Hood Vent Years 1972 1971 1969 1967

[TurboS]

The Bronco Raptor design team had some fun and added these 4 years to our Bronco Raptor hood heat release vents. During the Jan 24 2022 launch video's we were informed these represent Baja 1000 Bronco win's. So I wanted a photo to associate to each of these 4 significant years so when showing someone I had a visual and a name to assist my explanation.

Starting from the top:

1972 and 1971 since both these years have the same Bronco, driver, and team.
A 1969 heavily modified Ford Bronco Baja 1000 winner 'Big Oly' driven by Parnelli Jones with co-driver and race truck builder Bill Stroppe.

1969 - Baja 1000 was originally called the NORRA Mexican 1000 race, may still be.
1968 Ford Bronco the 1969 NORRA Mexican 1000 Winner Rod Hall with co-driver Larry Minor, built by race truck builder Bill Stroppe.

1967 - The very first NORRA Mexican race.

I need help with this one, Google failed me in providing any Bronco photo's from that first race however according to google search engine the overall winning vehicle was a VW dune buggy. Rod Hall won 1st in his class with a Jeep CJ5, I think. Any of you have a Bronco racing history book to take a photo or point me in the direction of a online photo would be appreciated. I will edit and insert that photo here.

UPDATE 12/14/2022: Inserted photo below to my best guess on the 1967 Winning Bronco, Capital One in their video below also used this photo that is found in the Ford Media Bronco Racing photo collection. if not the winning Bronco, it is one of original Race Bronco's.

Sources:
Ford Bronco legendary Baja 1000 winner 'Big Oly' headed to auction
Google Baja 1000 winning broncos
Stroppe Racing Broncos: Pony's Rise and Fall
Rod Hall’s 1968 Ford Bronco
Rod Hall Baja 1000 Winner
Ford Media Bronco Racing


Additional photo's below in the following posts.

 

[TurboS]

1972 and 1971 photos continued.

 

[TurboS]

1972 and 1971 photos continued.

 

[NDRaptor]

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing this history. Wonder where those rigs are today.?……..

 

[TurboS]

1969 photos continued.

Photo's below are from the restored Racing Bronco that Rod Hall and granddaughter Shelby Hall ran in 2017 ending Rod Hall's 51 years of continuous Baja 1000 race competitions. I call Rod Hall the legendary "Iron Man" of off-road racing.

 

[TurboS]

1969 - photo's continued:

Rod Hall and Shelby Hall, 2017, Finished 2nd in their class, Rod Hall was 78.

 

[TurboS]

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing this history. Wonder where those rigs are today.?……..

Big Oly sold at Mecum Auction May 21, 2021 for $1.7 million for a total of $1.87 million

Mecum auctions Preview


Mecum auctions Indy sale of Big Oly

 

[TurboS]

Then Big Oly once again competed in the NORRA 1000 race this year, flipped on it's top, turned back over, and still went on to finished the race.

$1.8M ‘Big Oly’ Ford Bronco Flips in Off-Road Race, Keeps Going

 

[SteelBronco]

This entire post is awesome!! This should get some type of topic of month award!!

 

[Ironmike]

Most people on here likely know this, but Shelby Hall (pictured above with her grandpa Rod) played a pivotal role in performance testing the new Bronco, including the Raptor. Talk about carrying on the family business!

 

[Dragoon]

Awesome photos and history! Great idea on posting this, thank you!

 

[TurboS]

Most people on here likely know this, but Shelby Hall (pictured above with her grandpa Rod) played a pivotal role in performance testing the new Bronco, including the Raptor. Talk about carrying on the family business!

Absolutely! Last January 24th, during Fords Bronco Raptor reveal, I thought it just couldn't be any more appropriate than having Rod Hall's grand daughter Shelby Hall to do the honors of presenting (driving) the Code Orange Bronco Raptor.

Quoted below from article Rod Hall’s 1968 Ford Bronco.

"Rod Hall’s 1969 Ford Bronco has got to be one of the most famous Bronco’s in history. In 1969, Rod Hall pulled up to the starting line of the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) Mexican 1000 (Now the SCORE International Baja 1000) in a Bill Stroppe Ford Bronco. This wasn’t Hall’s first desert race. Rod raced the 1967 and 1968 events in a Jeep CJ-5, but this time he and teammate Larry Minor were determined to finish at the top of the podium. When the dust settled in La Paz, they had won both their class and the overall Mexican 1000. Hall raced in the first (50) Baja 1000 races with his final start in 2017 when he was nearly 80 years old. He remains the only driver to win Baja overall in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle, and the only racer to have competed in every Baja 1000 in a 4-wheeled vehicle from its beginning to 2017."

"Rod Hall’s string of 35 consecutive race wins in the early 1980’s remains the longest unbroken string of race victories in off-road racing history. He competed in 50 straight Baja 1000 races, and had class wins in 25 of them. Hall’s 160+ major event wins makes him one of the most successful off-road racers of all time."

I think Rod Hall is our G.O.A.T

 

[TurboS]

Short minute and half video is a quick Bronco History lesson including the Bronco Raptor Hood vent years.

Things You Don't Know About The Ford Bronco | Capital One

 

[TurboS]

More on Rod Hall's Bronco history.

"Offroad racer Amy Lerner shares Rod Hall’s famous Bronco and lets Jay take it for a rip!"

 

[TurboS]

Amy Lerner's Rod Hall documentary One More Win 1:36 minute preview below. Full documentary available on YouTube as buy or rent viewing options.
Directors Amy Lerner and Richard Heeley
Producer Amy Lerner



One More Win Film.com web site

 

[slicktop]

Great to see all the history here, a while back i posted here the book to get has all these and more, book is titled Bronco Racing Ford's Legendary 4x4 in Off-Road Competition by John Elkin can be purchased Midlifeclassiccars.com it's worth the money its full of pics and info!!

 

[TurboS]

 

[TurboS]

Introducing the 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Special Edition, a retro tribute Bronco to the 1969 winning Bronco described above.

The Return of a Legend: The 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Special Edition - By Ford Motor Company

5 minute reveal video, and why is this Retro Bronco significant to our Bronco Raptors, it's imprinted into all of our OEM hood vents "1969" "Introducing the 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Special Edition." "Evoking the spirit of Ford legend Bill Stroppe and his line of Baja Broncos, the new 2025...

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