Brian
Chuchua helped off-road racing grow through both his support
and participation in the sport. In 1965 he hosted the
National Four- Wheel Drive Grand Prix, the first modern
off-road race staged for spectators. He is also know for
driving in world class cross country events such as the
London to Sydney Marathon, running rallies and sponsoring
numerous entries in off-road events such as the Stardust
7-11 and the Mint 400. His involvement and sponsorships in
off-road racing allowed the sport to grow to maturity.
Dorothy and Michael Chuchua welcomed Brian Chuchua to the
world on April 29, 1937 in Bell, California. He is the
oldest of the family’s four children. While a young child
the family lived in South Gate California. Michael Chuchua
ran L&M Steel in Compton. The family moved to La Habra
Heights. There, Michael Chuchua purchased a Jeep for his son
to learn to drive. At age 15 Brian Chuchua discovered he
could travel far and wide behind the wheel of the off-road
vehicle. He graduated from Fullerton High School in 1954 and
Junior College in 1956. He raced his first Jeep race the
same year he graduated high school, taking first place at
Borrego Springs.
From the mid to late 1950s Chuchua continued to race his
jeep and participate in club runs in Southern California. He
rode as a member with The Chuckwalla Jeep Club. His Jeep was
the first to climb the Devil’s Slide at Pismo Beach in the
mid 1950s and in 1954 he participated in the Rubcion Jeep
Jamboree. He also started to use his Jeep to explore further
regions of the globe and in 1960 he drove his Jeep from La
Habra, California through Mexico and Central America all the
way to the Panama Canal.
By the age of 21 he was considered a very experienced
off-road driver. With his understanding of Jeeps and their
mechanics he opened a Jeep dealership in April of 1963 with
Doug Olson in Fullerton, California. The dealership grew to
be one of the most successful Jeep dealerships in the United
States. In the late 1960s he also began the sale of
aftermarket Jeep products at the dealership. His dealership
sold the first aftermarket roll bars and V-8 conversion kits
for both Jeeps and Corvettes. His involvement and knowledge
of after market parts led him to join a group of individuals
who became the founding fathers of the Specialty Equipment
Manufactures Association (SEMA) in 1963.
In 1965 Chuchua introduced a new type of off-road racing
which was spectator friendly. He sponsored the Riverside
Grand Prix, held in a partially dry riverbed near Riverside,
California. The cars started drag race style, two at a time,
around two separate courses navigating mud holes, steep
hills, deep ruts, and sand washes. After figure eighting the
vehicle to cross the finish line first won the event. At his
second event a number of future Off-Road Motorsports Hall of
Fame Inductees participated including Ed Pearlman, Vic
Hickey, Dick Cepek, Ed Pearlman, Rod Hall, Charlie Erickson,
Bill Stroppe and Larry Minor. James Garner spectated and
participated in later events. The event often had over 100
participants participating per year. Chuchua ran the Grand
Prix annually until 1972.
Due to his sponsorship of numerous teams in the early Baja
races, the sport grew quickly. At the inaugural 1967 Mexican
1000 he had three Kaiser Jeeps. In 1968 at the second
Mexican 1000 Rod Hall and Carl Jackson drove his Jeep to a
5th place overall. At the first Baja 500 in 1969 he entered
twelve vehicles including Jeeps, a Chevrolet Truck and
Myer’s Tow’d.
Chuchua went beyond sponsoring and organizing races he also
collected records at famous drag races such as Bonneville,
Dry Lakes, Mirage, and quarter mile drags at Pomona, Santa
Ana and Long Beach. He raced his Jeep with a V-8 engine and
super charged Corvettes. Recognizing his skill the National
Hot Rod Association (NHRA) asked him to captain the 1965
United States Drag team at expositions in England.
He traveled far beyond the race circuits and participated in
numerous international rallies. He drove the London to
Mexico Rally, traveling from England to Bulgaria to
Portugal, then onto a ship across to Brazil only to be time
bared in Uruguay. He completed the London to Sydney
traveling through the Middle East, into India, through
Singapore and across Australia coming in 2nd place in his
class and 5th overall. He also raced his CJ-6 Jeep across
the African continent en route through Turkey where the Jeep
crashed.
Currently, Chuchua still drives for fun, last participating
in his last Baja race in 1982. He sold his Jeep franchise in
1994 yet continues to collect vintage Jeeps. He owns the
Pousada Chuchua resort in Brazil which he opened in 2003. He
is a licensed helicopter pilot.
Sources:
Author Interview with Brian Chuchua, July 2006.
Fiolka, Marty. 2005. 1000 Miles to Glory, The History of the
Baja 1000. Phoenix, AZ.: David Bull Publishing.
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