Interview by Norm Lenhart
Editor / Writer VW's & Sand Cars
Photos by Norm Lenhart & Gary Cory

"In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs)" !..............Carlos Iribe

Recently, It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Carlos Iribe and his family at the 1996 SCORE Award Ceremonies, and later, for 5 great days at his home in Baja. The 1996 season was a mixed blessing for the I.S.R.T. (Iribe Superior Racing Technology) Team. Most of the season saw the team finish high in the money, but a DNF at the Baja 1000 cost them not only the Toyota True Grit award, (for finishing every mile of every race) but the Class 5-1600 Championship as well.

In 1997 Carlos, and his son's / co-drivers Gerrardo (20) and Humberto (21), are intent on avenging last seasons Second place standing, and bring the I.S.R.T., 5-1600 Baja in to the Winners circle. With a 3'rd in 1995 and a 2'nd place finish in 1996, They are carving a sure and steady path to that elusive SCORE Championship.

For the Iribe's, off-road racing is a family affair.

Carlos - "I act as the driver of record, Team manager, Owner, and I even wash the car once in a while (laughing). My Wife and Daughter handle all the logistics, and of course, Gerrardo and Humberto build, work on, and drive the cars as well..

Every full bore racing effort needs pit support, and I.S.R.T. is no exception. The format of desert racing is such, that even a family effort like the Iribe's needs additional help .

Carlos - "B.F. Goodrich is my main source of pit support. I have been associated with them a while now, and they are fantastic people. I am also a member of "Baja Pits" At one time, I served as the secretary and even as president, but my job doesn't allow me enough time . Baja Pits was started 12 years ago in Tijuana, to provide assistance to Mexican racers who may not speak the language ect. It is similar to the Checkers, Mag 7 and others. They support us all the time as secondary pit support, and are great friends. Speaking of Mag 7, I recently won the "Baja Spirit Award", which is given to those who they feel epitimize the spirit of Baja (good sportsmanship, willingness to help fellow competitors ect). With this award comes a year of pit support, and they have done an excellent job .

Carlos Iribe is a VW racer with an incredibly diverse Racing career. At 52, he has raced in Trans-Am, SCCA, Formula A. On motorcycles he spent time on the flat tracks of TT and even Speedway. Off-Road Trucks, Buggies and Bajas, fill out his report? as a well rounded professional with a tremendous amount of experience. His recreational interests are quite diverse as well, including the martial arts, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. While his outside intrests are more reminicent of an executive, than an off-road racer, Carlos Has some definite reasons for racing.

Carlos - "The challenge for any man is to excel in whatever he does. For me, Racing became that challenge. You are so close to danger, that when you are away from it, you appreciate how good it is to be alive. I try to better myself every day. Not better than anyone else, but to be better myself. I want to be the best I can be.

In 1959, Carlos was attending military school, when a friend who raced the 650cc expert class, suggested he try his hand in the Novice class on a 200 cc Triumph Cub "just for fun". Thus began the first of many victorys .

Carlos - "I kept at it, and I started getting better and better, and I had ability. When I came to the US, I was at a race with some friends. I got to talking with one of the pro's, and was given a chance to do a few laps on his bike. I guess he liked what he saw, because he let me race his bike that weekend (Ascot professional flat tracker) and I won again. I was given an AMA "Expert" licence, never having held an "Amateur". I jumped straight from "novice" to "expert". Not many people have done that. Later on, (with his sponsorship) I traveled the country for several years, racing, and became a 3 time National champion.

Making a name for himself on Motorcycles afforded Carlos the opportunity to move into the "Trans-Am" series in a Penske Camaro. where he won 3 championships. From there, he went on to "Formula A"( a Formula 1 car with a "stock block" production engine.

Carlos - "At the Ontario Motor Speedway, I won my class the first year, and took second, the next. OMS was a beautiful course. For whatever reason, it closed after only 2 years. I loved racing there.

Carlos Iribe's off-road racing career began with a bit of trepidation. In 1977, he raced a 200 event promoted by the late Billy Martin at Laguna Salada (Mexico).

Carlos - " A friend lent me a car ( a Class 1 short course car) and I decided "this seems like a lot of fun, I'll go do a little jumpin' ". I started that race dead last and won ! When I looked at the car, I had half destroyed it. I blew tires, I broke parts, and the guy was happy that I won anyway ! So he said "lets do it again", and I couldn't finish. Then "Baja Onyx" sponsored a Class 1 car and in my first 5 races, we still couldn't finish. I could go as fast as anyone, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. At the Walt Lott (HDRA) "Imperial 300" I figured it out. I needed to slow down . When I did, I began keeping cars together and winning races.

Since then, the Iribe's have finished over 90% of thier races "in the money". And Class 1 was just the start.

Carlos - "I've raced Class 1, (at the time) Class 2 , Class 5, Class 1/2-1600, Class 5-1600 Class 8, Class 7 & 7s, Class 11 and even once in Class 9 (challenger)".

With wins and "in the money" finishes in every race you can think of, Carlos has covered an incredible amount of miles in the seat, and on the saddle of racing vehicles.

Carlos - "I have over 800 trophies in my racing careerNot only first place trophys, but altogether. I don't know of many races under 200 miles, so figuring it out, that's at least 800 races, and about 40,000 miles. Either that or the local trophy company is making a lot of money off me (laughs)! Then you take into account all of our "pre-running". We pre run some courses 3 or 4 times (a year). That's a lot of miles".

