Sponsored By:

at: (Military Format)

When dawn broke over the Sea of Cortez, the little village of Santa Rosalia came to life, and with it, four semi-rested and partially unconscious ORC editor types. Last minute checks and the typical fare saw Pat Chicas and Fidel Gonzales heading south for Cabo, while Eddie and I took advantage of a few extra hours of shut-eye afforded by the close proximity to our intended destination.

We needed it. We’re looking at about 48 hours of seat time parked across the street from the centuries-old San Ignacio church, covering the Baja 2000 racers as they continue their journey to the end of the peninsula.

When we arrived in Ignacio at about 3:30 PM on Sunday, the crowds and taco stands had already lined the village square, and parking (and a good spot to watch) was quickly becoming scarce. Even with racers estimated to be many hours away, we were simply blown away by the dedication of the Baja fans.

With crews still arriving and setting up, we took a stroll down to the SCORE Checkpoint to get the scoop on the progress of the race thus far. Even with Sat Phone technology, the checkpoint had only limited info available for us. As we have since discovered, technology be damned, we’re still a long way from home.

In talking to the racers in San Ignacio, one thing is certain – no one knows when they will take their turn on the course. Most have a “Plan A” – “If all goes well….” And “ Plan B” – Estimating the arrival time in San Ignacio, figuring in night-racing speed and breakage. One racer, Brent Fleischer, is expecting to take his turn on the number 305x Honda around five or six AM, Monday morning.

I sat with Brent at Rene’s restaurant, the best food to be had in Ignacio, and the restaurants owner Victor. When he’s not racing, Brent spends his days on the sets of Hollywood movies as a 16-year veteran of the stuntman trade. Brent and his Hollywood buddies make a now-traditional (this was his seventh year making the trip), 6-day trek from Tecate to Cabo each year, by motorcycle, and he is very familiar with what lies ahead of him. After many years of racing, he said this would probably be his last. “I just had to do this one – it’s a once in a lifetime event”, he said.

Shortly after, we ran across Mike Dougherty and Mark Dorman at the Mission Church, and headed back to the Raptor Racing and BFG Pits for any info we could dig up.

Mike and Mark were awaiting the arrival of the #803 “Milk Truck” of Nick Vanderwey, the resident Dairy farmer (natch) out of Buckeye, AZ. With some time to go before strapping in to the 2000 Chevy Class 8, the two Zonies were taking in the sights, and catching some much needed rest before making the Ignacio to Constitution run.

Adding to the earlier reports, it seemed that Rob MacCachren had treed the Robbie Gordon truck early on in the race, and the Duralast F-150 of Dan Smith and Dave Ashley was closing in on 3rd place – albeit, still some distance behind.

When speaking to the crew from Raptor, we did learn that the car hauler, a cab-over semi with a 53-foot trailer, would not likely be making the rest of the trip to Cabo. After arriving in Ignacio, the crew looked back on the many close calls the rig had already experienced over the narrow, twisty road in. The decision was made to go no further, as the dangers involved in navigating the monstrous rig through the current combination of road conditions and race traffic farther south had been deemed too great. Arrangements are being made to transport the F-truck back from Cabo, assuming all goes well and it arrives at the finish line.

While we cannot confirm it with 100% accuracy, initial reports had Ensenada getting pounded with inclement weather, turning the northern sections of the course into a rutted mud bog. Reportedly, Larry Ragland in the Vortec Trailblazer, and Ivan Stewart in the PPI Toyota Tundra were said to have broken away from the pack after some type of hold up had left the course with an extended traffic jam.

At this time, the first of the bikes, presumably Team Honda’s Johnny Campbell, is expected to hit San Ignacio around midnight, give or take, with the first of the four-wheeled vehicles arriving within the next couple hours. Of the ATV classes, there’s been no word at all.

Stay tuned to ORC as we continue to provide the latest information and updates from mile marker 910 here in San Ignacio as soon as it becomes available.

Grab some coffee folks, it’s gonna be a long night….

• 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!