mobile-menu-icon
GM Authority

Chevy Colorado ZR2 Race Truck Bends Frame, Still Wins Class At Mint 400

Off-road racing can be utterly brutal, testing vehicle and driver to the absolute limit. The Mint 400 is certainly no exception, as evidenced by the dramatically bent frame on this Chevy Colorado ZR2 competition truck. However, despite the damage, this Colorado ZR2 still managed to finish first in class.

For those readers who may be unaware, the Mint 400 is an annual desert off-road race that takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. First held in 1968, the Mint 400 was canceled following the 1989 event, but resumed in 2008.

The No. 7330 Chevy Colorado ZR2 race truck.

The Mint 400 plays host to a broad variety of classes and vehicle types, including motorcycles, buggies, cars, and of course, trucks. This year, GM was once again on the scene competing with the Chevy Colorado ZR2 in the Stock Production Truck Mini / Mid class, with Chad Hall behind the wheel of the No. 7330 truck as driver, and Waqas Shafi serving as co-driver. The Chevy team recorded an elapsed time of 6:39:19.509, running an average 2.6 mph faster for the first lap compared to 2022 (32.1 mph for 2023 versus 29.5 mph for 2022).

The Stock Production Truck Mini / Mid class also included the No. 7309 Jeep Gladiator driven by Jim Horne, which grabbed second place with a total elapsed time of 6:46:13.284. Meanwhile, the No. 7319 Toyota Tacoma, driven by Rob Tygart, failed to finish.

Overall, it’s an impressive result for the Chevy Colorado ZR2, especially considering the damage sustained. As published on social media by Instagram user @the_xcalibur (original photo credit given to @jrb.media), the No. 7330 Chevy Colorado ZR2 suffered a bent frame that left the truck at an awkward angle, and by the look of it, smashed out one of the rear windows as well.

“Despite having some rear-end damage on the pre-production frame, the Colorado ZR2 also finished and took first place in its class,” said Director, Chevrolet Communications, Shad Balch. “The Mint 400 is notoriously one of the most grueling off-road races in the world. Chevy competes in racing to help develop, test and prove durability of its products in conditions far beyond what most customers would experience.”

Subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Colorado news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

[nggallery id=1169]

Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

Subscribe to GM Authority

For around-the-clock GM news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest GM news. It's totally free.

Comments

  1. Built with that junk china steel look at every truck from 1999 to 2006 from 2006 to I know 15 rusting frames breaking any US car companies buying steel from over seas should have to advertise it and the cost the age of the children working in the plant! And if it’s US steel they should have to buy back every vehicle that was made with bad steel

    Reply
    1. The 20 downvoters to your comment have not paid any attention to the two Colorado truck forums. If they did, they will know that breaking Colorado frames in the first and second generation truck has occured…….with GM not stepping up to assist the owners. The breakage goes back to either rusted frame sections in the area where the bed meets the cab or exuberant 4 wheeling off-road, including jumps…….you know, the exact kind of jumps we see in every GM Silverado commercial currently playing on the tv.

      Reply
  2. Hello i own the 1967 Toyota FJ45 land cruiser 7319. Its not a Tacoma is a Land Cruiser LOL

    Reply
  3. Oh no, no matter what gm spokesthey/thems say, this does not look good. I know I cannot unsee it, and it is irrational to believe it will happen in everyday use, or even occasional recreational offroading, but it is OUT THERE now, photographic evidence the new Colorado may be less “like a rock” and more like a poseur.

    Reply
  4. Looks like most 10 year old Ford trucks. Toyotas would have broke in half because of rot. Probably hard to bend like this on normal roads.

    Reply
    1. A lot of the 1990s F-150s and F-250s looked like that without catching any air.

      Frustrating because the 1994-1996 models F-150 were my favorite Ford trucks ever.

      Reply
      1. My brother bought an early 90s Ford pickup, new. Over the first 12,000 or so miles, he noticed the doors were getting a bit hard to close, and that it wasn’t quite tracking right.

        One day, he stood way back and looked at it, and there indeed was the beginning of a “fold” here the cab and box met. The truck had only borne the load of a camper shell and some baggage. Nothing at all heavy.

        Reply
  5. Some are disappointed in Chevy on this, but I say there’s no need to get bent out of shape.