The pre-running chores are handled by Larry Minor's former Class 8 1986 Blazer , which, believe it or not, does double duty as a grocery getter ! I was fourtanate enough to have Carlos bring me for a run on part of the 95 Baja 1000 course, and I'm here to tell you that the truck flat out hauls. At speeds aproaching 85 mph over some pretty rugged terrain, this former race truck still has what it takes to get the job done.

Carlos - "We converted it over for more comfort, with a refrigerator, food warmer, stereo and a couple other things. How many pre-runners can your wife drive to the store to get groceries ? You can with this one. Right now, We probably have $50,000 in it altogether, but I doubt if you could build one like it today for 100K. We had to import it to Mexico and regester it here, because we couldn't "smog" it in CA. It's a hell of a good truck. I wouldn't have any problems with slapping a couple numbers on it and taking it racing".

I.S.R.T. is a racing effort backed by some of the finest sponsors in the sport, and Carlos is quick to thank and credit them .

Carlos - Right now, we are sponsored by London Bridge Resorts (Lake Havasu AZ), Kokomo's, Tecate Beer, Carta Blanca Beer, Don Hatz (the legendary race engine builder), Kuster Shocks, and Race Ready. Then there's ElSur Technologies, and of course my major sponsor, B.F. Goodrich, and my good friend, B.F. Goodrich race director, Dan Newsome. They give me my tires, technology, communications and support"..

In my past association with BFG, Frank DeAngelo and Mike Leone (who I'm proud to say is like a father to me) gave me a considerable ammount of help as well. They have been my friends for a long time, and have tought me a lot over the years.

Class 5-1600 is of course, a highly modified VW, which is limited in displacement, ceratin aspects of suspension. The distinctive silver and red paint now adorns an all new bug, built at the I.S.R.T. shop by Gerrardo. The ever present "Tasmanian Devil" of Loony Toons fame now covers the nose . The Chassis is a lightweight 4130 chrome-moly I.S.R.T. design, allowing for easy access while maintaining strength.

Carlos - "It's different from anything else out there. Suspension travel is at 11 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. How many 5-1600's have 14 inches of rear travel ? The Chassis is lighter than most designs, and a lot easier to get into. Everyone has thier own ideas about what works and what doesn't, but I will say this, In 3 years we have had only had 2 DNF's."

Wright arms and combo spindles are turned by a Wright Rack and Pinion unit, and tied together with aircraft aluminum tie rods and International 1 ton tie rod ends. Dampening the suspension are 2 prototype Kuster velocity sensitive shocks. The rear sports Kuster's as well, along with stock length, I.S.R.T. custom boxed arms.

Carlos - "We've used Rancho's, K.Y.B.'s Fox, Bilstien's ect, and they are fine shocks, but when I started using Kuster's, my times changed. We all make mistakes once in a while (driving) , and the first time I made one with the Kuster's, it was "Hey, that wasn't so bad !" We can't get them to fade ect.. I think they are the finest shocks in the world. Now I can just about close my eyes and stand on the gas. The only thing I hate is that they're so expensive. Even though I race and win with them, I have bought every set I have ever used".

Editor's note :

At this time, the final status of Kuster is unknown. Sale of the technology is pending.

One of the limitations of 5-1600 is that the engines are essentially stock. Limited to 1600cc and single port heads, the engines take a skilled hand to extract every ounce of power, and keep together under racing conditions. For Carlos and I.S.R.T. That man is Don Hatz.

Carlos - "Don is retired now, and no longer builds engines for everyone. I don't know why, but to my knowledge, I'm the only racer he will build them for".

While we couldn't pin Carlos down on hard numbers, he did say that a "competitive" engine needs at least 75 hp. He said his Hatz built motor is "strong".

Carlos - "It's at least as fast as anything out there. Theres a lot that the rules won't let you do. They always check these engines after a race, and we've always been legal".

Editor's Note: At the 1996 Baja 1000, one of Carlos's 2 DNF's, the winner, and 96 champion Tom Dittfield, protested Iribe's engine, and it checked legal. This led to a confrontation between Dittfield and Gerrardo Iribe at the 96 Award Ceremonies. Dittfield, it seemed, was unsatisfied with SCORE's decision and decided, quite unprofessionally, to take it up with Gerrardo publicly. A timely intervention by the B.F. Goodrich Team saved Dittfield from further emberassment.

Overall, the car is absolutely state of the 5-1600 art. Extensively tested in the Baja countryside, the "New car bugs" are already worked out.

Gerrardo Iribe' - "I raced the car earlier in January 97, and was leading the race. I went by one of the big trucks, and I guess he didn't like getting passed by a little VW. He tried passing me through a jump and he landed on the back of the car, breaking the engine (shroud, carboureator ect). We fixed it, and were ready to go" .

Editor's note :

See the article "Lapping the 400" for details on how the car did at the 1997 Parker 400.

As to I.S.R.T. , Carlos, Gerrardo and Humberto have set up shop in a building at thier home on the Baja peninsula. Equipped with Lathes, Mig's, Tubing bender's, and a wide assortment of standard and speciality tools, they are fully equipped to do everything from modify your present car, to build one from scratch (as they did with thier new 5-1600 in less than one months time !).

Carlos - " When we started out we had several people building for, and advising us on wheels, tires, suspension, tranny's ect. Tilt it this way, do it that way. I was not happy with what I was getting for service. Many of these people had commitments to other racers, and I got tired of having my car apart across a shop floor, 2 days before a race. So we Cleaned out a storage building, and started prepping the car ourselves. We made some mistakes and spent a lot of money on tools ect., and pretty soon we had it. Now I can tell you that If you want a car built, we can do it here, and do it right. We use 4130 chrome-moly and high carbon steel alloy. All the quality materials. Since we race, we know what works and what does not.

