It always seems to be cold when I leave for Baja, sure enough it was 18 degrees when I left work to throw my gear in a bag and head south. I had just gotten back from the Lucas Oil race in Vegas the previous weekend, and had scrambled on Monday to prep my bike and get the spares in a pile. Everything was good to go except the 110/90-18 rear tire I had to run. I had my concerns and I was also trying a new rear tire a Dunlop MX-71. Let me say, even with the small size it was AMAZING!.
Jess picked me up and we got the stuff situated. After a few around town errands for ice, fuel and supplies we were off. There was plenty to talk about on the drive south, we got the pre run plan down, places to stay down, sat phone plan down. We had a good plan based on all the problems we have had in the past and dealing with as many of them as possible.
(Baja Rule: Never pass a gas station without filling up)
The trip across the border was uneventful and soon we were traveling south towards San Felepe. As the sun set we crossed the Mexican desert and soon we were in San Felepe. Jess had lined up a place to stay in SF and frankly it was the best of the trip. Jim Greene and his wife are American expat’s now living full time in San Felepe. They have built a house, garage and Casita (guest house) and are open to their friends, and friends of friends stopping by to stay for races and motorcycle rides. Jess and I stayed in the Casita which was a room about 15 by 15 with a shower and bathroom. Plenty of space for 2 or three people. The weather was comfortable and the temps were mellow. The humidity was similar to home on the Gulf that was nice. The first night we met an Austrailian guy who I can’t remember his name who was solo riding the race along with some of Jim’s friends who were doing pit support. Jim and his wife left the next day and we had the run of the place for a couple day’s of pre running.
(Baja Rule: You never have enough gas to make it there and back.)
Day one of pre running we drove Jess to where the pavement ends. Yeah the pavement actually ENDS and there is just dirt after that. He did his 100 plus mile section with plans to spend the night in Bay of L.A. I drove back to San Felepe (80 miles) and took on the SF rock whoops for the first and second time. It wasn’t that bad, but I knew race day it was going to be brutal. Interestingly enough just Jess and I were on this trip so we had no chase truck driver. I rode back to SF on the pavement twice to run the section which wasn’t a big deal, but the wind was blowing about 40mph south and west. Combine that with the 60+ mph transit speeds and you have a rough ride back.
I finished my day, filled the bike with gas (for the 2nd time) cleaned up and then filled the truck with gas for the next day. You never know when a Pemex (Mexican gas station) may run out of fuel so it’s a good idea to get it when you can. I stopped back by to check out the jacuzzi at the front of the place were we were staying, and on a hunch went back to see if by chance Jess had decided to ride back to SF. Sure enough Jess had ridden his moto the whole way back to SF after freezing his butt off pre running down to Bay of L.A. and back. He said he stopped at Coco’s corner and Coco said he cold sleep in a camper shell for 20 bucks if he wanted. Jess rode the rest of the way back instead. We got some good Mexican food at a nice little place for $4.50 a plate out the door and finished the night in the hot tub relaxing sore muscles.
(Baja Rule: GPS units fail in Baja, and distances on maps are “relative”)
It’s so quiet in San Felepe and at Jim Greene’s compound that we ended up asleep early most days. This resulted in waking up early, very early usually. We were up and on the road by 6:30 the next day to pre run from San Matias to San Felepe. Jess did his section of San Matias Wash to down along side Highway 3 and I did my section. Down the powerline road (whoops) to the silt whoops then onto the Diablo drylake. For those of you who have never been on a dry lake, or on the Salada (like Diablo but bigger) it is basically flat and straight for tens of miles. You can sit with your moto in top gear wide open for as long as you want or are willing. You can see the mountains on either side, but ahead and behind is just flat until the earth curves away. My dry lake section was about 10 miles long. I ran it at about 80% which means 85 to 90mph for quite a while. It ends with a couple miles of silt bed then sand whoops up hill to Zoo Road. Silt is another thing. If you can picture talc powder but brown and bottomless. You hit it and it can be inches deep, or over your bars deep. I went into a couple sections that were over the front tire and quickly got out of them and into the bushes to the sides. Into the sand bumps and the onto Zoo Road. Zoo is a fast road when your bike is set up right. Mine was and I ran it at about 80mph until it turned left and the course turned right.
Run a few bumps (4-5 miles) and then into SF to meet Jess at the Pemex. In Baja you usually meet at gas stations. We packed it in for the day and went to the Greene compound it was 10:30 A.M.! We spent the rest of the day finding the best way through San Felepe on race day, checking out the water front, and e-mailing home. Baja is a funny place, there is not much phone coverage, and minimal internet so you go to Internet Café’s. We did this a couple times, which is a challenge because you need to be able to read Spanish to change the internet into English! Fun times. We got some taco’s and then hit up the hot tub again. It’s amazing how a soak in the hot tub can make the next day hurt a lot less.
