This was our first race since the 2011 So Cal 250; the car was ready for months, just waiting for us!

Pre-running and Pit Support:  Trevor and I came down to San Felipe the weekend before the race to pre-run the "new" washes - the Cuevitas and the Amarillas.  We found them both to be fun, pristine washes that offered new opportunities to "screw things up".  They both had "single track" sections that could lead to long delays for everyone behind if someone were to get stuck in one......  Baja Pits provided our pit support as usual, Carlos and crew do a great job supporting us. 

The Race:  Race morning dawned clear and calm, a perfect day for racing!  We trailered the car from our house at Bahia Santa Maria to town for staging and began suiting up by about 9:15 am.  We waited in the staging area until about 10:20 when the staging officials started motioning us to move forward.  Teryl and Victor took the chase truck and began an eventful drive to Morelia Junction (race mile 94), our first planned stop.  It ended up taking them nearly 2 hours to drive the short distance due to all the spectator traffic/accidents/breakdowns..... 

Once the green flag dropped for us, Trevor drove hard all the way through Zoo Road and beyond to the Cuevitas wash.  Once there, we began experiencing mechanical problems that forced us to stop long enough that we ended up being nearly the last vehicle on the course!  We finally got the car going again and began trying to chase down our competitors, driving like lunatics in the incredibly rough terrain.  We stopped at Race Mile 94 for fuel and a co-driver change and then pressed on with Trevor driving and Victor Celis co-driving.  From that point to race mile 168, Trevor and Victor chased down and passed all the other 5/16 cars!  We were in first place again, even after all the down time we'd had!  A quick fuel stop at Baja Pits # 4 (race mile 169) and then on to the Azufre, Huatamote, Chanate and Amarillas washes followed by the finish line.  The car was running great right up until race mile 182, then disaster struck - the throttle cable broke!  It was heartbreaking to watch the other cars catch and then pass Trevor while they worked to replace the cable.  By the time they were moving again, there was no chance to catch the two cars that had passed during the stop.  Trevor drove hard, but there just weren't enough miles left in the race to make up the time.  We finished in 3rd place, happy to finish but disappointed to have battled back into first place only to finish in 3rd because of another problem!

Summary:  This race was an all out "sprint"; we knew going in that if we had any "down time" due to flat tires, mechanical problems, etc. it would be difficult to win.  That certainly proved to be true.  We learned some more important lessons that we'll apply to future races.

 

Huge Thanks to:

VW Paradise and Jason Lauffer
PowerBox
Custom Aircraft Parts
U.S.Wheel Repair and Carlos Orozco