The TEAM LOCOS MOCOS crew has been scattered all over the Baja peninsula offering FREE pit support since 1997. All good things must come to an end however, and the 2011 SCORE San Felipe 250 will end an era of dedicated volunteers who since 1997 have made the trek to SCORE Mexico races to support any racer in need of our services. We have become well known to racers and their chase support crews for our remote vehicle extractions, race vehicle repairs and fabrication. We have regulars that without a helmet on we’d never recognize them that we see 3 times a year. We have never left a racer stranded.  We became the “go to” crew for the Baja Pits race support program to haul equipment, race gear and fuel to the hardest pit locations each race.

1 member has made it to every event the last 10 years and has been the master coordinator for this incredible group of people. Stuart Klein aka “Baja Jones”  has been the mastermind of this organization since 2001 planning all 3 Mexico race logistics and has logged in the last 33 consecutive pits. Preparing equipment, coordinating with members, staffing each pit station, feeding a rowdy bunch of hooligans, loading the trailer, unloading the trailer, repairing the trailer……………………the list goes on in great detail but you get it……………… Jones has been the teams go to guy. He has a great group of local San Diego members who help weeks before and after every race with loading and unloading all the gear and equipment. Without all this effort from behind the scenes this program would not have existed.

The 2011 pit had a skeleton crew. Baja Jones, Bethel, Pauliana, Val, BCG1, 3 Ball, Neighbor Tim, Baja Billy & Papa John along with Patio Burrito, N-Chaos & Mikey-Mike set up the banners and pit for the last time. We fueled 25 bikes & quads. We assisted bike #102X who arrived with a hole in the left side of his case with JB Weld & gear oil. Val saved his ass since I poured the oil in and it drained out just as quick as it went in. Eddy was off and on his way to Honda pits 6. His team finished. We yanked out a buried #118 along with his chase buggy. We went back to recover #99A a quad who was stranded for 6 hours in the wash and discovered another buried truck #724. We got him going. Then we came across #149 with a busted rear hub, a mangled tire and no jack, the Excursion bottle jack was a savior…………..we got them going again. We arrived at 99A at dusk and began the trek back to the pit. On our way back we see team #861 buried and in need of assistance and bumped into the chase crew for 99A. We loaded the quad in their truck, hooked up the tow strap to #861 and we were back on our way to the pit. What started out to be a “back before dark excursion” lead to a “3 hour tour” guided by no other Pauliana & his Russian comic wingman.  Jones, next time bring the head lamp. You should know by now when a Locos Mocos recovery vehicle heads out of the pit it always turns into chaos. Truck #724 pulled into the pit to air back up along with truck #605 who had a right front flat changed. #861 was towed into the pit and aired up then was on his way. He almost got punted by Norman #8 who had hours of down time but came through at dark hauling the mail.  #1100 arrived at 8:30PM for fan belt repairs and a splash of fuel chasing the time limit at the next check point. The pit ran for 13 hours straight, 1 last time.  And as we began tear down that night reality set in. An era is ending…………….just for a short period of time I hope. Some crazy crew member has the same level of passion as deep as Stu to resurrect this program. Baja Joes is one of a kind though…………….so maybe not!

Our trips always revolve around someone’s prerun schedule to a relaxing beach destination and eventually we will end at a dedicated pit location that Jones has committed us to. It’s finally time that Baja Jones gets back behind the wheel of a prerunner to enjoy some of what Mexico has to offer and relaxes a bit. The elder of our staff refer to this stage as “retirement”. Some of the pups of the staff have not even collected their first paychecks yet! But there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll find portions of this amazing TEAM at the 2011 Baja 500 & Baja 1000 scattered in some nasty remote race location offering anyone and everyone pit support. If you have ever lent a hand at a Locos Mocos pit you know it is in your blood.

Please forward all complaints to the “complaint department” @:  www.locosmocos.net

It has been an amazing ride Stubie!  THANK YOU on behalf of this entire team for everything you have done. I’ll see you and the rest of the crew in the dirt……

N-Chaos

Photo Credits: Nicole Pitell, Steve Brosz

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When the 2010 Baja 1000 map was released and plotted, TEAM LOCOS MOCOS was contacted by Baja Pits and dispatched to the most remote location on the course for a full service pit, El Cuarenta at race mile 615 on the pacific side. South of San Ignacio and near the small fishing town of El Datil, the course zig zagged between the mountains in the rough. During the weeks prior to the race, those that preran this section saw the hard packed soil trail transform into patches of deep silt beds. Entering the pit for race day it was clear to this crew that we were going to need dedicated recovery vehicles strapped and ready to pull drivers from the pools of waist deep silt before and after our pit location. Lamont & Fodor raised the bar this year with what a 96-02 4Runner is capable of towing.  Just ask Damen & Casey Jefferies & BJ Baldwin!

We split into 4 groups this year due to departure schedules for the crew and Patio opted to fly into Loreto so he could hold down the TOTAL CHAOS fort. Boofay & Short bus rounded a few heads to assist SCORE-International officialal at the finish line.  Baja Jones managed to squeeze in a Baja peninsula prerun with Bethel, Pauliana, Val, Mikey-Mike & BVZ, The Texicans, Neighbor Tim, Papa John, Raptor Billy and the new guys Baton Rouge, Photom the Mexicalli boys Weto and Alex and Flat Matt. All the tires and fuel were to be delivered to a fish packing plant in Constitution for pick up. The tire truck was 20 hours late (no surprise) so the whole crew bivouacked at the fish house instead of a beach as planned. I am glad I missed that camp site location.  Bummer you dropped your pillow on the ground BVZ! The group only managed 850 miles of race course as multiple trailer & tow vehicle repairs were required. The Pre-Runners ran almost trouble free with the exception of a few unscheduled trail departures off the race course at high speed. We’ll blame those on the dust! One incident was a blown turn just south of El Crucero that sent the Bronco guillotining through a 10″ diameter Cardon Cactus. The roof was popped back out and 2 smashed driving lights had to be disconnected, and off they went. The tow vehicle, LMC trailer, Paulie’s Walker Evans Ram-charger and the Big Strokey Bronco all completed the entire trip without replacing any of the 16 GoodYear tires on the ground. The last leg into the pit had sections in worse condition than race course and the way overloaded pit trailer had to stop in San Juanico and have the front axle straightened and a truss welded to it. A severed brake line and blown air bag line on the tow vehicle slowed the final slog to Rancho Cuarenta. The crew arrived tired and hungry at the pit, tents popped up and all were snoring by midnight. ———– Carnage report: steering ram issues, torn out radius arm mount