(Baja Rule: Estimate how long it will take to get some place, then multiply by the number of riders in your group)
Sunday. Jess doesn’t ride on Sunday, so I didn’t ride either. Instead we went to Church. I have never been to a Mormon church, and especially a Mormon church in Mexcio. It was interesting hearing and trying to decipher the Spanish and then hearing both Spanish and English when what I assumed to be another American guy translating for the English in the crowd. It was really uneventful and interesting and soon we were spiritually charged. We got some lunch at the same place for $4.50 a plate and then took a nap. Yeah, we actually just took a nap and chilled out. Later that night we went to the restaurant in front of the place we were staying and watched the Cardnals loose, again. Another early night and early morning to come.
(Baja Rule: If you don’t have lights, the sun will go down before you get back to camp)
Monday we were again, up early and leaving San Felepe for a few days. It was sad to leave our comfortable Casita for an uncertain place to stay. We drove up through San Matias and through Valle de Trinidad. Our day prerun was to start at RM80. Jess was going to run his section then I was going to ride 40miles to Ojos Negros and ride my 40miles back to the truck. Everything went fine with Jess’s section but 15miles away from the truck my bike just quit. It did the same thing last year and I had a feeling after making sure it was getting fuel that it had roasted either the Stator or Regulator/rectifier AGAIN! While looking at it two Mexican guy’s stopped and asked if I needed help. I asked them to stop and tell Jess that I was broke. I gave them a good description of the truck and how to find it. Now in Baja if you just say, “yeah the white 4 door truck with the motorcycle by it” you will get laughed at. That’s literally what about 400 people look like down there on any given Baja 1000 week. Now describe an old ugly reliable Blue Yamaha and a white truck and exactly where it is, now you get some were.
Jess arrived in about the time it would take for the two guy’s to get there and relay the message, load the bike and get there. I had a plan, due to having this problem before I had brought a spare stock stator. Jess went and did his section again and in 45 minutes I swapped the broken stator for a stock one. What a surprise, the Honda fired right up. When Jess got back, I rode the rest of the way to Ojos Negros and pre ran my section. It was kind of miserable because it seemed like EVERYONE was running that section. I got caught behind a pro quad and sucked dust for about 45 minutes. Yuck! It was the first time I was dirty in 4 days!
We finished the day with tacos at Poblano’s which is the best tacos in Baja. Now I mentioned that our accommodations were a little loose in Ensenada and Monday night sure enough our place to stay didn’t work out. Back to our old staple of Estero Beach but we had a problem. Jess had sent most of his sleeping gear to Bay of L.A. in a chase truck, and neither of us had brought a tent due to the plan of sleeping in houses and garages. Well Ensenada is on the West coast of Baja, the temperature is usually about 65 as a high and it’s always humid. We were staying about 4 FEET! Above sea level and the marine layer fell in and it was so thick I think I swam to the bathrooms at one point. We slept outside, on our cots in our half ass sleeping bags with extra clothes on to try to stay warm. Everything was soaked by 6:00 when I finally couldn’t take it and got up to pre run.
(Baja Rule: Always carry spares, you WILL need them.)
After spending a night in a soaking wet sleeping bag it was a pleasure to wake up and ride the first 40 miles of race course out to Ojos Negros. It was still getting light out when I hid the dirt at 7:10 (about my start time) and as I climbed the hills out of Ensenada the moisture diminished and the sun came up. I was the only one out for the whole ride out to Ojos and back to Ensenada that I saw on a moto. It was a really pretty ride but fast and dangerous all the same. There was plenty of wash outs and off cambers to deal with along with high speed sections and water crossings. (Most of this is I have video of race day). The ride on the course is about 1/10th as dangerous as the ride back to town through traffic. Traffic in Baja is where the danger is. Trucks hauling everything imaginable, pre run traffic, Mexicars (if you have seen one you know what I mean). On the race course ‘most’ people are traveling the same direction.
I was back in Ensenada by 10:15 showered up at Estero, and then Jess and I went to registration. The day before Tech and Contingency registration is a breeze. It took all of about ten minutes. (2 hours the next day normally). We hung out there and watched a few videos for an hour or two while we waited for our friends with Potts Racing to show up (our place to stay). Eventually they did and we got lined up on the house we were to stay at. We got our stuff picked up from Estero Beach. (We had left it with Doc Erickson who was going to race Class 4 before he got screwed by Preadator Cars. Doc was a friend from the previous Baja 500.)
(Baja Rule: Cash ONLY in Baja)
We found the house that Craig Potts of Potts Racing had lined up and offered to let us sleep in the garage with his Trophy Truck. We hung out and bs’d with him and his crew as everyone started to show up. Jesse James (West Coast Chopper, Monster Garage) showed up in his prerunner after a day on the course and his crew and TT showed up soon after. We all sat around the bombed out house until everyone was there bs ‘n with Jesse, Craig and getting to know everyone until it was time for more tacos. We all piled into two pickups and went to the local taco stand.
