On Tuesday November 10th 2009 the YOLO Racing transport team left Vancouver for the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. Myself, Ross Burden and father Ted Burden took the task of transporting the YOLO Racer, a class 5/1600, SCORE certified desert racing machine to compete in the 42nd running of the Tecate-SCORE Baja 1000. A 1028 km Off Road Race. The car and trailer are towed behind the teams’ F350. 
On a rainy afternoon at 3:30 we crossed the Sumas Border at 264th, entering from Canada to the USA. After clearing US customs we settled into a 2,246 km drive to San Diego where we would meet up with the rest of the team. With a stop for sleep in Eugene Oregon then another in Valencia California we arrived in Northern Los Angeles. Thursday was spent driving between Orange County, where FAT Performance Racing Engines is located to get the 1600cc motor race prepped, Anaheim picking up parts from McKenzie’s Off Road Warehouse and Long Beach at PCI Race Radios to take care of the communication needs. Then it was south again with a night in Encinitas. Friday the car was taken to SPD in Fortune, CA for its annual cage inspection where they test its structural integrity. It was a pass.
We headed to San Diego that night where Ted Baikie arrived at the airport from Vancouver. Saturday morning Ted Burden flew home to Vancouver and Ted and I waited the arrival of the rest of the team. By noon we were all together. Erich Reisen had arrived with his father Roger Reisen by air from Vancouver and Glynn Fisher had arrived via air from Panama. We learned at his time that Pete Ryzner would not be joining us for this years race. 
We loaded up and headed to the border with one last stop at Race Ready in Chula Vista for some last minute parts. By 1pm we are through the Tijuana Border with ease. It seems during race week the border guards are more interested in talking Race Cars than homeland security. Onto the toll hi-way east of Tijuana on the Mexico 1D we headed south 77km to Baja Mar. This is our home base were our friends, Chris and Candy live. They open their house, garage, tools and hearts to us and we cannot thank them enough.
While waiting for The Sunoco truck to show up we had lunch and met a guy named Victor. He runs an Off Road racing fabrication shop and also rents pre-runners. His family run company is called PadMur. Before we head back to Baja Mar we check out his pre-runners and Roger and I follow Glynn and Victor up the 1st few miles of the racecourse, a little pre run local style. This is how things happen in Mexico, if you allow them to, they just do. 
So we got our fuel, and a few parts and returned to Baja Mar to continue on with getting the car ready. That evening Randy Thompson arrived from Panama, he came to help us in any way he can. Tuesday the team headed back to Ensenda, we take the car to RRR, a shop we knew from before and they made us a new mirror bracket, fabricated a new air scoop and a new fuel filler splash plate. Victor then took us to his shop PadMur where we continued on with the race prep of the car. He had his guys fab up a few more things and the car to help with suspension etc. That evening we booked two pre-runners for the next day. Ted and I are going to run from the start line up to race mile 80, and Erich and Glynn are going to run from 420 to 500 or so.
That evening we had a BBQ at Baja Mar where our California friends Rob, Greg, Joel and their crew joined us for a while. Wednesday morning we watched the sun come up as we headed back to Ensenada to pick up the pre runners at PadMuir.
Erich and Glynn had to travel further to start there section so it was decided that Victor would follow them in a chase pre runner complete with mechanic, spare parts and two empty seats that were quickly filled by Roger and Randy. So off they went. It would take them over an hour on the hiway just to get to their pre run start point. Ted and I began our pre run at the start line in Ensenada, from there we headed east, out of the city and up into the hills. We ran up to race mile 80 were the course intersects the highway to San Felipe. Along the way we took note of the fast sections and the technical sections. This was invaluable since there was a very good chance I was going to start the race. We drove back to Ensenada along the hiway. The round trip took around 5 hours returning to Ensenada around 4pm. 
