What happens when you drop a 6,000-pound, rear-wheel-drive trophy bug onto a rally stage made for lightweight, all-wheel-drive rockets — and do it in the middle of the night? If you’re off-road icon Blake Wilkey, you find out firsthand.

Wilkey, known for pushing the limits of just about everything on four wheels, brought his monstrous machine Jaws to Hoonigan’s Rally Speedrun Championship, where precision usually trumps pure power. But Wilkey wasn’t there to play it safe.

A Desert-Bred Beast in Rally Territory

Jaws isn’t your average rally car. It’s a purpose-built trophy bug, packing a 660-horsepower, supercharged LS-based 427 engine from Texas Speed under its back shell. The thing was made to fly across open desert terrain — not thread the needle through tight, technical rally corners.

“These guys are light, they’re nimble, they’re all-wheel drive,” Wilkey admitted, fully aware that his heavy, RWD setup was the oddball in the group.

The suspension setup alone screams Baja, not rally: 24.5 inches of travel up front and a whopping 29 inches in the rear. That’s built to soak up whoops and dunes, not asphalt and apexes.

Lights Out, Pedal Down

The course was pitch-black, lit only by Jaws’ blazing headlights. Wilkey had limited chances to post a fast lap. During his practice run, he pushed too hard and nearly flipped, bringing the bug up high on two wheels — a classic “bicycle” moment.

“It bicycled … came in hot, but that’s kind of what you do in these things all the time,” Wilkey said with a laugh, casually brushing off the heart-stopper.

Sparks, Flames, and a Blistering Lap Time

When it came time for the real deal, Wilkey wasn’t holding back. He pushed Jaws to its limits, diving into corners and wrestling the weight through each turn. As the run went on, the rear brakes started to glow — and then caught fire right as he crossed the finish line.

Still, despite all the smoke and sparks, Wilkey laid down a blistering 1:49.24 lap time.

That was good enough to land him in the top three, even beating out a Porsche GT3 that had previously run the course.

“Boy, that big old pig with only rear brake! I’ll take it,” Wilkey said, grinning from ear to ear.

Clash of Titans: Desert Muscle vs. Rally Precision

This showdown was more than just a fast lap. It was a head-to-head between two completely different off-road worlds. On one side: nimble, AWD rally machines. On the other: a roaring, flame-spitting desert rig built for open spaces.

Wilkey’s run proved that raw power, smart driving, and a whole lot of guts can still shake things up — even when the odds (and the weight) are stacked against you.