OPTIMA Batteries’ racers rally with plant employees just before the start of the grueling Baja 1000 racing event.
OPTIMA Batteries, a leading brand of Clarios, is ramping up for the legendary Baja 1000 off-road race with a two-part celebration that started at its Clarios manufacturing plant in Yuma, Arizona, and continued at the Ford Raptor Rally in Lake Havasu City.
The events brought together factory employees, professional racers, and off-road enthusiasts as the teams prepare for one of the most challenging endurance races in the world.
The Yuma facility is one of several Clarios plants that collectively produce more than 150 million batteries each year.
The plant’s workforce contributes to the manufacturing and testing of batteries found in one out of every three vehicles on the road today—including OPTIMA’s high-performance models used by racing professionals.
Employees were treated to an up-close look at Christopher Polvoorde’s Ford Raptor T1+ Trophy Truck and the opportunity to meet the driver before he heads to Baja.
Polvoorde, who competes in the Trophy Truck class, represents OPTIMA Batteries and Ford Racing in some of the toughest off-road events in North America.
Clarios’ sustainability initiatives were also highlighted during the event. The company recycles roughly 8,000 batteries every hour, ensuring valuable materials are reused to create new energy storage products.
EVENT FAST FACTS
- OPTIMA Batteries and Clarios hosted Baja 1000 Trophy Truck class contender Christopher Polvoorde at its Yuma, AZ plant, where he showcased the Ford Raptor T1+ race truck for plant personnel.
- Clarios manfactures 1/3 of the car batteries on the road today, including OPTIMA Batteries and more.
- Clarios manufactures 150 million batteries a year.
- Clarios recycles 8000 batteries every hour, every day.
- OPTIMA Batteries is an official partner of Ford Racing.
- After a day at the plant, Christopher Polvoorde led the OPTIMA Batteries team to Lake Havasu City, AZ for the Ford Performance Raptor Rally.
- The rally hosted nearly 500 Ford Raptor owners for a day of off-road trails, hot laps, and jumps.
- Additional Ford and OPTIMA Batteries athletes were in attendance, including Polvoorde, Loren Healy, Vaughn Gittin Jr, and Bailey Campbell.
Following the plant gathering, Clarios employees who own Ford Raptors joined Polvoorde and his team for a scenic drive through the Arizona desert to Lake Havasu City.
The road trip culminated at the Ford Performance Raptor Rally, an annual event that draws hundreds of Ford Raptor owners from across the region.
Nearly 500 participants took part in off-road trail runs, high-speed hot laps, and jump demonstrations throughout the day.
OPTIMA Batteries and Ford-supported athletes including Polvoorde, Loren Healy, Vaughn Gittin Jr., and Bailey Campbell joined the celebration to meet fans and showcase their vehicles.
With the Baja 1000 now just days away, OPTIMA Batteries and the Clarios team are turning their attention to the race itself. Several of the brand’s sponsored drivers will compete in the 1,000-mile desert challenge, continuing OPTIMA’s legacy of powering performance both on and off the road.
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