"We just rebuilt a "brand new" local car here. We took it out, and tested it. Everyone wrote down thier times, then we brought it to the shop. Afterwards, we brought it back and re-ran the test. Our times were an average of 23% faster than before. The car had more clearance, was lighter and stronger. We still haven't firmly set pricing, but we will probably settle on $25 to $30 an hour. I think that's reasonable".

"Another thing we concentrate on is saving time. I have seen NASCAR teams change a complete engine in 17 minuets. How many off road racers can do that ? Races can easily be won or lost in the pits. Every minute you waste, is another minute the other guy is gaining on you. Have you ever tried putting oil in a VW ? Something that simple can waste enough time to cost you the race. What about alternators ? We run 2. If one fails, we flip a switch and keep going. If you have to stop and change it, your wasting time. It's things like this that make all the difference. I would rather have a "good", but well prepared car than the fastest car on the course that hadn't been prepared so well.. When you look at the stat's, half of any class won't finish. Out of that half, many fail in the first 50 miles. Having a fast car that breaks won't win races. Having a well prepped, reliable car that won't break, will. There is a saying that goes, "You can't finish first, if you don't first finish" .

Even with the best preparation in the world, things can happen beyond anyone's control. That fact was driven home at the 96 Laughlin Challenge. A 50 cent keyway broke on the R&P unit, sending Carlos over a cliff, and in all likelihood, cost them the race.

Carlos - " Shut up about that ! (he laughs jokingly) Gerrardo had handed me the car, with an enormous lead on the rest of the field. We were running strong, and it looked like we would win. We had rebuilt the R&P and installed a new keyway. It shouldn't have broke, but it did. That's the way it goes. We lost a lot of time, and finished in 5'th place.

Having raced around the world, Carlos has his likes and dislikes about the different tracks and courses he has had the opportunity to run.

Carlos - "Every place has it's own enchantment, but there are some places I hate. I hate races that are so rough, you cant go fast. Races where all you do is break equipment. Look at Barstow. Why in the hell do we want to go there ? But, then again, it's been good to us. At first, I didn't like Parker, but I've learned to live with it".

As a Mexican, and the fact that it's the premiere off-road event, I love the Baja 1000. Especially when it goes to LaPaz. What's in Barstow other than rocks ? That's all there is. In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs) !

" If I said a track at any time in my career, I'd say Monaco. Class is Monaco. Others ? Speed is Monza, Death is Nurburgring (Germany). Beautiful is Spa. I hate Suzuka, Mexico City is terrible, Jarama (Spain) is horrible. Watkins Glen is Ok, but I like Road America better.

"Racers today don't know what it is to run a stock Jeep for about 40 hours without. anything. Today there are helicopters, radio's and GPS. Some people can get lost looking for thier own bathroom ! Don't laugh, it's true ! I go to races every week and I see professional racers say "Hey Carlos, you know where contingency is this year" ? I mean God almighty ! This is a professional racer, and he doesn't know where contingency is ? What do you suppose he knows about the course ? And I mean I see this all the time ! "

What does Carlos think it takes to make a Champion racer ?

Carlos - "More than anything you must have ability. A lot of ability. Let me say this. There are 3 kinds of racers. There's the guy who goes racing so he can impress his girlfriend, the guy who was always a fan of racing and wants to give it a try, and the guy who really has the drive, the ability. He has it in him to race. He must race. It's in his blood.

Then, you must have the money, and the equipment to go racing. You need the car, the tools, the pit support, the spare tires, wheels and parts ; all that and more. There's travel expenses, hotel's, feeding everyone for a week and such. It all add's up. And it add's up fast. You must also be able to sell yourself. Every professional racer needs sponsors. If you can't sell yourself to a sponsor, it gets a lot more expensive. To be that one man, well, you have better odd's in a crap shoot.

That said, Carlos has some plans ahead, that are a little different than anything that you may have seen in the world of off-road racing before.

"We now have 3 cars. We have a pre-Runner Blazer, the motorhome, all the good equipment. Since we cannot run all 3 at the same time, I am considering offering a program similar to what some are doing on motorcycles. A "Baja adventure" where we supply the training, teach you to drive, pre running, car, pit support, communications, housing, meals, insurance, translator (if neccasary) ect. Everything you need to go racing in Baja, in a package deal. It will be all inclusive, from airline tickets to personal security, should you require it. Of course, such a thing will not be inexpensive, but consider what you are getting. Then compare that to how much such a thing would cost if you had to do it all yourself. We will provide a "turn key" package at a fraction of the cost. We won't grantee you will win, that's up to you, but we will guarantee you a memorable experience that you will never forget ! We have not finalized any plans in this direction, or set any pricing, but any interested persons can contact me for further information at ...

Carlos is a strong supporter of SCORE. His friendship and association with Sal Fish and many other SCORE officials, dates back well over 20 years. None the less, there are a couple areas that he feels could, and should be changed for the good of the sport, and the safety of drivers and fans alike..

Carlos - "The current rules say that we must run stock drum brakes on the front. This would not be a problem, except that they have not been built for 30 years. All the drums we run are used, and they are getting very hard to come by. If you know where I can find 20, I'll buy them right now. But they are used, and who knows if they are safe. Why not let us use new front Disc brakes ? They aren't going to make us go any faster. Is cost the problem ? Discs list for $450, and drums are $100 per pair. We go through 3 pair (at least) a year. Is that $150 too expensive ? Racing is expensive. If you cant afford to race, you shouldn't be out there. At the very least, make disc brakes optional. Yes it costs more, but we will be safe. That's the issue. It is unsafe to run used parts in a critical position like the front end. Will we need another "Barstow" incident, before we use some common sense ? Lets stop running experiments in stupidity. Let's be practical.

