes a big difference too I think.

I will say that I truly believe that the Canguro team is one of the very best teams down there period. Everyone has a role (that can change) and all of them happily take on any assignment. It's a cohesion and proficiency that I think is extremely rare. The Jaos team from Japan is equally impressive and the partnership between Jaos and Canguro has been incredibly smooth and natural from my perspective. Maybe there have been a few hiccups behind the scenes that I'm not aware of but it sure doesn't seem like it. In the end, I think there is something about Land Cruiser people and the similar mindset that many of them share that makes these teams work so well on their own as well as together. This is just my personal opinion from seeing some of it firsthand. I'm sure Kurt or others on the team could add more clarity. I wasn't able to go this year but I saw how well it worked last year and can only imagine it was even better this year.
 
We finished, sadly an hour over the allotted time (50 hours). I'll post more later but here is a note from Jaos and another from our team

Official statement from @jaos_corporation below.

We accomplished our goal of completing the Baja 1000! After battling through silt, rocks, and mud, in the longest Baja 1000 in history, the Jaos LX600 crossed the finish line in Ensenada after more than 1000 miles and 50 hours of racing.

Unfortunately, we exceeded the time limit by just under one hour and will not be counted as an official finisher. However, we are extremely proud of the LX600 and the team for persevering through all the challenges and battling to the very end.

The dedication of the drivers, co-drivers, and entire support crew kept the race car running strong the entire race without any major failures. We appreciate everything all the sponsors did to make this happen and the support from fans around the world. We look forward to the opportunity to challenge the Baja 1000 in 2024!


From Canguro Racing

Racing the 1000 the last two years with our friends from Japan has been an incredible experience and one that could never be artificially created. US, Japanese and Mexican cultures melting in the cauldron of the Baja 1000 intensity is unbelievably unique and has been truly life changing for the Canguro crew.

It comes with challenges far more nuanced and difficult to navigate than language. American competiveness, at times, contrasts considerably with the kaizen approach of constant improvement being the ultimate goal. Honestly it's so subtle I don't even know if what I just typed is correct.

When we left our last pit we had an outside chance of getting to the finish line under the 50hr limit so we turned @tomonori_noto loose to get there. There was disappointment when the late course mud delayed our arrival. We had fought for 49 straight hours only to come up short.

However, after last year's 90ish mile effort the Japanese team reveled in the incredible progress the LX600 'Layla' in the last 12 months and for them it was time for celebration while acknowledging there is still work to be done in their 3 year Baja Challenge plan. Can't wait to do it again next year
Congrats on finishing, Kurt! We were all cheering for your guys. I, much like others on here, can't wait to hear more from you on this year's 1000. I have a massive amount of admiration and respect for what you guys are doing - your hardwork and sacrifice shows through!!
 
So....which truck holds up better? 200 or 300?
Hard to say. I was one of the drivers in the lx600 this year but it had been through a lot before it got to me at Rm599. The biggest difference is delivery of power and it took me a bit to get comfortable with the inputs. Basically had to override my muscle memory from driving Monica/v8.

A couple of other thoughts. Monica is left foot brake without boost. I found myself still left foot braking in the high speed stuff but right foot braking in the slower terrain like it was my own rig. My section was unique. I averaged a mile at 104mph and also one at 3.2 mph. Quite diverse.

The most difficult thing to get used to was the electric power steering. No feed back thru your hands in the squirrelly stuff. Had to rely on the butt a lot more.

We struggled with shocks and the lx600 got abused for 1300 miles. I'm truly amazed at how well it held up. Speaks volumes about the ruggedness of the components
 
Thanks for the feedback. I love reading about it and daydreaming about building my own.

It looks like they 600 is quite a bit more stock as far as suspension and full glass vs the 200. What's the difference in race weight? And did you have shock failures?

Any issues with the engine or transmission along the way?

What did you think needed the most improvement for next year?
 
Thanks for the feedback. I love reading about it and daydreaming about building my own.

It looks like they 600 is quite a bit more stock as far as suspension and full glass vs the 200. What's the difference in race weight? And did you have shock failures?

Any issues with the engine or transmission along the way?

What did you think needed the most improvement for next year?
The hurricane that went through Baja and all the race trucks in front of us made the course just soft and choppy the entire time so we had some heating issues on the shocks. They could be cooled by driving slower and highway sections. The course was just so choppy this year it was brutal on the suspension.

Motor and trans were rock solid. It's a fun drive train. Tons of power when you had the right gear. Much like racing a 200 for the first time compelled me to sell my 100 and get a 200 I've been causally looking at lx600s and really longing for a 300.

Biggest thing for next year is probably larger reservoir shocks and ideally disabling a few of the electronics. The dash was constantly scrolling through rear error messages totally unrelated to drive train. Door, ebrake, rear hatch etc. It didn't affect performance but made it impossible to understand if anything actually was wrong.

The 37s cleared far better than I thought and had no rubbing or steering issues and with the electric steering rack it was much easier to drive physically even though it as a numb experience. The glass which provided ac/heat as well was a huge perk. So much less stress in the drivers and co-drivers
 
37s!

Was the truck using the stock LCAs?
 
37s!

Was the truck using the stock LCAs?
Yes. Class rules require Oem suspension links front and rear. It does have a 3in body lift to accommodate the tires
 
Is it possible to buy out one of the JAOS trucks that participated in past Baja 1000 competitions?

There is a single unit, it will race again in the Baja 1000 next year.


And when it's done racing for Jaos, I hope to re-home it :D
 
Yes. Class rules require Oem suspension links front and rear. It does have a 3in body lift to accommodate the tires
Wonder what could be accomplished with 1.5” body lift and some cutting 🤔
Is sheet metal fender trimming allowed?
 

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