TMW - 6-8-2005 at 07:04 AM
This is the story I recieved from a friend.
TW
[Some things are just too bizarre to be fabricated. The leaping co-driver of
804 is verification of that.
05 Baja 500 804 Story
You mean to say that a co-driver actually leaped out of a
Class 8 truck on the road between Mike?s Sky Ranch and the highway? No way!
I mean, that is nuts! A guy figured that he was better off jumping out of
the race truck in motion than he was cinched in a five point harness, inside
a roll cage, and wearing a helmet and fire suit Well, that is what happened.
What the heck was going on that would justify such a choice??
Jeff Stowers was the driver.
Jeff got in the drivers seat at about 14:00 hours on Saturday at race mile
171. 804 got through the Simpson blockage situation about 15:15 hours. They
waited their turn and took themselves though the mess with little problem.
At El Coyote, two miles out, they lost the steering box. By 23:00 the
steering box repair was done. Then they went on to race mile 236 or so.
Another bottle neck stopped them. Around 03:00 they got their chance to go
up the hill. They made it fine. About 4.5 miles later, by the little green
rancho, their lights went out. All the lighting they had would allow them a
very slow speed. A Class 1 came up on them and was banging the back to get
by. Next, they tipped over into a ditch about 7 ft. deep. Locals helped get
them back on the road, and they proceeded to Mike?s Sky Ranch, where they
spent the night. They may have extracted 804
from the ditch at about 09:00 Sunday morning. Regardless, the truck fired
and was running fine.
The chase crew was now in touch and they elected to drive the race truck
down the mountain to the highway where they would put it on the trailer.
Under power, 804 starts the drive down the mountain to Highway 3, and the
trailer. The race is over for them, and there was no rush. Driving is Jeff
Stowers, and in the right seat is Rodd Fantelli, brother of the truck owner.
Rodd is suited up, and wearing a helmet. He buckles in the 5 point harness.
A prudent move on his part.
About a mile out of Mike?s Sky Ranch, while they are putting down the hill,
the brakes fail. Totally. Gone. No rears, no fronts, no nothing. Jeff gets
804 into 1st gear to slow it down, but the slope is steep and 804 picks up
speed. Naturally, on Jeff?s mind is that the race is over, and who knows
what might be coming up this road to Mike?s Sky Ranch.
The engine quits. Then, up ahead, like a bad dream, Jeff sees a Bronco. It
is full of locals. His mental grimace is, ?Oh man, How do I slow this thing
down and get around them. I don?t want to hurt anyone.? With a little luck,
and with the assistance of the co-driver leaning over and helping him with
the steering wheel, he flies by the Bronco, without touching them, and
picking up speed on the downhill ride. He tries to scrub off speed by
hitting the inside wall with the truck.
All of a sudden, the co-driver is un-buckling his harness and in a flash is
out the window. Not a word is uttered. Not a sound. Just a quick look form
him and bam. He?s out the window.
A little over ? mile later Stowers tries to slow 804 again by driving it
into the wall on the right, but it bounces him off the edge to the left. 804
rolls and tumbles through the trees and brush, turning over more than a
dozen times, coming to rest about 200 Ft. down, on it?s wheels.
Jeff exits 804, trips and falls, and slides further down the slope, stopping
at a precipice with a 200 Ft. drop. He gets himself together, crawls to the
top, and the chase crew is there. They get back to find Rodd.
Rodd has a pelvis fracture and other injuries. It is about 10:30 am now. The
ambulance finally show up in the late afternoon. They load Rodd, but the
pain is too much in the ambulance. McMillins helicopter comes the rescue and
transports him to Ensenada.]
thebajarunner - 6-8-2005 at 07:50 AM
Here is another good one from the "Oldies File"
Parnelli is breaking in a new co-pilot and after some very serious trekking down the road PJ looks over and the guys has his helmet sitting in his
lap.
"Put that *#@***^+@* helmet back on right now" yells PJ.
The guy grimly lifts his helmet back over his ears,
and of course, all of the barf in the helmet comes slowly rolling down his face.
Baja Arriba!!
Baja Angel - 6-9-2005 at 07:24 AM
Great stories!!!!! I love it!!!!!