When we were driving in Jess and I saw what seemed to be a Zebra. Well, the “Zebra” showed up while we were eating taco’s with a Mexican owner and a little dog attached. Turns out the Zebra was a donkey that had been bleached white, then painted with a spray can to resemble a Zebra. He put on quite a show with one of the crew actually riding the thing. Lots of laughs and pics were taken. Soon we were back at the house and it was time to sleep. Jess and I were down early, the rest of the crew was up until late stomping on the floor it seemed.
(Baja Rule: When the light starts to flash green, just stop, you are American and will get a ticket)
Tech and Contingency is a total zoo. Probably 30,000 people spread out over 2 city blocks, race trucks, bikes, vendors, kids, giant Tecate cans, loud music, and Mexican promo girls (skin tight outfits surrounded by Mexican men who evidently have never seen such a thing). The first couple times I did tech I liked it, not any more. It’s just too much. I know it’s where the money and promotion is done, but it gets a bit old having countless people with their heads screwed on backwards slam into you because they can’t handle all the mental input. Again, evidently the Mexican men have never, ever seen anything like the scantily clad promo girls.
We had received the race bike earlier that day and got it through Tech. Its really easy for bikes, Score (the promoter) basically doesn’t care about bikes. They tag the frame, tag the motor and send you packing. The dumb thing is they want you to have a first aid kit. A box of band aids counts which really isn’t going to do much. During the race if it can be fixed with a band aid, it probably doesn’t need a band aid. We got the bike done and met up with Baja Pits who was doing our pit support for fuel. We got lined out on where they were going to be for our sections and after more Poblano’s Taco’s we went back to Pott’s house to prep the bike to race.
A couple hours of bike prep (Bridgestone Tubes in both the front and rear with a n extra tube in the front, fluids, pressures and double check on all the bolts and it was bed time for me. My stomach had been upset for 2 days and I needed to try to sleep. It wasn’t to be. I spent most of my night in the bano and not sleeping.
(Baja Rule: Poblano’s isn’t open on Tuesday’s)
Race day. We left the house at 4:45 to make the almost hour drive to the start. Jess dropped me off and headed to RM 78 our first rider change. Traffic gets crazy on race day and we have had a hard time making it to these places before. No chances were to be taken missing a rider change. In case you didn’t figure it out, it was just Jess and I. We had to drive the truck, ride our section, drive the truck to the next section and so forth.
I found my place in line, they actually have a slot marked out on the ground in chalk for your bike. There was a lot of people in front of me. The first bike left the line at 6:30, I left at almost 7:15. They leave every 30 seconds so you do the math.
Finally I was at the line 30 seconds to go, GoPro on, GPS on, Honda roaring. My muscles were tense but my anxiety was totally gone. I was about to leave the starting line of the Baja 1000 on a moto. A peninsula run no less. I was EXCITED! My music was plain though the ear phones I had literally taped to my head. I smarted off to Sal Fish and soon the Green Flag droped.
I dropped the clutch on the Honda and the race started for us. Tens of thousands of people lined the course for miles. It doesn’t matter if you are first or 40th they all scream the same for you. I work through the dew soaked streets and drop into the dirt wash that runs up through Ensenada. My Bridgestone tires strain for traction as I feel out a moto that I have never ridden. It doesn’t like to go straight I find, and 5th gear is a bit tall. I splash through puddles and spray mud as I launch off the Red Bull Jump wide open in 5th gear. I hit the ground and it’s wide open again. The red Honda and I are looking for something to pass.
I find my first victim, then the next. I make it up through the foot hills of the city and around the puddles the locals have dammed up. The people trying to funnel me into the mud get roosted with no remorse. The sun is soon coming up and the resulting dust of 40 plus motorcycles lingers and makes it hard to see. I pass a few more people and climb out of the costal city into the hills. I make passes through the sketchy washed out lines that riding in Flagstaff gets you use to . Soon I am on the straight away to Ojos Negros in 5th gear and making good time. Once on the farm road in Ojos I find that the Gps I was to use for speed control in the 60mph zones isn’t working. I mess with it going about 50 and get passed. Screw this, I just follow the other guy who is doing about 60 a bike length behind until the pavement. I get the Gps to work for about a mile but soon I am back in the dirt and hauling the mail.
A few high speed rollers then a turn, another high speed roller that includes a flight of about 100’ and another turn. Soon I am blazing up a wash and again into the sun. I charge too hard and blow a turn. As I look back to the trail and dump the clutch I see 2 other guy’s blew the same turn before me. Charging up a rocky hill the Honda decides to turn right and ride off the course. (this becomes normal for this bike and I have missed my Honda for 60 miles now). Through the rocks and back on track. I get a few more people in the rough sections and soon I am on the sand speedway of RM 70 to RM 78. I make the first pit and rider change as far as I can tell pretty close to first or second sportsman bike. Jess gets on and I dive under the thing to try to mellow out the suspension. I brief Jess on the GPS and other issues with the bike and he is off.
