Who is This Ironman Ivan Stewart?

Off-road race fanatics don't think of comic creator Stan Lee or actor Robert Downey, Jr when they hear the word "Ironman." The real Ironman in the racing world is Ivan Stewart, who has earned the title for himself.

Stewart caught off-road racing's attention in 1973 at the Ensenada 300 when his co-driver broke his leg before the race. Stewart recruited mechanic Earl Stah to drive shotgun in the Class 2 buggy, and powered through all 300 miles of the gruelling terrain to claim first place.

After almost 30 wins in 10 years, Stewart has joined the Toyota factory-sponsored team. In those 10 years, he moved up from Class 2 and won the Baja 100. Twice, he was the SCORE Driver of the Year, and the winner of the Baja 500.

Stewart's winning streak continued with Toyota-powered, Precision Preparation Inc. Motorsports-built race trucks. He won six class victories, including two SCORE World Championships! Off-road racing become more accessible and popular during the '80s, when the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG) moved off-road from the desert into the stadium, which meant new venues for Stewart/Toyota victories. Stewart is the all-time MTEG win record with 17 victories under his belt.

Stewart's seventh year with Toyota was a lucky one. 1990 was the year Stewart won award after award, including: SCORE and High Desert Racing Association (HDRA) Driver of the Year; Overall Driver's Champion; Unlimited Class Driver's Champion and Grand National Sport Truck Driver's Champion. In addition, he earned a total 11 wins along the way. In 1993, he repeated his SCORE Overall and Unlimited Class championships, and led Toyota to its first Baja 1000 victory. That season marked the first year that one manufacturer won all three of the Crown Jewels of desert racing - the Baja 500, Baja 1000, and Nevada 400 - and Stewart was a driving force in that winning team.

Moving up to the Trophy-Truck Class in 1994, Stewart took home the gold in the San Felipe 250, another Baja 500 and the Fireworks 250. The following year he was named Trophy-Truck Class Driver's Champion and added the Laughlin Challenge and Parker 400 to his list of victories. In the last three years of his racing career, he chalked up three more Baja 500 wins for a career total of 17 and one more Baja 1000 (his third). After 26 years in the dirt, the Ironman's victories totalled 84, with 10 driver's championships thrown in for good measure.

Stewart has retired from racing, but he still maintains a high profile in the sport in two ways. The first is as founder of the Protruck Racing Organization, which is a special class of spec trucks that participate in off-road events such as the "Best in the Desert" Vegas to Reno run, the Baja 500, and the Pikes Peak hill climb. It's a genuine driver's challenge, with all the Protrucks using the same components, and an engine size cap of 360 cubic inches. Secondly, Stewart has collaborated with Midway Home Entertainment to create a Super Off-Road arcade game based on the SCORE desert series, run on Nintendo and Sega consoles. Three cheers to Ivan Stewart, Toyota Tundra's greatest driver ever!

Article by: JasonLancaster | Total views: 35 | Word Count: 524

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The author Jason Lancaster operates TundraHeadquarters.com, a website with information, news, and reviews of Toyota Tundra parts and Tundra accessories.