Displaying the same perseverance and resiliency that helped him survive cancer, racer Joe Bacal—with plenty of help from co-drivers Chris Cocores, Bob Ditner and Paul Williamson—piloted a Lexus LX 570 to the winner’s circle in the recent Baja 1000, one of the world’s most grueling off-road competitions. It was the fourth win this year for Bacal and the Lexus, which is sponsored by the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. That kind of performance helped him take home the 2010 SCORE Stock Full driver championship, catapulted Lexus to the manufacturer’s title and gave Bacal’s crew the team championship.
It certainly wasn’t easy, though. Bacal and Cocores got off to a fast start in the Baja race, but less than 200 miles into the event, the wheels started to fall off—literally: “I felt great and we were making excellent time until a wheel came loose around mile 180,” said Bacal. “The loose wheel caused some damage that took quite a while to repair.”
That was the start of a rash of bad luck that saw the team idled for hours on end during the cold desert night as they fought to get the Lexus back in the race. When that was finally accomplished, Bacal knew it would take a near-flawless drive the rest of the way, over some 680 miles of treacherous off-road terrain, to achieve a victory. Luckily, that’s exactly what he and his squad delivered.
“This one was a nail-biter—a real test for everyone,” added Bacal. “But my team stayed with it and we got ourselves back in the race. With the problems behind us we just flew to the finish line.”
Interested in checking out the only SUV that’s tough enough to beat the Baja 1000 and luxurious enough to be a Lexus? If so, visit your local dealer to test drive an LX 570 today.
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