Now another race is on, as I have mentioned Jess and I don’t have a chase truck driver. I throw about half my gear off into the truck, grab a drink and start down the road. Jess has a dirt section then an almost 30 mile pavement speed controlled section. I park the truck about 50yds past where the course re enters the road and wait. Jess appears and I get the truck in front of him and pace time to the top of San Matias wash. Now I have to race down to our rider change. No big deal even with traffic. I make it about 5 minutes before Jess and am ready to go when he gets there. I get on the bike that is now stalled and push the starter button. Nothing happens and the head light is out. Screw it I think and kick it and it runs.
(Baja Rule: If it can break it will break and at the worst time possible)
I finish the section along Highway 3 and blaze in 5th gear down the access road to the powerline whoops. I never saw Baja Pits on the road, but I was going 85mph or so. I start into the bumps and the stress and adrenaline of the morning combined with no sleep has seemed to have caught me. I feel horrible in the bump section and slow. I make it to the check pt at the dry lake and start across the flat. A couple days before I ran this section on my bike with no fear and total control. The set up on this race bike is so uncomfortable that I won’t risk running faster than about 85 for fear of it literally falling out from under me. I make it to the silt and survive it. The sand whoops up to Zoo Road seem worse, but it’s just me and this bike set up not being comfortable.
I make to Zoo Road and it feels like I have a flat. Every little bump or rock I hit results in the bike almost crashing out from under me. I can’t run faster than about 60 without eating shit. Finally I make it to the San Felepe whoops and kick it up a notch. My shoulders which were burning have loosened up now and I am running faster. I catch another bike and we race to the Baja Pits in SF. Pulling into the pit it’s just chaos everywhere. There are bikes and quads, people, pit crew, spectators and cops. I sit for a minute with nobody bringing fuel and finally start screaming for fuel and a screw driver. I get fuel but no screwdriver and finally just ride off into the most miserable section of my day.
The bumps start about 5 miles out of San Felepe and last to check 3. Honestly 20 or so miles of miserable rock whoops that have been torn up by 30 or so bikes in front of me. I am on a bike that likes to swap out randomly and won’t run on top of the whoops without super human effort. I get my but kicked in the sand whoops and then hit the powerline road. It’s so rough that I am in a half crouch half sitting half standing trying to keep the bike under me and keep it pinned in 5th. My life flashes before my eyes a couple times before the section turns into rock whoops.
(Baja Rule: Never give up, never ever give up)
Riding through the rock whoops is kind of like doing squats, calf raises, lat bar pulls, and pull ups all at the same time over and over again. I take some then rest, take some more then rest. No body passes me after I leave the pit in San Felepe. The rock whoops seem to go on forever. Every time I think they are over I come over a rise and there is just an endless trail straight ahead of me disappearing into the distance of rock whoops. I don’t give up and keep up the same pace the whole way finally making it to check 3 and the pavement. A short ride of pavement and I am at the next Baja Pits and a ride change.
Jess picked me up and we got the stuff situated. After a few around town errands for ice, fuel and supplies we were off. There was plenty to talk about on the drive south, we got the pre run plan down, places to stay down, sat phone plan down. We had a good plan based on all the problems we have had in the past and dealing with as many of them as possible.
(Baja Rule: Never pass a gas station without filling up)
The trip across the border was uneventful and soon we were traveling south towards San Felepe. As the sun set we crossed the Mexican desert and soon we were in San Felepe. Jess had lined up a place to stay in SF and frankly it was the best of the trip. Jim Greene and his wife are American expat’s now living full time in San Felepe. They have built a house, garage and Casita (guest house) and are open to their friends, and friends of friends stopping by to stay for races and motorcycle rides. Jess and I stayed in the Casita which was a room about 15 by 15 with a shower and bathroom. Plenty of space for 2 or three people. The weather was comfortable and the temps were mellow. The humidity was similar to home on the Gulf that was nice. The first night we met an Austrailian guy who I can’t remember his name who was solo riding the race along with some of Jim’s friends who were doing pit support. Jim and his wife left the next day and we had the run of the place for a couple day’s of pre running.
(Baja Rule: You never have enough gas to make it there and back.)
Day one of pre running we drove Jess to where the pavement ends. Yeah the pavement actually ENDS and there is just dirt after that. He did his 100 plus mile section with plans to spend the night in Bay of L.A. I drove back to San Felepe (80 miles) and took on the SF rock whoops for the first and second time. It wasn’t that bad, but I knew race day it was going to be brutal. Interestingly enough just Jess and I were on this trip so we had no chase truck driver. I rode back to SF on the pavement twice to run the section which wasn’t a big deal, but the wind was blowing about 40mph south and west. Combine that with the 60+ mph transit speeds and you have a rough ride back.