BCG 1 rallied Radar, Cortez, Presidente, Baja Bro, Sniper, Shemp  & picked up a straggling Wally and the Beaver to take on a 9 day prerun trip. With a theme of beaches, food and fun on their agenda, they burned the Baja wick and traveled to San Quinten for the night. Day two started with Lobster omelets at Mamma Espinoza’s and then hit the northern section of the Seven Sisters. They ran the Pacific coast Dust to Glory beach run to Santa Inez. As dusk settled they continued south and then east to Bahia de Los Angeles for dinner and rest. Day 3 ran southbound to Bone Beach for more shell and soul searching, then off to Visciano junction! Sunday was a break from the dirt with an extended stay at Coyote Beach on Bahia Conception with newlyweds Steve and Cindy Ransom of the Chase Racing crew. As the shadows grew longer they were again southbound to Loreto where they joined the Baja Jones crew at Feli’s shop where they were fixing the rear trailing arm on the pit trailer. The lure of Loreto squashed any dirt day 4 and the crew spent Tuesday exploring the shops and restaurants of the charming seaside town. Wednesday it was time to head to the pit so the group saddled up for the run over the mountains.  A night run north from to San Juanico put the group into Rancho El Cuarenta. More pit trailer repairs were necessary. They made a night run into the pit trying to dodge all the silt beds. ———– Carnage report: 3 flat tires, 11 busted bead lock bolts, 1 rear tail light assembly

BCG 7’s 9pm flight into San Diego airport left him, Wes, Chaos & Frosted Flake to run from San Felipe to Chivado in 26 hours with a 2 hour power nap at Gonzaga Bay, a code red at Coco’s Corner & 3 Pemex fuel stops. We proceeded down the race course through the car wash and into the Bay of LA. We met up with the Alabama crew and Posey needed some distributor repairs in town. We motored on into the Baja night for a Punta Chivado destination. The Fodor family met our crew on Tuesday where we took a few days to hang out at the beach house and catch some yellow tail and snorkel at casa de Fodor. We saddled up Thursday AM and headed over the mountains to the pit location with Patio on board. We sent Poncho a Mulege local to pick him up from the airport. He was really pissed at first, but we had to extend our Baja adventure to him somehow. No goats or chickens were in the taxi and he met a local band’s drummer. He really was glad to be in Mexico. On behalf of the entire Locos Mocos team, “THANK YOU” Fodor family for extending your casa throughout the entire week to this crazy crew as a destination spot to regroup, relax and shower up. ———– Carnage report: 1 busted motor mount, 1 lost V8 cylinder

The Lamont & K-Train crew saw the sun rise and set 5 days in a row making it to La Paz then north back to the pit with Mamma’s Boy, Bobby Hill & Hula Hoop. They never require any sleep on these trips so they added a bonus prerun from Lapaz to Cabo on dirt just for the hell of it! Quoted from Lamont, “We rallied the course this year harder than ever.  My Chaos  4Runner rolled almost 300k miles and a 10 year old TC suspension system owned the Baja and it’s silt beds!  A  4000 mile adventure, with nearly 700 of it in the dirt. We had NO issues,  we surfed Scorpion Bay, viewed several missions, ate at 23 taco stands pulled 19 race vehicles from the silt including BJ Baldwin and Armon Schwortz.  Huge thanks to ORW, TOTAL CHAOS, our families, plus Team LOCOS MOCOS for making these adventures possible.  We can’t wait till the next one!!!”  ——- Carnage report:  2 busted head lamps, 1 tire plugged & a lost AC

Two lone soldier Locos-Mocos/TOTAL CHAOS trucks with Boofay & Short Bus,  and “Oddball” (no matter who is in the truck it will always be an oddball, unless it’s 3-ball) had Cliffy, Stingray and Mr Clean signed up to play SCORE officials. They logged over 3000 miles with 600+ of race course. Only 1 flat (a BFG) and a broken coil spring on the QE2 (“Oddball’s-Queen Mary Sequoia) but that was on I5FWY on the way home. We met up with all LMC crew except BCG7, TC and Fodor. We spent some time at Casa de Fodor (thanks, that place is awesome), spent the night at Case de Baja Bros, the Yurts in San Iggy and the “dive” motel in Loreto. They sawbeach time almost every day but since we had a tight schedule we kept the “code reds” to a minimum. The group delivered 7 boxes of canned food and a large bag of toys to several ranches down the peninsula. They stayed our final night in a fellow racers motel in the wine country just 10 minutes from Ensenada, set a waypoint for this place, it’s new, clean but the heaters are $5 per night.

After having all our fun race day was finally here! The first race bikes blazed through at dusk and we all knew the pit would rock all night and into the early evening the next day. As the first trophy truck blazed through the silt bed and we watched the hard pack transform in front of our eyes into deep powder pools, we could only imagine what the race course into the pit was beginning to look like for these bikes & cars. Each vehicle passing through the silt bed went deeper and deeper into the abyss……….then we had our first casualty of silt bed war….…BJ Baldwin. Lamont immediately wheeled his 4Runner into position and proceeded to tug him out, along with 18 other silt bed victims that drowned in front of our eyes. Meanwhile, the Fodor 4Runner remounted truck #700 onto all 4 wheels after parking the truck on its driver side door while trying to avoid a silt pool before our pit and then he proceeded with Mamma’s Boy & Chaos up course to recover TT#22 that had a blown motor 4 miles from the pit. This recovery took from 2am till 5am plus 15 locals & their stock Ford Ranger to get the trophy truck up a silt hill before the pit. These local ranchers came fully prepared to assist any racer up that hill and through the cattle crossing!

The fueler’s were pinned all night long filling dump cans & dry breaks. Baja Bro, Shemp & Sniper were on top of it. Pauliana & BCG 1 manned the communications radios & logged vehicle #’s & times. Patio, Val & the Texicans manned the hot pit dumping fuel and performing adjustments with assistance from several other sets of hands. Bethel & Neighbor Tim hunkered down in the kitchen and got the “hot pepper stew” simmering to keep the team energized throughout the night. Fodor manned the coffee pot & Mikey-Mike nestled up in a chair on the burning hillside with a handheld to call entering bikes, cars & trucks race numbers. Locos Mocos was fully staffed and ready to support the 63 bikes 85 vehicles who were signed up for Baja Pits services.  Lamont & Fodor ran recovery straps off their 4Runners with help from several of the crew members rendering service to racers stuck in the silt or that rolled over before and after the pit location.

Baja Pits #12 continued into the late afternoon assisting race bikes, cars & trucks arriving at a steady pace. The crew assisted racers who required welding,  tire changes , scheduled fuel stops, extractions and all other necessary repairs. Baja Jones, Mikey-Mike and the Texans as well as neighbor Tim, Baton Rouge, Photom, Weto, Alex  and Flat Matt manned the pit till the very last Baja Pit’s supported racer made it through. They even unpacked the welder off the trailer in order to keep a 12 car going despite the sleep deprivation. It was no surprise the LOCOS MOCOS Team was dispatched to this remote pit location. No other major support team with this amount of equipment could get their tools, fuel or vehicle to this spot. Another Baja 1000 peninsula run has concluded and we all survived the Baja and have crazy stories to tell about the adventure. You know its worth it if the Texican’s are willing to log 5000 miles.

