My OperaResults
Saturday, November 17, 2007 5:58:06 PM
By Dan Roush
The official results are in for our team, and the running of the 40th anniversary of the Baja 1000. Team D&E Yamaha finished 5th in class 30 Pro. While we were shooting for a podium (3rd place) I think it is fair to say that we are all very excited and at least partially satisfied with our effort.
If I may regress, in the weeks approaching the race one of our scheduled racers (Craig Peyron) had to cancel due to business reasons. We discussed this as a team and decided to run with four riders instead of five. Once we got down to Baja and discovered how rough and technical sections of the course were, we probably errored in running four riders instead of five. Without a doubt the fatigue factor settled in with our guys running 300 to 400 miles each. Also, if we would have known the start section would be so dust free, we would have extended my section by an additional 50-100 miles.
For anybody who has never run 300+ miles as race speed, it is hard to explain how physically exhausting this is. But, the real fatigue is mental. It’s hard to comprehend how Chirs Sa and Mike Johnson rode their sections as well as they did. And don’t even get me started on Korny. 400 miles in darkness, the only day light running he got was early Wednesday morning as the sun rose, then he handed the bike off at 6:30 A.M. Korny was relaying a story of crossing a dry lake bed in the wee hours of the morning, and being unsure of where the course went. About this time a trophy truck came along. So Korny did what any good (albeit mentally disturbed) desert racer would do. He tucked right in behind the truck, at almost full throttle in blinding dust, and followed the rear mounted amber light of the truck across the dry lake bed. We call this “racing by brail”. Incredibly dangerous, but the fastest way across.
Our official time was 32 hours and 27 minutes. We averaged 40 MPH. The bike ran flawless. The only problem we had was a skid plate that vibrated loose. A quick torque of the bolts at a pit, and we were on our way. No major accidents to report, and the bars only touched the ground once. Korny got cross rutted in a silt bed and laid it over. It kept running on it’s side, he picked it up uninjured (him and the bike) and off he went.
A quick note on the team of Bryan Campbell, Billy Cotton and Brent Needham (see their pictures in an early blog post). Team 413X finished in an impressive 31 hours and 37 minutes. They averaged 41 MPH. I would like to officially challenge these candy asses to a side bet for next years race. Losers attend the award ceremony in skirts.
All in all, we have much to celebrate. The friendships developed and nurtured during the event are truly exceptional. I had a great time pre-running with the pair of crazy Canadians. Anytime we would mention to someone that they drove from Vancouver B.C. to pre-run, the response would be “what?”, followed by a laugh. My brother in law Alan showed up for a few days, and often joked that he spent more time putting his gear on than riding, which is true. This is due to the fact that his pre-ride equipment ritual lasts approximately two hours. The guys further down the course had an equally good time. I spoke with them the night of the finish and needless to say, they were intoxicated with joy, (and maybe spirits/libations).
It is an epic race. The field set a SCORE all-time race record for both number of states (44; all except for Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota) and number of countries (20; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United States of America, Yugoslavia, Wales). In fact, due to the length of time the race encompasses, I was back to work in Tucson before the bike crossed the finish line.
It is a privilege to race in Baja, and it was an honor to do so for the 40th anniversary of the Baja 1000. A special treat for me was to start right behind a living legend, Malcolm Smith. Malcolm is now over 70 years old. He has won the Baja 1000 numerous times, and has been featured in many different movies through the years. He is an icon. When he was getting ready to take off, he was surrounded by camera crews from NBC, the Speed Channel and other various media groups. In the middle of it all, he asked them all to back away and motioned for me to roll up next to him. He then leaned into me and in a quiet and humble voice said “I will do my best to stay out of your way”. It was all I could do to pass him after a few miles into the course. Not due to the speed (he is 70 after all), but due to the respect he is owed and deserved. I will carry this memory with me.
Looking forward to next year, it looks as if we have secured sponsorship, and have even had a few new sponsors approach us. We are blessed, as without them, none of this is possible.
I would also like to again thank crooked elbow Bryan for opening his blog to us. Thanks, and get well soon cyborg.
Lastly, the most appreciation goes to our families and friends. Without the unwavering commitment they have to our collective dream, we would never cross the start, or finish line.
