Baja 1000 Wrap up!!!

[eliaschristeas]

How do you even begin to make sense out of all the details that go into something so amazing as this????

The heartbreak that goes with a DNF after so much work and sacrifice is strangely coupled with the greatest sense of pride and satisfaction....

Steve the Race Cow faught like hell in what was - as i am reading - called the most brutal 1000 yet. We passed everything from Trophy Trucks stuck in silt - to buggies crippled crossing the summit....

We made it further and went faster than teams who have been doing this for close to a decade and even through 830am on saturday morning, we were 1st in our class and even ahead of most of the entries in our original class objective (class 3).

With annihilated shock mounts, an engine ratchet strapped to the frame and obliterated wheels and tires, we toasted to our own personal victory 411 miles in as distress calls from the weatherman were going out regarding missing teams, trucks lost over cliffs and vehicles swallowed whole by malicious traps made by some locals.

As i followed steve out to the highway to find our trailer, as busted as he was, he gobbled up the terrain in front of him and even in zeus - i couldnt catch him....

Baja tought us some wonderful lessons and we were only able to do what we did by the tireless commitment of our team, friends and sponsors.

Plans are already in motion to improve upon the amazing platform we have and we cant wait to share all the details with you as they begin to clarify. Until then:

364 Days and counting.....

[woldd90]

Congratulations on a valiant effort! Please post a few pics!

[eliaschristeas]

pix are being uploaded to our photbucket acct. as we speak.... here's some hilights from gabriel and marc - 2 really cool d-90 guys pulling together TJ's 1st official rover club called "Baja Land." They came out to rally support and check in on us from time to time.

the pit repairs are of rob (driver #4) and frank rafka "mongo" tirelessly getting after a busted turret repair at who-knows-what-time in the morning!!!!

[o2batsea]

thats cool as hell

[don]

Campaigning a RRC at Baja is freakin' rad. Very nice job :thumbs:

Would love to hear more about the build and what parts you are running. I'm sure you guys could teach us a thing or 2 on what works and what doesn't.

[o2batsea]

Clearly what they are running didn't work.

[don]

Clearly what they are running didn't work.

Haha, you got me. But to be honest, hearing how well they did compared to other trucks they must have done something right.

And I should have been more clear - I wanted to hear what worked and what didn't and what their modification plans are for the next 364 (or 363?) Days.

[mongosd2]

Clearly what they are running didn't work.

I really hope this is sarcasm... $100k trophy trucks were getting eaten up by this years course. The parts thats failed were not designed for the rigors of the Baja 1000 and are being replaced. To make as far we did only goes to show that even with a broken truck, the platform proved itself as a viable race chassis.

[Zooben1]

Congratulations! That has to be a great experience. Please post more about it. What did it take and what worked and did not? Whats it cost to even think about racing?

Very cool! congrats again!!

[mongosd2]

Congratulations! That has to be a great experience. Please post more about it. What did it take and what worked and did not? Whats it cost to even think about racing?

Very cool! congrats again!!

It was AWESOME...more to follow

[130Tdi]

pictures Frank pictures.....

you're a tv guy got any film clips ?

[eliaschristeas]

here's something for you all to check out - jesse james may have started 1st.... robby gordon may have rolled at 100mph.... but there was only one team lucky enough to be called baja's "true heroes...." ENJOY:

www.motorsport.com/score/news/score-kings-of-the-dust-baja-1000-wrap-up (http://www.motorsport.com/score/news/score-kings-of-the-dust-baja-1000-wrap-up)


i will be happy to post all gear and product performance in the days to come. that said - in the sponsors section of www.insearchoftheexperience.com (http://www.insearchoftheexperience.com) - you can find a lot of product info that we were running. a last minute sponsor still waiting to get published was EBC. We ran their slotted rotors and CUSTOM MADE Blue Stuff racing pads.... we have the only set for rovers in existence and based on their AMAZING performance, they will most likely be made available for the public in the near future....

[mongosd2]

pictures Frank pictures.....

you're a tv guy got any film clips ?

I was a little busy Doug...to say the least, but hopefully pic's will be up soon

[rijosho]

Cool little read on the motorsport site, elias.

[Cred]

Must have been an awesome experience. You guys are living the dream!
My hat is off to you!
Congrats on an amazing attempt. Good luck next year.

[sflash868]

Impressive work. I run Baja a lot on my dirt bike and would never rely on a RRC to get my through there. Power to ya! Going fast down there is just pure abuse on any machine. Even my baja prepped bike is in a million pieces and held together with duct tape and Corona after 1K miles.

For those shock towers.. you don't really need 4wd. What about disconnecting and gutting the front half of the drivetrain to reduce unsprung weight? Take out the driveshaft, diff, axles etc. that's gotta be a 100 pounds or more. Could you run the race with the T-case locked? Maybe throw a Tru trac in the rear for good measure?

Would certainly boost your RWHP and you'd get some awesome drifting through the wide open sections.

[1962siia88]

All I can say is WOW!!! Congrats on such a great effort! As a long time motorcycle person in the Easy Bay of SF, the Baja 1000 has always been a dream for me. Probably never going to do it on a motorcycle, but seeing what you guys did is truly inspiring, and a testament to these wonderful rigs we love! Keep the dream alive!! Thanks!! If you guys need a pizza sponsor let me know!! ;)

Daniel

[grnthng]

This is what they were bred for......not for parking them at the malls!!! Yhea I'm talking to you TATA ROVER TOTO!!!

[sonoronos]

Very nice!!

Out of curiosity, does this mean that the truck would have gone considerably further with beefed up shock mounts, engine mounts and suspension work?