11/13/00 at: 11:18:00 (Military Format)
San Ignacio

Way ahead of anyone’s projected schedule, the 1X entry of Team Honda's Johnny Campbell and Tim Stabb made the turn at the Ignacio town square and was gone. At 10:08 PM Pacific time, the Red Riders are maintaining a 56 MPH average through the 910 mile mark, and are well on their way to victory - if their luck and skill hold out.

But now is no time for over confidence. At 10:39:30, the 8x entry blasted through on Campbell's heels - a mere half-hour down with half the race left to go. As bikes began coming in, 8x was followed by 312 (11:47), 3x (11:55), and 447 (00:34), with nearly 2 hours separating the top 5 bikes.

Campbell and Co. have put to rest any speculation as to Team Honda's strategy for B2K victory. If these guys were holding back, we'd hate to see a full-on assault! The average speed of the Red Riders is on par with the fastest Baja 1000 times ever recorded, but this isn't a 1000 miler. This is the mother of 'em all - "Baja 2000, and the speeds of even the fastest of the fast were expected to be much more restrained. Such is apparently not the case.

It was the Toyota/PPI Tundra of Ivan Stewart and Larry Roseler who led the four-wheeled world at the midway point. As Stewart’s 32-valve V8 could be heard thundering off into the distance, a call came down to the nearest pit, Yokohama, that there was trouble.

Once again, the sound of the Tundra’s engine was heard, but this time, it was knocking badly, and belching blue smoke as the Ironman pulled in for assistance. With work underway, time continued it’s march onward, and Ragland continued closing the gap. Ultimately, the effort was abandoned as a result of an irreparably blown engine, and Ivan Stewart officially withdrew from the crowning achievement of his long and illustrious career

In his previous peninsula run, Ivan Stewart battled Larry Ragland tooth and nail from Ensenada to LaPaz. It was an epic battle that will likely be remembered as the definitive race between these two legends of the sport, but for all it's drama, the 1998 event may be overshadowed by the significance of the Baja 2000. Once again, Stewart and Ragland were locked in a pitched battle, but this time could well mark the end of the trail for the Ironman.

While there's been no official word from the PPI/Toyota camp, the recent de-funding of the PPI off-road program could portend the announcement of retirement by the sport's greatest legend. Adding fuel to the fire was a comment overheard from one PPI crewmember as the Tundra was towed away…..

“Hell of a way to end a career.”

It may well prove true.

With Ivan down, reports then came in about Ragland being down and under repair. No details were available. The question remained that with Ivan down, who was taking over the lead? That question was answered at 2:52 AM when the Duralast F-150 screamed through the village square looking fast and sounding good.

The Duralast/Enduro team was considerably off the pace set by Stewart, but as their name suggests, they’re in it for the long haul, and look to be playing it safe. As the minutes tick by, they are drawing closer to the finish line, and the Baja 2000 title.

A short distance behind, the #3 four-wheeled vehicle, Terrible Herbst’s “Truggy” rounded the square at 3:14 AM. The first unlimited Buggy was the heavy favorite to win the class, and a very real threat for the overall. So far, Troy and the boys are well on their way to achieving those goals, as well as a “two’fer” in the 2000 races.

Hot on his heels came Gus Vildosola at 3:30, followed seconds later by the #80 Vortec Trailblazer of Larry Ragland. With his problems apparently solved, Ragland’s 6 cyl. Engine could be heard screaming it’s way into the distance.

With Ragland back in the hunt, could the #2 Vortec truck be far behind? A little, but still within striking distance as dawn approached. Mark Miller’s Nevada 2000 winning trailblazer passed us by at 4:26 AM, increasing the pressure on the Duralast truck even more.

Just before the Trailblazers arrival, the 105 and 117 cars passed the village square, followed by Mike Julson’s Jimco 4:35 am. Julson was followed closely by a Quad rider aboard 6A, the first 4-wheeled ATV through Ignacio.

