TMW - 8-13-2005 at 12:03 PM
The Baja 1000 will be coming up in November and I thought I'd share my first race ever.
The year was 1987. My three amigos (Andy, Bill and Richard) and I decided to race our first Off-Road race. We never even heard of the Baja 1000 until
a few months earlier. A chance meeting with a pre-run buggie near Colonet provided a spark that never died. The buggie was pre-running the Baja 500.
They explained about the race and they were headed for Mike's Sky Rancho for the night.
The next day we decided to ride up to Mike's to check things out. Arriving at Mike's Sky Rancho we headed to the bar for a cold one. At the end of the
bar was a gray haired gentleman. He was Mike Leon, owner of place. For the next two hours he told us how he found the place and educated us about Baja
Off-Road Racing.
We came back down to watch the race. We even went to the drivers/riders meeting. At the meeting were many stars in the off road world. At the time we
didn't know many of them except Malcom Smith from "On Any Sunday" fame. The next day we followed the race as best we could. Driving to various
locations to see the bikes and cars and trucks go racing by. It was so exciting that we started thinking boy we should try this.
After we got home we started putting together a race plan. Score allowed the four of us to race on one bike. So we joined Score and started
preparations. We decided to race on a Yamaha YZ250. Andy had a new bike so we decided to add a light kit to it and get spare parts, desert gas tank,
gas cans, etc. The course was not laid out yet but Score told us it most likely would be similar to the 1985 course, which covered northern Baja down
to El Arco. Over the next couple of months we traveled to various areas in Baja to ride and get to know the country better.
The map of the course came out about a month before the race which was the second weekend in November. It started in Ensenada going east thru Ojos
Negros, over the Summit and south to Matomi Wash. Back up the old road to San Felipe. West thru Mike?s Sky Rancho to Camalu. North to Santo Tomas and
back to Ojos Negros and Ensenada. About 750 miles total.
Pre-running was interesting to say the least. Most of the time we were totally lost. I remember looking east from the Summit and thinking where in the
world are we and where are we going. Sometimes it was scary. The week before the race it started raining. Everything was muddy. Riding the bikes was
next to impossible. Finally it was time to head down to the race. We had three chase trucks and three support people besides the four racers. Two
trucks for the Ojos Negros to San Felipe area and one for the Camalu to Santo Tomas run.
Race day. Friday morning was overcast. At 6am the bikes started off the line. I started the race for my team. It was around 6:30. Heading out of town
there were several mud slides across the streets. The highway was wet for the first 25 KM before turning down a mud hill onto a dirt road. Again more
mud than dirt. Water was everywhere. The locals had put tree branches along the side of the water holes so you had to run through the water. I was
soaked before reaching Ojos.
Out of Ojos into the line forest I started having brake problems. I stopped several times thinking the water had somehow affected the rear brake.
After a while I noticed every time I hit a bush or tree branch my right hand guard would push against the front brake lever. That was the problem. As
I raced thru the pine forest I was wet and cold. My hands were freezing. I just wanted to get off that bike ASAP.
Finally I arrived at Nuevo Jct. Andy took over here and over the Summit he went. Down the other side and across the south end of Laguna Salada dry
lake. Somewhere past Tres Posos he hit a rock and went flying. He doesn?t know how long, but he was out. When he woke up another biker was with him.
He didn?t break anything so he got back on and took off. Past Borrego and on to Morelia Jct.
Richard got on at Morelia and rode thru Matomi Wash. On the old road toward San Felipe he ran out of gas. He had carried two quart bottles with him
and had already put it in. Out of no where came a Mexican family and a tow rope. They towed him to our next pit. After gassing he headed north to
Three Poles and west to Borrego where Andy got back on. The bike started but died. They tried almost everything but nothing seemed to work. When all
seemed hopeless Amanda, Andy?s girl friend, suggested maybe there was water in the gas. Sure enough there was. Draining the water out was the trick.
Andy was on his way.
It was dark by this time and going thru Mike?s Sky Rancho Andy thought there were dragons after him. Must have been from hitting his head. He said he
would gas the bike to throw rocks at them before looking back to see where they were. When he approached Camalu the Score check point workers warned
Andy about reports that someone had driven rebar into the ground. Andy didn?t have any problems reaching Camalu.
I got back on at Camalu and started north. At the San Telmo water crossing there was a Japanese rider stopped. He was lost trying to find the course.