Our crew extends their prayers to Justin Imhoff and hopes for a speedy recovery from the Honda B rider that went down.

Photo credits: Tom Kimmell, TOTAL CHAOS, Locos Mocos crew

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Baja Jones smiles for the camera

LOCOS MOCOS member and co-founder Curtis Guise just released the 8th video in his off road series appropriately titled “Dezert People 8”. The video is filmed in HD quality, features intense race action, in car & heli footage plus the standard LOCOS MOCOS Baja Pit’s support and dynamite pit antics! Curtis contacted head Moco, “Baja Jones” to staff and set up the LOCOS MOCOS Taco stand for both the 2nd and 3rd round of the DP video premiers. The crew raised nearly $5,000 from their raffle and in taco stands tips that will be donated to www.fast-aid.org. It is great to share the Taco experience with people who are not fortunate enough to stumble into the pit on race day and see the set up that this crew transports to remote areas in Baja. I’ve attended these pits for nearly a decade and must admit………they serve 5 star meals in the middle of nowhere.

LOCOS MOCOS pit members Val, Billy & Papa John received much needed help from Baja Pits Carlos as well as Paco, Randy, Israel. The K1 event drew over 1,000 industry and non industry attendees. Several manufacturers were on hand to support the event. To purchase Dezert People 8 or any other video in the series check out www.dezertpeople.com!

Roger Norman & K1 Event Facts:
LOCOS MOCOS & Baja Pits cooked over 200lbs. of carne and pollo asada
All proceeds went to Fast Aid
K1 tip jar raised $1024.00
Off Road Warehouse donated $350
Almost $5000 total was raised at the Roger Norman / K1 premiers

Did your mama teach you to NEVER GIVE UP?

What breeds a desert racer? I guess we all know that who ever spawned them provided a gene that mandates a never give up attitude. They must posses the ability to dig deep when the going gets rough and they have to be part Mac Gyver. I would argue they are borderline insane! Very few things are more brutal on an individual than entering a SCORE-INTERNATIONAL Baja 500 to battle against good old Mother Nature for 438 miles while trying to maintain your equipment and keep your wheels on your rig. Add in the radiating afternoon heat you may be stranded in anywhere along the course while in seek of a black and white flag. I am reassured the people who help out the racers are just as insane as the guys in search of that checkered flag. So many racers only see the green one. What happens to the rest of them?

The Locos Mocos/Baja Pits #3 support crew was dispatched to race mile 128 for this year’s event. We are very familiar with the route and location at the base of the infamous summit. With heat in the triple digits (138 degrees at 1pm on the ground) and the dust a major factor at this event, the crew packed extra water and shade to man a 60 bike fuel station. The pit was also scheduled to assist 40 cars/trucks and was also capable of performing full service race repairs.

The LOCOS MOCOS trailer was packed complete with a tent city and was in tow behind Baja Jones. Pauliana & Bethel manned a fuel transport rig. Taco Dave helped run pit support in Yerington the week before and somehow was in Baja….. On Wednesday a Wanderer we named Shilaly driving a TOTAL CHAOS equipped FJ stopped into southern California and somehow joined this band wagon with his lax schedule at hand. Grasshopper celebrated his high school graduation and had to bail from his graduation party at 9:00 pm. The Baja OJ Bronco headed south with Val, Grasshopper and Remo fueled on Monsters. Patio somehow twisted my arm and hog tied me to travel to meet the remaining crew off the highway. There was Tiny with first time co dog Slick, Raptor Billy & Papa John. In a weird twist of HWY 5 fate, we bumped in Farmboy & Pro Pit Pat and told them about our pit location. On race day they kindly volunteered to tow a quad racer to his chase crew after a blown motor then continued on out to our remote pit to offer some welcomed assistance. When we arrived at saldaña, there was the crazy Mexicali crew of Alex, Cooler Handle, Capt. Mazda and his brother Julio waiting in the desert. Fully staffed, we rocked the pit from sun up till nearly sun up! Jones fixed a feast and opted to use the smoker for some of the best pork & tri tip sandwiches a desert racer can eat.

When you are set up early in a race you see the main guys having a flawless first 128 miles. But in reality, they are only 1/3 of the way. As the afternoon approached the radio chatter from Weatherman Bob and the limping vehicles were proof of how rough the race course this year proved to be. Blown transmissions plagued several top placing teams and flat tires did not discriminate by brands. The course was triple digit hot; the racers were tackling Baja after a season of severe rain. After the summit and the smoldering desert they had to conquer Mike’s Sky Ranch and its nasty rock sections and single track lanes. The opportunity to participate in this event either as a racer, chaser or spectator keeps these races alive and packed with entries. I know our two pit rookies will be back for the Baja 1000 if schedules permit. If you cut them now, they bleed Baja! It runs through your veins.

The TEAM LOCOS MOCOS list of race day repairs and rescues was impressive! The Baja Pits #3 location performed the following: we reinstalled a lower front shock bolt on quad #54A, #278X took a break and we fixed a flat and replaced a front tube on the bike, #449X pulled in and consumed his road kit, multiple spare tire swaps on racer cars #’s 107, 1202, 604, 1600,  mandatory fuel stops on 40+ bikes & quads, a fuel pump swap on # 500, a complete suspension refab was performed on #67 at 20:15 hours, temporary food and housing for racers   # 251X & 51A, recovery & transport back to states of bike # 304X (the rider was air lifted at mm 110 and sustained compound fractures in his crash), we manned a micro pit at mile marker 129.5 @ 18:00 and transported a generator & disc cutter to replace 4 wheel studs on car #106, meanwhile a thrown VW pulley belt was fixed on #574 at the same time. Spare wheel studs are very small to pack. I suggest everyone have a few spares in the pit box, especially in Mexico! More people than you think have had their tires pass them from loose lug nuts. They could save a race or prerun adventure for sure.

The first bike finished in 8 hours and 47 minutes….they hauled the mail! While the trophy trucks took 9 hours and 15 minutes to pluck every mile off the 438 mile course. Unless you have experienced the remote side of a Baja race you’ll never clearly understand the spooky side of racing down south of the border. You can sit on the side of the course for hours without any communication with team members. You can damage a part somewhere so remote you have to wait 10 hours until its clear to send in recovery vehicles on the course. Or you can be lucky enough to get stranded with TEAM LOCOS MOCOS in the middle of nowhere. Where you have a complete tent city equipped with a full service cooking station serving 5 star food and the ability to communicate via race radio or by satellite phone to any member of your chase crew if needed. For those not so lucky to spend an afternoon in our pit, I hope you saw the checkered flag! And if you didn’t, I hope you got the Baja bug and decide to race the Baja 1000. We’ll see you ¾ of the way down the peninsula at another remote location pit.

