CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 26, 2016)- SPEED Energy and Stadium SUPER Trucks Presented by TRAXXAS today announced the inaugural Mike’s Peak Hill Climb Challenge at the legendary Mike’s Sky Rancho in Baja California, Mexico. In honor of 50 years of Baja Racing on the road to Mike’s, SST has partnered with the Ranch to invite all off-road vehicles – of the two, three or four wheeled varieties – to compete in this challenging hill climb competition.

Everyone is welcome to take a run to be the fastest to conquer “Mike’s Peak.” The four-day event will run October 13-16, 2016 with classes ranging from but not limited to; SST/short course trucks, Ultra 4’s, rock crawlers, rally cars, desert trucks, buggies, to quads, UTV’S and motorcycles.

“We’re seeing new attendance records for SST all the time, so having our lightweight, high horsepower, nimble trucks race to Mike’s is the perfect way to introduce this newest contest to fans and drivers of Baja,” said SST series founder, Robby Gordon. “I can’t wait to see how the SST’s stack up against other vehicles that attempt to make this climb. It’s a 100% dirt track, with more turns than Pike’s Peak before you reach a first of its kind water crossing finish at Mike’s.” The planned route is 31 km with nearly a 4,000 foot ascent through cattle guards and water crossings.

“Adding a SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks Presented by TRAXXAS event in Mexico has always been a dream, and there are so many historic events in racing this year – from the 100th running of the Indy 500 and the return of the Ford GT to Le Mans, to the 100th anniversary of the first Pike’s Peak Hill Climb – I believe this is the best time to launch such a unique and old school event,” added Gordon. “We wanted to give the racers and fans something longer, something more challenging on man and machine, so we’re bringing back the dirt roads, getting rid of the guard rails, and inviting everyone with a race car and a dream.”

Space is limited to be part of history. Will you be the First to Mike’s?

More information is forthcoming, including registration and rules for the October 2016 event. Send racer registration, rules, reservation, and sponsor questions to MikesPeak@stadiumsupertrucks.com

ABOUT MIKE’S PEAK HILL CLIMB CHALLENGE

On-site camping, close proximity to Ensenada (52 miles East on Hwy 3), San Felipe Valley, and Trinidad, and multiple road access to viewing points, mean the race to Mike’s Peak will instantly become a fan and driver favorite. Add to that a Mexican Fiesta under the stars of Baja California each night for all drivers and guests. Rooms and camping at the Ranch will be open to all competitors on a first come, first served basis.

ABOUT SPEED ENERGY STADIUM SUPER TRUCKS PRESENTED BY TRAXXAS

Influenced by the former Mickey Thompson Stadium Off-Road Racing Series, where drivers such as Gordon, Casey Mears and six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson got their start, Gordon created SST in response to the public’s overwhelming interest in trucks and off-road racing. His plan to re-launch the former stadium series has led to exciting racing on both asphalt and dirt, while producing one of the most extreme forms of action sports today.

Other than the trucks launching 20 feet in the air covering distances more than 150 feet, what sets the SST program apart from other series is the fact that all the SST trucks are identically prepared and delivered to drivers in race-ready condition. Race winners are decided by driver skill rather than individual team engineering and budgets. Drivers and their personal mechanics are assigned specific SST mechanics who together tune and make minor adjustments to the 600-horsepower trucks.

ABOUT MIKE’S SKY RANCHO

Mike Leon, an American citizen whose family came from Jalisco, Mexico, had owned a couple of bars in Tijuana, but by the mid-1960s he’d had enough of the demanding grind and began looking for a more pastoral setting. In 1967, he bought several thousand acres under the dark skies and twinkling stars of Baja California’s highest mountains and opened Mike’s Sky Rancho, a guest resort in the high foothills of the San Pedro Mártir. Sitting on a knoll above the San Rafael creek in a picturesque and wooded valley, it’s a steep, brush-covered mountains rise in the background to the pine-covered 7,100-foot summit of Cerro San Matìas, visible off to the east. The crystal-clear San Rafael stream winds through the valley floor and must be forded to reach the ranch.