After we dropped the prerunner of at PadMur we had received a message that Erich and the crew were having mechanical trouble and were stuck somewhere around race mile 480. We stood by our phones. Each team had a satellite phone for situations like this. Sooner than later our phone rang and its Glynn telling us that they had ripped the rear axle off their prerunner and darkness was upon them. We told them where we were and that we were standing by. After unsuccessfully trying to fix the buggy they had decided that Erich, Glynn, Randy and Roger would continue on in the Chase buggy and Victor and his mechanic would wait with the broken car for there support team to arrive. This message is relayed to Ted and I via the sat phone and we wait in Ensenada. The next phone call is from Glynn and they tell us they have blown a rear tire. No spare, no tools, it’s dark and they are preparing to spend the night gathering firewood etc.....The next phone call is from Glynn stating they have borrowed some tools, moved the rear flat to the front, put the front on the rear and were going to continue on to Valle de Trinidad, some 40 miles ahead on the race course in the dark with no navigation, 3 tires and it is cold!!!! Ted and I notify the Padmuir crew and they dispatch a crew to Valle de Trinidad to meet them. We stand by in Ensenada, sat phone at our side. Some two hours later we get a call, all is well and they are en route to Ensenada. They met up with Padmuir, the buggy is on a trailer and the boys are in the truck. We wait in Ensenda. They left at 8am and arrive in Ensenada at 10pm. On the way back to Baja Mar they tell us about broken cars, fixed cars, darkness, freezing temperatures, driving on three wheels, military with guns and cutting of the tire with broken bottles. Crazy but normal at the same time!
So everyone is together safely and we head back to Baja Mar. We have one full day left before Race day. Thursday comes quickly. It’s Contingency/ Tech inspection and registration day. This means time is not a luxury. Up at sunrise and we get to work on the car. We are joined now in Baja Mar by Grant Baylis and his family who have just arrived via a Motor home caravan from Vancouver with his family. They are at the beginning of a 3 month vacation in Baja. Grant is a veteran racer, master fabricator and mechanic. We met Grant three weeks prior to the race. He had offered his services to us earlier in the year so we took him to task on it. He has come down to lend a hand where possible. Grant had also race prepped our transmission and helped out with the car before we headed south.
Around 10am we headed to Ensenda where we positioned ourselves in the line up for tech inspection. This line up is a parade of sorts where all the racing machines, drivers and sponsors are on display for the thousands of fans that are there to get up close to all of there favorite teams. The day is filled with live music, food, refreshments and the raw energy that can only be described as a Mardi Gras type atmosphere. At the end of the line is Tech Inspection where the SCORE Officials ensure the race vehicles have met all of the safety requirements and are tagged ready to race. The YOLO Racer passed its inspection.
From there we go to the SCORE Headquarters at the San Nicholas Hotel to finalize the team registration and to pick up the drivers wristbands. We are now officially entered in to the 42nd running of the SCORE International BAJA 1000. There are however a few things left to do like get the car ready and sort out our driver strategy. So off we go back to the PadMuir shop get a few more things done then it’s back to Baja Mar. The race starts the next day. As mentioned earlier Pete Ryznar was unable to join us and that has left us short a driver. So we executed plan B. This would have myself driving from start to race mile 210 with Ted as my co-pilot. Then Grant would take the car from race mile 210-400 with Randy as his co pilot. Then Erich and Glynn from race mile 400 to 670 for a total of 1062 kilometers. Erich and Glynn would split the driving duties up. The only problem with this plan was that Ted, Randy and Grant had come to help out, not one of them came thinking they would be in the car. So we asked them if they would like to and the answer was a unified yes.
Start to Race Mile 210
Race day comes early and we pack up and head to Ensenada. We unload the car, put the trailer in storage, and head for the starting line up. The Motorcycles and Quads left the start line at 6:30 am at 30sec intervals. After a 3 hour wait the Trophy Trucks go first then through the different classes at 30 sec intervals. Our Class 5/1600 should be leaving around 11:30am. Around 10:00 am the helicopters take to the sky, this signals the start of the race for the 4 wheel classes. Ted and I suit up and strap ourselves into the YOLO Racer. The rest of the team is there as we head to the timing line. 5-4-3-2-1 and we are off the start line, up the paved section, drop into the wash, over the Red Bull jump and out into the hills east of Ensenada.
The first 80 miles we climb up to 4000 ft, thousands of people line the course as we navigate our way through silt beds, sandy sections, rocky hill climbs, wide open roads, tight sections, pass a few, get passed by a few. A great opportunity for Ted and I to sort out our communication techniques as it was his first time ever in the car. 