I pointed to a ribbon I saw and he took off. I followed but stopped to adjust my goggles and as I went to put my foot down it was a hole. Over I went
bike and all in the water. I don?t know how but the bike kept running. I picked it up and off I went. I passed a building and thru a gate where
someone had been burning tires. Sure enough I had wire from the burnt tires in my back wheel. I had to stop and cut it out. Then over a large field of
mud using my feet as out riggers. At the San Antonio Del Mar road crossing I gave the bike to Bill. Before he left he poured water over me to clean
off the mud.
Bill raced past Santo Tomas and on the road to Ojos a bike rider stopped him for help. The guy had when off the embankment into the ditch. Bill helped
him get his bike out and started. Bill rode to the finish line in Ensenada. Upon reaching the finish platform and just as he started to shake Sal
Fish?s hand he and the bike fell over. Probably a fitting ending to how our day went.
I often think of that first race. It brings a smile to my face thinking of all the wacky things that happened. I went on to race five years, mostly in
Baja. Then three more years as a sponsor for a championship team. Those were the good old days for me.
bajalou - 8-13-2005 at 02:53 PM
Great story TW - glad you survived that first one!!
Neal Johns - 8-13-2005 at 04:39 PM
Great story, everyone needs memories like that!
Natalie Ann - 8-13-2005 at 07:41 PM
Thanks, TW, for the great story - I really enjoyed this one.
Corky1 - 8-13-2005 at 08:25 PM
TW,
Great race story.
Do you have any old pictures to add to the story??
I can never remember what happened during the actual race.
I guess I just blank it out and keep on riding.
I have better memories of pre runs.
I have posted this before but some that haven't read it may enjoy.
My first pre run and first time in Baja.
http://www.baja.net/articles/71prerun.html
Corky 
TacoFeliz - 8-13-2005 at 11:22 PM
Thanks for the great story. Just beats the living hell out of posts of people hacking at each other and whining about who's cooler than the other
guys ...
JZ - 8-13-2005 at 11:33 PM
Great stuff!
bajaandy - 8-14-2005 at 06:48 AM
Awesome story. Thanks for sharing the memories!
BajaBoundMoto - 8-14-2005 at 09:04 AM
Wow, great story Tom!
Makes me think back to adventures from past races & preruns.
David K - 8-14-2005 at 09:41 AM
Great story Tom! All of us Baja racers could tell a story about our first race, and should!
Unfortunately, mine would be very short! As we broke early in the '79 1000... Many 'items' pushed onto the course leaving Ensenada, by spectators
probably contributed to our Class 6 Datsun breaking before the first check point. 
TMW - 8-14-2005 at 09:54 AM
Thanks everyone, glad you liked it. Corky, I do have pictures and I'll dig them out to post. I also liked reading your adventure.
Our first "race" - 1975 Baja Internacional
John M - 8-17-2005 at 03:36 PM
Within the next day or two I'll be posting our first Baja trip, in support of the '500 - 1975.
In the meantime, anyone recall some of these names?
Walt Dethlefs
Deber Whitehead
Charlie LaVelle (admitedly an easy one!)
John M.
Corky1 - 8-17-2005 at 04:32 PM
I got one out of three!!
Charlie La Velle-Score tech guy.
I would never leave the start line until I could get Charlie's wife to check my seat belts.
The good old fun days!!
Corky
Corky -
John M - 8-17-2005 at 04:35 PM
Check u2u
Corky1 - 8-17-2005 at 04:44 PM
I did!!
Check yours!!
Corky
tunaeater - 8-22-2005 at 04:18 PM
TW that was awesome. I hope mine will go as well as yours.You guys finished the baja 1000. Thats a great accomplishment. How many hours did it take
you ? We may hit you up for a back up rider...Paul
TMW - 8-22-2005 at 05:16 PM
Paul as I recall it took us about 26 hours to finish.
TMW - 8-30-2005 at 06:50 PM
Desert Rat, thanks for the kind words on the story. There are several off-road racers, both present and former, chasers, pit people and followers on
this board. If you ever have a question don't hesitat to ask, one or more of us will be glad to answer. As often is the case there may be more than
one right answer as well as wrong and there may be different opinions. My back ground is from the motorcycle side but I now chase cars, trucks and
motorcycles when I have time. BajaBoundMoto and Tunaeater are present day racers and see it from that side. Corky has seen it from about every side,
maybe even upside down as an early checkers biker.