David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64842
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Map of Score's First Baja Race: 1974 Baja Internacional
1974 SCORE Baja Internacional Race Map is interesting to examine.
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thebajarunner
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Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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That one hour of down time at Mike's was strange.
My partner and I had been invited to find Parnelli's motor home where his partner Marvin Porter would make us lunch.
We parked our truck and walked over to hear the grim news about Parnelli's fatal encounter with the wrong way biker.
Sort of took the joy out of the moment, indeed a very quiet sandwich, then back on the road to finish.
My best memory is we got 4th in the pickup class..... won't swear to that, it was a long time ago.
Driving through Ensenada to impound late at night we went past the funeral home and saw several guys in biker leathers standing in the lobby.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64842
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Quote: Originally posted by thebajarunner  | That one hour of down time at Mike's was strange.
My partner and I had been invited to find Parnelli's motor home where his partner Marvin Porter would make us lunch.
We parked our truck and walked over to hear the grim news about Parnelli's fatal encounter with the wrong way biker.
Sort of took the joy out of the moment, indeed a very quiet sandwich, then back on the road to finish.
My best memory is we got 4th in the pickup class..... won't swear to that, it was a long time ago.
Driving through Ensenada to impound late at night we went past the funeral home and saw several guys in biker leathers standing in the lobby.
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Ya, very sad and that was the last time the Big Oly Bronco or co-driver Bill Stroppe raced in Baja.
Parnelli & his mechanic, Dick Russell would build the epic 2WD Blazer that went on to be raced by Bob Gordon, Malcolm Smith and Frank 'Scoop'
Vessels.
My 1974 program... I wrote down the arrival times of the racers, as I watched from behind the Score checkpoint where the race entered Mike's.
Dick, you arrived at 4:34 pm, a Class 8 Mercury pickup #125, with Gary Johnson as co-driver. You were both a young 34 years old from Modesto!
I was just 16 and came in my dune buggy... from Escondido. It must have been my second Baja trip after turning 16 and driving myself.
Here is the page with you listed and the 4:34 time:
It looks like you were 4th at the halfway point. Walker arrived ahead of you at 4:05 (he was 35 years old) and raced with Jimmie Baird, for Stroppe in
a Ford.
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thebajarunner
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3718
Registered: 9-8-2003
Location: Arizona....."Free at last from crumbling Cali
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Mood: muy amable
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David
I am still shaking my head in looking at that informal time sheet.
So many memories. Such a fun time back in the olden days.
To think, we built that truck in my partner's welding shop, then drove it to my house where we detailed it and even painted it in my garage.
(Painted the washer and dryer as well, but that is another story)
Thanks for bringing back good memories and how crazy we were when we were young and didn't know better.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64842
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yes... isn't it great... and there I was right where you stopped to get the stub put into the can on your racer! I took several photos there. It would
be cool if I took a photos of you! Maybe I should share them here?
I got a photo of Johnny Johnson, racing the Chenowth V8 sprint buggy. Johnny died yesterday, it was announced in San Felipe.
Gotta run now, but later I will see about sharing the 1974 photos I have saved !
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