"Another area Is checkpoints. Don't put them in high speed areas where we have to waste time slowing way down and taking off. Don't put them in areas where you wouldn't stop in a 4x4. Either way, it causes problems . Checkpoints need to be located in areas that are low speed, and "easy in, easy out". High speed check's can be dangerous to staff and driver alike. Unneccacarly dangerous.

The 1996 Baja 1000 had several instances of stuck vehicles holding up a large number of others for several hours. This is something that Carlos feels SCORE should address.

Carlos - "What do we do in a short course ? We have an option. we can go over a big jump, or we can take an optional, but legal route around. We know where these areas are in Baja and other courses, because people get stuck in the same places every year. Why not provide Detours as part of the course ? Make them longer, but fair, so you can legally get around these problem areas if you have to. Is it fair to hold up all these racers in different classes ? I don't think it is. Should it be a hard race ? Yes ! Should it be an impossible race ? No it shouldn't.

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Interview by Norm Lenhart
Editor / Writer VW's & Sand Cars
Photos by Norm Lenhart & Gary Cory

"In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs)" !..............Carlos Iribe

 

Recently, It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Carlos Iribe and his family at the 1996 SCORE Award Ceremonies, and later, for 5 great days at his home in Baja. The 1996 season was a mixed blessing for the I.S.R.T. (Iribe Superior Racing Technology) Team. Most of the season saw the team finish high in the money, but a DNF at the Baja 1000 cost them not only the Toyota True Grit award, (for finishing every mile of every race) but the Class 5-1600 Championship as well.

In 1997 Carlos, and his son's / co-drivers Gerrardo (20) and Humberto (21), are intent on avenging last seasons Second place standing, and bring the I.S.R.T., 5-1600 Baja in to the Winners circle. With a 3'rd in 1995 and a 2'nd place finish in 1996, They are carving a sure and steady path to that elusive SCORE Championship.

For the Iribe's, off-road racing is a family affair.

Carlos - "I act as the driver of record, Team manager, Owner, and I even wash the car once in a while (laughing). My Wife and Daughter handle all the logistics, and of course, Gerrardo and Humberto build, work on, and drive the cars as well..

Every full bore racing effort needs pit support, and I.S.R.T. is no exception. The format of desert racing is such, that even a family effort like the Iribe's needs additional help .

Carlos - "B.F. Goodrich is my main source of pit support. I have been associated with them a while now, and they are fantastic people. I am also a member of "Baja Pits" At one time, I served as the secretary and even as president, but my job doesn't allow me enough time . Baja Pits was started 12 years ago in Tijuana, to provide assistance to Mexican racers who may not speak the language ect. It is similar to the Checkers, Mag 7 and others. They support us all the time as secondary pit support, and are great friends. Speaking of Mag 7, I recently won the "Baja Spirit Award", which is given to those who they feel epitimize the spirit of Baja (good sportsmanship, willingness to help fellow competitors ect). With this award comes a year of pit support, and they have done an excellent job .

Carlos Iribe is a VW racer with an incredibly diverse Racing career. At 52, he has raced in Trans-Am, SCCA, Formula A. On motorcycles he spent time on the flat tracks of TT and even Speedway. Off-Road Trucks, Buggies and Bajas, fill out his report? as a well rounded professional with a tremendous amount of experience. His recreational interests are quite diverse as well, including the martial arts, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. While his outside intrests are more reminicent of an executive, than an off-road racer, Carlos Has some definite reasons for racing.

Carlos - "The challenge for any man is to excel in whatever he does. For me, Racing became that challenge. You are so close to danger, that when you are away from it, you appreciate how good it is to be alive. I try to better myself every day. Not better than anyone else, but to be better myself. I want to be the best I can be.

In 1959, Carlos was attending military school, when a friend who raced the 650cc expert class, suggested he try his hand in the Novice class on a 200 cc Triumph Cub "just for fun". Thus began the first of many victorys .

Carlos - "I kept at it, and I started getting better and better, and I had ability. When I came to the US, I was at a race with some friends. I got to talking with one of the pro's, and was given a chance to do a few laps on his bike. I guess he liked what he saw, because he let me race his bike that weekend (Ascot professional flat tracker) and I won again. I was given an AMA "Expert" licence, never having held an "Amateur". I jumped straight from "novice" to "expert". Not many people have done that. Later on, (with his sponsorship) I traveled the country for several years, racing, and became a 3 time National champion.

Making a name for himself on Motorcycles afforded Carlos the opportunity to move into the "Trans-Am" series in a Penske Camaro. where he won 3 championships. From there, he went on to "Formula A"( a Formula 1 car with a "stock block" production engine.

Carlos - "At the Ontario Motor Speedway, I won my class the first year, and took second, the next. OMS was a beautiful course. For whatever reason, it closed after only 2 years. I loved racing there.

Carlos Iribe's off-road racing career began with a bit of trepidation. In 1977, he raced a 200 event promoted by the late Billy Martin at Laguna Salada (Mexico).

Carlos - " A friend lent me a car ( a Class 1 short course car) and I decided "this seems like a lot of fun, I'll go do a little jumpin' ". I started that race dead last and won ! When I looked at the car, I had half destroyed it. I blew tires, I broke parts, and the guy was happy that I won anyway ! So he said "lets do it again", and I couldn't finish. Then "Baja Onyx" sponsored a Class 1 car and in my first 5 races, we still couldn't finish. I could go as fast as anyone, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. At the Walt Lott (HDRA) "Imperial 300" I figured it out. I needed to slow down . When I did, I began keeping cars together and winning races.