YOLO Chase 1 and crew are at Race mile 80, we stop for a splash of fuel, they do a once over on the car and away we go. The next 30 miles is a bit of the same until the summit section of Cerro Grande. From race mile 110 we go from 4000ft to sea level in what I can only describe as a tough technical rocky road carved out of the side of a mountain that ends with a 2 mile descent down some of the steepest, ugliest terrain I have ever seen. The abuse we had to put the YOLO Racer through in order to keep moving was unbelievable! There was a view as we looked east out to the Sea of Cortez with the sunset behind us but we hardly had a second to take it in. This is not a section to break down, however we passed a number of racers that had. It would be a long cold night before they got fixed and out of there. But we made it through and we are now down on the east side of the course. It’s dark and we are making good time. The next 80 miles as we turn to head south towards San Felipe are a combination of dry lake bed straight aways, deep sandy sections with a lot of hidden boulders just waiting to rip your gear apart, more rocky climbs and the deepest silt sections I have ever seen. Driving through this silt section I can only describe as like driving your car (with no front window) through a football field of cocoa powder that seems 10 ft deep, surfacing once and a while, you wipe your visor, catch a glimpse of your headlights, maybe see your gps, a tree, a rock, another competitor stuck and then whoomf, back under you go, and the situation repeats itself, again and again and again. You have to keep the throttle pinned, in 1st gear and keep momentum. Don’t turn your wheels or you’ll slow down, but you have to turn or you will hit a tree, rock or someone else. You do not want to get stuck. We didn’t but we could have. Below is an example of a silt section in daylight.
We raced on through whatever else they could throw at us. As we approached race mile 210 for our driver change we could see lights, lots of lights up ahead. It’s an area known as Borrego, where the race course intersects Hiway 3. The course goes south from here then comes back up, a 200 mile run known as the San Felipe loop. This is also checkpoint 2 and 4 as well as major location for pits and spectators. There are thousands of people lining the course here, campfires tents, music, dust food………….and our first driver change. 
We notify the crew via radio we are coming into BAJA PITS 6. They confirm. We pull into the pits. Ted and I are done. 210 miles in 8 hours. We started 5th and were now in third.
Grant and Randy take over. The car gets fuel and a once over. They are good to go. Grant and Randy head off into the night. We won’t see them for 200 miles…we hope! I have to mention again, Grant who is from Vancouver had arrived the day before and Randy who is from Panama had also arrived the day before. Neither of them came to be in the car. They had come to help support the team. We were down a driver and Grant is a talented off road racer and Randy is going to find out what being a co pilot is all about very quickly. While Grant and Randy were on course Ted, Glynn, Roger, Erich and myself waited in Borrego until they return. We have another chase crew (thanks Chris) ositioned at the bottom of the loop at race mile 300 in case the YOLO Racer needs support.
The boys have a big fire going and we spend the night listening to the race radio, getting updates on the Sat phone from Candy (our very own weatherhottie), keeping the fire going, getting some (very little) rest and watching the racers fly by. We expect the car to be back some time around 330. Here is Grant Baylis’s point of view.
The mile 200 pits was like a small city had been built up in a matter of hours, this was the point that Randy and myself would take over the driving for the next 200 miles. The sun was fast disappearing so we all gathered fire wood and made a fire to keep warm, after making a sandwich I tried to get some rest with no luck. At around 7:00pm the car was finally a few miles out, time to suit up. We headed to the Baja Pits location to get ready.
Ross and Ted drove into the pits, we gave the car a quick look over while the boys at Baja pits filled up the fuel. Ross gave a quick report that was all OK and we were on our way. Well this was the second time I have sat in the car the first time was to see if I could reach the pedals and shifter, I started the engine and put it in first gear let out the clutch and stalled it, there were about 50 race fans and helpers to cheer me on. A little more gas this time and we rolled out of the pits, lights on pumper and radio, check.
The next 20 miles was the only part of the track that the track went on twice. A few trophy trucks passed us, they come by like we were moving backwards. It took me a few minutes to feel the car out and see how it handled. Randy my co-dog had never been in an off road car apart for the few hours of prerunning he had done the day before.
