America loves sports underdog stories: basketball’s Muggsy Bogues, Notre Dame wannabe Rudy Ruettiger, high-school football-player Michael Oher.

Welcome off-road racer RJ Zanon.

The California Army Reserve helicopter pilot entered his own Ford Bronco in North America’s most grueling professional off-road race, the SCORE Baja 1000, this November, and — against all odds — crossed the finish line. He did it with a cast of 25 buddies called the Pew Pew Cachoo Racing team, including navigators Ken Brown and Austin Gillis he met at Bronco off-road events around the country.

Inspired by the SUV’s capabilities, Zanon pulled a totaled Bronco out of a junkyard in June, then raced against time to make it legal to compete in Baja’s 4Wheel Class 3. Even more improbably, he drove the entire 36-hour ra

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