Since then, the Iribe's have finished over 90% of thier races "in the money". And Class 1 was just the start.

Carlos - "I've raced Class 1, (at the time) Class 2 , Class 5, Class 1/2-1600, Class 5-1600 Class 8, Class 7 & 7s, Class 11 and even once in Class 9 (challenger)".

With wins and "in the money" finishes in every race you can think of, Carlos has covered an incredible amount of miles in the seat, and on the saddle of racing vehicles.

Carlos - "I have over 800 trophies in my racing careerNot only first place trophys, but altogether. I don't know of many races under 200 miles, so figuring it out, that's at least 800 races, and about 40,000 miles. Either that or the local trophy company is making a lot of money off me (laughs)! Then you take into account all of our "pre-running". We pre run some courses 3 or 4 times (a year). That's a lot of miles".

The pre-running chores are handled by Larry Minor's former Class 8 1986 Blazer , which, believe it or not, does double duty as a grocery getter ! I was fourtanate enough to have Carlos bring me for a run on part of the 95 Baja 1000 course, and I'm here to tell you that the truck flat out hauls. At speeds aproaching 85 mph over some pretty rugged terrain, this former race truck still has what it takes to get the job done.

Carlos - "We converted it over for more comfort, with a refrigerator, food warmer, stereo and a couple other things. How many pre-runners can your wife drive to the store to get groceries ? You can with this one. Right now, We probably have $50,000 in it altogether, but I doubt if you could build one like it today for 100K. We had to import it to Mexico and regester it here, because we couldn't "smog" it in CA. It's a hell of a good truck. I wouldn't have any problems with slapping a couple numbers on it and taking it racing".

I.S.R.T. is a racing effort backed by some of the finest sponsors in the sport, and Carlos is quick to thank and credit them .

Carlos - Right now, we are sponsored by London Bridge Resorts (Lake Havasu AZ), Kokomo's, Tecate Beer, Carta Blanca Beer, Don Hatz (the legendary race engine builder), Kuster Shocks, and Race Ready. Then there's ElSur Technologies, and of course my major sponsor, B.F. Goodrich, and my good friend, B.F. Goodrich race director, Dan Newsome. They give me my tires, technology, communications and support"..

In my past association with BFG, Frank DeAngelo and Mike Leone (who I'm proud to say is like a father to me) gave me a considerable ammount of help as well. They have been my friends for a long time, and have tought me a lot over the years.

Class 5-1600 is of course, a highly modified VW, which is limited in displacement, ceratin aspects of suspension. The distinctive silver and red paint now adorns an all new bug, built at the I.S.R.T. shop by Gerrardo. The ever present "Tasmanian Devil" of Loony Toons fame now covers the nose . The Chassis is a lightweight 4130 chrome-moly I.S.R.T. design, allowing for easy access while maintaining strength.

Carlos - "It's different from anything else out there. Suspension travel is at 11 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. How many 5-1600's have 14 inches of rear travel ? The Chassis is lighter than most designs, and a lot easier to get into. Everyone has thier own ideas about what works and what doesn't, but I will say this, In 3 years we have had only had 2 DNF's."

Wright arms and combo spindles are turned by a Wright Rack and Pinion unit, and tied together with aircraft aluminum tie rods and International 1 ton tie rod ends. Dampening the suspension are 2 prototype Kuster velocity sensitive shocks. The rear sports Kuster's as well, along with stock length, I.S.R.T. custom boxed arms.

Carlos - "We've used Rancho's, K.Y.B.'s Fox, Bilstien's ect, and they are fine shocks, but when I started using Kuster's, my times changed. We all make mistakes once in a while (driving) , and the first time I made one with the Kuster's, it was "Hey, that wasn't so bad !" We can't get them to fade ect.. I think they are the finest shocks in the world. Now I can just about close my eyes and stand on the gas. The only thing I hate is that they're so expensive. Even though I race and win with them, I have bought every set I have ever used".

Editor's note :

At this time, the final status of Kuster is unknown. Sale of the technology is pending.

One of the limitations of 5-1600 is that the engines are essentially stock. Limited to 1600cc and single port heads, the engines take a skilled hand to extract every ounce of power, and keep together under racing conditions. For Carlos and I.S.R.T. That man is Don Hatz.

Carlos - "Don is retired now, and no longer builds engines for everyone. I don't know why, but to my knowledge, I'm the only racer he will build them for".

While we couldn't pin Carlos down on hard numbers, he did say that a "competitive" engine needs at least 75 hp. He said his Hatz built motor is "strong".

Carlos - "It's at least as fast as anything out there. Theres a lot that the rules won't let you do. They always check these engines after a race, and we've always been legal".

Editor's Note: At the 1996 Baja 1000, one of Carlos's 2 DNF's, the winner, and 96 champion Tom Dittfield, protested Iribe's engine, and it checked legal. This led to a confrontation between Dittfield and Gerrardo Iribe at the 96 Award Ceremonies. Dittfield, it seemed, was unsatisfied with SCORE's decision and decided, quite unprofessionally, to take it up with Gerrardo publicly. A timely intervention by the B.F. Goodrich Team saved Dittfield from further emberassment.

Overall, the car is absolutely state of the 5-1600 art. Extensively tested in the Baja countryside, the "New car bugs" are already worked out.