The car needed a once over from front to back. Every nut and bolt tightened and torqued. Every vulnerable part investigated and double checked. All major components lubed and adjusted. Motor installed, clutch adjusted and all cables inspected and lubed etc. etc. etc…
Nevertheless, got the car to the start line, hadn’t tested the new front end or set up the lights, but she looked real good. At the line we saw the rest of the class and must say they have some real nice rides.
We are now running harder to make up even more lost time. We came around a corner and saw the yellow bug having trouble in yet another silty hill climb. We blasted by him on the outside and never looked back. We pulled into the pits at race mile 630, completely houred out and eyes packed with sand screaming to check the oil. When we dumped it on its side she lost some oil. Grant checked the oil and she was down almost two quarts. After some mixed up signals we ripped out of the pit at full pace. The radio jumped to life with screaming “ you took off with no gas cap, the gas cap is not on!!!!.” This is not good news and very serious. Then I remembered this year we put a cable through the filler cap and secured it to the car (thanks Grant). Glynn reached out his window and then gave me the thumbs up. We were doing great until the gps went blank and there were limited course markers. We did not have the final 42 miles downloaded to the gps. Needless to say, we got lost. Several times. Once we got sorted, we ran hard and fast on the hard pack roads and the cement roads leading to the finish line. 
We crossed the finish line after being in the car for more than 12hrs. My eyes felt like they were bleeding, my back felt like it was 80 years old, my pants were still soaking wet. I looked at Glynn who wore a mask of dirt and said “ We did it buddy”. We hugged and high fived and then Glynn responded, “Hey buddy, we are batting a thousand and I think we are on the podium!!! Not bad for our second shot at this thing!!! Great job on the car, she was awesome!!!!” The days before the race I questioned myself, “ why am I putting all this pressure on myself, my friends and my family. The amount of time, money and work is insane. Is it worth it!! I truly didn’t think so. When I crossed the finish line and saw my proud father, and the rest of the smiling team my eyes welled up and I knew IT WAS WORTH IT !!!!!
YOLO RACING Finishes 2009 BAJA 1000, 3rd in class.
Race mile 200-400. Written by Grant Baylis
It was quite a day waiting for the car first to get to the start line and then anticipation of the mile by mile reports from home text messaged on the sat phone of the position of the car.
The mile 200 pits was like a small city had been built up in a matter of hours, this was the point that Randy and myself would take over the driving for the next 200 miles. The sun was fast disappearing so we all gathered fire wood and made a fire to keep warm, after making a sandwich I tried to get some rest with no luck. At around 7:00pm the car was finally a few miles out, time to suit up. We headed to the Baja Pits location to get ready.
Ross and Ted drove into the pits, we gave the car a quick look over while the boys at Baja pits filled up the fuel. Ross gave a quick report that was all OK and we were on our way. Well this was the second time I have sat in the car the first time was to see if I could reach the pedals and shifter, I started the engine and put it in first gear let out the clutch and stalled it, there were about 50 race fans and helpers to cheer me on. A little more gas this time and we rolled out of the pits, lights on pumper and radio, check. 
The next 20 miles was the only part of the track that the track went on twice. A few trophy trucks passed us, they come by like we were moving backwards. It took me a few minutes to feel the car out and see how it handled. Randy my co-dog had never been in an off road car apart for the few hours of prerunning he had done the day before. The track turned dusty as there was no wind, a combination of fog dew and dust hung low making visibility poor at best, we saw a red light and said to our selves that must be the first check point, only problem was it seemed to be moving, we were in a dry lake bed so we picked up speed and eventually saw that the "check" was another vehicle, we passed it and the dust cleared to give us great visibility.
After heading south for a while we started to head east, it got rocky and twisty as we went through a few river beds they were so chewed up that at times I am not sure how we got through. We hit some thicker dust and Randy asked if it was silt I told him that he would know when we hit silt. It was not long before it came true, we came around a corner and saw a 1600 car buried to the engine bars we drove around him and the lights went out, it was silt, it is impossible to see in and you cannot let of the gas or you will join the company of those stuck in it, the silt bed got worse with a few elevation changes thrown in to add to the challenge, there were trucks and cars stuck left and stuck right, choose a line and pin it, we went through a rut deeper than the car was high, you could have walked over the roof it was so deep. The #555 bug made it through it all with no problems, it must be the limited slip diff we had. In the river beds the rocks were getting larger and tighter, following the river beds we passed a couple trucks and buggys that had broken or had flat tires, some got back on the road again, the lights of the HID's letting us know of their presence, When they came to pass us I had to pull of the track into the soft rocks and sand, we got stuck, meaning Randy had to get out and push, well it happened twice but the second time I managed to get out without a push.
