3/10/2025
— LAS VEGAS, NV
- Baja Passport Race Truck ran as high as 2nd overall before a mechanical issue stopped the trophy truck
- 2026 Passport TrailSport completed multiple laps of the grueling 73-mile course with minimal modifications in a stock production class
- Both Passports debut with overwhelming support from the off-road community
The Baja Passport started its 2025 off-road campaign by making a statement with an eighth-place qualifying effort in class and 10th overall in the highly competitive unlimited class. That meant it would start up front and put its 3.5L V6 SUV against the fastest V8 trucks. It also meant it had the benefit of not having to be held up in dust by slower trucks.
At the drop of the green flag, 18-year-old driver Ethan Ebert got off to a good start. Starting in rows of two, Ebert got the hole shot in the infield and headed out to battle the grueling course. The course was exceptionally rough this year due to the lack of rain to smooth out sections. Competitors throughout the weekend commented that this Mint 400 had some of the worst conditions they had ever seen, and each lap deteriorated the terrain even more. The Mint 400 is known for sharp jagged rocks, big whoop sections and gnarly blinding dust. The unlimited class featured 4 laps of a 95-mile-long course of this oldest and most prestigious off-road race in America.
Ethan Ebert and navigator Gatlan Haddon made quick work on lap one by passing their way up to 5th place overall. At their first pitstop the Baja Passport took 60 gallons of fuel and two fresh rear 40 inch tires in 56 seconds and set off on lap two. The duo kept their pace and by the end of the lap the Team Honda turbo-powered V6 Honda Passport had worked themselves up to P2 overall against the fastest in the sport.
Unfortunately, shortly after they set out on lap 3 a mechanical issue put an end to Ebert’s charge to the front. Despite that, spirits are high this week with the launch of the new Baja Passport, solid qualifying run with a V6 trophy truck running up front with the best in the sport at the most prestigious off-road race in America.
In the Stock Production class, the Honda of America Racing Team (HART) tested the rugged capabilities of the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport through the Las Vegas desert on 3 laps of a 73-mile course. Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) used this grueling race as a testbed to monitor the performance of the Passport’s suspension in the highly demanding terrain, and advance development of HRC Performance Parts.
The Passport TrailSport started off the line in an incredibly competitive field against other OEM entries piloted by Andrew Shapiro with Craig Ackerman as navigator. An early mechanical issue required the car to be towed back to the pits for service and requiring the team to restart the whole lap. This put them far behind, however a mechanical delay wasn’t going to stop the team from demonstrating a great challenging spirit, a core tenant of Honda, to keep the car in the race despite the setback. After repairs they were able to tackle and finish lap one and complete a driver swap for lap two.
Driver Jordan Guitar and navigator Thomas Accardo took over and raced well into the night. As the race went on the course continued to degrade but they were able to keep the car moving along despite the challenge of racing in darkness. After completing lap two, but due to their earlier mechanical delay, they didn’t have enough time to complete the final lap. Their resilience helped them finish 28th out of 62 competitors in the Limited Race.
Throughout the weekend both Honda Passport debuts were received with overwhelming support from the community as fans were attracted to these unique entries. The 65,000+ fans especially seemed to appreciate the SUV bodied Baja race truck with its unique V6 sound for being something totally different than the other competitors.
Quotes
Jeff Proctor (#9 Team Honda Baja Passport – Team Principal) Finished 7th in class (42nd overall out of 65 in Unlimited): “The team was gutted to suffer a mechanical given our running position. But we will learn from this and come back stronger for the Baja 500 in June. We may not have won, but we proved we have the pace to run up front and put this Baja Passport on the podium. We are hungry for result in Baja!”
Andrew Shapiro (#7342 HART 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Stock Production class – Driver) Finished 4th in class (28th overall out of 62 in Limited) “The Mint 400 is known as the toughest off-road race in the United States and was a great challenge to test the capability of the new Passport TrailSport. Proud to be a part of this team that took on the ‘Great American Off-Road Race’.”
Mint 400 Results
- 7th Unlimited Truck 2WD – #9 Team Honda Baja Passport – Ethan Ebert, Gatlan Haddon
- 4th Limited Stock Production – #7342 HART Honda Passport TrailSport – Andrew Shapiro, Craig Ackerman, Jordan Guitar, and Thomas Accardo
Next
The Honda Off-Road Racing Team will continue the 2025 season June 4-8 with the 57th running of the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 500.
