TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
Ross Racing 1206 B1K Report
Ross Racing 2005 Baja 1000 Race Report
With the excitement of have three generations of the Ross Clan involved entered to race the Baja 1000, all were poised to make this a memorable event.
The advance troops, consisting of Randy and Kelly Ross, Mark Gay, and Blake Sinclair arrived in Ensenada on Monday to get the show rolling and stake a
claim on the hotel parking lot. The crew, along with Rigsby Racing began what was to be three full days of pre-running. So much for best-laid plans.
Both pre-runners had issues were in need of a Medic and the much-needed time on the course was cut short. So the teams went to plan ?B?. At that time,
neither Ross Racing nor Rigsby Racing new what plan ?B? was. They made it up as they went along as evidence; the pictures taken indicated that all
that was fortunate to arrive early had good time. Subsequent phone calls made back to the U.S. requested that the troops bring tires, shifter, and
BEER.
On Wednesday, Byron Ross, Ryann Ross, Clare Ross, and Melissa Sinclair went to San Diego Airport to pick up Dyann Ross Deckard. Dyann, who flew in
from Florida, was attending her first Baja Race. The requested supplies were purchased. When they arrived in Ensenada, there were not too many swear
words.
Thursday at Contingency was as interesting as always. The kids are a very special part of contingency. They have a zest for racers of which we are all
enamored. Many autographs were handed out and our favorite sound is the one most racers hear; ?STEEKERS??!! From the Coca Cola Girls to the Tecate
Girls, Both crew and crowd favorites, there was plenty to look at. To our surprise a little boy with his mother proudly comes up to the car wearing a
Black Ross Racing t-shirt. The little boy was ginning from ear to ear and his mother looked very proud. After a few photos and getting a handful of
decals, they were gone.
Friday morning, race day, came all to quickly. Driver Randy Ross and Clare Ross, his mother, were excited to start 5th in class 12. It was their 3rd
attempt to race a Baja. For Clare, racing off the starting line, making the right handers on the pavement with the tires squealing, between the wall
of people that lined the road, and making the left just after the poles and into the people lined wash was a dream come true.
At about mile 7, there was the inevitable flat tire. A great group of locals would not allow us to touch the tire. They were in seventh heaven being
able to work on one of the cars. This got us on the way with a minimum of down time.
Around mile 67, the co-dog, which will go nameless, missed a skull and cross bones on the GPS, but the car did not. The hit bent a rear rim into the
brake. Again we were fortunate to have locals. They worked with two different cars to get us out of the middle of the course. At this point, efforts
to contact the Weatherman and our Chase crew at the road crossing were futile. It was then we noticed that the antenna wire was no longer attached to
the antenna. One of the locals worked on that while the others worked on the rim problem. There was also an intermittent engine problem at this time,
the same problem that had put us out of the race at PRIMM. At the PRIMM, it was falsely diagnosed as engine failure. But after the engine was tore
down and nothing was wrong, it was deemed electrical or fuel related.
With the tire changed and the antenna wire repaired it was time to get back to racing. At mille 71, the intermittent engine problem became a major
problem, and the engine lost all power. Still we have had zero radio contact with chase crew. One of the locals that had helped us before came by on
the way home and towed us to the road crossing. During our tow, contact was made with our chase crew, which was at the road crossing at RM 74 waiting
for us. After what seemed to be an eternity, the search and destroy mission finally figured out what the issue was. Well at least we thought we had
it. With the first checkpoint closing time rapidly approaching and things looking good, Randy and Clare took off for the driver change at mile 86.
By this time it was dark. We started approximately at eleven-fifteen in the morning, and we are driving at night. We have run 86 miles in 5 plus
hours. During the run from RM 74 to 86, the intermittent engine problem returned and more trial and error work was needed. The issue was again thought
to be resolved. With the summit looming in front of us, it was decided that we test the car for a time to see if the problem would resurface, and of
course it did not. It was decided that Kelly Ross and Mark Gay would head on and if something was amiss, turn around and not go over the summit. We
again did not have radio contact between Racecar and Chase, but with the fact that they did not return the Chase crews figured they were going for it.
By now it was eight o-clock and we were approximately seven hours behind. The chase crew proceeded to Mile 240 for the next driver change.
The car ran flawlessly over the Summit and everything was great until RM 199. You guessed it, our favorite Gremlin had returned. Kelly and Mark pulled
the car into the BFG pit at RM 200 to again look into what was already a major pain in the *@#. Kelly and Mark original thought they were pulling into
a pit, but after they got out of the car, they decided it was a Tiki bar that just happened to work on cars. After more down time and more trial and
error, some of which had been done more than once today, the Gremlin finally showed itself. A small wire inside the Compu-fire electronic ignition was
not connecting properly and would move around, thus causing the intermittent issue. With this finally repaired, the two of them, feeling great that
they had solved the issue, motored on. At RM 230, a rock jumped up and took out a lower shock bolt on the driver-side slowing their speed for the next
ten miles.
Meanwhile ahead waiting patiently at RM 240, the Chase crews were wondering where the car was as they were over due. By now the once crowded area, had
become empty with the exception the two chase vehicles still waiting for car #1206. At 3:00 AM, with all members sleeping, two members of the Chase
crew had calling from nature when a light was seen bouncing in the distance. Then the sound of the motor, they had made it. Only one light was working
and with the shock bolt broken, it was tough to navigate at a decent speed.
Work was done to repair the shock bolt and light issues. At 4:30, Blake Sinclair and Ryann Ross took off and tried to make Checkpoint 3. Needing to
make it to Checkpoint 3 before 6:00 AM was going to be tough, but it was decided that you come to BAJA to finish, and we were going to make every
attempt to do so.
At about Mile 300, electrical problems caused the loss of lights and GPS. With the sun now coming up, the lights were not going to be much of a
problem but the GPS was. Blake decided it was time to pack it in. Ironically, shortly after the car left RM 240, Randy and Kelly discussed whether or
not to continue some more and they decided that we were not going to finish under the 30 hour time limit and attempted to call the car back with no
avail. One Chase vehicle headed south to intercept the car and the other went north to RM 400 to do the same. The chase crews had heard that 1206 did
not make Checkpoint 3. As the Chase crew was heading south, the Racecar passed by on the highway. Thus we came to the end of our BAJA 1000 journey.
When Friday began, our spirits were high. We were going to beat BAJA. Well, as it turned out we didn?t. But we left with something that will take us
further in our desert racing trials, one dead Gremlin. Overall it was a good time. There is never a bad time in Desert Racing, some are just better
than others.
El Oso
|
|
|
bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
Member Is Offline
|
|
Great report on a great attempt - as about half of the racers do not finish - it's - the adventure that's important - and each race is a new
adventure
Thanks TW
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
|
|
surfer jim
Super Nomad
Posts: 1891
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: high desert
Member Is Offline
|
|
Good story...what engine is that car running?....
|
|
|
bajaandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 769
Registered: 2-7-2004
Location: North County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Adventurous
|
|
Excellent account of your race day. As mentioned elsewhere, you were in good company not finishing. But kudos to you and your team for getting out
there and racing!
subvert the dominant paradigm
"If you travel with a man, you must either fall out with him or make him your good friend."
JBL Noel
|
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