Pics by: Remo Sagastume, N-Chaos, Scott Massangil & Paul Nauleau

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Test towed today
Ready to rock

The map is out and we will head back to the foot of the Sierra Juarez to a little known and less visited spot called Cohobuzo Jct. The LMC crew will be running pit number three in the chain of ten world famous Baja Pits service areas at RM 128. Locos Mocos is prepared for the often scorching desert heat Cohobuzo Jct is famous for. Equiped with our patented fresh water wash down system the crew is ready to lower an overheated riders body temperature to normal in seconds. We have been told the soaking keeps them cool for eighty miles, well past Borego drying out just in time to begin their assent back into the mountains. For those joining us at the pit we will be serving the usual gourmet grub and as always BYO everything else. It is easy to say and hard to accomplish but once again Baja Pits will be pitting one third of the entire Baja 500 field. Expect seventy Bikes and Quads and thirty to fourty 4 wheel vehicles. Count on us for information as well. The Locos Mocos pit will once again be operating a state of the art scoring system and will have status on every vehicle through our location.  The LMC purpose built trailer will insure your spare junk will be at the most remote pit location on the race course at every event. The rolling tire shop/gas station/fab shop has been a welcome sight to racers in a bad way now for thirteen years. Many a disabled race vehicle has limped or been towed in and left under it’s own steam, many to go on to finish. Since this is not our first rodeo at the Cohobuzo Coral, we can highly recommend all UTVs and ATVs send in spare tires. The  rocky  approach to the summit and the bolder strewn stair step down the escarpment have sent many a racer limping from our pit on a flat tire for another thirty five miles of miserable wooped up race course. For questions on how to sign up for pit service call Carlos Orozco at 619-596-8033. See you all in Baja

Baja Jones

real time race updates for race-dezert.com

San Felipe, B.C. Mex. hosts one of the shortest and most relaxing off road races we get to participate in. You can order fresh beach side pina colada’s, walk the shore, eat sea side fish tacos or take an ultra light ride and do free falls with a local guy piloting you. All the bars in town are lit until the wee hours with wild off road racers and their stunt men antics. And then there is the annual Tony Tellier clam bake where the who’s who gathers to bench race the night before the race. Locos Mocos boiled up 70 Doz. clams and 8 kilos of jumbo shrimp to serve with a table of fresh tamales, tortilla’s, beans and salsa! It was a feast fit for racing and pit support kings.

The San Felipe 250 is the most brutal whooped out race course on the SCORE International race circuit. Endless rolling whoops lead to sand washes that have been tortured by recent storms and have exposed VW sized rocks & boulders that littered the 245 mile race course. TEAM LOCOS MOCOS was assigned the remote pit location in the Baja Pits chain at mile marker 196. They knew it would take an experienced crew with a purpose built equipment trailer to haul the gear out there. Scouting out the pit on Thursday proved to be as dangerous as the race when BCG 1 found a gotcha prerunning to the pit spot that sent him into a nose wheelie and resulted in 2 compressed lumbar discs. You can never let your guard down in Baja……you will get gobbled when you least expect it. BCG 1 has navigated the trails in that area for over a decade and this one snuck up on him! Was it a local booby trap?

When race morning arrived it was like we had done this before. We set up the radio station, set up the food station, constructed the tool and fuel work stations and waited for the first lead bike. At 9:45 AM there was rumble in the hills and the lead HONDA RED RIDER! We were there for business. We were scheduled to fuel 71 bikes & Quads and provide service for 34 4 wheel vehicles. We also offered full service repairs to anyone in the area needing our assistance. We fixed a hand full of broken racers, some to continue racing and some good enough to limp out the 55 off-road miles to the nearest paved road. Pauliana & Texan Robert even drove 10 gallons of fuel 5 miles out to a stranded racer after dark in the Arctic Cat.

We had a new guy in camp this race. A 13 year old off road race rookie who contacted Baja Pits through a forum and touted how he wanted to, “experience a real Baja race pit that works on race cars” before racing himself at age 16. Lil Paul hooked up with our crew in San Felipe with his father. Planning to graduate from junior high in a few short months, P2 had traveled to Baja with his family but never attended a Baja off road race.

Do you remember what you were doing at 13? A bright young man, ready to jump in where ever he is needed came equipped with well thought out solutions to problems as they arose. This kid is an inspiration that the youth of today does have a chance. P2 was hands on. . He was thrown on the radio early in the day and talked on the mike like a pro. He was safety first and knew the do’s and do not’s of where to sit on the corner of the course. He almost got run over by RG, despite his efforts, but we know how Robby drives and he was hauling the mail. He witnessed and participated in the first Race-Dezert.com attempt to provide live updates to their forum via satellite phone texting from the race course at mile marker 106 & 196. He recovered broken race cars and fueled golf carts. The kid passed out by 8pm, when we old farts just got started! You know he had a blast and has told the Robby Gordon story over 20 times at school.

Every trip back from Baja produces more crazy camp fire adventure stories for future races. Old Compadre trail was littered with water crossings going south but I kept the rubber side down this year. Curtis doesn’t carry a winch in the T100 and Mike didn’t even pack himself clean clothes to fly back to Sacramento in after 3 days in Baja! RDC pushed the envelope on keeping state side enthusiasts up to speed on where the leaders were at, while we all enjoyed the front row dust at the race. And a 13 year old young man lived a dream of participating in and fixing race cars during the San Felipe 250 race!! I cant wait till the Baja 500………….see ya in the DIRT!!

N-Chaos

The SF 250 crew: Baja Jones, Pauliana, BCG 1, BCG 7, Patio, Cortez, P2, John & Billy, Neighbor Tim, 3 Ball, Baja Bros., Remo, Val, Texas Trey & Robert, John Paul, dog Ruby & friends, & Good Year tires.

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Locos Mocos will be running a single location pit RM198 at this year’s San Felipe 250.
We will operate pit number 5, one link in the award winning Baja Pits chain 5 of pits.
Baja Pits President Carlos Orozco has strategically selected this pit for the crew of Locos Mocos. Positioned at the Top of Huatamote wash, the assent has been scrubbed clean of sand in some parts. The rocky wash is sure to cause some carnage to race vehicles. Repairing that carnage in the middle of nowhere is the specialty of the Locos Mocos crew.
San Felipe 250 race map, Baja Pits – Locos Mocos
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November 2009

EL POLLO LOCOS MOCOS
This year at the SCORE Baja 1000 we are running a taco stand to
generate donations for the Castro-Limon children’s cancer clinic.
This is a cancer treatment center serving orphans and poor kids in
Baja California that have no health coverage or cannot afford
treatment. We’ll set up shop at Borrego Junction right next to the
popular Baja Pit’s two-way pit. We are looking to collect enough
money to pay the entire food cost so that all the proceeds from race
day can go to benefit the kids. Any amount will help. For a $100
minimum donation we’ll include your logo on the big taco stand sign.
Thanks and see you at the race!

www.fundacioncastrolimon.org – Download our Flyer

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LocosMocos.com at the Baja 2000
November 9-17, 2000

The basic task at hand was to move eleven trucks, one 4-wheel drive Toyota Van, one dirt bike, one flat bed trailer loaded with spare race tires and equipment, one trailered generator and twenty-three people 600 miles south of San Diego to set up a pit for two days of off-road race pit service. Complicating this task was the fact that everything south of San Diego is in a foreign country that speaks a different language, uses a different currency, and for the most part, has not really grasped much of the technology of the late 20th century.