5:48 AM saw the Walker Evans/Brendan Gaughn lay on the horn, and lay down the rubber as he passed the old church on his way to Cabo. While Evans has considerable ground to cover, both he and Gaughn are grizzled veterans of many desert wars, and a couple hour deficit isn’t all that much to make up with over 800 miles left to travel.

Another experienced desert vet followed the Evans/Gaughn Chevrolet through town. Scott Steinberger in the Lycos/PCI/Off-Road.com-sponsored Protruck departed as quickly as he’d arrived; his brief appearance occurring at 5:52 AM. Mr. Scott’s main competition, the #242 truck followed up at 6:06 leaving an 8 minute gap separating the leaders of the highly competitive class.

Reports of a chase crew fatality resulting from a rollover on Sunday evening began the bad news of the Baja 2000, and as Monday dawned, the Federales reported that a helicopter had gone down in the area of Guererro Negro. Although both incidents are lacking official confirmation, radio traffic told the stories of these accidents in some detail.

In Class 8, the #839 Ford was first in class to the halfway point at 6:22 AM, but it faced a serious challenge from the Jeep Grand Cherokee of Dick Sasser, the former “King of the Class 3s”, who was scant seconds behind. Although Sasser has been an infrequent visitor to the racing scene since acquiring the 4WD Trophy Truck from Curt LeDuc, it appears he may get plenty of seat time in this race to put to use during the 2001 season.

Also greeting the new day were the Yokohama pit crew. Team Y has once again cast it’s lines into the dry lakes of the Baja desert, and this time it’s tires are adorning the vehicles of the Wide Open Baja adventure tours, and Mitsubishi. Given the adventurous nature of the Baja 2000 itself, a special class was created, and aside from the rank and file thrill seekers, some of the more well known personalities are making their way to Cabo aboard the Chenowth built cars.

At 6:55, the V8 thunder of the Terrible Herbst F-350 Super Duty Trophy Truck rattled the windows and woke a few locals that were caught napping (ORC Editors too). Emblazoned with a big #1, the Mike Smith creation has already proven it’s worth in the desert, but the Baja 2000 is it’s biggest challenge to date. Reports from several crews tell different tales, however they all agree that several extremely ugly sections of the course remain, and that 4WD may once again prove to be a huge advantage.

As 9:00 AM hit, the 7s and Stock Full classes already had their leaders. In 7s, the Lucas Oil Ford Ranger and in Stock Full, ORC’s favorite “Rookie” Jeremy Spirkoff had hit the half way mark.

By 9:50, George Seeley had taken a scant lead, a mere minute ahead of rival Mike James. The Sofa Dude has only to finish in order to take the season Championship home.

Stay tuned as we bring you more info and updates from San Ignacio.

Realtime Race Commentary Index

• 11/09/2000 - Rosarito, BC Mexico -The Baja peninsula is our Olympus, our Valhalla
• 11/10/2000 - Ensenada, BC Mexico -On With The Show - Contingency Row
• 11/10/2000 - Ensenada, BC Mexico -Contingency Row, Sneak Peak Photos
• 11/12/2000 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS Mexico -Ivan Stewart Leads at Checkpoint 8
• 11/13/2000 - San Ignacio - Campbell & Ivan Strike First In Ignacio (Delayed Post)
• 11/13/2000 10:22 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -By Class, Leader Information
• 11/13/2000 - Midnight At The Oasis - San Ignacio (Delayed report)
• 11/13/2000 11:09 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -Ragland may be out! Smith charging ahead!
• 11/13/2000 13:30 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -Campbell First to Cabo. Just under 31hrs (correction)
• 11/13/2000 15:41 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -Ragland, Smith, Herbst, Weyhrich nearing the finish
• 11/13/2000 18:20 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -Dan Smith & Dave Ashley Win Car/Truck Overall
• 11/14/2000 02:58 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -Steinberger wins Protruck. Spirkoff takes Stock Full
• 11/14/2000 11:48 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -Finish Line Results for 90 Entries Posted!
• 11/15/2000 12:43 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -Updated Results for 178 finishers
• 11/15/2000 19:10 - Cabo San Lucas, BCS MX -The Baja 2000 is over!