Clearing the silt we started to get into the "whoops" for those who don't know what a "whoop" is, picture a mogul field miles long and the dips about 4-5 feet deep, there are two ways of dealing with them "pin" it and go all out or drive the right speed so that you don't jump across the top of them you actually drive through them, I was told that the goal this year was to finish, so we looked after the car and drove accordingly. The "San Felipe" leg of the track was renowned for "whoops" I am not sure how many we drove over but you start to get memorized by them, the lights casting shadows and playing tricks on you. We passed checkpoint 3 no problems, pit 6 we stopped to refuel a quick walk around the car found everything in order. By this time it was getting late I really had no concept of what time it was, the"whoops" continued for ever.
We were now approaching San Felipe evident by the garbage on the side of the road, the track gave way to a nice rolling road we got a break from the pounding of the "whoops". Following a power line for several miles we made a series of 90` corners, there were a few booby traps that we quite easily saw in the dark the lights casting shadows. The final run back to check 4 and the pits was around a 55 mile run of yes "whoops' with the odd river bed thrown in. There were still a few hardy fans still awake it was 3am, the car was running flawlessly as we kept on pounding along. Eventually we could see the lights of the small city that was our pit stop and driver change. Pulling up to the pits we found the Baja pits location, turned the car off and got out, the time was now 4:30am wow 9 hours in the car that felt like 4. An average speed or not of 22mph. I handed the car to Erich and Glynn, still in 3rd place running and in perfect condition for them to take it home.
Race mile 400-Finish, with re-cap. Written by Erich Reisen.
I have now handed the pressure of starting the chaotic Baja 1000 to Ross.
I am not sure if I was more nervous for him or the car. Once again I delivered the race car to the start line and had not been able to test run the car before the 1000km kicking that it was about to take. At the end of the 2008 race I was sure that I would deliver a tested and complete racecar. I thought that is no great task as I have 365 days to get this done. Didn’t exactly pan out like that. I think the car was rolled out of the trailer three weeks before the race. I gave the car a once over and found it took a beating the year before and the front suspension was in need of a revamp. After replacing the shattered front springs and fabricating a complete new front end—lighter and with a better approach angle we pushed it back into the trailer and sent it off with Ross and his dad Ted Burden.
Three days later we met the boys in San Diego and went over the “to do” list I had prepared on the flight down. Picked up all the supplies we needed in Cali and then headed into Mexico. Arrived at Baja Mar thinking this is great, tons of time, lots of hands and not that much to do…
Was I ever wrong!
Actually not too bad because I still had three days. However, I did not count on spending a day and almost a night in the desert with two broken prerunners (rentals ) and one day of contingency. All of a sudden three days became one and the task seemed too much.
Night before the race I wrenched on the car until 2 am and then back at it at 4:30, couldn’t sleep too many unchecked things going through my mind.
Ross took off and we set of chasing. Glynn somewhat navigating as he massaged his black berry.
We arrive at mile 80 and instantly went begging for the lost 15 gallons of 110 octane. At this point I had screwed up on the fuel order and needed to make fix. We were able to sweet talk our way to 22 gallons of the precious milk. When Ross and Ted pulled into the pit the car sounded great and the front was sagging a little more than I liked. Ross said it was perfect…so we left it as is. Ross and Ted raced away. We would not see him for another 120 very hard miles.
