30 years of the “iron man”
IVAN STEWART SHARES THE DIRT ON A LEGENDARY PARTNERSHIP
The fact that Ivan Stewart has been sponsored by Toyota and TRD for 30 years is quite an amazing accomplishment – but it pales in comparison to his prowess on the race course. Ivan earned the nickname “Ironman” from winning the Baja 1000 by driving the entire race all by himself – that’s 20+ hours behind the wheel driving in sand, rocks, fog – you name it (by comparison, other teams would have two or three drivers split up the driving duties).
We had the rare opportunity to sit down and talk with Ivan Stewart to give you a little insight into how he got started, what “drove” him all those years, and to share some of his favorite racing stories.
CHECK OUT IVAN’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Ivan joined the Toyota team in 1983, racing for Cal Wells at Precision Preparation Inc. – this is one of the longest sponsorships in motorsports.
- Ivan has notched 82 victories total!
- In Mickey Thompson’s Stadium Truck series, Ivan won a record 17 races total and three Driver’s Championships!
- Ivan won the Baja 1000 three times.
- He won the Baja 500 a record 17 times.
- He won the Mint 400 four times.
- He won the Parker 400 four times.
- In 1993, Stewart helped Toyota sweep the “Crown Jewels” of desert racing – the Nevada 500, the Baja 500 and the Baja 1000.
- Ivan captured four SCORE World Championship titles.
- The Ivan Stewart “Super Off-Road” video arcade game was the #1 game in the U.S. in 1989.
- 2013 marked the 46th running of the Baja 1000 – and until this year, Ivan was the only person to claim the overall victory in the Baja 1000 while racing solo – that included trucks and motorcycles. This year, Ivan was the Grand Marshall of the race, which saw B.J. Baldwin match Ivan’s feat of winning the race while driving solo.
- Ivan is also one of the few racers to have a truck named after him – the Ivan Stewart Ironman edition featured a special Ivan Stewart signature package with TRD wheels, grille, interior and supercharger.
TRD Pro SHOCKS: NOT YOUR ORDINARY shocks
IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE
All shock absorbers look alike on the outside. Inside, TRD Bilstein Shocks are quite different from aftermarket Bilstein shocks. The 2015 Tundra TRD Pro Series, for example, has 60-millimeter shocks with 18-millimeter shafts. This design allows for an additional 2 inches of front wheel travel. At the rear, the 60-millimeter shock absorbers include a remote reservoir for improved heat dissipation and provide an additional 1.25 inches of wheel travel.
TRD Shock Absorbers are designed specifically for our vehicles and are manufactured to Toyota’s stringent specifications. Once installed, they change the extended and compressed length, which results in superior wheel travel while doing a better job of keeping the tires in contact with the ground for excellent traction. So when you’re in the market for new shocks, check out what TRD has to offer.
