Honda is taking its off-road racing ambitions to a new level with the Honda Passport Baja Spec, a purpose-built race truck developed by Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) to compete in the top Trophy Truck class of the 2027 SCORE World Desert Championship. Packing a formidable 1,300 horsepower and featuring technologies developed across Honda’s global motorsport programs, the extreme off-roader will mark a new chapter in the Japanese manufacturer’s long-standing relationship with desert racing.
Behind the wheel will be Bryce Menzies, a two-time Baja 1000 winner and one of the most experienced names in American desert racing. The project combines Honda’s engineering expertise with the knowledge of Menzies Motorsports, aiming to put the Passport Baja Spec against the toughest competition in the world of high-speed off-road racing.
Honda Passport Baja Spec Brings 1,300 HP to Trophy Truck Racing
The Honda Passport Baja Spec is being developed specifically for the demanding Trophy Truck category, where immense power, suspension performance, durability and driver control are essential to surviving the punishing terrain of Baja California.
With 1,300 horsepower on tap, Honda’s new race truck promises to deliver the performance needed to tackle the high-speed desert sections, rocky trails and unpredictable surfaces that define the SCORE World Desert Championship.
Although the project carries the Passport name, this is a competition-focused machine rather than a conventional production SUV with a few off-road upgrades. Honda Racing Corporation USA is developing the vehicle as a dedicated race truck, with its sights set on competing at the highest level of North American desert racing.
Honda says the program will incorporate advanced technologies developed through its participation in several major motorsport disciplines, including Formula 1, IndyCar, IMSA sports car racing and off-road desert competition. The goal is to bring expertise from across Honda’s racing operations into a single vehicle built to withstand the extreme demands of Trophy Truck competition.
Technical specifications beyond the announced 1,300-horsepower output have not yet been detailed.
Global Debut in Los Angeles Before the 2026 SEMA Show
The Honda Passport Baja Spec is scheduled to make its global debut on October 29, 2026, at a private event in Downtown Los Angeles hosted by Menzies Motorsports and Race Service.
Its first public appearance will follow at the 2026 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where the truck will be displayed at the Honda Racing Corporation booth from November 3 through November 6.
The SEMA Show provides an opportunity for Honda to introduce the project to the wider automotive and motorsport community before the truck begins its competitive campaign.
The next major milestone is already planned: the Honda Passport Baja Spec is scheduled to make its racing debut at the 2027 SCORE Baja 500. The event will serve as the truck’s first opportunity to demonstrate its capabilities against established competitors in one of the most demanding forms of off-road motorsport.
With Bryce Menzies behind the wheel, Honda will have an experienced desert racer leading the program as it prepares for the challenge.
Honda’s Baja Racing Heritage Dates Back to 1962
Honda’s involvement in Baja racing stretches back more than six decades, predating the establishment of the peninsula’s first official off-road race.
In 1962, Los Angeles-based Honda dealers joined forces with desert-racing pioneers Dave Ekins and Bill Robertson Jr. for an extraordinary motorcycle journey. Riding two Honda CL72 motorcycles from Tijuana to La Paz, the pair completed the route in just 39 hours and 56 minutes.
Their achievement established an influential benchmark for desert riding and helped inspire the development of organized off-road competition in the region. The ride also became part of the history that ultimately led to the creation of the official Baja 1000 in 1967.
Since then, Honda has built an extensive record in Baja competition. According to the manufacturer, Honda is the most successful motorcycle manufacturer in Baja history, with 22 overall victories and numerous class wins.
The company has also established a significant presence on four wheels. Since 2015, Honda’s off-road racing program has accumulated 17 class victories, including four Baja 1000 wins and five Baja 500 triumphs.
The Passport Baja Spec represents the next step in that four-wheel racing story, with Honda preparing to compete in the elite Trophy Truck category.
Can Honda’s Motorsport Expertise Translate Into Baja Success?
The Passport Baja Spec project reflects Honda’s broader approach to motorsport development: using competition across different disciplines to advance engineering knowledge and strengthen its racing programs.
Formula 1, IndyCar and IMSA operate under very different technical demands from desert racing, but experience in areas such as powertrain development, vehicle dynamics, reliability and performance engineering can contribute to a broader motorsport knowledge base.
Baja racing, however, presents its own unique challenges. Trophy Trucks must combine extreme power with the suspension travel, chassis strength and durability required to maintain speed over hundreds of miles of rough terrain. Mechanical reliability is particularly important, as a competitive advantage means little if a vehicle cannot reach the finish.
Honda’s established Baja record provides a foundation for the new project, while Menzies brings valuable experience from the discipline in which the truck will compete.
The 2027 SCORE Baja 500 will be an important early test of how effectively the team can bring those elements together. Further technical details, including the truck’s powertrain configuration and chassis specifications, should help clarify the engineering approach as the program develops.
Honda Passport Baja Spec: What Happens Next?
The immediate focus is on the truck’s unveiling and preparations for its first competitive appearance. Following its October 29 global debut, the vehicle will be displayed publicly at SEMA in Las Vegas before entering the 2027 SCORE World Desert Championship.
Honda has not yet released a complete technical specification sheet or detailed its full race schedule. For now, the headline figures are clear: a purpose-built Trophy Truck, 1,300 horsepower, Bryce Menzies as its driver and a racing debut planned for the 2027 Baja 500.
With more than 60 years of history in Baja competition behind it, Honda is preparing to take on a new challenge in one of off-road racing’s most demanding categories. The Passport Baja Spec will have to prove its potential in the desert, where speed, durability and consistency ultimately matter more than headline numbers.
If the new truck can translate Honda’s motorsport engineering experience into competitive results, it could become a significant addition to the manufacturer’s off-road racing legacy.
Source: Honda