We arrived at the small pit city at mile 200/390 and it was amazing. Food vendors, clothing, souvenirs, and all the team pits from the big boys with their millions of dollars to the little guy with mom or pop in the pick up with tires and gas. Ross and Ted pulled in and the car looked good and sounded great. Ross gave the report that all was well and we sent Randy and Grant into the dusty abyss. I had only known Grant for a week or so before the race and now he was driving away in my Racecar. I had never seen him drive before or been in a car with him for that matter. Nevertheless, after seeing his ability with the tools and the understanding of the vehicle, not to mention his Offroad Racing experience, I, strangely enough, felt confident he would return after the grueling San Felipe Whoops, I mean Loop, and hand me a good racecar. At around 4:20 am he did just that. Glynn and I climbed in the car and strapped our selves in. Grant leaned in through the front window and said, “ the car rocks, the front end is great, but sometimes I had problems getting it into 1st gear.” I nodded and took off with a mile wide smile.
Finally I get to drive this thing!!!! She was awesome and the new front end was great. We were pounding the whoops and she handled it like a champ. About two minutes after leaving the pits, I discovered what Grant was talking about …couldn’t get it into first gear. Glynn got on the radio and told the chase truck to meet us at the highway crossing mile 420 and have a 13mm wrench ready when we got there. At the highway we took on some more fuel and adjusted the shift plate so we could find the hill climbing first gear. We took off our fleeces and long sleeves because we were overheating.
From the highway out Mike’s Ranch was fast and relatively smooth. Getting closer to Mike’s the road got worse, rocky and tight. At Mikes there was the first of three water crossings. we went through the first and it felt like an ice cold tsunami hitting us. The cold mountain water poured though the front window area and we were soaked. I mean soaked right to the skin. Wouldn’t have been so bad but it was 5:30 in the morning, near freezing temps, mountain pass, no sun, no windshield and no heat. I had to take off my gloves as they became slimy and slipped on the steering wheel. We were laughing until we hit the second and then the third crossing. Nevertheless, we were making good time and the car was running awesome.
We passed many dead vehicles and were now catching others. I told Glynn to get on the horn so they would move over and Glynn could not use his fingers (frozen). I saw him using the club method where he tried to use his wrist to flick the switch. Not pretty, but effective. Other than freezing our butt’s off things were going great, we were picking off competitors and the YOLO Racer was running flawless. The sun was starting to warm us and we pulled into a pit at mile 450. As we pulled in we noticed a Class 5 Unlimited leaving. We took on fuel and a quick drink of water then took off, hunting down the 5 Unlimited. Within less than 10 min we caught the 5 unlimited and passed with ease. We were flying and making good time until we came upon a huge silty hill climb with a trophy truck stuck on it. There was only one way up the hill (single track) and he was blocking us from getting up. We stopped and climbed up to see what we could do to help and to ask if he would move his $100,000+ truck out of the way so I could rip by in my little VW bug. We helped him for more than 30 min. Cars, trucks and buggies, were now gathering at the bottom of the hill. I ran back down to my car to make sure after he backed down that we got first crack at it….of course that didn’t happen… some selfish racer in his buggy (COPS) who sat at the bottom and didn’t get out to help and watched us for half an hour just pulled around the trophy truck as he backed up and ripped up the hill. Of course, others followed and this pissed me off. These were cars that we had already past and were now going to slow us up once again…where was the racer edict?
We arrived at the small pit city at mile 200/390 and it was amazing. Food vendors, clothing, souvenirs, and all the team pits from the big boys with their millions of dollars to the little guy with mom or pop in the pick up with tires and gas. Ross and Ted pulled in and the car looked good and sounded great. Ross gave the report that all was well and we sent Randy and Grant into the dusty abyss. I had only known Grant for a week or so before the race and now he was driving away in my Racecar. I had never seen him drive before or been in a car with him for that matter. Nevertheless, after seeing his ability with the tools and the understanding of the vehicle, not to mention his Offroad Racing experience, I, strangely enough, felt confident he would return after the grueling San Felipe Whoops, I mean Loop, and hand me a good racecar. At around 4:20 am he did just that. Glynn and I climbed in the car and strapped our selves in. Grant leaned in through the front window and said, “ the car rocks, the front end is great, but sometimes I had problems getting it into 1st gear.” I nodded and took off with a mile wide smile.
