The Most Off-Road Capable Honda SUV Ever Took on the Grueling Mint 400
March 10, 2025 — LAS VEGAS, NV
- Baja Passport Race Truck ran as high as 2nd overall before a mechanical issue stopped the trophy truck
- 2026 Passport TrailSport completed multiple laps of the grueling 73-mile course with minimal modifications in a stock production class
- Both Passports debut with overwhelming support from the off-road community
The Baja Passport started its 2025 off-road campaign by making a statement with an eighth-place qualifying effort in class and 10th overall in the highly competitive unlimited class. That meant it would start up front and put its 3.5L V6 SUV against the fastest V8 trucks. It also meant it had the benefit of not having to be held up in dust by slower trucks.
At the drop of the green flag, 18-year-old driver Ethan Ebert got off to a good start. Starting in rows of two, Ebert got the hole shot in the infield and headed out to battle the grueling course. The course was exceptionally rough this year due to the lack of rain to smooth out sections. Competitors throughout the weekend commented that this Mint 400 had some of the worst conditions they had ever seen, and each lap deteriorated the terrain even more. The Mint 400 is known for sharp jagged rocks, big whoop sections and gnarly blinding dust. The unlimited class featured 4 laps of a 95-mile-long course of this oldest and most prestigious off-road race in America.
Ethan Ebert and navigator Gatlan Haddon made quick work on lap one by passing their way up to 5th place overall. At their first pitstop the Baja Passport took 60 gallons of fuel and two fresh rear 40 inch tires in 56 seconds and set off on lap two. The duo kept their pace and by the end of the lap the Team Honda turbo-powered V6 Honda Passport had worked themselves up to P2 overall against the fastest in the sport.
Unfortunately, shortly after they set out on lap 3 a mechanical issue put an end to Ebert’s charge to the front. Despite that, spirits are high this week with the launch of the new Baja Passport, solid qualifying run with a V6 trophy truck running up front with the best in the sport at the most prestigious off-road race in America.
In the Stock Production class, the Honda of America Racing Team (HART) tested the rugged capabilities of the 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport through the Las Vegas desert on 3 laps of a 73-mile course. Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) used this grueling race as a testbed to monitor the performance of the Passport’s suspension in the highly demanding terrain, and advance development of HRC Performance Parts.
The Passport TrailSport started off the line in an incredibly competitive field against other OEM entries piloted by Andrew Shapiro with Craig Ackerman as navigator. An early mechanical issue required the car to be towed back to the pits for service and requiring the team to restart the whole lap. This put them far behind, however a mechanical delay wasn’t going to stop the team from demonstrating a great challenging spirit, a core tenant of Honda, to keep the car in the race despite the setback. After repairs they were able to tackle and finish lap one and complete a driver swap for lap two.
Driver Jordan Guitar and navigator Thomas Accardo took over and raced well into the night. As the race went on the course continued to degrade but they were able to keep the car moving along despite the challenge of racing in darkness. After completing lap two, but due to their earlier mechanical delay, they didn’t have enough time to complete the final lap. Their resilience helped them finish 28th out of 62 competitors in the Limited Race.
Throughout the weekend both Honda Passport debuts were received with overwhelming support from the community as fans were attracted to these unique entries. The 65,000+ fans especially seemed to appreciate the SUV bodied Baja race truck with its unique V6 sound for being something totally different than the other competitors.
Quotes
Jeff Proctor (#9 Team Honda Baja Passport – Team Principal) Finished 7th in class (42nd overall out of 65 in Unlimited): “The team was gutted to suffer a mechanical given our running position. But we will learn from this and come back stronger for the Baja 500 in June. We may not have won, but we proved we have the pace to run up front and put this Baja Passport on the podium. We are hungry for result in Baja!”
Andrew Shapiro (#7342 HART 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport Stock Production class – Driver) Finished 4th in class (28th overall out of 62 in Limited) “The Mint 400 is known as the toughest off-road race in the United States and was a great challenge to test the capability of the new Passport TrailSport. Proud to be a part of this team that took on the ‘Great American Off-Road Race’.”
Mint 400 Results
- 7th Unlimited Truck 2WD – #9 Team Honda Baja Passport – Ethan Ebert, Gatlan Haddon
- 4th Limited Stock Production – #7342 HART Honda Passport TrailSport – Andrew Shapiro, Craig Ackerman, Jordan Guitar, and Thomas Accardo
Next
The Honda Off-Road Racing Team will continue the 2025 season June 4-8 with the 57th running of the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 500.
