After some dicing with the Red Bull KTM team in the early miles, Team Honda's Robby Bell and Kendall Norman took control and sped away to win the
Tecate SCORE Baja 250 on Saturday, March 10. In doing so, the pair started the defense of their SCORE Desert Series championship by beating the
largest field in event history (the venue changed to an Ensenada-to-Santo Tomas run only the week before when last-minute reluctance by landowners
prevented the traditional San Felipe 250 from taking place) with 423 total entries. (Of that number, 393 actually started with 108 of them being
motorcycles; 288 of the starters made it to the finish line 216 miles away.)
"It couldn't have gone any better; it was so clean," Bell said of his stint from the start to Valle de Trinidad on their Precision Concepts/Dunlop/Pro
Circuit CRF450X.
The third rider to start, Bell quickly moved into second place behind Red Bull KTM's Chris Blais, who rode a Michelin/Motion Pro/GPR 610 XC that he
would hand off to David Pearson. In the fog just before they left the dirt and got onto Highway 3 for their first speed-limited transport section,
Bell snuck up on Blais and dove underneath to take the lead for the first time, but he couldn't shake the KTM.
"Chris came right back at me," Bell acknowledged. "They have that 610, and that thing's fast!
"Right when we got back onto the dirt, he totally set me up. We got onto the dirt and all of a sudden he blows by me. I was in fifth gear and I was
rolling it on to get onto the dirt. He had obviously set it up to where he was going to slingshot past me."
The two traded the lead a few times, Bell saying, "We were going back and forth, but we were so close we could look ahead of each other so the dust
wasn't bad. As soon as I got him and got a little gap on him, he fell into my dust and had to slow down.
"From there, it was totally clean."
Well, for the eventual winners it was. The rest of the field seemed to have various problems to deal with. The KTM broke not long afterward, and it
took several hours to effect repairs; they would make it to the finish just under the nine-hour time limit in eight hours, 44 minutes and 32 seconds.
Privateer Mike Childress came from his 14th-place start to second overall on the Honda of North Hollywood/Precision Concepts/GPR-backed CRF450X and
had the factory duo looking over their shoulders. Norman said, "We were physically in first place when I got it, but I was told we were about two
minutes behind on time because Mike Childress was really turning it up."
Norman's run from Trinidad west to the Pacific Ocean then north to the finish at the Santo Tomas baseball field was quicker than that turned in by
Childress' ailing partner, Andy Grider. "I got sick yesterday; went to bed around 5:00 last night," Grider said. "I sweated all day and got up at 4:00
this morning to get to Valle de Trinidad still not feeling good. I felt a little better when Mike gave me the bike, but I could tell I'm still sick
and not there. A head nut came off; I had to stop and get that fixed, but other than that it was just me—I didn't feel good today."
He would get the checkered flag in a time of 3:56:50, just over four minutes slower than Norman's winning 3:52:31 which worked out to a 55.80-mph
average. (Both of them beat the first four-wheeled vehicle, a Ford Trophy truck driven by Mark Post and Rob MacCachren who clocked 4:03:21.)
Marc Burnett and Shawn Highland teamed up for third overall bike and third in Class 22 (Open Pro) on their Freestylemx.com/Pacific Collision
Centers/Rockstar Energy Drink-sponsored RM-Z450 in 4:21:58.
Scott Garnet, Scott Myers and Jim O'Neal teamed up for fourth overall a few seconds behind in 4:22:10 though that earned them the Class 30 (riders
over 30 years old) win on their Temecula Motorsports/Precision Concepts/FMF CRF450X. Class 22's Joe Desrosiers and Westley Garrett rounded out the top
five motorcycles in 4:26:35 on their DP Racing/Motoworld of El Cajon/Michelin XR650R.
Other class winners included Carlos Casas and Noe Ibarra in Class 21 (250cc Pro) on their CRF450X (4:39:02); Chad Black, Conner Penhall and Ryan
Penhall in Class 20 (125cc Pro) on their CRF250X (4:38:38); Brett Helm, Jeff Kaplan, Jon Ortner and Greg Zitterkopf in Class 40 on their CRF450X
(4:43:42); Craig Adams, Bob Johnson, Doug Smith and Tim Withers in Class 50 on their CRF450X (4:39:54); and Gene Dempsey, Sam Dempsey, Mike Harper and
Don Lewis in Class 60 on their XR650R (5:50:46).tunaeater - 3-14-2007 at 02:01 PM
Hey Tom,
Thank you so much for all your help during prerun and race day. You were a big help and I appreciate it very much. We didn't have anything go wrong
other then being behind the the pack all day. We were looking for a top 5 but ended 9th. At least nobody got hurt and the bike only needs a rear tire.
It was nice to meet Corky at contingency and tell Bill thanks for coming along also..
I think I will race the CODE McMillin 500. Mexicali, south of SF and back to Mexicali. I might try to accomplish it solo. Not looking for a place on
the podium, just to finish would be great. Let me know if you are available to come down It will be March 31st. I will definitely need some help on
this one...
Thanks,
PaulMinnow - 3-14-2007 at 02:44 PM
Paul, what bike were you on? I was at Erendira and have pics of many of the bikes.
Too bad Joe crashed just before the finish. They had third locked up. He looked like the fastest through the arroyo. Lots of action out there this
year.tunaeater - 3-14-2007 at 05:34 PM
I went to see Joe after I learned of his crash. We had a beer and then Westley took him home. They had a good run, very impressive. I raced the 106X
bike. I ran from K77 to San Vicente. Chris was on the bike through Erendira. Here is a picture Hermes Angeles took of me through Jamau..
