Almost immediately, Miller dropped off the graded dirt road we were on and headed out onto part of the Baja 500 racecourse. Downshifting through the gears, we blasted up a loose, rocky, 100-yard hillclimb and built speed as the full-time four-wheel-drive system maintained traction. The Touareg's drivetrain allowed Miller to focus on his line rather than worry about whether we'd make it up the hill at all.
"A Trophy Truck would never do that," Miller said over the intercom. And he should know-he's won the Baja 500 and the Baja 1000 twice in a two-wheel-drive Chevrolet Trophy Truck. He explained that what the VW lacked in brute force and suspension travel it made up for in control and maneuverability. As a passenger, we could feel the Touareg responding to Miller's every command as he manipulated the vehicle's direction, attitude, and sometimes even its altitude with the throttle and brakes. With the inline diesel engine set so far back in the chassis, the truck felt particularly well balanced and stable. Even when we were blasting toward ruts, ditches, and jumps that would've been fatal for many off-road vehicles, the Touareg's suspension and BFGoodrich tires allowed Miller to accelerate in and out of dangerous terrain with ease.
Perhaps the Touareg's most impressive feature is its uncanny ability to react to the driver's input at all times. Keep in mind that when most off-road race vehicles travel over loose dirt and rock surfaces, the driver has only marginal influence on the vehicle's direction when at speed. Typically, a driver must rely on his vehicle's 37-inch-tall tires and nearly 3 feet of suspension travel to absorb the punishment of driving over surfaces most of us would liken to a bombing range at 100 mph.
With less than 10 inches of suspension travel and only 31-inch tires, we could tell Miller was earning his keep in the driver seat. All we could do was sit there and try not to squeal like an excited little kid. Miller, on the other hand, must've made 1,000 brake, throttle, and transmission inputs to keep the Touareg on track during our brief drive. There were turns in the course that we never thought he'd be able to take at the speeds we were traveling, but then he would. There were dry streambeds he'd rocket toward, then slow to less than 10 mph for, and then be back up to pace before we could compliment the VW's braking ability. Considering how rough the terrain is in Baja, the Touareg handled the pounding Miller put it through very well. There were a number of times the VW got all four tires in the air and our helmet hit the inside of the rollcage upon reentry. We have no doubt the VW team's strategy counts heavily on the fact that these trucks are capable of taking more of a beating than most drivers ever could. And that's why Miller is as much an athlete as he is a racer. We didn't even bother to ask if we could ride in the truck during a race-we knew we wouldn't have the stamina to keep up with these vehicles.
American Off-Road Race Trucks
There's no question, when it comes to American off-road racing, the SCORE International Trophy Trucks are top of the line. Trophy Trucks are loosely based on fullsize pickups and SUVs the way NHRA Funny Cars are based on your average American two-door coupe-meaning, the only things production on these 800hp, gasoline-powered warriors are the manufacturer logos. Other meaningful rules worth noting in this class are that Trophy Trucks must weigh a minimum of 3,500 pounds and the engine brand and body style must match. Oh yeah, and you can't have a turbocharged or supercharged engine, which is why the turbodiesel Volkswagen Race Touareg 2 trucks had to run in their own International class at the Baja 500. Other than that, your multimillion-dollar team budget and imagination are the only limits.