I finished my day, filled the bike with gas (for the 2nd time) cleaned up and then filled the truck with gas for the next day. You never know when a Pemex (Mexican gas station) may run out of fuel so it’s a good idea to get it when you can. I stopped back by to check out the jacuzzi at the front of the place were we were staying, and on a hunch went back to see if by chance Jess had decided to ride back to SF. Sure enough Jess had ridden his moto the whole way back to SF after freezing his butt off pre running down to Bay of L.A. and back. He said he stopped at Coco’s corner and Coco said he cold sleep in a camper shell for 20 bucks if he wanted. Jess rode the rest of the way back instead. We got some good Mexican food at a nice little place for $4.50 a plate out the door and finished the night in the hot tub relaxing sore muscles.
(Baja Rule: GPS units fail in Baja, and distances on maps are “relative”)
It’s so quiet in San Felepe and at Jim Greene’s compound that we ended up asleep early most days. This resulted in waking up early, very early usually. We were up and on the road by 6:30 the next day to pre run from San Matias to San Felepe. Jess did his section of San Matias Wash to down along side Highway 3 and I did my section. Down the powerline road (whoops) to the silt whoops then onto the Diablo drylake. For those of you who have never been on a dry lake, or on the Salada (like Diablo but bigger) it is basically flat and straight for tens of miles. You can sit with your moto in top gear wide open for as long as you want or are willing. You can see the mountains on either side, but ahead and behind is just flat until the earth curves away. My dry lake section was about 10 miles long. I ran it at about 80% which means 85 to 90mph for quite a while. It ends with a couple miles of silt bed then sand whoops up hill to Zoo Road. Silt is another thing. If you can picture talc powder but brown and bottomless. You hit it and it can be inches deep, or over your bars deep. I went into a couple sections that were over the front tire and quickly got out of them and into the bushes to the sides. Into the sand bumps and the onto Zoo Road. Zoo is a fast road when your bike is set up right. Mine was and I ran it at about 80mph until it turned left and the course turned right.
Run a few bumps (4-5 miles) and then into SF to meet Jess at the Pemex. In Baja you usually meet at gas stations. We packed it in for the day and went to the Greene compound it was 10:30 A.M.! We spent the rest of the day finding the best way through San Felepe on race day, checking out the water front, and e-mailing home. Baja is a funny place, there is not much phone coverage, and minimal internet so you go to Internet Café’s. We did this a couple times, which is a challenge because you need to be able to read Spanish to change the internet into English! Fun times. We got some taco’s and then hit up the hot tub again. It’s amazing how a soak in the hot tub can make the next day hurt a lot less.
(Baja Rule: Estimate how long it will take to get some place, then multiply by the number of riders in your group)
Sunday. Jess doesn’t ride on Sunday, so I didn’t ride either. Instead we went to Church. I have never been to a Mormon church, and especially a Mormon church in Mexcio. It was interesting hearing and trying to decipher the Spanish and then hearing both Spanish and English when what I assumed to be another American guy translating for the English in the crowd. It was really uneventful and interesting and soon we were spiritually charged. We got some lunch at the same place for $4.50 a plate and then took a nap. Yeah, we actually just took a nap and chilled out. Later that night we went to the restaurant in front of the place we were staying and watched the Cardnals loose, again. Another early night and early morning to come.
(Baja Rule: If you don’t have lights, the sun will go down before you get back to camp)
Monday we were again, up early and leaving San Felepe for a few days. It was sad to leave our comfortable Casita for an uncertain place to stay. We drove up through San Matias and through Valle de Trinidad. Our day prerun was to start at RM80. Jess was going to run his section then I was going to ride 40miles to Ojos Negros and ride my 40miles back to the truck. Everything went fine with Jess’s section but 15miles away from the truck my bike just quit. It did the same thing last year and I had a feeling after making sure it was getting fuel that it had roasted either the Stator or Regulator/rectifier AGAIN! While looking at it two Mexican guy’s stopped and asked if I needed help. I asked them to stop and tell Jess that I was broke. I gave them a good description of the truck and how to find it. Now in Baja if you just say, “yeah the white 4 door truck with the motorcycle by it” you will get laughed at. That’s literally what about 400 people look like down there on any given Baja 1000 week. Now describe an old ugly reliable Blue Yamaha and a white truck and exactly where it is, now you get some were.
Jess arrived in about the time it would take for the two guy’s to get there and relay the message, load the bike and get there. I had a plan, due to having this problem before I had brought a spare stock stator. Jess went and did his section again and in 45 minutes I swapped the broken stator for a stock one. What a surprise, the Honda fired right up. When Jess got back, I rode the rest of the way to Ojos Negros and pre ran my section. It was kind of miserable because it seemed like EVERYONE was running that section. I got caught behind a pro quad and sucked dust for about 45 minutes. Yuck! It was the first time I was dirty in 4 days!
