TMW - 6-7-2005 at 07:27 AM
This is how our race day chasing efforts went.
It turned into an adventure for sure. Saturday started out simple enough. Up at 6am for coffee and rolls the hotel provided. Pack the truck for our
trip to the Mike's Sky Ranch area. Met with mike Doherty and the 805 chase crew to go over last minute details etc. Mike and the crew were checking
out the truck, making sure all was well and ready.
My two brothers and I headed out of town about 7:30am. Got to Ojos Negros and the traffic is backed up for a mile or more. Radio chatter calling
Weatherman says it is the military check point people holding it up. People are moving down the on coming car lane and off to the right in the dirt.
Three lines at once. On coming buss causing cars to jump to the side at the last minute. After about 40 minutes we get pass the check point. Lots of
cops, military and Score people? Never did see a racer go by.
Onto Mike's turn off and on to the cross over road and over to the Simpson road at RM192. Missed the first two bikes. We set up and get ready for 805.
I was surprized to see the lead Quad running so fast right in with the top bikes. Robby Gordon came thru hauling ass with the number 1 TT 90 seconds
behind. They had a 5 minute lead on the next truck. Andy McMillin was first car with about a 5 minute lead on the next 1 car. Mark McMillin was way
behind. Corky was running strong. The first helicopter came thru before the first truck and he was almost tree top level. Weatherman on the radio
asking someone to warn the helo pilots about being 500 feet up and to the side of the course. Reports started coming in that the Simpson hill RM202
was packing up with racers and only one 4x4 was on top to pull them out, one at a time. They wanted Sal to get help in there. 800 was first by
followed by 801 and 802. I think 804 was next. Mike came by on the gas.
We waited about an hour then moved over to the other end of the cross over, at RM260 and the wait began. Minutes turned into hours. We got one report
from Weatherman that Mike had went thru check point 4 (El Coyote area). When Mike didn't show by dark we tried getting an update only now Weatherman
said he had not went thru check 4 yet. The next report has Mike broken at RM242 with a broken A arm and needs a welder. We weren't able to talk to any
of the other 805 chase teams so we pack up and head to the highway to look for somekind of help. Just before the highway Mark and chase 3 call us. We
hook up on Mike's road at 10pm and head back to Mike's Sky Ranch. We are aware it's not good to go backwards on the course but being dark it's not too
hard to see head lights coming out. We get into Mike's Sky Ranch about 11pm. We decide that going backwards on the race course from Mike's Sky Ranch
would not be a good ideal. So we go out up the west route reaching the Simpson turnoff at 3 miles. Now we're on course with any race traffic that will
come. At RM207 A class 7 truck is in a ditch with a couple of 4x4 trying to winch it out. We give them winch block and strap for a tree to get a
better line and they pop him out. We back up and pull onto a side road to let them out. While there Perry McNeal is coming out the side road. He had
been to the traffic jam at RM240 and was calling it a night. He said the race course was only a couple miles back.
We take this route and reach the course in 2 miles. Up a deep silt hill and a half mile later we have 5 buggies coming at us. We pull over and stop
them. They said forget going that way no one is gettin over the hill further on, that everyone is stuck. We unload my motorcycle and Mark rides up
there to survey the situation. He comes back with bad news, we're not getting to 805 that way. It's 3:30am and we decide to get a couple of hours rest
and head back to Mike's Sky ranch at day light. At daylight Mark rides back on the motorcycle. On the way looking for a cross over road shown on th
topo map. Not finding it he rides back in on course and finds 805. We bring the two trucks to the Sky Ranch and my brothers and I start in to find
805. We didn't go but about half mile and here comes a motorcycle with Paul on it. We all go back to the Ranch and Pauls fills us in on what happened
and their adventure in the mountains.
My brothers and I head back to Ensenada and checkout of the hotel and head home. It was another great adventure in Baja. Only this one is one to
remember for a very long time. I'm sorry Mike didn't finish. But you can only take what Baja gives you and she was being a jilted sweetheart turned
witch this time.
Tom
[Edited on 6-7-2005 by TW]
TMW - 6-7-2005 at 07:36 AM
805 had a broken tie rod and Mike Doherty and Paul Sullivan jerry rigged it using parts from their high lift jack. That fixed the broken part but they
needed help getting unstuck. Two trucks finally pulled them out and Mike was able to drive the race truck back to Ensenada on the hwy.
Desertbull - 6-7-2005 at 04:14 PM
What about the big crash with the 805 truck after the race on Sunday morning at 11:33 a.m.?
The story is the 805 race truck, after being stuck all night, came out of Mike's and was headed down Mike's road towards the highway when the driver
lost the brakes and went off the cliff.
There are conflicting reports on who, the driver or co-driver, but one of them bailed from the truck prior to going off the cliff and suffered some
pretty bad injuries.
The McMillin chopper was helping out another chopper pilot who had made an emergency landing the day before and returned him with the part to be fixed
and they graciously helped out by doing a med flight on the injured racer in the 805 truck.
WB - BFG 12 stayed on the mountain until Sunday night after the race to manage the situation via radio from high atop Mt. Diablo...
Nice job to all the angels involved in that incident. Glad to hear everyone was okay...coulda been real ugly!
TMW - 6-7-2005 at 05:28 PM
That was the 804 truck where the codriver bailed out and broke his pelvis and had numerous other injuries. Driver went over an enbankment down 200
feet. He was OK with very minor injuries. When I get home I'll post the story as I got it with more details etc. I don't remember the codrivers name
but it was the owners brother as I recall.