Rod Hall, the winningest desert racer in motorsports history, passed away recently, according to several reports. He was 81.
Hall competed in 50 consecutive Baja 1000s, winning his class 25 of those races. He was the overall winner in 1969. His final Baja 1000 race was in 2017, which he ran at 79 years old.
He is the winner of more than 150 major off-road events, according to the Reno, NV-based Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame which inducted Hall in 2005.
“No one in SCORE International racing history has raced longer, harder or better than Rod Hall,” said a statement from racing sanctioning body SCORE International. “Since his (class) win at the inaugural 1967 1000, he has racked up a collection of Baja 1000 and Baja 500 wins, as well as a record of consecutive wins, that will most likely never be equaled.”
His wins include 10 Mint 400s, 10 Parker 400s, 12 Fireworks 250s, and 12 Baja 500 and 17 Baja 1000 class victories, according to Autoweek.
Hall was popular with our friends at Summit Racing who work at the company’s Sparks, NV location, and had both a personal and professional relationship with him for many years.
“While everyone knows Rod Hall as a legend in motorsports, some of us were fortunate to get to know him personally,” said James Herr, manager of the Summit Racing retail store in Sparks. “Over the years, Rod has become a good friend of the store and of many of us individually. In addition to his tireless work in the off-road community, Rod was one of the nicest people you’d ever meet. I am honored to have called him a friend and am deeply saddened by this loss. We all extend our thoughts and prayers to Rod’s wonderful family.”
You can read more about Hall’s life and remarkable motorsports career here:
DESERT RACER ROD HALL: 1937-2019 – Autoweek
Remembering desert racing legend Rod Hall, 1937-2019 – Hemmings
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