Honda Passport TrailSport to Make Racing Debut
- Baja Passport Race Truck competing in top unlimited class
- 2026 Passport TrailSport is the most off-road capable Honda SUV ever; a production SUV will also compete with minimal modifications in a stock production class
- Mint 400 is America’s oldest and most prestigious off-road race
The all-new 2026 Honda Passport TrailSport will make its racing debut this weekend in the iconic Mint 400, the oldest and most prestigious off-road race in America. The most off-road capable Honda SUV ever will take on the grueling 400-mile off-road challenge through the unforgiving desert conditions near the Nevada-California border on March 7-8, competing in both the Stock Production Truck and Unlimited Truck 2WD classes.
Honda Baja Passport Race Truck – Unlimited Truck 2WD Class
Powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 engine produced by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), the Honda Baja Passport Race Truck features a new body with inspiration taken from the all-new 2026 Honda Passport. Key design cues drawn from the 2026 Honda Passport can be seen in the front fascia, hood, roof and side profile.
Making approximately 550 horsepower, HRC’s HR35TT 3.5-liter twin turbo engine uses the same block and cylinder heads as the production Honda 3.5-liter i-VTEC® V6. Additional, custom elements of the powertrain include an HRC-designed intake plenum and custom Engine Control Unit programming. The Honda Baja Passport Race Truck also features 24-inches of suspension travel in the front, 30-inches of travel in the rear and 40-inch tall tires.
The Honda Baja Passport Race Truck will compete in the top unlimited class, driven by professional HRC driver Ethan Ebert, who raced the Honda Ridgeline Race Truck during the 2024 off-road season.
The Honda Off-Road Racing program began in 2015 and has gone on to record 17 class victories in 40 races including a class win in the 2019 and 2023 Mint 400 and multiple victories in the Baja 500 and Baja 1000. The Honda Off-Road Racing Team and Baja Passport Race Truck will also compete in the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 later this year.
Stock Production Truck Class
The Passport TrailSport’s new rugged design and capability make it suitable for a Stock Production Truck entry, where minimal modifications are allowed. Chosen modifications for the stock production entry are 33-inch General Grabber X3 Tires, 3-Way adjustable coilovers, and improved powertrain cooling and air filtration. The Passport will be driven by Ohio-based Honda engineers, Andrew Shapiro, Jordan Guitar, Craig Ackerman and Thomas Accardo who race with the Honda of America Racing Team (HART) – a unique volunteer program run entirely by Honda associates throughout the United States.
To survive the harsh terrain the desert presents, HART members designed high strength skid plates, rock sliders and other underbody protection parts, which were manufactured with support from the Honda Auto Development Center fabrication department in Ohio. For safety, a roll cage, fuel cell, and racing seats have also been installed. The Passport’s production 3.5-liter V6 engine, 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and intelligent Variable Torque Management (i-VTM4™) all-wheel drive system are unmodified for competition.
First run in 1968, the Mint 400 lays claim as the oldest off-road race in the United States and holds the reputation as one of the toughest courses in the sport. The 2025 edition of the event consists of four laps of an approximately 100-mile loop of desert terrain south of Las Vegas near the Nevada-California border.
The extreme conditions of the event will be monitored by HRC engineers to understand the performance of the Passport’s suspension in the highly demanding terrain, and advance development of HRC Performance Parts, a new HRC business announced at SEMA 2024.
2026 Honda Passport TrailSport
The new Passport TrailSport is the most off-road capable Honda SUV ever, with standard rugged features, including off-road tuned suspension, expanded all-wheel drive system capabilities, robust steel skid plates, bright orange heavy-duty recovery hooks, specially engineered all-terrain tires and more to get weekend adventurers even farther down the trail or up the mountain.
Based on the extremely rigid Honda light truck platform, the 2026 Passport is sportier and more engaging to drive, both on and off-road. The platform was engineered from the very beginning with the intention of giving TrailSport true off-road capabilities, thanks to a 72% increase in front lateral rigidity and a 50% increase in rear torsion rigidity.
The all-new suspension of Passport is fortified with stronger forged steel suspension arms and sturdy cast-iron knuckles. Thick steel skid plates protect the oil pan, transmission and gas tank from damage. Designed in collaboration with Honda Powersports engineers, the skid plates can support the entire weight of the vehicle crashing down on a rock.
To take the rugged capability and appearance of Passport even further, Honda engineers created the broadest line of Genuine Honda Accessories ever, including a variety of 18-inch wheels, an aluminum front scuff plate, robust rock sliders with stainless-steel plates, and a Full-Size Spare Kit.
About the Honda of America Racing Team (HART)
Founded more than 30 years ago, the Honda of America Racing Team (HART) is among the longest-running associate-driven activities in Honda’s rich history. HART competes in a wide variety of motorsport competitions ranging from road racing, club-level events, rally, off-road racing, karting and more. HART provides invaluable experience to associates through motorsport, while transferring vehicle performance learnings into the development and manufacturing of next-generation Honda and Acura products.