Finally I get to drive this thing!!!! She was awesome and the new front end was great. We were pounding the whoops and she handled it like a champ. About two minutes after leaving the pits, I discovered what Grant was talking about …couldn’t get it into first gear. Glynn got on the radio and told the chase truck to meet us at the highway crossing mile 420 and have a 13mm wrench ready when we got there. At the highway we took on some more fuel and adjusted the shift plate so we could find the hill climbing first gear. We took off our fleeces and long sleeves because we were overheating.From the highway out Mike’s Ranch was fast and relatively smooth. Getting closer to Mike’s the road got worse, rocky and tight. At Mikes there was the first of three water crossings. we went through the first and it felt like an ice cold tsunami hitting us. The cold mountain water poured though the front window area and we were soaked. I mean soaked right to the skin. Wouldn’t have been so bad but it was 5:30 in the morning, near freezing temps, mountain pass, no sun, no windshield and no heat. I had to take off my gloves as they became slimy and slipped on the steering wheel. We were laughing until we hit the second and then the third crossing. Nevertheless, we were making good time and the car was running awesome.
We passed many dead vehicles and were now catching others. I told Glynn to get on the horn so they would move over and Glynn could not use his fingers (frozen). I saw him using the club method where he tried to use his wrist to flick the switch. Not pretty, but effective. Other than freezing our butt’s off things were going great, we were picking off competitors and the YOLO Racer was running flawless. The sun was starting to warm us and we pulled into a pit at mile 450. As we pulled in we noticed a Class 5 Unlimited leaving. We took on fuel and a quick drink of water then took off, hunting down the 5 Unlimited. Within less than 10 min we caught the 5 unlimited and passed with ease. We were flying and making good time until we came upon a huge silty hill climb with a trophy truck stuck on it. There was only one way up the hill (single track) and he was blocking us from getting up. We stopped and climbed up to see what we could do to help and to ask if he would move his $100,000+ truck out of the way so I could rip by in my little VW bug. We helped him for more than 30 min. Cars, trucks and buggies, were now gathering at the bottom of the hill. I ran back down to my car to make sure after he backed down that we got first crack at it….of course that didn’t happen… some selfish racer in his buggy (COPS) who sat at the bottom and didn’t get out to help and watched us for half an hour just pulled around the trophy truck as he backed up and ripped up the hill. Of course, others followed and this pissed me off. These were cars that we had already past and were now going to slow us up once again…where was the racer edict?
Nevertheless, our Class 5/1600 car ripped up the hill like it was nothing (truly amazing). We started passing cars again and saw many broken stranded racers in cars trucks, quads and bikes. This brutal section took many race vehicles down. We past through Mikes and El Coyote and then came down a very rocky descent. Followed the rough power line trail down to the valley. Here the roads became smoother and faster. At this point Glynn took over the driving and I took over the navigating. Glynn jumped in that driver’s seat and pinned it!!!! He obviously had been feeling the itch to get behind the wheel and kick some ass. The car ran great the Fat Performance 1600cc was awesome and kept asking to be beat more. Glynn handled the fast sections well and only made me fear for my life about three times. But, that’s racing.
The racecourse took us to the Pacific Ocean side and the views were fantastic. The course found its way down to the coast just off the beach. The roads varied from rocks to sand to hills, still pretty smooth though. We pitted on the ocean’s edge to get fuel (race mile 550) We jumped back in the car and tried to take off. I tried to shut my door and the pit guy wouldn’t let me. He kept looking around and said you guys need oil. I was sure we didn’t, as I knew how much she usually drank. I looked at the guy and said what are you talking about. He didn’t answer and just held the door. Seconds later a car from our class ripped by and the guy slammed the door and said your oil is fine. It didn’t take long for us to figure out what had just happened.
The racecourse took us to the Pacific Ocean side and the views were fantastic. The course found its way down to the coast just off the beach. The roads varied from rocks to sand to hills, still pretty smooth though. We pitted on the ocean’s edge to get fuel (race mile 550) We jumped back in the car and tried to take off. I tried to shut my door and the pit guy wouldn’t let me. He kept looking around and said you guys need oil. I was sure we didn’t, as I knew how much she usually drank. I looked at the guy and said what are you talking about. He didn’t answer and just held the door. Seconds later a car from our class ripped by and the guy slammed the door and said your oil is fine. It didn’t take long for us to figure out what had just happened.