Gerrardo Iribe' - "I raced the car earlier in January 97, and was leading the race. I went by one of the big trucks, and I guess he didn't like getting passed by a little VW. He tried passing me through a jump and he landed on the back of the car, breaking the engine (shroud, carboureator ect). We fixed it, and were ready to go" .

Editor's note :

See the article "Lapping the 400" for details on how the car did at the 1997 Parker 400.

As to I.S.R.T. , Carlos, Gerrardo and Humberto have set up shop in a building at thier home on the Baja peninsula. Equipped with Lathes, Mig's, Tubing bender's, and a wide assortment of standard and speciality tools, they are fully equipped to do everything from modify your present car, to build one from scratch (as they did with thier new 5-1600 in less than one months time !).

Carlos - " When we started out we had several people building for, and advising us on wheels, tires, suspension, tranny's ect. Tilt it this way, do it that way. I was not happy with what I was getting for service. Many of these people had commitments to other racers, and I got tired of having my car apart across a shop floor, 2 days before a race. So we Cleaned out a storage building, and started prepping the car ourselves. We made some mistakes and spent a lot of money on tools ect., and pretty soon we had it. Now I can tell you that If you want a car built, we can do it here, and do it right. We use 4130 chrome-moly and high carbon steel alloy. All the quality materials. Since we race, we know what works and what does not.

"We just rebuilt a "brand new" local car here. We took it out, and tested it. Everyone wrote down thier times, then we brought it to the shop. Afterwards, we brought it back and re-ran the test. Our times were an average of 23% faster than before. The car had more clearance, was lighter and stronger. We still haven't firmly set pricing, but we will probably settle on $25 to $30 an hour. I think that's reasonable".

"Another thing we concentrate on is saving time. I have seen NASCAR teams change a complete engine in 17 minuets. How many off road racers can do that ? Races can easily be won or lost in the pits. Every minute you waste, is another minute the other guy is gaining on you. Have you ever tried putting oil in a VW ? Something that simple can waste enough time to cost you the race. What about alternators ? We run 2. If one fails, we flip a switch and keep going. If you have to stop and change it, your wasting time. It's things like this that make all the difference. I would rather have a "good", but well prepared car than the fastest car on the course that hadn't been prepared so well.. When you look at the stat's, half of any class won't finish. Out of that half, many fail in the first 50 miles. Having a fast car that breaks won't win races. Having a well prepped, reliable car that won't break, will. There is a saying that goes, "You can't finish first, if you don't first finish" .

Even with the best preparation in the world, things can happen beyond anyone's control. That fact was driven home at the 96 Laughlin Challenge. A 50 cent keyway broke on the R&P unit, sending Carlos over a cliff, and in all likelihood, cost them the race.

Carlos - " Shut up about that ! (he laughs jokingly) Gerrardo had handed me the car, with an enormous lead on the rest of the field. We were running strong, and it looked like we would win. We had rebuilt the R&P and installed a new keyway. It shouldn't have broke, but it did. That's the way it goes. We lost a lot of time, and finished in 5'th place.

Having raced around the world, Carlos has his likes and dislikes about the different tracks and courses he has had the opportunity to run.

Carlos - "Every place has it's own enchantment, but there are some places I hate. I hate races that are so rough, you cant go fast. Races where all you do is break equipment. Look at Barstow. Why in the hell do we want to go there ? But, then again, it's been good to us. At first, I didn't like Parker, but I've learned to live with it".

As a Mexican, and the fact that it's the premiere off-road event, I love the Baja 1000. Especially when it goes to LaPaz. What's in Barstow other than rocks ? That's all there is. In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs) !

" If I said a track at any time in my career, I'd say Monaco. Class is Monaco. Others ? Speed is Monza, Death is Nurburgring (Germany). Beautiful is Spa. I hate Suzuka, Mexico City is terrible, Jarama (Spain) is horrible. Watkins Glen is Ok, but I like Road America better.

"Racers today don't know what it is to run a stock Jeep for about 40 hours without. anything. Today there are helicopters, radio's and GPS. Some people can get lost looking for thier own bathroom ! Don't laugh, it's true ! I go to races every week and I see professional racers say "Hey Carlos, you know where contingency is this year" ? I mean God almighty ! This is a professional racer, and he doesn't know where contingency is ? What do you suppose he knows about the course ? And I mean I see this all the time ! "

What does Carlos think it takes to make a Champion racer ?

Carlos - "More than anything you must have ability. A lot of ability. Let me say this. There are 3 kinds of racers. There's the guy who goes racing so he can impress his girlfriend, the guy who was always a fan of racing and wants to give it a try, and the guy who really has the drive, the ability. He has it in him to race. He must race. It's in his blood.

Then, you must have the money, and the equipment to go racing. You need the car, the tools, the pit support, the spare tires, wheels and parts ; all that and more. There's travel expenses, hotel's, feeding everyone for a week and such. It all add's up. And it add's up fast. You must also be able to sell yourself. Every professional racer needs sponsors. If you can't sell yourself to a sponsor, it gets a lot more expensive. To be that one man, well, you have better odd's in a crap shoot.

That said, Carlos has some plans ahead, that are a little different than anything that you may have seen in the world of off-road racing before.

