Colorado ZR2 raises the bar for stock vehicles in Vegas to Reno race
RENO — The Colorado ZR2 was the only stock truck to both compete in and finish Best in the Desert’s General Tire “Vegas to Reno” race presented by FOX. Recognized by the Best in the Desert organization as 1st in Class 7300, the truck, piloted by Chad Hall and Frank DeAngelo of Hall Racing, crossed the finish line in Carson City, Nevada around 7:00 a.m. PT on Saturday, August 19, taking 18 hours, 50 minutes and 16 seconds to complete the course with an average speed of 28.6 miles per hour.
Despite cutting a few tires along the course and the expected rock damage, the ZR2 held up well under the punishing conditions of this 539-mile race. Only 204 of the 336 vehicles entered in the race completed the challenging course.
“This truck is a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be,” said Chad Hall. “I clobbered some things on the course that would’ve broken the many of the vehicles we competed with in the past.”
ZR2 had onboard co-riders and navigators Austin Hall of Reno, Nevada and Chris Woo of Truckee, California.
The pit crew included Chevy performance and chassis engineers, Chevy Racing project manager, General Motors’ technicians and Hall Racing team members.
The truck was modified prior to the race with racing body-mandated safety items such as a roll cage, a 44-gallon racing fuel tank and racing seats with safety harnesses. KC HiLites racing lights, two-way radios and a GPS system were also added.
In addition to these features, the truck was equipped the Chevrolet Performance Exhaust system currently available for all Colorado models and performance parts currently under development by Chevrolet Performance engineering. More information on these parts will be announced in the near future.
“First and foremost, this was a development trip for our engineering team,” said Mark Dickens, Executive Director of Global Accessories, Performance Variants, Parts & Motorsports, General Motors, who was part of the chase and support team following the race from start to finish at all fourteen pit stops.
“ZR2’s performance went beyond our most optimistic expectations, completing ‘Vegas to Reno’ in its first outing. We learned a lot of things about the truck and could not be happier with the result, as well as the efforts of the Hall Racing team.”
“The fact that the Colorado ZR2 was the only stock midsize truck to compete in ‘Vegas to Reno’ reinforces our claim to be in a segment of one with this vehicle. Our success in this race is a testament to all that we’ve accomplished since the relaunch of our midsize truck program three years ago,” said Dickens. “We cannot wait to pass along the benefits of what we’ve learned here under extreme use and at future races to our customers.”
The Hall Racing Colorado ZR2 will challenge the next in the Best in the Desert VT Construction “Tonopah 250” race presented by Polaris on October 19-22.
The 2018 Colorado ZR2 is effectively a segment of one, combining the nimbleness and maneuverability of a midsize pickup with a host of new off-road features and the most off-road technology of any vehicle in its segment.
Compared to a standard Colorado, the ZR2 features front and rear tracks that have been widened by 3.5 inches and a suspension lifted by two inches. Functional rockers have been added for better performance over rocks and obstacles, and the front and rear bumpers have been modified for better off-road clearance.
Class-exclusive features include standard front and rear electronic locking differentials, available diesel engine and the first off-road application of Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve (DSSVTM) damper technology.
As with all Chevrolet trucks, the Colorado ZR2 is built with durability in mind, including a fully boxed frame, roll-formed high-strength steel bed and Duralife brake rotors.
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