    Reply
  6. The Toyota you referred to is not a Tacoma but a 56 year old Land Cruiser truck. The fact that the driver had the courage to put it on the starting line is testament to its longevity. The reason it DNF’d is that the original transfer case cracked, after decades of use as a work truck and desert explorer. I’m fairly confident it will be back next year.

    Reply
    1. There is NO PROOF that it still actually has the original engine or transmission, or whether the frame was welded back before the race…..

      Reply
  7. This was a preproduction frame, im sure the engineers will be reinforcing it further.

    Reply
    1. Bingo. This race was used specifically for R&D purposes to help find any issues which are the direct result of extreme situations. The drivers can pinpoint exactly the situation that caused this and GM can correct as necessary.

      Might be the reason why the ZR2 and AT4x have production delayed until later in the year. They still have time to correct issues identified from this race.

      Reply
  8. Bent, but NOT broken… That’s BOWTIE tough, ‘right there folks !
    Congrats to team 7330 on the win.

    Reply
  9. Lets not forget all the 1st generation raptors that bent frames.
    Any frame can bend, even a trophy truck.
    Just ask Dale Dondel, 2nd trophy truck off the line at this year’s Mint 400. He didn’t even make it 1/2 mile into the race before bending the frame and retiring.
    Also to note, only 2 of the 3 vehicles in the Stock mini class finished.

    Reply
    1. So this thing jumps and weak point isn’t the suspension but the frame?

      That’s kind of nuts. This truck must have a pretty legit suspension. Much like the first gen Raptor that also bent frames after hard landings.

      Reply
      1. It depends what you hit. If you nose dive off a jump and stuff the front end, your going to tweak the frame.
        If you bottom out too hard, you can also tweak the frame, but your more likely to break suspension components or bump stops. Based on the damage on the Colorado, it looks like they might have hit a bump stop that was poorly positioned on a frame that wasn’t reinforced (similar to the gen 1 raptors.) It’s all about pre-running and knowing the limits of the track and vehicle.

        Reply
    2. Here is the issue. They build the frames to bend in an accident. If you notice the cutout sections in every frame, that is a spot that is supposed to bend to help protect the occupants in the cab.
      But
      How do you advertise a tow rating of 7700 lbs if the frame can’t reliably handle it.
      When I drop my 4300 lbs travel trailer on the ball of my Colorado it puts over 700 lbs on the ball. And that’s before I load the trailer. Now consider the massive amount of leverage the hitch has on the frame compared to any junk in the bed. Remember the hitch is sticking out past the bumper. If you hit a pothole or like I did, raised concrete on a bridge, that’s a massive hit of G force on the frame. And that’s a frame designed to fold up in an accident.

      No I am not defending GM
      What I am saying is they are not taking the effects of where the weight is when they claim towing or loading the bed. They are not taking into account hitting the bump stops with a load on the truck.

      Also the 2nd gen twins have very soft rear suspension. Making a severe hit to the bump stops happen on even small bumps. And that’s going to happen on everyday driving with even a moderate load in the back.

      It looks to me like they still don’t understand how to make a frame strong and safe …..

      In a frontal crash Subaru designed there engine to drop and go under the car to protect the occupants.

      So how do you design a frame to protect the occupant’s but get away with claiming high tow ratings.
      Then not stand behind the truck when a frame bends ?????
      Something has to change…

      Reply
  10. Looks like the frame fractured like a Ford Model A Pickup!
    As least the Model A’s didn’t look like a mutated industrial experiment or other bizarre styling exercise.
    This truck’s Not on my buy list.
    And I’ve owned Chevy/GMC Pickups since the 1970’s!

    Reply
    1. But, it only has “some rear end damage”. LOL

      Reply
  11. Chevy races what it sells. Hall racing has been doing research and development for Chevrolet for several years, racing in the US desert, and in Baja. He probably hit a G out with it to do that kind of damage. Plus, there’s a lot of weight in the back of those trucks. The first GEN raptor had the same problem. The border patrol began using them and reinforced the frame at the weak spot with a simple device that went through the frame side to side. They were eventually forced to park the Raptors because of $hitty fuel mileage. Congratulations to Hall Racing and Chevrolet for finishing the mint with basically a stock pre-production vehicle.

    Reply
  12. Congrats!!

    Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel