Baja 1000 Uff Dah!

Everybody thinks about the Baja 1000 as something they want to be involved with either
racing, pre-running, helping a team with pits and support or just do as most of the Baja population does and watch the drama and excitement. After Odilly the race organizers struggled to figure how to pull off this major event running this year a total 1275 miles the mountains passes impassible, flooded flood planes but with seemingly insurmountable amount of work, course changes etc. etc. Score International pulled off a ball buster of an event that finished up in LaPaz with plenty of stories for all that were involved.

The Boyz ready for another day.

We had the pleasure of having a group that was tough as wang leather that decided to pre-run the course from Ensenada back home to Los Barrlies just as the race was getting ready to take the green flag. Our daily goal was 200+ miles that is plenty enough of Baja 1000 race course for most and usually this would put us in to our bibwack just at dark or after depending on the days drama. 

If there is one thing for sure, Baja can always dish it out day after day. Looking to have an adventure and an adventure it was! From the time we left LB heading north fully loaded, sheering the rear drive wheel lug nuts off the truck sitting in the middle of nowhere scratching my nuts and head as to how to get us out of this mess. This left us flagging off traffic and Jae hitchhiking to San Ignacio for help. Oh yes let the adventure begin but with the gracias help from friends Rafa and the RPM race team and some luck at the shop in Vizciano at sunset, driving thru the night with the help of a moonlit highway 1, it seemed like a nightmare, but we rolled into that comfy bed at the Cactus Inn for a few hours of sleep before the next days adventure began.

 We don't like counting on others to take care of our riders but with the tight schedule issues we arranged a private van to pick up the Baja virgins from the SD airport and deliver them to Horsepower Ranch where we would meet them and start our trip. Little did we know that we hired a Robby Gordon inspired driver to give the guys there first taste of Mexico and quite the thrill before they even jumped on the bikes LOL you really cant make this shit up. A good meal a couple of beers and everybody was settled in and ready for what Baja had to dish out on the dusty trail that awaited. Milo, Thal, Bumper, Garret and Will were up and ready to roll out of Ensenada and destinations southward I am happy to say that we really appreciate living here in Baja Sur as the Norte seems to lack charm in landscape. Mean, nasty and surprisingly tore up, my thoughts can only be there are so many high power race teams really tearing this place up!

Oh yes the slit.

 Still the beauty and freedom we have to be able to do such a journey is something never to take for granted and for all the riders never being in our Baja the overwhelming feeling of everybody being so welcoming is awesome they make us crazy dirt bike riders feel like Rock Stars! 

Stickers Stickers

By the second day we already had our 2 candidates for the best crash of the trip with Bumper winning head down with his human canon ball though a cactus as well not informing anybody of his busted rib until relaxing around the pool after the whole trip, yep wang leather tough! We had way too many stories to get into this blog but 12 flat tires, silt sucked motors, plugged carburetors, ruined rims, headlights failing, stranded in the dark in Frog Canyon, getting lost avoiding the nasty silt of Comondu, were all part of a great Baja Adventure. I will have to say that planning a trip like this is alot and Jae did a fantastic job getting us the best places to stay everyday and fueling everybody with real Baja cuisine that turned this crew of meat and tater guys into enjoying what the Baja has to give.

 We planned this out so that we could wake up in LaPaz the morning the Baja Mil was finishing so we could witness the success for the 4X team and the others to follow with all such great efforts to make it to the finish line. My buddy Chris Parr is one of the guys who decided to Ironman the Baja Mil this year after many years racing with teams including Captain Baja he felt that the only thing left to do is race the whole thing himself. But this was not his first attempt to do so as 2 years ago he set out to ironman the 2012 peninsula run but 14 miles in he went down hard and busted his ribs and punctured a lung but still rode another 200 miles before collapsing in the pits and yep 2 weeks in the hospital! oh how racing is fun. This year Chris and his Team Whiskey Tango efforts where focused with the attitude just to finish this 1275 mile monster without injury nor divorce. Maybe I have not really expressed how tough this race was but most people involved with this years grand race said this was the Mac Daddy of all! (congrats to Rob Mac and team) and after riding it, I would say so also. As we watched the mucho improved live streaming and tracking from  the south end I could only send out my positive energy to my pal and his spectacular chase team of Darryl and Darin plus one lug nut they picked up.

Chris celebrating his finish with Roger, 47hr on the bike!!!

 The first 24 hours seemed to go as planned with plenty of p-nut butter and bananas Chris has been training for months for this and thought he might be on the bike for 30ish hours but with his set goal in mind he still had another night to go. Every hour I was checking on the status and this second night just crept on forever you can't imagine what effort it takes to concentrate on the terrain that he never even pre-ran and the bodily effort to keep from wadding up in the middle of nowhere. At 4:30 in the morning we were waiting for Chris to finish. Expecting maybe complete dehydration and medical attention but Chris Cool-Aid Parr got the checked flag he was as usual all smiles and completely elated that he has finally accomplished his personal goal!! 47 hours 3rd Place and a whole lot of stories. We are all very proud of you Chris and it was great to get to relax with everybody here in Los Barriles as the stories smiles and laughter went on and on for all of us. 

The gang hanging LB beach style after the long haul.

     

O Dilly O My!

About a week before anybody really said the name Odile I was watching EEBMike seeing this large circular mass come together down south. Then when it was finally worthy of being named I said to Jae oh how cute they named this storm after the famous DQ ice cream bar Dilly. That made perfect sense to me! Large, round, circular, fabulous & famous I mean every body knows the Dilly Bar right! Who the hell has ever heard of Odile well now everybody especially all that love Baja will remember that damn bitch Odile!

Living here you tend to watch all possible hurricane threats coming close to your area, mucho preparation should always be done if such luck runs out. The forecasters called this one heading west and away from land but personally I wasn't buying it and 2 days before we started our prep. Water, Gas, Food, Generator, Check! Oh but wait, tie down, pick up, put away anything that can blow away then cut all the excess palms plants and make sure your palapa has good netting and tied down, storm shutters on, candles out, flashlights etc etc. Fortunately we didn't have riders in so we were pretty much as prepared as we could get. As Odile barred down straight on to Cabo and towards us the power went dark  around 8pm and she started to blow as you think you know what to expect! You certainly were not going to get any sleep so you sit listen and peek out the door as the rain starts pelting the casa and filling up the yard with water and debris.

Yes the 1st arroyo ran good and yes took out a section of the new pave job.

 Mother nature is wonderful, strong and always to be respected fortunately we did not get the brunt of this ass kicker but we still guessed the wind was gusting 80 - 100 MPH here on the East Cape. So being the adventurous type about 2am, Jae and I decided to gear up and take a cruise in the T-rex to check out the town and beach yes I know most would call this stupid but nature calls. The ride was a experience not be forgotten Dilly was a kicken and the beach was not even close to "do" able as we sneaked close between a couple big rock walls Ok video made time to head back and hope your roof and windows hold. By mid morning people started peaking out from their respected security spots to assess the occurred personal damage and the general condition of the town, no death's or serious injury's so really all in all pretty darn lucky here.  

Securing our out of town compadre's casa.

After such a storm life gets quite interesting we all know of the drama in Cabo now but at the time you are only worrying about your issues and then to check on your friends and neighbors your world is really right here in front of you in the present. We have satellite communication so we did get word out to family and friends that were concerned not knowing! Thank You All for your concerns for us it is much appreciated!! After we cleaned up our busted to hell yard we learned of our friends serious issues and damage on the Pacific side and proceeded to load up water, gas and tarps to head over and help how we could. As we traveled towards Todas Santos it became quite apparent that the Pacific got hit hard with the winds as 2/3 of the power poles were busted like twigs and the concrete power poles proved to be no bueno. Pulling into Todas it was a freaking war zone something that is hard to explain in words but very very sad.

San Bartolo spring water!! Yea

The recovery efforts put forth by the Mexican Government, relief organizations, CFE, water districts was really impressive to witness I know lots of people will complain but only for there selfish needs. What I witnessed was a incredible feet of planning and work that did not waste time to bring essentials to the people and then hired anybody that wanted to make money to start cleaning up their respected towns. After the first week people were starting to get get a little jumpy w/o power, water, and limited communication the gas lines were long the stores of course did not have much and life really evolved around basic needs only. When the lights came on and water came out of the faucet after 16 days everybody was ready for normalcy which for me personally, was a long cold shower that was mucho appreciated.

Baja Laundry

Close to the Cabo airport.

Of course we had a group that was really set on coming over to ride and since the LaPaz airport was now open the plans were made and coming yes sir lets rip. But oh wait ride where? stay where? restaurants? crap! I rode several days cleaning the way with my shovel and machete, found the only Hotel Pescadero Surf Camp, the other hotels were hosting all the CFE Crews from the mainland. As usual, Jaime, always accommodating was running in rustic mode but found room for us! and we welcomed the first tourist's back to Baja. The trip turned out to be a blast riding was a little tricky but totally way cool crossing MUCHO water in creeks, arroyo's slinging mud everywhere for a awesome experience. The group who has been with us several times and understanding the lack of basic services for a extra challenge but making the trip more memorable and we certainly appreciate the guys who's commitment to come have fun with Captain Baja Gracias!

These crazy French guys love Baja Sur.

PS. We certainly appreciate all those that are caring enough to donate for the recovery of Baja Sur if so inclined to help we recommend Baja Strong program which can be found on FB. Also I just drove back from SD on a supply run and Hwy 1 is no problem only one long construction wait just south of Loreto.


Captain    

Chubasco Season Anyone?

The village is quiet with the threat of Hurricanes bearing down on Baja, we get many concerned friends and family calling/ emailing/ /FB / texting requesting that we check on their casita's, palapas, yards and anything that can wash away. As we sit in the middle of our rainy season just missing hurricane Norbert, but very happy to get 5" of rain and a total of 8" for the season so far most would be happy with this amount of rain for Baja. But no, now we have another storm tracking our way and in my opinion it's probably not the last! We will wait prepare and yes keep taking worried communication from those who always think its perfect here well at least for 10 months out of the year.

Norbert trying to mess up our only paved road.

Did I mention I love to get dirty! No, not the work on your car dirty of course I mean throwing some mud with a KTM 450 between my legs! The rain and dirt is awesome thus making riding now the perfect time to put those nobbies to work and rip it up. Although this awesome time of year seems to be a secret with just us few locals and serveral I have talked into coming during this time frame. It's been a blast! I guess I will continue to be selfish and enjoy the ride, but really it is something serious riders should consider, hmmm wet sand & dirt, green lush mountains, KTM motorcycles, yes I am a lucky guy! 

Sunrise on Sea Cortez

Good rain makes everything happy

Race Report! We are still in the summer rest with the next race coming in the next weeks hurricane depending. After the last debacle I was thinking that I would be in attack mode - points and having to win the last 2 races. I say we were quite surprised when notified I was tied for 1st with Luis Diaz (current 1x) and our new friend Gaddo with Araben only 1 point behind so of course there is plenty of drama and the young studs are in the gym and training hard to keep an ol' dog from winning the championship! I say let it roll.

Captain

Ride On / Fish On! How can you go wrong.

Its the beginning of August and the fishermen have show up as they do every year looking for adventure on the water and in the mountains. The East Cape is well known for its big game fishing and the middle of the summer is the usually the best for catching Tuna, Marlin, Dorado, we saw July come and go with limited success on the fishing but August has turned the page with boats returning with everyone happy well except the fish that are about to be diced, sashimied or grilled to perfection for some of the best comida anywhere! We seem to be in a El Nino year which means our water is warmer than usual near 90 and with these warm waters we get a lot of storm's as in beautiful lightning / thunder shows that make living here a bit exciting as we all welcome the storms with a watchful concern of them becoming something more.

Davie on a spinning reel 11/2 hour battle!!

The storms are bringing the rain, making any dirt bike rider smile and especially so when you live in Baja. It appears that this year we will be getting plenty of rain in the mountains, as we know this is where the off road moto heads want to be, playing and gettin' dirty!! 

A couple of our new French friends having a blast!

Worth the effort? hell ya!

We have had lots of fun with new clients that have fallen in love with Baja. Booking return trips with more friends and family for more days of riding and adventure here in Baja Sur.

As for the race activities we looked forward to the Coyote 300 with our eye on the prize, the Coyote is very popular racing through the mountains locally with 1000's of fans cheering. Our anticipation turned into disappointment #!!*&#. I broke a chain 100k into the race and from that point, the race switched modes from go fast or go home to repair the bike and finish the race for points. We still had all the fun that a big race brings. As the story goes...we will live to fight again soon!

Thanks CBAT Team and Chiquilin for the chain, Errrr

Dos Mares / 2 Seas Adventure

We are well into spring now and the riding has been great with new friends and some returning for the great atmosphere down here in Baja Sur. It is a great feeling when some people have such reservations about Mexico but somehow we convince them to come give our area a fair shot at riding relaxing and living a short period of time in a truly great Baja Sur town. Its almost funny that most leave us with a sadness of departure as they have found a place they have fallen in love with as they contemplate how could they escape and live in such a place as we are lucky to call home. Now we head into our empty town period as most of the snow birds have flown north and the ones like us that love this time of year howl at the moon with some relief that our town is now a seaside fishing village with just a few handfuls of us gringo's left behind to enjoy, don't misunderstand me we have lots of friends that will be missed but hey they will be back soon enough. Riders desiring Baja this time of year don't be confused with areas like San Felipe or the SW of the U.S. that will fry your noggen just stepping outside! In Southern Baja, this is a great time to ride especially when we start getting our rains in the mountains and the dead brush turns into lush green with awesome moisture every morning to rip it up, so don't hesitate and miss this epic riding time, just get on a plane and come enjoy!!

The high level of excitement in the racing season has continued into our biggest race of the season with the Dos Mares 500 this race brings racers and there support from the mainland, the US and with 250+ entries it can get a bit crazy. First off this race starts in the afternoon with some mucho hot conditions and of course this year there was no wind at all so the dust was thick as a cold foggy coast morning. Yes we were on the coast of 1 sea heading swiftly to the other sea at average speed for the race coming in at 100kph for the top runners on bikes and quads. It seems funny to me that when I tell people that I finished 2nd a lot of people feel sorry for me and the team but in reality it is a accomplishment to be proud of and I am for myself and the Captain Baja support team I am fortunate to have, after all 2nd overall is pretty darn good.

As for the race itself I drew 6th of the line and quickly went to work on catching and passing the guys in front of me, as I mentioned the dust was terrible so when I was approaching the 1st of 5 pit stops I had a group bunched up in front, but with our pit plan I pitted short and the team did a great job with a 6 second stop thus another 10 miles down the course the others had to stop and by then I was on there ass's and was able blow by them while they took on fuel and service.

The hunt for #1 was on and by the 2nd pit I was sniffing his dust knowing I had him just where I wanted the past champion 6 out of 7 years Francisco (Pancho) Septien. When a guy is full race mode sometimes those strategies don't always work out and when approaching the 1/2  way point in Constitution Pancho pitted a few miles short and I passed him and basically shook up the hornets nest and when I pitted he passed me back and proceeded to put a ass whoopen on me for the next 100k until my last pit where my lover and pit captain yelled at me to get my ass moving and I was able to pull a couple min back on Pancho but still found myself short by 4 min!!! I wish a big congratulations Pancho and the rest of the competitors in our most grueling race of Baja Sur. Yes we will return to fight again! A big Thank You to my Captain Baja brothers that made the trip down from the states to assist and have a little fun while here.

Blogg Blogg Blogg! Race Set Go.

It is a difficult thing to write a blog when you think nobody is reading it!! but thanks to all that have supported me in getting off my butt to get this thing going again. You see so much happens in Baja, such a different life here, it really is a story worth telling. I might not always be spot on with my words but I am not going to pussy foot around I am just going to start laying it down just like a day ripping on the bike.

A couple of great warriors Jeff Quade, David Zarate

I do have to start with a recap of the end of last season just this Nov I had one race left for the championship and ready to go. The week before was the Baja Mil and we had a group in so of course no play just work as we call it, but sitting here watching the live feeds when KC66 went missing and my stomach hit a wall as all of ours did! the end of the season seemed to not really matter so much! Losing a hero as Kurt takes all of us to a different place for healing and for me I will take some reflection out on the trail just as I do with my other lost compadres ( El Gordo Diaz) and hold their spirit in a place they loved so much Baja!!

Yes RIP stands for Ride In Peace.

We miss you El Gordo!

Yes we did win the 30 pro class and the pro overall title by 2 points it was a fantastic season with mucho thanks to all the pit possie or as we call them Dream Chasers it cant be done without a great team and Captain Baja has the best. 

End of the year Fiesta

Speaking of racing, we just kicked off the first race of the new season here in Los Barriles with the Pueblos Magicos 300 it was a record breaking number of entries for bikes and cars showing that racing is very much alive and well here in Baja Sur. Yes I changed to the open pro class for the season and left my championship number up for grabs but hey it will be fun for me to start with the guys I battled with last year. The race went well for us even though I had 2 tip over's and a pit malfunction where as young master Ramon Davila was able to catch me pass me and take the win with me following a few min behind after the very fast battle (55.5 average MPH!!) we had many locals enter the race but our home town boyz did not fair so well in finishing this first carrera but they will fight again. See link below!

Ramon, Kirk, Gaddo

Great picture just before the finish in Todos Santos.

Once again the CBAT Dream Chasers did a awesome job as they had their hands completely full helping others all day ! Congratulations to 303x Itzcoati /1x Luis, Alex great ride/ 310x Ronny. Unfortunately 22x-bent shit all up, 27x busted 3 ribs ambulance needed, 229x flat tire, 322x fuel /clutch issue, and our amigo 200x yes the Chiquilin had a bad get off and busted himself into the surgery room in SJ, Yes this is just how we roll down here as we are all family in racing!! 

Ronny taking on another tank full O fun.

The CBAT crew with the hardware.

The Baja season has been great with a continued long green season here providing lots of great diversity for riding as we have shown lots of new friends a great time and look forward to seeing them again soon. We welcome all that want to experience the beauty of Baja and how better way of seeing it than on a KTM!                                               

ODE TO MAGICAL TOWNS.....PUEBLOS MAGICOS 300
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FHawlphZv8&list=PLpjB8po9AZrfzdgeVCw08XgS3gvU2am87&index=18