K&N-sponsored Greg Adler of Team 4 Wheel Parts Climbs the Podium in the Baja 1000

Nov 29, 2017

Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts at the checkered flag of the Baja 1000

Adler secured a spot on the podium with a team effort from Team 4 Wheel Parts

It’s the stuff of legend. The Baja 1000 is arguably the most iconic event in the dusty world of cross-country desert racing. The venerable endurance race celebrated its 50th year as the signature event in the sport in 2017 and K&N-sponsored Greg Adler made the most of the anniversary.

The 3rd place finish in the Baja 1000 capped off a stellar racing year for Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts. The team competed in the King of the Hammers and secured a class victory in another legendary desert race, the Mint 400.

Adler’s race to the podium was not without its mechanical setbacks. His tried, tested, and typically reliable Ultra4 Brian Kirby-built truck was sidelined for a total of four and a half hours for repairs throughout the race. However, the first section of the race was relatively trouble free.

Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts racing in the Baja 1000

That K&N decal shows Adler's truck is fitted with best in performance and protection

"We were running hard for the first 200 miles or so with our only major challenge being a starter issue that held us up for about a half hour at our scheduled stop in San Felipe and then we were off again," said Adler.

The brutal Baja terrain has a way of derailing race plans and mangling the best designed machines. Adler’s number 10 truck was no exception, as it suffered the ravages of the Baja Peninsula in the next section.

"As the sun was setting and the dust hanging in the air, attrition was starting to take its toll on the entire field,” Adler said. “By the time we got to our fourth scheduled pit stop, we were in pretty rough shape. We had lost a control arm, the transfer case was shot and we broke a CV. That's when the team really came together and they were determined to get us up and running - whatever it took!"

Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts in the pits of the Baja 1000

Adler is quick to sing the praises of the crew that kept the Team 4 Wheel Parts truck rolling

With the truck back in the race thanks to the tireless and skilled work of the Team 4 Wheel Parts mechanics, the racing team of Adler and his fellow drivers, Brian Kirby and Jason Scherer were back in the hunt.

"Kirby built the car and knows it inside and out," said Adler. "With his co-driver, Dylan Cochran, navigating for him from the right seat and then handing the car off to King of the Hammers champion, Jason Scherer and his co-driver Adam McGough, we knew we were in good hands all the way to the finish line."

When the Team 4 Wheel Parts truck crossed the finish line, the team had logged 1,134.4 miles over 31 hours of brutal racing. Just finishing the Baja 1000 is a notable feat. Stepping onto the podium is a monumental accomplishment and a defining moment in any racer's career.

Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts before the Baja 1000

Adler on the Baja 1000 big screen before the race

"It was an incredible feeling to be standing at the finish in La Paz with my family including my brother, Kevin, who managed the logistics and planning throughout this monumental effort, along with the team who had worked tirelessly to get us there," said Adler.

Adler could not help but reflect on a year that he will surely remember a highlight of his career.

"Earlier in the year, we completed the King of the Hammers, took the class win at the Mint 400 and now have collected a podium spot in the 50th running of the Baja 1000," Adler said. "It doesn't get much better than that!"

K&N congratulates Greg Adler and Team 4 Wheel Parts on a well-earned podium in the Baja 1000. We look forward to continuing to provide the team with the best in filter technology in 2018.

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