The task was also complicated by the fact that it was raining. It was also November making daylight a relatively scarce commodity. Many miles would need to be driven at night on a two-lane road through a wide variety of desert terrain. While fuel is available in most of the northern communities, there is a stretch of road nearly 300 miles long that has no gas stations. Fuel is occasionally available from vendors who fill drums and haul them to strategic locations. These vendors are very proud of their resourcefulness and usually charge at least 50% more per gallon for the gas. The night promised to be long.

Two of the twenty-three people in the group needed to be picked up at the airport on the way to the border. One of these people had missed his scheduled flight and was working the standby line in hopes of getting aboard a later flight. Cell phones played a major part in moving the group as far as the border. Once across the border, that would change. Cellular service was virtually non-existent in the rural areas and sporadic in the small handful of urban areas. All communication would take place via two-way radio.

All of these people would, of course, have to be fed during the stay in the pit so food and preparation equipment was also included in the load to be transported.

The area in question is Baja California, Mexico, one of the few remaining primitive regions of North America. Inside plumbing is still a luxury in many homes in Baja. The reason for the activity was the Baja 2000. Every year since 1967, several thousand adventurous souls have made a similar journey in support of a couple of hundred racers in what is known as the Baja 1000. Because of the year 2000, someone thought it would be a good idea to stretch the race out to something closer to 2000 miles.

The shear volume of supplies and equipment needed for a pit roughly 1000 miles into the race was mind boggling. All the hand-tools a Snap-On truck could carry and then some, a welder, metal fabrication tools, CO2 tanks for air tools, special off-road capable jacks and jack stands, shade canopies, highway cones, tool tables, oils, fluids, lubricants, and 300 gallons of fuel in four different brands and octane combinations as well as a dozen 11-gallon fuel dump cans all had to be moved into the pit location. All the camping and support equipment also had to be moved into the pit location as well.

The pit location was 75 miles from the nearest pavement just to make it challenging. To make it worse, the only routes into the pit area were either southbound down the racecourse or northbound up the racecourse. The southbound route was more direct and could be accessed directly off the Trans-Peninsular Highway. Most of this part of the course was a mostly flat rural graded and graveled road. The challenge to this route lay 6 miles from the pit location. A bed of soft silt, in some places more than knee deep, which ran for about a mile rendering that route impassable for anything but a serious off-road vehicle ruling out the trailers and the van.

The northbound route was considerably more docile but it added almost 200 miles to the route. It would be passable for the trailers and the van but it would be far from a cruise down a county lane. It was still after all, part of the Baja 2000 course.

The logistics of moving supplies, equipment, and personnel along such a route would be impossible without a huge amount of advance planning. It would be difficult without a dedication to teamwork. It would be a nightmare without a set of goals and instructions to get this army all to the right place by the appointed time. Thus the reason for “The Book”. 100 plus pages in a 3 ring binder was the guide that kept 23 individuals focused on the same goal. This book detailed objectives, accommodations, routes, procurement, meals, tools, maps, waypoints, and a summary of each day’s planned route. It even detailed when to buy ice. Each vehicle was equipped with one.

From the book:
Friday November 10
Objectives
1) Transport LMc crew across Mexican Border to Catavina.
2) Obtain B2K race T-shirts and Fireworks in Ensenada.
Travel
Total Mileage: 307
Pavement Mileage 297
Off-road Mileage: 10 max
Fuel Stops: USA, El Rosario
Departure Time: 0700
Arrival Time: N/A
Origin: Carlsbad CA
Destination: Catavina
Accommodations
Meals
Breakfast Carlsbad BYO at motel
Lunch BYO
Dinner BYO
Housing Camp near Catavina
Procurement Fireworks in Ensenada, t-shirts at contingency
Pitting None
Route
Location K-Marker GPS Notes
Tijuana Border Crossing 0 BCN1 Take Toll Road south
Roasrito 34 BCN2
Ensenada 109 BCN4
Maneadero 21 BCN5
Santo Tomas 51 BCN6
San Vincente 90 BCN7
Colonet 127 BCN8
Camalu 157 BCN9
Vincente Guerrero 172 BCN10
San Qunitin 190/0 BCN11 Less traffic after San Quintin
El Rosario 55 BCN12 Mandatory Fuel Stop
Guayaquil 128 H1K128
El Marmol 144 BCN13
Catavina 175 BCN14 Possible Fuel

By noon on Friday, all the flight connections had been made and everyone had crossed the border into Baja California. The first planned stop was in Ensenada for what is known in off-road racing circles as contingency. Vendors and suppliers of anything related to desert racing pay prize money to racers contingent on finishing positions. These vendors display their wares to the racers, crew, and spectators in a high horsepower, county fair like setting during the days prior to the races. T-shirts commemorating the event were sold by the thousands and each crewmember needed to get one or two.

By 3:00pm, the entire crew was southbound on the Trans Peninsular Highway or TPH. At this point the crew had been broken into two groups. The van and the truck pulling the flatbed trailer were needed by another pit crew to transport race gas from the pavement to a pit area known as El Arco. This group took the lead and disappeared south as their radio chatter faded to static.

The rest of the crew moved out into afternoon traffic and continued the journey. The rain continued and by 4:30 most of the useable daylight was much farther west and the road was illuminated only by headlights. The first 185 miles of the TPH is broken into sections by small agricultural communities making progress unsteady and requiring the use of the two-way radios for passing.

From “The Book”:
Passing Procedures

Driver requesting oncoming road traffic information asks for Weather Report. Lead vehicle in section will give one of two responses:
If there is no oncoming traffic the only correct response is “Gring, Gring, Gring.”
If traffic is approaching, the correct response is “Oncoming! Oncoming!”
Once all vehicles have completed the pass, the last car to complete the pass line will call “Clear”.
Once a call for a Weather Report has been made, all incidental radio dribble must cease until the Clear call has been made. This procedure has been established to prevent accidents and has been 100% effective when used correctly.

145 Miles south of the border the rider of the dirtbike conceded that his plan to ride all the way to the pit was none too sound. Every stitch of his clothing was soaked and the dirt tires on the bike provided less than satisfactory traction on the rain slick pavement. Luckily for everyone, a fellow off-roader took pity and offered to carry both bike and rider to the evening’s planned campsite. At the next gas station, bike and rider were loaded and the southbound movement continued at a less constrained pace.

