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Anyone besides me watching the Baja 1000 today.
I love it when them big trucks catch all that air time.
Reminds me of home back in the 70's in Vegas
watching the Mint 400 every year.
What a blast that was Lots of cool bikes and trucks.
Then there was the hot women Awww Memories.
To bad Life does not have due overs!
I would like to do it all again.
HE! HE! HE!
Kurt
Kurt, The Baja 1000 was on my bucket list of things to see, "until this year".
This fall I built a new teardrop trailer for my son. When finished, for it's shake down run, we towed it into Baja Mexico, about a 1000 mile round trip. We had lobster on the beach on our way to Ensenada. Walked with the SCORE race cars through tech inspection and enjoyed the crazy carnaval atmosphere in town.
Then off to San Fillipe to stay the night with friends in their condo on the beach. We had a feast on freshly caught sea food. The next morning we left and drove south to race check point three (293 miles into the race) and about 60 miles south of San Fillipe. We camped with two other friends (from Mexicalli) and ate, and ate, and ate waiting for the first of the trophy trucks to come. (The top two motorcycles had already past the check point before we arrived because the M/C and ATV's start early). We were camped about 30 feet from the race course. It was a whoops section at the end of about twenty miles of a torn up, rock/gravel road.
It was exciting when you could see the chase helicopters coming over the horizon and the dust of the trophy trucks coming. Some of the people we camped with were part of the winning Class 10 car and we got to be in their pit. Not only did their car win Class 10, but the winning Trophy Truck was also from Mexicalli so they were really excited.
A couple of things that I came away with were how difficult the logistics are to keep a race car running, fuel, tires, parts, etc. It takes lots of people, and support for every entry just to finish the race. Make sure you have a radio that can tune into the Weatherman Channel to monitor the race progress.
You need to budget "the cost of a jet helicopter" (LOL) into your race budget to be competitive in the top Trophy Truck and Class One classes.
It's amazing the way the entire country turns out to support the race. It's like watching World Rally Cup or Tour de France racing with the spectators lining the roads, it's an accident waiting to happen, IMO. The racers are very committed to offroad racing. I have seen the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 200 and GP motorcycle, NASCAR races, NHRA, Sprint cars, Drag and Endurance boats and nothing is quite like the Baja 1000.
I agree with you John thats the way the Mint 400 used to be out there in Vegas every year. Lots of eating drinking parties and cool cars sandrails motorcycles trucks and VW Bugs. I don't remember any 4 wheelers back then, if there was it was not many anyway.
But they always had a big parade up Fremont Street down town, Las Vegas with all the vehicels. Back then Vegas was not near as big as it is today, but thousands and thousands of people would show up from all over the place. It was a great time to be a kid growing up out there. Atleast it was for me.
Kurt
I also have fond menories of San Fiellipe many (20?) years ago. what a cool little town. steak and lobster every night for around $6.00 and stayed in the honeymoon sweet for about $60.oo a night. bet I wouldn't even recognise it today.
As to the Baha, some of the locals just love to set up boobi traps for the contestants. it's great sport for them.
Russ