Left for pre-run Thursday 4:30 -pm...get cell call at 4:35 saying border is closed...divert to TECATE.....spend night at ojos negros... load buggy and
go to meet friends at 8:30 on course...wait until almost 10 am and still no show....decide to go solo.....
"new course" area....I hated it....too narrow and many sharp turns...not well marked....will be a nightmare on race day with stuck/broken vehicles
blocking course....and impossible to pass is my thought......look for major delays that will need SIG-ALERT status.....
anybody know what course note 68 means when it says "possible aggie spot" at mile 47.60.....my buggy BARELY made this climb.....this will also be a
blocked traffic area on race day....but good spot to watch!!
SUMMIT what a view!!
was running late and decided to short course to the highway the last 20 something miles and go to MIKES for the night....
arrive Mikes 7:30 for COLD shower...EXPENSIVE dinner $15.... but all is well....fun place.... camp with new cot...works well....
saturday 8 am ..discover power steering leak from fitting and try to tighten...refill fluid and go back down hill to highway to rejoin course at Valle
Trinidad....miss turn off dirt roads there and end up going backwards on course for a while (should of ziged instead of zaged)....waste 2 hours on
wrong roads.....stop to stretch and find power steering fluid steady dripping out of fitting....decided to call it a day and return on highway to OJOS
and trailer.....
border crossing at TJ 1 hour and 15 minutes at about 6 pm....
fun trip but the BAJA beat me this time.....
[Edited on 5-22-2006 by surfer jim]
Now, this trip
John M - 5-21-2006 at 08:55 PM
is certainly one you'll remember -
The trips, for us anyway, that go off without a hitch tend to blur in the memory. Now, take the trips that are a bust and we can recall specifics for
years.
Ya got through to tell a good story!
John MTMW - 5-22-2006 at 07:11 AM
[what course note 68 means when it says "possible aggie spot" at mile 47.60.....my buggy BARELY made this climb.....this will also be a blocked
traffic area on race day....]
Jim I think you hit it. Probably short hand for aggravate. Sorry to hear your run was cut short, but John is right, you'll remember this one.Corky1 - 5-22-2006 at 01:11 PM
Jim,
In my experience, with a pre-run like that means a clean run race day.
Good luck and keep the rubber side down!!
CorkyBob H - 5-22-2006 at 01:29 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by surfer jim
arrive Mikes 7:30 for COLD shower...EXPENSIVE dinner $15....
Jim,
Great report. Good to see that you are eating Baja food again! I know you usually bring your own.
Bob HDesertbull - 5-22-2006 at 02:24 PM
Hola Amigos,
The Term "Possibly Aggie Spot" refers to BFG Aggie...
BFG sends him/Aggie to the worst places on the course where it could be congested in his Ford F150 4X4 and he unstucks racers during race...of course
BFG Race Supported Teams first and foremost...all others may wait hours as he works hard to clear the course for the BFG teams...
He's one of the unsung heroes of this off road motorsport---along with a handful of others that do soooo soooo much that the public never hears of.
That is the meaning of the term "possible Aggie spot."
All the best-Timsurfer jim - 5-22-2006 at 03:17 PM
Thanks DB...now that makes sense.....I have never heard of that term before.....for sure there will be help needed there....
How did your BAJA handle that climb?
BOB....all I had to eat all day was a bran muffin and had only 2 more for the next day with me....the chase vehicle that was to join on the trip was
part of the "no show " group that would have brought supplies... I was sort of "forced" to eat there ..... my "no food" from BAJA policy still
stands..!!surfer jim - 5-22-2006 at 03:31 PM
While on pre-run Friday we came across an injured bike rider back in the new section.....he had possible broken clavical /sholder/ collar
bone....while helping him for a while his partner came back looking for him...he thought he may be able to ride out going backwards (shorter ) to good
road...we were a long way from the next access road going forward...gave them both water refill for back pack...took info for their support vehicle
(waiting for them at el rayo) ...I was able to make radio contact with support truck from the summit and send it back to the highway to meet
them....hope they got out OK.....TMW - 5-22-2006 at 06:22 PM
There is a lot of talk on other desert racing forums about how technical the section up thru the pine forest is. A lot of single line stuff. Looks
like if someone breaks a lot of racers will be held up and those out front will be gone. Someone liken it to Ragland in 99 when Mark Post broke and
Larry left everyone else setting. I hope that's not the case. I'd like to see some good close down to the wire racing.surfer jim - 5-22-2006 at 07:39 PM
From what I saw there are a lot of "choke" areas where one broken/stuck vehicle will shut down the course.....even sharp turns where someone will have
to back up to get around....
And if someone wants to come cut down a tree or two and block the course to "protest" something or (booby trap maybe).....it will be ugly...