[Edited on 3-15-2007 by tunaeater]
[Edited on 3-15-2007 by tunaeater]
TMW - 3-14-2007 at 06:11 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Minnow
Too bad Joe crashed just before the finish. They had third locked up. He looked like the fastest through the arroyo. Lots of action out there this
year.
Is he OK?TMW - 3-14-2007 at 06:25 PM
Paul, I'm ready to come down. Did I tell you I purchased an IMS dry brake dump can.David K - 3-14-2007 at 07:42 PM
Paul, if I can swing it... I will help in some way! The 31st is a Saturday, afterall! Viva the Mexicali/ McMillin 500!tunaeater - 3-14-2007 at 07:44 PM
He broke a couple of ribs and some muscle inflamation. He was a champ brining in the bike after that crash.TMW - 3-15-2007 at 07:16 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by tunaeater
He broke a couple of ribs and some muscle inflamation. He was a champ brining in the bike after that crash.
The worse part about broken ribs is it hurts to cough or sneeze.tunaeater - 3-17-2007 at 11:15 AM
Sounds good David.
My friend is talking with Carlos (Baja Pits) for pit service. I'm gonna need some gas,power bars, water etc..David K - 3-18-2007 at 07:32 PM
COOL!
Carlos is good people!TMW - 4-11-2007 at 06:34 PM
Lehmann rallies to the Baja
NUTT BAR RACING’S Ken Lehmann was the oldest rider to finish the Baja 250 Sportsman class this year. James Clarke photo
By James Clarke PQ News Sports
Apr 10 2007
There’s an old saying that “you never conquer the Baja, the Baja conquers you,” but for Parksville’s Ken Lehmann, just finishing one of the coolest
races on earth made the bumps and bruises all worthwhile.
And while Lehmann knows quads, the Baja 250 “was a lot bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced.
“It was a lot of fun, an experience I’ll never forget,” he said recently from inside his well-organized garage.
The race, which has been based out of San Felipe, Mexico since its inception 26 years ago, was moved this year amidst much furor to Ensenada with the
finish in Santo Tomas.
The course changes every year, and this go-round logged in at 216.4 miles in total.
Like every year, the course is open two weeks prior to the race to allow crews and riders to pre-trip and get ready.
A boys trip for the books, Lehmann was joined by his buddy Don Kerr from Victoria and his teenage son. The three amigos left March 5 and took their
time coming home, stopping for plenty more riding on the dunes of Oregon.
“It was just a fun guy holiday,” said the married father of eight who also has three grandkids.
“And boy did we have fun.”
The Island boys both raced in the sportsman class (250 cc and up) for All Terrain Vehicles. Lehmann’s ride was his 2005 Yamaha YFZ 450. His wife
bought him a plate for it just before he left that says Grampa.
The easy-going landscaper rode dirt bikes since a young boy, but a knee injury three years ago meant a change of rides was in order.
“I love it,” he said of the fast and rugged four wheel surface shuttles.
Owner of Orca Tree and Lawn Care Ltd., he has a small course carved out of the trees on his five-acre parcel by the airport, where the family spends a
lot of time riding together.
As for the Baja 250, carved out of the unforgiving mountain range, desert and farmland -- one stretch has the rides running parallel to the shoreline
of the Sea of Cortez for 36 miles. Asked what the hardest part of the race was, Lehmann pointed to the ‘Whoop’ stretch with miles and miles of moguls
forcing the rider to stand up on the pegs, and a silt section over five miles long where the drivers were literally wrestling their rides to stay on
course.”
“It was crazy,” said Lehmann. “It’s like talcum powder and about 18 inches deep. Oh did I eat some dust.”
A hundred miles into the race both hands were hurting, and his left hand, the clutch hand, was a mess of bloody blisters seeping through his glove, so
he did what any quick thinking Canuck would do and wrapped both of them up with duct tape.
“It was a long haul,” Lehmann, who lost five pounds during the race chuckled. “It was spectacular.”
The trip was made possible in part by his sponsor, Spunky’s Motorcycles in Parksville, through their NuttBarr Racing funded by Mike Hunt.
“and thanks to my wife, Karyn -- without her help I wouldn’t have been able to do this.”
The Baja 250 has five pit stops for fuel and water and listed 413 riders in all, including the likes of Jesse James The motorbikes started first,
followed by the quads, then a three hour lapse before the featured class, the Trophy Trucks,
There were 34 entries in their class, which featured teams from as far away as France, Australia and Germany. Lehmann and Kerr, aka Nutt Barr
Racing??, were the only two Canadians. The race got underway in slight fog at 6 a.m., Lehmann blasted off at 7:15 a.m.
“It wasn’t too hot at all actually; awfully dusty though. I went the wrong way and got lost for about three miles,” he shrugged.
Though well-flagged, it is not uncommon for the locals to mess with the riders, pointing the wrong way on purpose or moving a marker just for the fun
of it.
In the end, Lehmann finished his first Baja in seven hours and four minutes, good enough for 24th with an average speed of 32.3 MPH -- just behind his
teammate who crossed over in 7:04. Lehmann was the second-oldest rider registered in the Sportsman Class, and was the oldest to finish it solo. One
60-something year old American man was in the saddle at the start line rolled about 10 feet then jumped off and handed off to his replacement.
“Just to be able to say he’s raced in it, to have his name in there. We didn’t know we could have co-riders,” Lehmann laughed, pointing out most teams
split the driving duties between two or three.
The Baja 250 is the first of the Baja’s triple crown, which includes the Baja 500 and the Baja 1000.
Asked if he has any intention of signing on for the grandaddy of themk all, the 1000, Lehmann said “I’d like to do it someday, but it’s a lot of
money. I’m definitley going back to do (the Baja 250) again next year. though.”