We finished the day with tacos at Poblano’s which is the best tacos in Baja. Now I mentioned that our accommodations were a little loose in Ensenada and Monday night sure enough our place to stay didn’t work out. Back to our old staple of Estero Beach but we had a problem. Jess had sent most of his sleeping gear to Bay of L.A. in a chase truck, and neither of us had brought a tent due to the plan of sleeping in houses and garages. Well Ensenada is on the West coast of Baja, the temperature is usually about 65 as a high and it’s always humid. We were staying about 4 FEET! Above sea level and the marine layer fell in and it was so thick I think I swam to the bathrooms at one point. We slept outside, on our cots in our half ass sleeping bags with extra clothes on to try to stay warm. Everything was soaked by 6:00 when I finally couldn’t take it and got up to pre run.
(Baja Rule: Always carry spares, you WILL need them.)
After spending a night in a soaking wet sleeping bag it was a pleasure to wake up and ride the first 40 miles of race course out to Ojos Negros. It was still getting light out when I hid the dirt at 7:10 (about my start time) and as I climbed the hills out of Ensenada the moisture diminished and the sun came up. I was the only one out for the whole ride out to Ojos and back to Ensenada that I saw on a moto. It was a really pretty ride but fast and dangerous all the same. There was plenty of wash outs and off cambers to deal with along with high speed sections and water crossings. (Most of this is I have video of race day). The ride on the course is about 1/10th as dangerous as the ride back to town through traffic. Traffic in Baja is where the danger is. Trucks hauling everything imaginable, pre run traffic, Mexicars (if you have seen one you know what I mean). On the race course ‘most’ people are traveling the same direction.
I was back in Ensenada by 10:15 showered up at Estero, and then Jess and I went to registration. The day before Tech and Contingency registration is a breeze. It took all of about ten minutes. (2 hours the next day normally). We hung out there and watched a few videos for an hour or two while we waited for our friends with Potts Racing to show up (our place to stay). Eventually they did and we got lined up on the house we were to stay at. We got our stuff picked up from Estero Beach. (We had left it with Doc Erickson who was going to race Class 4 before he got screwed by Preadator Cars. Doc was a friend from the previous Baja 500.)
(Baja Rule: Cash ONLY in Baja)
We found the house that Craig Potts of Potts Racing had lined up and offered to let us sleep in the garage with his Trophy Truck. We hung out and bs’d with him and his crew as everyone started to show up. Jesse James (West Coast Chopper, Monster Garage) showed up in his prerunner after a day on the course and his crew and TT showed up soon after. We all sat around the bombed out house until everyone was there bs ‘n with Jesse, Craig and getting to know everyone until it was time for more tacos. We all piled into two pickups and went to the local taco stand.
When we were driving in Jess and I saw what seemed to be a Zebra. Well, the “Zebra” showed up while we were eating taco’s with a Mexican owner and a little dog attached. Turns out the Zebra was a donkey that had been bleached white, then painted with a spray can to resemble a Zebra. He put on quite a show with one of the crew actually riding the thing. Lots of laughs and pics were taken. Soon we were back at the house and it was time to sleep. Jess and I were down early, the rest of the crew was up until late stomping on the floor it seemed.
(Baja Rule: When the light starts to flash green, just stop, you are American and will get a ticket)
Tech and Contingency is a total zoo. Probably 30,000 people spread out over 2 city blocks, race trucks, bikes, vendors, kids, giant Tecate cans, loud music, and Mexican promo girls (skin tight outfits surrounded by Mexican men who evidently have never seen such a thing). The first couple times I did tech I liked it, not any more. It’s just too much. I know it’s where the money and promotion is done, but it gets a bit old having countless people with their heads screwed on backwards slam into you because they can’t handle all the mental input. Again, evidently the Mexican men have never, ever seen anything like the scantily clad promo girls.
We had received the race bike earlier that day and got it through Tech. Its really easy for bikes, Score (the promoter) basically doesn’t care about bikes. They tag the frame, tag the motor and send you packing. The dumb thing is they want you to have a first aid kit. A box of band aids counts which really isn’t going to do much. During the race if it can be fixed with a band aid, it probably doesn’t need a band aid. We got the bike done and met up with Baja Pits who was doing our pit support for fuel. We got lined out on where they were going to be for our sections and after more Poblano’s Taco’s we went back to Pott’s house to prep the bike to race.
A couple hours of bike prep (Bridgestone Tubes in both the front and rear with a n extra tube in the front, fluids, pressures and double check on all the bolts and it was bed time for me. My stomach had been upset for 2 days and I needed to try to sleep. It wasn’t to be. I spent most of my night in the bano and not sleeping.
