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Honda Passport Demonstrates Off-Road Performance At The Challenging Mint 400 Race
The Baja Passport Race Truck showed impressive performance, reaching as high as second place overall before a mechanical issue halted its progress. Meanwhile, the 2026 Passport TrailSport completed several laps of the challenging 73-mile course with minimal modifications in the stock production class. Both vehicles received strong support from the off-road community during their debut.
In the highly competitive unlimited class, the Baja Passport began its 2025 off-road campaign with an eighth-place qualifying effort in its class and tenth overall. This allowed it to start at the front, competing against faster V8 trucks with its 3.5L V6 engine. The advantage of starting ahead meant avoiding dust from slower vehicles.
The Mint 400 is notorious for its harsh conditions, featuring sharp rocks and blinding dust. This year, the course was particularly rough due to a lack of rain. Competitors noted that this year's race had some of the worst conditions they had ever encountered, with each lap further degrading the terrain.
Ethan Ebert, an 18-year-old driver, got off to a strong start in rows of two. He secured the hole shot in the infield and headed out to tackle the demanding course. With navigator Gatlan Haddon, they quickly moved up to fifth place overall by completing lap one efficiently.
During their first pitstop, the Baja Passport took on 60 gallons of fuel and two fresh rear tires in just 56 seconds before setting off on lap two. By maintaining their pace, they reached second place overall by lap's end. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue shortly after starting lap three ended Ebert's charge to the front.
Despite this setback, spirits remained high with the launch of the new Baja Passport. The team was encouraged by their solid qualifying run and performance against top competitors at America's most prestigious off-road race.
Stock Production Class Challenges
In the stock production class, Honda of America Racing Team (HART) tested the rugged capabilities of the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport through three laps of a 73-mile course in Las Vegas desert terrain. Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) used this race as a testbed for monitoring suspension performance and developing HRC Performance Parts.
The Passport TrailSport started strongly against other OEM entries with Andrew Shapiro driving and Craig Ackerman navigating. However, an early mechanical issue required towing back to pits for service and restarting a whole lap, putting them far behind.
Overcoming Adversity
Despite these challenges, Honda demonstrated resilience—a core value—by keeping their car in contention despite setbacks. After repairs were made following lap one completion, driver Jordan Guitar took over alongside navigator Thomas Accardo for lap two racing well into nightfall despite deteriorating conditions.
Their earlier delay prevented them from completing all laps but finishing strong helped secure position: fourth within class (28th overall out of 62). Throughout weekend both debuts received overwhelming support from fans drawn towards unique entries like SUV-bodied Baja truck boasting distinct V6 sound unlike others present.
Quotes from Team Members
"The team was gutted to suffer a mechanical given our running position," said Jeff Proctor (#9 Team Honda Baja Passport – Team Principal), who finished seventh in class (42nd overall out of 65). "But we will learn from this and come back stronger for Baja 500 in June."
"The Mint 400 is known as toughest off-road race United States," stated Andrew Shapiro (#7342 HART 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Stock Production class – Driver), finishing fourth within class (28th overall out of 62). "Proud part team took on ‘Great American Off-Road Race'."
Looking Ahead
The Honda Off-Road Racing Team will continue their season from June 4-8 during BFGoodrich SCORE Baja500’s57th running event where they aim build upon experiences gained thus far while striving achieve better results future races ahead!
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