"We now have 3 cars. We have a pre-Runner Blazer, the motorhome, all the good equipment. Since we cannot run all 3 at the same time, I am considering offering a program similar to what some are doing on motorcycles. A "Baja adventure" where we supply the training, teach you to drive, pre running, car, pit support, communications, housing, meals, insurance, translator (if neccasary) ect. Everything you need to go racing in Baja, in a package deal. It will be all inclusive, from airline tickets to personal security, should you require it. Of course, such a thing will not be inexpensive, but consider what you are getting. Then compare that to how much such a thing would cost if you had to do it all yourself. We will provide a "turn key" package at a fraction of the cost. We won't grantee you will win, that's up to you, but we will guarantee you a memorable experience that you will never forget ! We have not finalized any plans in this direction, or set any pricing, but any interested persons can contact me for further information at ...

Carlos is a strong supporter of SCORE. His friendship and association with Sal Fish and many other SCORE officials, dates back well over 20 years. None the less, there are a couple areas that he feels could, and should be changed for the good of the sport, and the safety of drivers and fans alike..

Carlos - "The current rules say that we must run stock drum brakes on the front. This would not be a problem, except that they have not been built for 30 years. All the drums we run are used, and they are getting very hard to come by. If you know where I can find 20, I'll buy them right now. But they are used, and who knows if they are safe. Why not let us use new front Disc brakes ? They aren't going to make us go any faster. Is cost the problem ? Discs list for $450, and drums are $100 per pair. We go through 3 pair (at least) a year. Is that $150 too expensive ? Racing is expensive. If you cant afford to race, you shouldn't be out there. At the very least, make disc brakes optional. Yes it costs more, but we will be safe. That's the issue. It is unsafe to run used parts in a critical position like the front end. Will we need another "Barstow" incident, before we use some common sense ? Lets stop running experiments in stupidity. Let's be practical.

"Another area Is checkpoints. Don't put them in high speed areas where we have to waste time slowing way down and taking off. Don't put them in areas where you wouldn't stop in a 4x4. Either way, it causes problems . Checkpoints need to be located in areas that are low speed, and "easy in, easy out". High speed check's can be dangerous to staff and driver alike. Unneccacarly dangerous.

The 1996 Baja 1000 had several instances of stuck vehicles holding up a large number of others for several hours. This is something that Carlos feels SCORE should address.

Carlos - "What do we do in a short course ? We have an option. we can go over a big jump, or we can take an optional, but legal route around. We know where these areas are in Baja and other courses, because people get stuck in the same places every year. Why not provide Detours as part of the course ? Make them longer, but fair, so you can legally get around these problem areas if you have to. Is it fair to hold up all these racers in different classes ? I don't think it is. Should it be a hard race ? Yes ! Should it be an impossible race ? No it shouldn't.

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Interview by Norm Lenhart
Editor / Writer VW's & Sand Cars
Photos by Norm Lenhart & Gary Cory

"In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs)" !..............Carlos Iribe

Recently, It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Carlos Iribe and his family at the 1996 SCORE Award Ceremonies, and later, for 5 great days at his home in Baja. The 1996 season was a mixed blessing for the I.S.R.T. (Iribe Superior Racing Technology) Team. Most of the season saw the team finish high in the money, but a DNF at the Baja 1000 cost them not only the Toyota True Grit award, (for finishing every mile of every race) but the Class 5-1600 Championship as well.

In 1997 Carlos, and his son's / co-drivers Gerrardo (20) and Humberto (21), are intent on avenging last seasons Second place standing, and bring the I.S.R.T., 5-1600 Baja in to the Winners circle. With a 3'rd in 1995 and a 2'nd place finish in 1996, They are carving a sure and steady path to that elusive SCORE Championship.

For the Iribe's, off-road racing is a family affair.

Carlos - "I act as the driver of record, Team manager, Owner, and I even wash the car once in a while (laughing). My Wife and Daughter handle all the logistics, and of course, Gerrardo and Humberto build, work on, and drive the cars as well..

Every full bore racing effort needs pit support, and I.S.R.T. is no exception. The format of desert racing is such, that even a family effort like the Iribe's needs additional help .

Carlos - "B.F. Goodrich is my main source of pit support. I have been associated with them a while now, and they are fantastic people. I am also a member of "Baja Pits" At one time, I served as the secretary and even as president, but my job doesn't allow me enough time . Baja Pits was started 12 years ago in Tijuana, to provide assistance to Mexican racers who may not speak the language ect. It is similar to the Checkers, Mag 7 and others. They support us all the time as secondary pit support, and are great friends. Speaking of Mag 7, I recently won the "Baja Spirit Award", which is given to those who they feel epitimize the spirit of Baja (good sportsmanship, willingness to help fellow competitors ect). With this award comes a year of pit support, and they have done an excellent job .

Carlos Iribe is a VW racer with an incredibly diverse Racing career. At 52, he has raced in Trans-Am, SCCA, Formula A. On motorcycles he spent time on the flat tracks of TT and even Speedway. Off-Road Trucks, Buggies and Bajas, fill out his report? as a well rounded professional with a tremendous amount of experience. His recreational interests are quite diverse as well, including the martial arts, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. While his outside intrests are more reminicent of an executive, than an off-road racer, Carlos Has some definite reasons for racing.

Carlos - "The challenge for any man is to excel in whatever he does. For me, Racing became that challenge. You are so close to danger, that when you are away from it, you appreciate how good it is to be alive. I try to better myself every day. Not better than anyone else, but to be better myself. I want to be the best I can be.

In 1959, Carlos was attending military school, when a friend who raced the 650cc expert class, suggested he try his hand in the Novice class on a 200 cc Triumph Cub "just for fun". Thus began the first of many victorys .