(Baja Rule: Poblano’s isn’t open on Tuesday’s)
Race day. We left the house at 4:45 to make the almost hour drive to the start. Jess dropped me off and headed to RM 78 our first rider change. Traffic gets crazy on race day and we have had a hard time making it to these places before. No chances were to be taken missing a rider change. In case you didn’t figure it out, it was just Jess and I. We had to drive the truck, ride our section, drive the truck to the next section and so forth.
I found my place in line, they actually have a slot marked out on the ground in chalk for your bike. There was a lot of people in front of me. The first bike left the line at 6:30, I left at almost 7:15. They leave every 30 seconds so you do the math.
Finally I was at the line 30 seconds to go, GoPro on, GPS on, Honda roaring. My muscles were tense but my anxiety was totally gone. I was about to leave the starting line of the Baja 1000 on a moto. A peninsula run no less. I was EXCITED! My music was plain though the ear phones I had literally taped to my head. I smarted off to Sal Fish and soon the Green Flag droped.
I dropped the clutch on the Honda and the race started for us. Tens of thousands of people lined the course for miles. It doesn’t matter if you are first or 40th they all scream the same for you. I work through the dew soaked streets and drop into the dirt wash that runs up through Ensenada. My Bridgestone tires strain for traction as I feel out a moto that I have never ridden. It doesn’t like to go straight I find, and 5th gear is a bit tall. I splash through puddles and spray mud as I launch off the Red Bull Jump wide open in 5th gear. I hit the ground and it’s wide open again. The red Honda and I are looking for something to pass.
I find my first victim, then the next. I make it up through the foot hills of the city and around the puddles the locals have dammed up. The people trying to funnel me into the mud get roosted with no remorse. The sun is soon coming up and the resulting dust of 40 plus motorcycles lingers and makes it hard to see. I pass a few more people and climb out of the costal city into the hills. I make passes through the sketchy washed out lines that riding in Flagstaff gets you use to . Soon I am on the straight away to Ojos Negros in 5th gear and making good time. Once on the farm road in Ojos I find that the Gps I was to use for speed control in the 60mph zones isn’t working. I mess with it going about 50 and get passed. Screw this, I just follow the other guy who is doing about 60 a bike length behind until the pavement. I get the Gps to work for about a mile but soon I am back in the dirt and hauling the mail.
A few high speed rollers then a turn, another high speed roller that includes a flight of about 100’ and another turn. Soon I am blazing up a wash and again into the sun. I charge too hard and blow a turn. As I look back to the trail and dump the clutch I see 2 other guy’s blew the same turn before me. Charging up a rocky hill the Honda decides to turn right and ride off the course. (this becomes normal for this bike and I have missed my Honda for 60 miles now). Through the rocks and back on track. I get a few more people in the rough sections and soon I am on the sand speedway of RM 70 to RM 78. I make the first pit and rider change as far as I can tell pretty close to first or second sportsman bike. Jess gets on and I dive under the thing to try to mellow out the suspension. I brief Jess on the GPS and other issues with the bike and he is off.
Now another race is on, as I have mentioned Jess and I don’t have a chase truck driver. I throw about half my gear off into the truck, grab a drink and start down the road. Jess has a dirt section then an almost 30 mile pavement speed controlled section. I park the truck about 50yds past where the course re enters the road and wait. Jess appears and I get the truck in front of him and pace time to the top of San Matias wash. Now I have to race down to our rider change. No big deal even with traffic. I make it about 5 minutes before Jess and am ready to go when he gets there. I get on the bike that is now stalled and push the starter button. Nothing happens and the head light is out. Screw it I think and kick it and it runs.
(Baja Rule: If it can break it will break and at the worst time possible)
I finish the section along Highway 3 and blaze in 5th gear down the access road to the powerline whoops. I never saw Baja Pits on the road, but I was going 85mph or so. I start into the bumps and the stress and adrenaline of the morning combined with no sleep has seemed to have caught me. I feel horrible in the bump section and slow. I make it to the check pt at the dry lake and start across the flat. A couple days before I ran this section on my bike with no fear and total control. The set up on this race bike is so uncomfortable that I won’t risk running faster than about 85 for fear of it literally falling out from under me. I make it to the silt and survive it. The sand whoops up to Zoo Road seem worse, but it’s just me and this bike set up not being comfortable.
I make to Zoo Road and it feels like I have a flat. Every little bump or rock I hit results in the bike almost crashing out from under me. I can’t run faster than about 60 without eating shit. Finally I make it to the San Felepe whoops and kick it up a notch. My shoulders which were burning have loosened up now and I am running faster. I catch another bike and we race to the Baja Pits in SF. Pulling into the pit it’s just chaos everywhere. There are bikes and quads, people, pit crew, spectators and cops. I sit for a minute with nobody bringing fuel and finally start screaming for fuel and a screw driver. I get fuel but no screwdriver and finally just ride off into the most miserable section of my day.
