Trophy Trucks have run naturally aspirated 9-liter V8s for years because brute displacement is reliable and the rules allow it. Honda Racing Corporation is betting today that a 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 mated to an 800-volt hybrid system can put more than 1,300 horsepower to the ground, outlast everything else across the Baja Peninsula, and win the 1000 outright.
HRC US unveiled the Honda Passport Baja Spec today in Santa Clarita, California. The truck, built with Mason Motorsports, is the first hybrid-powered entry to compete in the SCORE World Desert Championship’s top Trophy Truck class. It will make its public debut at SEMA on November 3 and its competition debut at the 2027 Baja 500 on June 2-6, with the Baja 1000 as the stated target. Two-time Baja 1000 winner Bryce Menzies will drive.
The Powertrain Case
The engine in the Passport Baja Spec is not a desert racing experiment. It is a variant of the 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 from the Acura ARX-06 GTP prototype, a unit that has already won the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. HRC US fitted it behind the cab in a mid-engine configuration, paired it with a bespoke 800-volt hybrid system, and claims combined output exceeds 1,300 hp, more than the naturally aspirated 9-liter V8s in current Trophy Truck competition.
Transmission duties fall to a Masomatic twin-angled drive 5-speed unit developed by Mason Motorsports, mounted ahead of the engine. The all-wheel-drive transaxle distributes torque through dual rear driveshafts to angled high-pinion spiral bevel gears at each wheel, replacing a conventional ring-and-pinion setup to increase ground clearance and allow camber and toe adjustments. Up front, a Mason Motorsports differential routes torque through portal gear sets at each hub, again prioritizing ground clearance and drivetrain geometry over conventional packaging.
The battery pack is an in-house HRC US product, using previous-generation Formula 1-style pouch cells in a lightweight carbon-fiber case, welded and assembled in a clean room at HRC’s Santa Clarita headquarters. The electronics architecture includes dual-axle brake-by-wire, adaptive traction control, and AI-managed power deployment. HRC US president Kelvin Fu describes the truck as a software-defined vehicle, with proprietary HRC software integrating powertrain, chassis, and energy management into a single platform that can be tuned to the driver, course, and conditions during the race itself.
Chassis and Aerodynamics
Underneath the Honda Passport body sits Mason Motorsports’ Gen 2 All-Wheel-Drive chassis, modified with an HRC-specific rear frame section to package the hybrid powertrain while managing mass distribution. Mason has earned five consecutive SCORE Original Truck Chassis Manufacturer of the Year awards. The chassis philosophy centers on balance: a 145-gallon carbon Kevlar safety fuel cell sits at the center of the cab so that handling stays predictable as the load burns down. Fixed-mass components, including fluid tanks and batteries, are mounted toward the rear to maintain that balance throughout a race that can run well over 20 hours.
Suspension uses long-travel geometry with dual FOX Racing shocks at each corner and Toyo tires. The carbon-fiber body was shaped using computational fluid dynamics rather than the intuition-driven bodywork typical of Trophy Truck builds. Deep side channels behind the front wheels manage airflow and reduce drag. High-mounted exhaust outlets behind the cockpit incorporate aerodynamic fins that direct exhaust flow. Cab-tunneling routes air to a rearward-mounted cooler to minimize frontal drag and keep mass low and centralized.
The Baja Record Behind the Truck
Honda is not a newcomer to the Baja 1000. The company has 22 overall motorcycle victories in the race, the most of any manufacturer, along with 17 class victories on four wheels since 2015, including four Baja 1000 wins and five Baja 500 triumphs. The 2027 race marks the event’s 60th anniversary, which gives HRC’s overall-victory target a specific weight it might not have in another year.
The 2027 Passport TrailSport arrived at dealers in September with reengineered suspension and 9.65 inches of ground clearance, and Honda sent a stock example to the 2026 Rebelle Rally to demonstrate its capability on factory hardware. The Baja Spec is the extreme expression of that same nameplate, separated from the production truck by nearly everything except the body shape and the intent to go fast in the desert.
HRC has also committed to expanding its retail footprint around the Passport. Performance parts including forged wheels and Borla exhausts for the production Passport go on sale in March 2027, the same window the Baja Spec begins its competition season. Whether Honda can win Baja outright with a hybrid before the 60th anniversary race is the question every Trophy Truck team in the desert will be watching. The 1,300-hp argument is a credible one. Now it has to survive the peninsula.
Source: Honda. Images courtesy of Honda.