The official results are in for our team, and the running of the 40th anniversary of the Baja 1000. Team D&E Yamaha finished 5th in class 30 Pro. While we were shooting for a podium (3rd place) I think it is fair to say that we are all very excited and at least partially satisfied with our effort.
If I may regress, in the weeks approaching the race one of our scheduled racers (Craig Peyron) had to cancel due to business reasons. We discussed this as a team and decided to run with four riders instead of five. Once we got down to Baja and discovered how rough and technical sections of the course were, we probably errored in running four riders instead of five. Without a doubt the fatigue factor settled in with our guys running 300 to 400 miles each. Also, if we would have known the start section would be so dust free, we would have extended my section by an additional 50-100 miles.
For anybody who has never run 300+ miles as race speed, it is hard to explain how physically exhausting this is. But, the real fatigue is mental. It’s hard to comprehend how Chirs Sa and Mike Johnson rode their sections as well as they did. And don’t even get me started on Korny. 400 miles in darkness, the only day light running he got was early Wednesday morning as the sun rose, then he handed the bike off at 6:30 A.M. Korny was relaying a story of crossing a dry lake bed in the wee hours of the morning, and being unsure of where the course went. About this time a trophy truck came along. So Korny did what any good (albeit mentally disturbed) desert racer would do. He tucked right in behind the truck, at almost full throttle in blinding dust, and followed the rear mounted amber light of the truck across the dry lake bed. We call this “racing by brail”. Incredibly dangerous, but the fastest way across.
Our official time was 32 hours and 27 minutes. We averaged 40 MPH. The bike ran flawless. The only problem we had was a skid plate that vibrated loose. A quick torque of the bolts at a pit, and we were on our way. No major accidents to report, and the bars only touched the ground once. Korny got cross rutted in a silt bed and laid it over. It kept running on it’s side, he picked it up uninjured (him and the bike) and off he went.
A quick note on the team of Bryan Campbell, Billy Cotton and Brent Needham (see their pictures in an early blog post). Team 413X finished in an impressive 31 hours and 37 minutes. They averaged 41 MPH. I would like to officially challenge these candy asses to a side bet for next years race. Losers attend the award ceremony in skirts.
All in all, we have much to celebrate. The friendships developed and nurtured during the event are truly exceptional. I had a great time pre-running with the pair of crazy Canadians. Anytime we would mention to someone that they drove from Vancouver B.C. to pre-run, the response would be “what?”, followed by a laugh. My brother in law Alan showed up for a few days, and often joked that he spent more time putting his gear on than riding, which is true. This is due to the fact that his pre-ride equipment ritual lasts approximately two hours. The guys further down the course had an equally good time. I spoke with them the night of the finish and needless to say, they were intoxicated with joy, (and maybe spirits/libations).
It is an epic race. The field set a SCORE all-time race record for both number of states (44; all except for Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota) and number of countries (20; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United States of America, Yugoslavia, Wales). In fact, due to the length of time the race encompasses, I was back to work in Tucson before the bike crossed the finish line.
It is a privilege to race in Baja, and it was an honor to do so for the 40th anniversary of the Baja 1000. A special treat for me was to start right behind a living legend, Malcolm Smith. Malcolm is now over 70 years old. He has won the Baja 1000 numerous times, and has been featured in many different movies through the years. He is an icon. When he was getting ready to take off, he was surrounded by camera crews from NBC, the Speed Channel and other various media groups. In the middle of it all, he asked them all to back away and motioned for me to roll up next to him. He then leaned into me and in a quiet and humble voice said “I will do my best to stay out of your way”. It was all I could do to pass him after a few miles into the course. Not due to the speed (he is 70 after all), but due to the respect he is owed and deserved. I will carry this memory with me.
Looking forward to next year, it looks as if we have secured sponsorship, and have even had a few new sponsors approach us. We are blessed, as without them, none of this is possible.
I would also like to again thank crooked elbow Bryan for opening his blog to us. Thanks, and get well soon cyborg.
Lastly, the most appreciation goes to our families and friends. Without the unwavering commitment they have to our collective dream, we would never cross the start, or finish line.