The bumps start about 5 miles out of San Felepe and last to check 3. Honestly 20 or so miles of miserable rock whoops that have been torn up by 30 or so bikes in front of me. I am on a bike that likes to swap out randomly and won’t run on top of the whoops without super human effort. I get my but kicked in the sand whoops and then hit the powerline road. It’s so rough that I am in a half crouch half sitting half standing trying to keep the bike under me and keep it pinned in 5th. My life flashes before my eyes a couple times before the section turns into rock whoops.
(Baja Rule: Never give up, never ever give up)
Riding through the rock whoops is kind of like doing squats, calf raises, lat bar pulls, and pull ups all at the same time over and over again. I take some then rest, take some more then rest. No body passes me after I leave the pit in San Felepe. The rock whoops seem to go on forever. Every time I think they are over I come over a rise and there is just an endless trail straight ahead of me disappearing into the distance of rock whoops. I don’t give up and keep up the same pace the whole way finally making it to check 3 and the pavement. A short ride of pavement and I am at the next Baja Pits and a ride change.
I am met by Jim Greene who is offering me food and water. Fuel is dumped and I ask “where is Jess”. Jim say’s “he’s not here go, go, GO!” I go no where. I stick to the plan. Jess walks up and I brief him on the problems with the bike. No GPS, No headlight, hand guards a mess, steering stabilizer doesn’t work, suspension is still harsh, electric starter doesn’t work, but other than that its good. We swap the Sat phone and spot tracker to his pack, and He is off. Now for anyone else their day may be over, but not me. I sprint to Jess’s truck huck my gear off into the front seat and take off to catch Jess and pace him the 45 miles to the end of the pavement. I catch him a few miles later after a couple close encounters of the “dip” kind. (in Baja bridges are expensive, the road follows the terrain and that includes cross washes or “dips”, if you hit them at 45mph in a truck you are going to fly). I catch Jess and pace him to Puertocitos and the end of the pavement. We communicate with hand signals through the ride and make a decision to fix the light when we stop at the dirt. It’s an easy fix although hoakey (female spade connector for male terminal connector, which is how we got it.) some electrical tape and Jess was off to Bay of L.A.
I sat and waited to see the next sportsman bike show up about 5 minutes later. I then drove back to the Baja Pits and sat with Jim for a few minutes resting and proceeded to change out of my riding clothes. Jim went home and I went to Check 3 to wait for the first TT’s to come through. Vidosola, Norman, Baldwin through Check 3 and I was satisfied. Back to SF where Jim and I watched the race for a bit on the Spot Tracker then went out for the best fish tacos in San Felepe. Back to Jim’s compound to watch the Spot tracker progress. The challenges began to happen to our race soon after.
(Baja Rule: Never drive at night)
The Spot tracker shut off at 5:45 pm but not after showing the bike not moving much for about 40 minutes. I made some calls on our sat phone to get the next pit to turn the tracker back on but they didn’t under stand. At this point my race was over and I went to sleep exhausted. It was the best sleep I had in 4 day’s. (Since the last time I was at the Casita).
The next day we watched the progress and info trickled in. Jess showed up as expected at about 11:30 after riding his trusty Blue Yamaha 426 almost 200 miles backwards on the course after all the race traffic had passed. He had found the fuel that had been stashed by Jim almost a week earlier, and also had found other friends to haul his gear bag most of the way back. It turns out he had not slept most of the night due to noise and not having a place to stay.
We left for home on Friday turns out before the bike had crossed the finishline in Lapaz. We were almost back in the states by the time they did but that is another person’s story to tell.
(Baja Rule: Beware of the White Horse)
This was the best Baja trip as of yet. It was hard not having extra people to chase for us, but it did make things move a lot faster. I hope to get back soon and see my Baja friends and ride in some of the funnest and most unforgiving terrain in the world.
P.s.
Baja Travel Warning: Caution the tacos are so good and tasty you will put on ten pounds eating them and empty your wallet to get more. The people are so friendly you will not want to leave. Caution the riding here is so addictive that you will never want to go home and you will spend countless hours and peso’s coming back and enjoying it. Danger, the military checkpoints and the people that operate them are super friendly. They will gladly take a sticker if offered and they really enjoy all the energy drinks that you can provide them. Caution everyone helps everyone else out in Baja, for those of you uncomfortable asking for help, or helping you should stay home. Danger, the food in Baja is so cheap when you get home and pay $10 for two ice cream cones at Baskin Robbins you may end up in jail for loosing it in the parking lot.
Nobody was Shot, killed, raped, robbed, murdered, maimed, damaged, extorted, stabbed, abducted, accosted, insulted, or otherwise harmed during our visit to Baja. (unless you count how abused my poor Honda is right now)
