Baja 1000!

[Pathfinder]

Wouldn't head protection (the cylinder heads) be good?

That's what his knees are for.   

[Rob Pincus]

Well, our bid for the 2009 Baja 1000 30 and over class championship is over... it was a debacle!  The bike gave up at least half of its power on the third leg of the race.

The bike was overweight and overpowered for this race to begin with. Overweight and UNDERpowered made continuing impossible. The pig was at least 200 lbs heavier than the average bike. Most riders were on bikes that were under 500cc... we had 1200!

There was a STEEP learning curve.

I had a blast. I rarely feel challenged in life, but this week was definitely an exception! My first full leg practice run was one of the hardest physical and mental challenges I have had in a Looooooong time... I got through it and shaved my time on the same leg by 25% in the actual race!

Here are some pics & vids:

This is me starting my race leg:


This is near the end of my race leg:


This is my first (and best, I think) Crash. It was on my first practice run. If you look at it from the rock impact forward frame by frame, you see me hit, and bounce off of, the boulder!


Finishing this hill was the biggest test of the week...


Close up as I passed by photog during race:

[Pathfinder]

Glad you're OK after meeting and greeting that rock.

Great videos too, thanks, almost like being there - except for the grit and dust and pain.  

And a 2AM post - let me be the first to thank you for your dedication to this forum.

So what's the next step - new, lighter bike before the next race?

[MikeBjerum]

Congrats on surviving the attempt, and learning somethings from it.  Hope you try again, and we will wait for the plan.

[Johnny Bravo]

Great post Rob. I'm feeling sore just from watching. Thanks

[Sponsor]

[1911 Junkie]

I could watch the one with the rock over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over  

So, I probably shouldn't try that with the Fatboy? 

Looked like a rough course. Glad you made it O.K.

[Overload]

The Isle of Man TT is like that, but much faster, on pavement, and if you crash you hit... stone... nevermind, looks like you already did.

Did you manage to keep fed and hydrated?

[Rob Pincus]

Did you manage to keep fed and hydrated?

Yes. But, a couple of rules about desert racing:
1. Take our camelback.
2. When you don't take your camelback on a leg and the local spectators offer you "agua", it might actually be some kind of schapps or fruity vodka beverage.
3. In retrospect, that's not all that bad.

************

11. My goals, as I explained during dinner, are:
A. Finish (or at least not do something that causes us not to finish).
B. Collect at least one good story.
C. Get some good photos/video.
D. Not get seriously injured.
E. Not Finish Last in our division.
F. Finish in a position that is somehow articulable in a cool way ("We finished first out of all teams composed entirely of riders who went to Blair Academy during the summer of 1986 with black jerseys." does not count).
G. Enjoy it so much that I want to go back and do it again next year.
H. Publish an article about the experience in a motorcycle/off-road magazine.
I. Not spend the entire next year talking to everyone I meet about the race.

A. Not this time.
B. Accomplished.
C. Accomplished.
D. Accomplished.
E. Not sure... only 8 out of 13 in our class finished the race, don't know how far others made it.
F. N/A
G. Accomplished.
H. TBD
I. TBD

-Rob

[Ping]

Pretty cool Rob. Did not know you were in that type of thing? I have some buddies that run "Throttle Jockey" out of Kokomo, Indiana that might have been interested in this. I have a few buddies that have participated in this sport and have many bones broken and one who was paralyzed. I will stick to shooting and avoid Motocross any day of the week. Great intestinal fortitude/guts you have Pincus.  You rock Man!!!

[ericire12]

Very cool, Rob