The gas station in El Rosario has become a mandatory refueling stop because the next gas is 250 miles away in Guerrero Negro. During the fuel stop, tasty sausage treats such as Polska Kielbasa and Louisiana Hot Links were wrapped in foil and wired to exhaust manifolds to provide a hot snack upon arrival at the campsite.

By 9:00pm the camping area had been reached and the road-food aluminum foil was replaced with fresh flour tortillas. After rapidly consuming all the sausages, this group hastily bivouacked for the night. Most of the rain had been left in the north but the moisture-laden air quickly chilled through damp clothing. A fire was laid to combat the chill, as nobody was ready for bed. Too many miles needed to be washed down with cold Mexican beer.

Dawn broke with a crisp freshness only found in the desert after a rain. The unique aroma of wet creosote bushes was slowly overcome by the warm, thick drift of camp coffee. The chorus of snores was replaced with the rustle of nylon tenting as the sun cleared the low scrub surrounding the camp. The first night of sleeping on the ground caused some aches and pains for some.

Even though the operational plan was laid out in precise detail, there was enough slack in the schedule to allow for various unplanned events that occur during these events.

From “The Book”:
Glossary of terms

Manana Syndrome Reason for any delay south of the border.

These unplanned events included golf clubs. A 3 iron, a 3 wood and 250 range balls were brought along and these were first put to use while breaking camp. It was evident that most of the crew was far more competent as off-road racers than golfers.

The complications of the previous day faded into memory as the caravan moved steadily southward. Weak radio contact was established with the lead group as the main body reached the outskirts of Guerrero Negro, a planned refueling stop. The ferrying of race fuel had not yet taken place because the race fuel had not reached the rendezvous point.

The missing fuel became the first complication of the day as the truck with the trailer had another 300 miles of winding road to cover. Blame the Manana Syndrome. Nothing really to do but wait. Or Pre-run. The dirtbike was unloaded and along with 4 of the trucks headed for a 100-mile section of the racecourse that paralleled the highway. The rest waited until 3:00pm and moved to the end of the planned pre-run section to wait.

The pre-run spawned the second complication of the day. The dirtbike came in and reported a huge suspension failure on one of trucks. Two of the others had issues as well. During the wait for the crippled pre-runners, the gas transport crew arrived and reported that the gas had made it and the driver of the gas hauler had been persuaded to carry the fuel all the way into the pit. As it turns out, that was the reason for his delay. He had been providing the same service to other crews along his route.

It was well into darkness by the time the heavily damaged pre-runner was pulled into place and the offending parts were removed, welded and replaced. The next truck was also repaired and while the third was pulled into position, a pair of trucks was sent out as scouts to find a campground and suitable restaurant in San Ignacio.

The suitable accommodations were found at the Rice & Beans RV park. Owner Ricardo Romo was eager to serve us dinner and drinks and provide hot showers and tent sites. The small dining area soon overflowed with chatter and tales of broken this and bent that. Dinner was served as videos of old desert races were played on the monitors hung in the corners of the room.

As fatigue crept unnoticed in through a back door, the dirty and spent crew headed out to set up tents or rinse off the day’s dust in the last running water for several days. By 10:00pm the snoring from the previous night had caught up with the group and once again protected the camp throughout the night.

Sunday dawned once again bright and clear but with a deeper sense of purpose. The pit location must be found and the pit must be assembled.

From “The Book”:

Pit Set-up Procedures and Checklist
Step # Procedure
1 Unload all pit equipment from all vehicles.
2 Set up E-Z Ups and shade canopies.
3 Set up radio antenna mast and antenna adjacent to E-Z Up.
4 Set up small radio/timing table under E-Z Up by antenna. Set up radio/battery. Radio check
5 Set up small generator.
6 Set up tool table.
7 Set up kitchen tables.
8 Set up bar table.
9 Lay out cones for entrance and exit.
10 Gather all dump cans and fuel jugs into Fuel Zone. Tape off “No Smoking” zones.
11 Tape off fuel drum storage area. “No Smoking” area.
12 Set out fire extinguishers.
13 Set up banners
15 Lay out tools.
16 Duct tape CO2 bottles to E-Z Up legs at tool table. Lay out air hoses. Oil & test air guns.
17 Lay out tires.
18 Set out jacks and jackstands.
19 Set out fluids, lubes and sprays.

San Igancio is deeply rooted in the history of Baja. The town square is dominated by the 250 year old Mision de San Ignacio. As the Baja 2000 worked its way into town, various race teams set up pits in the shadow of the old mission. The children of the town were all over the square absorbing all the commotion. This was the “Big Show” for this town. This was major league sport coming right down main street and right by their bedroom windows. The children gathered ‘round crying out for “Steekers! Steekers!” as the men of the town admired the trucks. Very little of the Spanish language is spoken by the crew and very little English by the towns people. But that is not to say there was no communication. The crew and the townspeople were two very different groups who both shared a passion for the sport of off-road racing. This passion was shared in the smiles and gestures and handshakes as the crew saddled up and headed out of town.

The nine trucks and dirtbike spread out along the dusty racecourse and called hazards over the radio. The first leg was mostly west and then a hard left turn pointed the course in its customary southerly direction. It was a mile or so after this turn that the day became more complicated. The radio call was that of a possible blown tranny. That would have been worse than just complicated. As it turned out the rear axle housing on one of the trucks snapped in two rendering the vehicle immobile. It was certainly a complication but it could be overcome. The theory was that the money brought by the crew could be used to help find a useable housing back in San Ignacio. One truck and a crew of 3 was assigned to head to town and procure the housing. The rest of the crew brought out the lawn chairs, the lunch and the beer and prepared to wait.

After an hour it was decided that a scout should be sent to the pit location to establish contact with the group coming up from the south. Upon the scout’s arrival at the pit location, there was no sign of the southern group. Radio traffic with the stalled group decided that the scout should travel further south to the next village in case the trailer group was in need of assistance.

During the downtime, entertainment was provided by the golf clubs, the icechests and a guitar that was purchased in San Ignacio. A local in a Bronco II stopped by with obvious suspension problems. The crew went right to work and discovered the front coil spring had slipped out of the bucket. While this was being put back in place the rest of the crew went over the rest of the truck looking for signs of trouble. It was found that a recently replaced radiator hose was too long and was rubbing on an engine pulley, thus slicing it. The hose was shortened and the slice was taped over to slow the leakage. The radiator was topped off and the driver was given a gallon of water to go. They said their gracias’ and again left the stranded crew to pass the time in the desert.

As s the sun started to drop towards the Pacific Ocean, radio contact was again established with the crew sent to town to find the axle. Success. The delay was not in locating the axle. That was brought about with the assistance of Ricardo of Rice & Beans. He made some phone calls and located a housing. The complications were a series of three flat tires on the chase truck. That caused the delay in returning to the waiting crew.

