The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is still a few months away
from showrooms, but that hasn’t stopped the company from taking the truck
off-road racing. Thanks to a partnership with Savvy Off-Road, the 2020 Gladiator will compete
in the Every Man Challenge at the King of the Hammers off-road race. The truck
will be entered into the Spidertrax 4600 Stock Class and be driven by Robby
Gordon and Erik Miller.
The duo will share driving duties as Gordon will
handle high-speed portions of the course, while Miller will be tasked with
driving the Gladiator Rubicon on “tight rock sections.” The race kicks off
tomorrow morning and the team has already shown plenty of promise as Miller set
the fastest class time on the qualifying course yesterday.
Jeep
noted all vehicles competing in the Spidertrax 4600 Stock Class are required to
use a stock frame and body as well as a factory engine. This likely means the
truck will have a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that produces 285 hp and 352 Nm of torque.
Despite using a number of stock components, Jeep
confirmed the Gladiator has been equipped with Dynatrac 60 axles and a custom
suspension featuring Fox remote reservoir shocks. The truck also has a winch, a
safety cage and beadlock wheels that are wrapped in 35-inch Falken Wildpeak M/T
tires.
Interior changes are limited, but Savvy Off-Road
installed Sparco front racing seats and removed the rear seats
altogether. Tomorrow’s race spans 199.5 km and takes place in the
California desert. As Jeep’s North American boss, Tim Kuniskis, noted “Even
though we haven’t built the first customer unit yet, why not bring it out and
put it to the test at this ultimate proving ground – the toughest one-day
off-road race in the world?”
