The second-generation 2017 Ridgeline isn't expected to make its debut until sometime early next year, but Honda decided to give everyone a little preview when it entered a Baja racing version of the pickup in the SCORE Baja 1000 desert race, held last week in Ensenada, Mexico. Driven by a racing trio of Jeff Proctor, Sage Marie, and Jason LaFortune, the Ridgeline Baja, competing in its first ever desert race, completed the 821-mile loop in a winning time of 25 hours, nine minutes and 47 seconds.
More than half of the original 239 competitors dropped out of the race before the finish line. The usual obstacles of rocky mountain trails, silt beds, washes, ditches, and jumps, were compounded by reduced visibility due to fog and excessive dust. Nevertheless, the Ridgeline Baja ran trouble free, on its way to a Class 2 victory.
"The course was extremely tough today, and it seemed like Baja threw everything it could at us, but the Ridgeline ran flawlessly all day," said Proctor, driver and owner of Proctor Racing Group. "We couldn't be happier with how it performed on its maiden voyage."
The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine, which produces an impressive 550 horsepower, features the same block, cylinder heads and crankshaft as the production V6 engine that will power the upcoming 2017 Ridgeline, which will join Honda's lineup of light trucks that includes the Pilot, CR-V, HR-V.
