The all-new Honda Ridgeline has taken a decidedly different path in its quest to conquer pickup truck buyers, opting to appeal to “lifestyle” truck buyers, as opposed to those that would use it simply for its utility. But that’s not to say that the new Ridgeline isn’t a tough truck, and Honda set out to prove that by entering the new pickup into the Baja 500, where it continued its trend of winning rugged off-road races.

Drivers Jeff Proctor and Jason LaFortune took the Class 2 victory home in the 48th running of the SCORE Baja 500, following up last fall’s victory at the Baja 1000.

Their Honda Ridgeline race truck was built jointly by Honda Performance Development and the Proctor Racing Group. The tube-frame Unlimited Class 2 Ridgeline Baja Race Truck debuted at the Baja 1000 last November, and it seems safe to say that Honda is out to prove something to the rest of the truck world.

Of course, the Ridgeline Baja Race Truck is a far cry from the production version that arrives at dealerships soon, boasting a twin-turbo version of the 3.5-liter V6 that will power the street-legal Ridgeline. Producing 550 horsepower, Honda boasts that the race engine uses the same cylinder heads, crankshaft, and block as the production model. In addition to the turbos, Honda Performance also added a custom intake plenum and ECU to juice the engine for all its worth.

Of 236 would-be Baja racers. only 137 managed to finish the 477-mile contest across rough roads and through ambient temperatures of over 120 degrees. Running without issue during the whole course of the race, the Ridgeline Baja Racer managed to cross the finish line in 14 hours, 19 minutes and 19 seconds, taking home the Class 2 victory once again.