When Andreas Volbach, producer for the GERMAN VOX TV Network, was asked to travel to Baja to cover the new Q5 SUV for AUDI, that is manufactured in Mexico, he thought that it would be interesting to find out a little more about what he had always associated Baja with: Off Road Racing!
Andreas contacted No Limits Baja’s Andrea Tomba, and explained that they were coming to Cabo and that they would like to find out a little more about Baja Desert Racing, and would ultimately like to get their presenter, experienced driver Alexander Bloch, in a Baja Race Car.
Andrea thought that it would be interesting for the German audience to see the two opposites of the Baja Race vehicle spectrum: A Class 1 VW bug and a 850 HP Trophy Truck! So he contacted Class 11 owner and racer Darren Carey and TANOM’s own Sandy Hall driver to take out the TT#90.
Andreas decided that he thought that it would be a good idea to keep Alex in the dark exactly of what he was going to experience in Baja, and only told him to bring down his helmet and race suit, and it was arranged that he was going to meet Darren and his infamous Class 11 at their hotel, the prestigious The CAPE in Cabo San Lucas.
When Alex finally comes out and sees the VW Bug, he definitely seems exited and impressed by the set up, and seems thrilled with the idea of driving the beetle off road… He seems less thrilled when he is asked to move over to the co-driver seat so that Darren can drive it to a nearby, real Baja ranch that No Limits have set up, “Los Hornitos”, which is a beautiful and peaceful retreat, only 15 minutes away from the Cabo San Lucas center, and where they have set up a 9 miles never used before course to allow the film crew and host to experience a taste of the smorgasbord of different type of trails that Baja can offer its racers.
As Alex arrives at the ranch, he seems really to have enjoyed the start of his Class 11 experience and terrain as the film crew is interviewing him and getting his feedback. Just as he is talking about how wild the ride was in Class 11, he hears a motor start up, and sees the TANOM RACING Trophy Truck approach him. “Nice, small car… “Says Alex, as he struggles to find the door to jump in!
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After Alex gets buckled in the five-point harness, Sandy takes him for a run along the loop, which includes some high speed river bed runs as well as some extremely tight and technical sections, that with all the recent rain is luscious and green, making it even tighter and harder for the extremely wide truck to get through, and Alex cannot believe his eyes where and how Sandy can get the truck through, like threading a needle… but at over 70MPH!
As they returned to the Ranch, the crew did a photoshoot, taking the hood off to get a better and close look at all the various components of the truck, and the importance of all the great products that it boasts such as Vision X Lights, K&N Air filters, Optima Batteries, Evans Cooling system, the PCI Radio & Intercom system, the 39 inch BFGoodrich tires, to name but a few.
Then it was time for Alex to get behind the wheel of the Trophy Truck. Alex’s laststeed was an experience in the DAKAR Mini race car, so his comparison bar was already set very high, however the sheer power and suspension truly left Alex with a smile that made him look like a kid who tastes ice-cream for the first time!
Alex on riding Tanom Racing’s Trophy Truck:
“Having been behind the wheel of almost every racecar one might imagine, this still was an unforgettable experience!”
Alex on working with No Limits Baja:
“Working and with true professionals is always a pleasure!”
For Sandy Hall, Andrea Tomba and No Limits Baja, it is always a pleasure sharing their passion for Off Road Baja Racing, and especially when dealing with a group whom are extremely knowledgeable in the automotive industry, and to see their reaction upon learning more about Baja Off Road racing, up close and personal!
VOX is part of the RTL Group, Europe’s biggest and most successful television Network.
“Auto Mobil” on VOX is Germany’s longest running and most successful TV magazine on everything auto related. The show covers everything from new cars to thrilling stories on car culture worldwide. “Auto Mobil” is on air since 1996 and reaches up to one million viewers which is equivalent to a market share of up to 12 percent.
Alexander Bloch is on “Auto Mobil” since the latest relaunch of the show back in 2014. He’s very well known in the automotive world since he started his career in 1997, being an editor at “Auto Motor und Sport”, Germany’s leading print publication on automobiles. Alex still publishes on “Auto Motor und Sport” today, being the magazines Chief Reporter.
The show will air on Sunday (Oct., 16th), 5 pm cet on VOX. Following that it´ll be available on http://www.tvnow.de/vox/auto-mobil/