A flurry of activity surrounded the position as all energy was spent swapping the housing and getting the group back in motion. It didn’t matter whose truck it was, the focused teamwork of the entire group put it back together. The group was enveloped in full darkness by the time the engines were refired to continue south.

While the southbound group was busy sorting out their complications, the group with the trailers was having complications of their own. During the journey in from Mulege, the leaf springs that supported the generator on its axle decided to make adjustments to their positions. This, of course, required adjustment and tightening. The van that accompanied the truck pulling the generator was very heavily loaded and moved at a very sedated pace over the Baja 2000 course.

The truck and trailer hauling the tires, fuel, and equipment also encountered complications. While stopped in San Juanico in an attempt to procure lobster, it was noticed that the trailer seemed to be riding a bit lower than normal. Upon inspection it was noted that the tongue of the trailer was on the verge of parting company with the rest of the trailer. Fortunately, this occurred within a couple hundred yards of a welding shop. This truck and trailer was again able to make its way northward and was indeed the first to arrive at the pit location.

By 8pm the crew had reassembled on location in the pit and began the task of setting up the pit. This was complicated by the darkness. At this point it was discovered that overcoming the darkness would be complicated by the leak in the fuel tank in the generator. Redundancy can often overcome complications and the two smaller portable generators were fired up and set to run the lighting that would allow the repair of the fuel tank and the setup of the pit, kitchen and living quarters. Fuel was transferred from drum to dump cans. Cones were deployed. Banners were hung. The radio antenna was erected and the radio was brought online. In a span of a couple of hours a barren expanse of Baja real estate was transformed into a fully functional off-road racing pit facility. This was done by a dedicated group of volunteers whose only motivation was a love of the sport and Baja.

The kitchen became functional, the bar was opened and a serving line was established. During the stay in the pit, this kitchen and bar served the meals and libations that kept the crew fueled and functional.

From “The Book”:

B2K Menu
Hot Coffee will be served continuously from the time the kitchen opens till we close the pit, as will be drinking water Gatorade and sodas.

Sunday November, 12
Happy hour: finger foods, chips and salsa, cheeses (not cheesers) and crackers, smoked oysters, clams, shrimp cocktail, grilled assorted gourmet sausages and smoked pork tenderloin.
Barry and Allen will be serving every imaginable libation (no blender as yet so try not to imagine any frozen drinks)

Dinner: The Main course will consist of our own famous surf and turf combo. Fresh local Lobster and Carne Asada burritos served with rice, beans, fresh salsa and all the trimmings.

Dessert: If anyone has room will be served with espresso or apéritif.

Monday November, 13
Breakfast: Will be served from first light till mid morning to accommodate a busy pit and varied sleeping schedule. The menu will be made to order omelets, desert mush, cold cereal, hot tortillas, pastry and French toast or pancakes, Fresh fruit and Juice fresh salsa and ExTreme Specked Taters.

Lunch: A Sandwich buffet will consist of assorted cold cuts, cheeses, breads and veggies with all the trimmings. We will serve lunch from noon through mid afternoon.

Dinner: Your choice of Grilled marinated Tri tip, top sirloin, pork chops or chicken. If Mike comes we will also be grilling catch of the day. Mashed potatoes, green salad, French cut string beans or hot tortillas, rice beans and full Meky garnish. Dinner will be served on a made to order basis to accommodate the schedules of the crew.

Tuesday November, 14
Breakfast: Same format as Monday.

Lunch: Same format as Monday.

The influx of vehicles and the commotion caused while setting up the pit soon drew the attention of the local community or ejido. An ejido is a farming collective that owns property and assets according to Mexican Law. It is usually a closely-knit group of families and in this case was run by two brothers. At anytime during the race there was usually one or more cars or trucks parked across from the pit watching the activity.

At one minute to eleven, the faint distant glow of headlights heralded the first of the 190 competitors who would pass by this pit location. This first racer would eventually be the overall winner. By midnight, a second racer had appeared. Two more passed during the midnight hour. Another pair by 2am and yet another two before 3am. A little after 3am the frequency increased to 5 per hour, then 9, then a steady stream of a dozen or so per hour

As the night became morning, some of the crew were overcome with fatigue and drifted one by one to their tents for well-earned sleep. Some sat around the campfire and improvised along with the guitar. Others were still running on excess adrenaline and continued to gas and repair racers until the dawn broke. The daylight eliminated the need for manmade lighting and the constant drone of the repaired generator to be silenced.

The daylight also brought the locals across the course and into the pit area. Through a little Spanish on one side and a little English the other side a loose friendship was established and the locals were welcomed into the pit area. And why not? It was their land after all. As a gift of appreciation for allowing the race to take place and for the use of their land for the pit area, the local kids were given a soccer ball.

At times there were as many as 5 racers in the pit at one time. Other times would see an hour go by without a customer stopping in for service. Fueling became routine. The repairs became the challenge:

#119, Scott McMillin, came in for a tire check. All were fine. He left the pit at 05:49 11/13.
He finished 6th in class and 16th overall.

#257X, Mitchell Sanchez, had overworked his clutch in negotiating the siltbed and pulled in for an adjustment. He exited the pit at 06:40am. He finished 8th in class.

#839, Chris Wilson, honked his horn as he passed the pit at 07:39 11/13. He finished 3rd .

#113, Damen Jefferies, came in for a tire check. All were fine. He left the pit at 07:35 11/13. He finished 8th in class.

#270X, Dennis Law, came in for an air filter change. Dennis was riding the race solo. He left the pit at 8:36 to a standing ovation. 11/13. He finished 18th in class.

#86, Jim Baldwin, pulled into the pit with a flat right front tire. This was changed and his radiator was topped off. He exited the pit at 9:02 11/13. He finished 5th in the Trophy truck class.

#250, Gary Magness, came in with rear brake problems. Inspection revealed that a slight rear axle seal leak was causing fluid to affect brake pad operation. The area was cleaned and the brakes were bled and he continued racing at 9:06 11/13. He did not finish.

#275X, Mike Childress, arrived with most of the knobbies stripped from his rear tire. His tire was replaced and he resumed racing at 9:16 11/13. He finished 19th in class.

#243, Rick Johnson, limped into the pit with a twisted sector shaft on his steering box. A replacement box was borrowed from # 269, Glenn Harris, and was installed on the Johnson entry. He left the pit at 12:45 11/13. He finished 2nd in class.

#1008, Dennis Hunter, pulled in with a faulty alternator on his Honda powered car. His batteries were charged and the internals from a Toyota alternator we fitted to his Honda alternator case. While sitting in the pit it was noticed that his tire was going flat. This was changed and he exited the pit at 11:37 11/13. He finished 5th in class.