Glynn was livid and hell bent on catching the car that had just taken third place away from us. Glynn pushed real hard and stayed up with the car for a while but then the local knowledge of the terrain took over and he pulled away. Glynn did what he could, but realized the larger picture and knew we needed to finish, and not wreck on the rocks. We let him go and continued racing our race.
There were a few rough hill climbs in the silt and a huge rocky hill climb. The rocky hill almost tore the left rear of the car off. I don’t know how she held together and how we made it up that hill. Just point the car and pin it! She kept asking for more and delivered every time.
After the beach stuff the course turned east again and took us to the highway and then back over the hills. We stopped and then switched seats again. I took off hard and fast hoping to see our classmate broken or stuck.
The next thirty miles were very silty and steep. We came around a corner and saw one of our class cars buried up to the doors in silt and stuck, oh so stuck. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the little yellow bug that had passed us on the beach. I began pushing real hard and was looking far ahead trying to locate the competition and then got caught in the middle of an off camber, silty hill climb. I tried to get the car lined up better for the run but too late and bam we hit the center berm and it threw us in the air. We came down hard on the passenger side. We were out of the front window in no time. We tried to flip the car back onto its wheels but could not. The car just slid on its side because of the silt. Before I could tell Glynn to get the shovel, a group of enthusiastic local fans appeared from nowhere and helped us right the car. We were back in and running within 5 min.
There were a few rough hill climbs in the silt and a huge rocky hill climb. The rocky hill almost tore the left rear of the car off. I don’t know how she held together and how we made it up that hill. Just point the car and pin it! She kept asking for more and delivered every time.
After the beach stuff the course turned east again and took us to the highway and then back over the hills. We stopped and then switched seats again. I took off hard and fast hoping to see our classmate broken or stuck.
The next thirty miles were very silty and steep. We came around a corner and saw one of our class cars buried up to the doors in silt and stuck, oh so stuck. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the little yellow bug that had passed us on the beach. I began pushing real hard and was looking far ahead trying to locate the competition and then got caught in the middle of an off camber, silty hill climb. I tried to get the car lined up better for the run but too late and bam we hit the center berm and it threw us in the air. We came down hard on the passenger side. We were out of the front window in no time. We tried to flip the car back onto its wheels but could not. The car just slid on its side because of the silt. Before I could tell Glynn to get the shovel, a group of enthusiastic local fans appeared from nowhere and helped us right the car. 
We are now running harder to make up even more lost time. We came around a corner and saw the yellow bug having trouble in yet another silty hill climb. We blasted by him on the outside and never looked back. We pulled into the pits at race mile 630, completely houred out and eyes packed with sand screaming to check the oil. When we dumped it on its side she lost some oil. Grant checked the oil and she was down almost two quarts. After some mixed up signals we ripped out of the pit at full pace. The radio jumped to life with screaming “ you took off with no gas cap, the gas cap is not on!!!!.” This is not good news and very serious. Then I remembered this year we put a cable through the filler cap and secured it to the car (thanks Grant). Glynn reached out his window and then gave me the thumbs up. We were doing great until the gps went blank and there were limited course markers. We did not have the final 42 miles downloaded to the gps. Needless to say, we got lost. Several times. Once we got sorted, we ran hard and fast on the hard pack roads and the cement roads leading to the finish line. 
Seeing the fans and the increasing race markers was an overwhelming feeling. I thought to myself “ We did it again!!! We finished the Baja 1000, AGAIN!!!! “
We crossed the finish line after being in the car for more than 12hrs. My eyes felt like they were bleeding, my back felt like it was 80 years old, my pants were still soaking wet. I looked at Glynn who wore a mask of dirt and said “ We did it buddy”. We hugged and high fived and then Glynn responded, “Hey buddy, we are batting a thousand and I think we are on the podium!!! Not bad for our second shot at this thing!!! Great job on the car, she was awesome!!!!” The days before the race I questioned myself, “ why am I putting all this pressure on myself, my friends and my family. The amount of time, money and work is insane. Is it worth it!! I truly didn’t think so. When I crossed the finish line and saw my proud father, and the rest of the smiling team my eyes welled up and I knew IT WAS WORTH IT !!!!!
YOLO RACING Finishes 2009 BAJA 1000, 3rd in class.
