Simply put, the tech and contingency line at the Baja 1000 is a cross between Mardi Gras and open house at an insane asylum. The premise used to be simple, the racers line up so that they can get their vehicles cleared to race by the SCORE tech crew.

Over the years, manufacturers showed up also to see who and what teams are running their products. Some of those manufacturers would even offer place money for those who do well in the race and are using their products. Since the racers would leave once they got through tech, the manufacturers would be lined up before the racers got to the tech section. It was a good chance for the racers and the manufacturers to get to know each other (and to make sure that those racers had plenty of stickers to show off the products.) The funny thing about stickers is that everybody loves them, (OK, guys do) and that lure of easy stickers brought out the kids of all ages to the contingency line.

As a result, the atmosphere surrounding the contingency line is sheer bedlam. Thousands of people now show up for the event, and the racers, knowing that the majority of their race will be spent far away from anyone’s view, revel in the attention.

The contingency and tech day at the 2007 Baja 1000 was a success for everyone. The crowd had a ball, the racers got plenty of admirers and the SCORE tech guys were hard at work, umm, teching. Here are a few shots of how the day went:

This is what greeted the racers when they lined up for tech inspection  

Certain parts are punched at tech so that the inspectors and racers know what has been marked.

The fastest taxi in Mexico.

Not all teams racing the Baja 1000 are high dollar outfits. The race is one of the last where anyone can race and have a chance to beat the big guys.

Those are pretty nice legs for a 3-eyed monster.

An autograph book, Baja style.

We don’t know about you, but that one mask really scares us.

Truly words to live by when racing a motorcycle in the Baja 1000.

Some teams are simply better prepared than others. After all, a 1000 miles is a long way to go without proper hydration.

With plenty of rocks out on the course, making sure that your spokes are ganged together ensures that if one breaks it wont take the rest of them with it.

When these girls started throwing shirts to the crowd, they nearly started a riot.

While most race cars don’t have an alarm system, this team made sure that they are fully protected.

As usual, the SCORE tech inspectors did a terrific job of making sure that all of the entered vehicles were ready to take on the race-course in safety.

With looks like that, nobody would need that Red Bull, but it probably couldn’t hurt. 

NAFTA was alive and well at the 2007 Baja 1000 contingency line.