#259, Bob Surman, came in with a flat tire, This was changed and he resumed racing at 11:38 11/13. He finished 21st in class.

#860, Marc Stein, came in with soft brakes. His front brakes were bled and he was sent out of the pit at 12:39 11/13. He finished 3rd in class.

#554, Arturo Cervantes, had dropped his flashlight onto the floor and could not reach it. It was retrieved for him and he exited the pit at 13:32 11/13. He finished 3rd in class.

#700, Jeff Lewis, came in with his left front brake caliper locked up. The brakes were restored to working order and he resumed his race at 17:05 11/13. He won his class.

#1606, Tim Moore, came in with a broken light bar. It was welded and he resumed racing at 18:56 11/13. He did not finish.

#20, Walker Evans, was stuck in the silt bed with broken front suspension as the result of a high speed rollover. Tools were sent out via Locos Mocos dirt bike to assist in the repairs. He was then escorted to the pit area where Walker and his co-driver were fed lobster burritos and beer. The battered Trophy Truck was too damaged to continue racing but exited the pit under its own power at 20:13 11/13.

#702, Perry McNiel, needed a windshield cleaning, drinking water, and water added to the radiator. He exited the pit at 20:27 11/13. He finished 2nd in class.

#1610, Anthony Carlson, had aired down his tires to aid in clearing the siltbed. His tires were reinflated to proper pressure and the driver was given drinking water. Resumed racing at 20:35 11/13. He finished 8th in class.

#1100, Eric Solorzano, was given 4 gallons of gas and his windshield was cleaned. Exited the pit at 00:01 11/14. He won his class.

#577, Gerardo Inbe, came screaming in with a stuck throttle. The cable was cleared. They were given water and left the pit at 02:30 11/14. He did not finish.

#1612, Chuck Guy, stopped for a light adjustment and cleaning. He resumed racing at 02:53. He finished 11th in class.

Before dawn a radio call was received from #811 requesting assistance in the siltbed. The dirtbike and two 2wd trucks were sent to aid in the extraction. After extracting # 811, cars #1201, #BC6, #BC2, #1401, #761, and #1649 were assisted in getting unstuck.

#1401, the Becker Brothers, came in with no spare tire. They were loaned a tire. He exited the pit at 05:46 11/14. He finished 3rd in class.

#BC1, Roberto Guerrero, stopped to have his tires brought back up to race pressure. His codriver’s lap belts were adjusted for a better fit. He exited the pit at 07:09 11/14. He finished second in class.

#1201, Brandon Arciero, came in with a loose left rear trailing arm pivot bolt. It was tightened up and a lock nut was added. He exited the pit at 07:23 11/14. He did not finish.

#BC6, Mike Groff, stopped in for course information. He was told the Race Mile of the pit and given an air freshener. He exited the pit at 07:29 11/14. He did not finish.

#811, Eric Heiden, was extracted from the siltbed by Locos Mocos mobile units. During the extraction process, the rear tires of the truck were aired down. These went flat enroute to the pit and were changed by the mobile crew. At the pit, driver and co-driver were given water and the tires were reseated on their rims. A new air freshener was installed in the truck and they exited the pit at 07:48 11/14. They finished 7th in class.

The day passed into night and then again into a new dawn. Along with the sunlight came 25 to 30 of the ejido to watch from across the course.

The checkpoint at San Ignacio closed at 9:30am and the course was shut down. The dust on the course settled and the crew began the task of putting the pit back into boxes, crates and onto the trailer. With the general fatigue and despondency toward the end of the race, the disassembly lacked the enthusiasm shown during the set up process. The folks from the ejido moved across the course to join in breaking down the pit.

The last area to be disassembled was the kitchen/ bar. While the last of pit was packed away, the day’s lunch was on the grill. It was a collection of tri-tip steaks, scrambled eggs and tortillas. There was sufficient quantity to feed the members of the ejido who had been the incognizant hosts of the race and the pit.

The last of the packing was completed by noon and the parade was again mobile and began the 50 mile journey south towards San Juanico. The image of shrimp tacos and cold beer at the Scorpio Bay Cantina spawned a renewed drive. A relaxed and confident sense of accomplishment prevailed over the group. They had come to Baja to fix racecars. They had. All save one exited the pit with the intention of further competition. Some of those were victorious. Others were happy with just a finish.

Early afternoon found the crew hounding the kitchen crew at the cantina. By the time the beer was gone, so was the crew. After a short walk on the beach they were again ready to move to their destinations. Who went where would be decided at La Purisma where pavement would again be seen. This 20-mile leg of graded dirt road was not without complications. At La Purisma the welder was unloaded and the problems were mostly solved.

Again the crew split up to travel based upon vehicle capabilities or limitations. Four pre-runners followed the racecourse to the south and east towards a motel room in Mulege while the rest took the pavement south towards camping on the beach in San Carlos.

The route to Mulege was through a night as black as Baja has to offer. Pierced by thousands of watts of lighting power, the darkness parted reluctantly to allow the passage of the four pre-runners. Guided by satellites and the marvel of the Global Positioning System as well as little bits of reflective tape used to mark the race course, no serious complications were encountered on the route back to the Trans Peninsular Highway. A handful more miles north and the pre-runners were bedded down in a roadside motel on the outskirts of Mulege. .

The bulk of the crew had opted for the pavement south to San Carlos and beach sand under the tents. They traveled through the urban areas of Insurgentes and Ciudad Constitucion before turning west toward the beach. Road weary racers assembled tent and laid out sleeping bags once again. The sound of Pacific surf lured weary minds off to sleep.

During the following days the crew reassembled on the beaches near Mulege to see to their own needs. Leisurely breakfasts followed with SCUBA, swimming, beach golf, cold beer and Cuban cigars relaxed the souls of the crew. A last barbecue and beach party further bonded these individuals into a single core of purpose who share many memorable experiences as one soul.

The last day at the beach dawned with long journey north looming as a dark cloud on the horizon. The plan set forth in “The Book” was modified and early afternoon brought the return to a reality. In groups of three to five trucks, the entourage headed north. Most stopped in Santa Rosalia to visit an ATM. Then again north to San Iganacio. It was decided to stop and pay tribute to Ricardo at Rice & Beans for his help. A thank you toast expanded to two. Then the thought of dinner. Then the realization that further travel would be a hazard. Again the group accepted Ricardo’s hospitality and stayed the night.

The last dawn in Baja saw the group anxious to get home. Well before the sun had a chance to warm the November desert, the caravan was again moving northward. The roadside stops were fewer northbound. Only for gas or a comfort break. Maybe to let stragglers catch up. Darkness caught the group entering Ensenada. The border was attained by 8:00pm.

During their 8-day trek through the forgotten peninsula, this group of individuals forged themselves into a single unit. Dedicated to the goals set forth in the book, this single unit turned a week of adventure into a wealth of fond memories.

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