Jimco set to celebrate golden anniversary of off-road racing excellence

ABOVE: Fielded by Los Angeles Dodger co-owner Bobby Patton, the No.11 Jimco AWD Trophy-Truck will campaign the entire SCORE International season driven by Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame driver Rob MacCachren. Jason Zindroski photo 

In 1975, Jim Julson started to build off-road racing cars out of his home shop in El Cajon, Calif. It is almost certain that the former Navy civil engineer could never have imagined that the company bearing his name would remain a dynamic force in the sport five decades later.

With an unmatched pedigree as off-road racing’s premiere race car manufacturer, Jimco Racing Inc. has announced a year-long celebration marking 50 years of innovation and excellence. Proof of Jimco’s heritage of performance was validated by SCORE International naming the company as its “Chassis Manufacturer of the Year” a record 25 times.

Now owned and operated by the Navarro family, Jimco has unveiled a nearly year-long, multi-faceted 50th anniversary celebration of building the world’s most recognized line of open-wheel race cars, unlimited trucks, Dakar machines and luxury pre-runners. The campaign will incorporate elements exploring Jimco’s history while setting the stage for a future dedicated to newly designed, state-of-the-art vehicles.

A veteran off-road racing family, Rafael Navarro III and son Rafael Navarro IV represent the third generation of Jimco ownership (known as Jimco 3.0). Ernesto Araiza photo

Rafael Navarro III and son Rafael Navarro IV represent the third generation of Jimco ownership. The company was founded and expanded by Jim and Mike Julson from 1975 through 2018. Motorsports entrepreneur and off-road racer Robbie Pierce then took over Jimco until his untimely passing in early 2023.

“We are honored to be the stewards of Jimco’s legendary past and a powerful future,” explained Jimco CEO Rafael Navarro IV. “Fifty years of pushing off-road racing forward is a winning story that we want to celebrate and share while paying tribute to those responsible for making our history come to life.”

For decades powerful Class 1 unlimited race cars like this Jimco Toyota of Groff Motorsports made famous in the 2005 film “Dust to Glory” are perfect examples of the company’s unique story. Peter Brock photo

Jimco’s 50th anniversary year will officially kick off next weekend on the hallowed trails of Baja for the SCORE International season opener in San Felipe, Mexico. The SCORE San Felipe 250 entry list includes a potent list of Jimco-built machines in the unlimited Trophy-Truck 4WD, Trophy-Truck 2WD and unlimited Class 1 categories.

In addition, Jimco’s historic 50th anniversary will celebrate both its past and its future via a new campaign that includes:

Jimco 3.0 update branding

Jimco has updated its traditional logo and font style to refresh its brand for the new “Jimco 3.0” era. Featuring subtle but distinctive design elements found in its past two logos, the newly introduced Jimco and Jimco 50th Anniversary logos made their debut at the recent BFGoodrich Mint 400 race — both on the new Jimco race car and on a just released line of merchandise.

Cutting edge new race cars

Jimco’s legacy is founded on innovation and performance. In preparation for its next chapter the company is committed to a revamped line of new and updated race cars designed for a wider variety of customers. The first glimpse of this commitment can be found in the just-completed Class 1-2/1600 limited car that returns Jimco back to its VW air-cooled roots. Incorporating a long list of current engineering, fabrication and componentry, the newest Jimco is not a simple rehash of the past.

The recent BFGoodrich Mint 400 was the public debut of Jimco’s brand new Type 1 air-cooled limited Class 1-2/1600 racer. The company was founded on the creation of the same style of vehicle such as this early Class 9 car piloted by a young Mike Julson. Bink Designs photo

That same philosophy will be the DNA for the next builds on Jimco’s project list, one that includes a reengineered two-wheel drive Trophy-Truck, the next Trophy-Spec category truck and the next generation Jimco Class 10 car.

Chronicling Jimco’s past

Over the course of 2025 the company will launch a new online “Jimco Owners Group” created to encourage past and current racers to tell their stories while also chronicling an up-to-date registry of where all the historic and modern Jimco machines can be found.