Carlos - "I kept at it, and I started getting better and better, and I had ability. When I came to the US, I was at a race with some friends. I got to talking with one of the pro's, and was given a chance to do a few laps on his bike. I guess he liked what he saw, because he let me race his bike that weekend (Ascot professional flat tracker) and I won again. I was given an AMA "Expert" licence, never having held an "Amateur". I jumped straight from "novice" to "expert". Not many people have done that. Later on, (with his sponsorship) I traveled the country for several years, racing, and became a 3 time National champion.

Making a name for himself on Motorcycles afforded Carlos the opportunity to move into the "Trans-Am" series in a Penske Camaro. where he won 3 championships. From there, he went on to "Formula A"( a Formula 1 car with a "stock block" production engine.

Carlos - "At the Ontario Motor Speedway, I won my class the first year, and took second, the next. OMS was a beautiful course. For whatever reason, it closed after only 2 years. I loved racing there.

Carlos Iribe's off-road racing career began with a bit of trepidation. In 1977, he raced a 200 event promoted by the late Billy Martin at Laguna Salada (Mexico).

Carlos - " A friend lent me a car ( a Class 1 short course car) and I decided "this seems like a lot of fun, I'll go do a little jumpin' ". I started that race dead last and won ! When I looked at the car, I had half destroyed it. I blew tires, I broke parts, and the guy was happy that I won anyway ! So he said "lets do it again", and I couldn't finish. Then "Baja Onyx" sponsored a Class 1 car and in my first 5 races, we still couldn't finish. I could go as fast as anyone, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. At the Walt Lott (HDRA) "Imperial 300" I figured it out. I needed to slow down . When I did, I began keeping cars together and winning races.

Since then, the Iribe's have finished over 90% of thier races "in the money". And Class 1 was just the start.

Carlos - "I've raced Class 1, (at the time) Class 2 , Class 5, Class 1/2-1600, Class 5-1600 Class 8, Class 7 & 7s, Class 11 and even once in Class 9 (challenger)".

With wins and "in the money" finishes in every race you can think of, Carlos has covered an incredible amount of miles in the seat, and on the saddle of racing vehicles.

Carlos - "I have over 800 trophies in my racing careerNot only first place trophys, but altogether. I don't know of many races under 200 miles, so figuring it out, that's at least 800 races, and about 40,000 miles. Either that or the local trophy company is making a lot of money off me (laughs)! Then you take into account all of our "pre-running". We pre run some courses 3 or 4 times (a year). That's a lot of miles".

The pre-running chores are handled by Larry Minor's former Class 8 1986 Blazer , which, believe it or not, does double duty as a grocery getter ! I was fourtanate enough to have Carlos bring me for a run on part of the 95 Baja 1000 course, and I'm here to tell you that the truck flat out hauls. At speeds aproaching 85 mph over some pretty rugged terrain, this former race truck still has what it takes to get the job done.

Carlos - "We converted it over for more comfort, with a refrigerator, food warmer, stereo and a couple other things. How many pre-runners can your wife drive to the store to get groceries ? You can with this one. Right now, We probably have $50,000 in it altogether, but I doubt if you could build one like it today for 100K. We had to import it to Mexico and regester it here, because we couldn't "smog" it in CA. It's a hell of a good truck. I wouldn't have any problems with slapping a couple numbers on it and taking it racing".

I.S.R.T. is a racing effort backed by some of the finest sponsors in the sport, and Carlos is quick to thank and credit them .

Carlos - Right now, we are sponsored by London Bridge Resorts (Lake Havasu AZ), Kokomo's, Tecate Beer, Carta Blanca Beer, Don Hatz (the legendary race engine builder), Kuster Shocks, and Race Ready. Then there's ElSur Technologies, and of course my major sponsor, B.F. Goodrich, and my good friend, B.F. Goodrich race director, Dan Newsome. They give me my tires, technology, communications and support"..

In my past association with BFG, Frank DeAngelo and Mike Leone (who I'm proud to say is like a father to me) gave me a considerable ammount of help as well. They have been my friends for a long time, and have tought me a lot over the years.

Class 5-1600 is of course, a highly modified VW, which is limited in displacement, ceratin aspects of suspension. The distinctive silver and red paint now adorns an all new bug, built at the I.S.R.T. shop by Gerrardo. The ever present "Tasmanian Devil" of Loony Toons fame now covers the nose . The Chassis is a lightweight 4130 chrome-moly I.S.R.T. design, allowing for easy access while maintaining strength.

Carlos - "It's different from anything else out there. Suspension travel is at 11 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. How many 5-1600's have 14 inches of rear travel ? The Chassis is lighter than most designs, and a lot easier to get into. Everyone has thier own ideas about what works and what doesn't, but I will say this, In 3 years we have had only had 2 DNF's."

Wright arms and combo spindles are turned by a Wright Rack and Pinion unit, and tied together with aircraft aluminum tie rods and International 1 ton tie rod ends. Dampening the suspension are 2 prototype Kuster velocity sensitive shocks. The rear sports Kuster's as well, along with stock length, I.S.R.T. custom boxed arms.

Carlos - "We've used Rancho's, K.Y.B.'s Fox, Bilstien's ect, and they are fine shocks, but when I started using Kuster's, my times changed. We all make mistakes once in a while (driving) , and the first time I made one with the Kuster's, it was "Hey, that wasn't so bad !" We can't get them to fade ect.. I think they are the finest shocks in the world. Now I can just about close my eyes and stand on the gas. The only thing I hate is that they're so expensive. Even though I race and win with them, I have bought every set I have ever used".

Editor's note :

At this time, the final status of Kuster is unknown. Sale of the technology is pending.

One of the limitations of 5-1600 is that the engines are essentially stock. Limited to 1600cc and single port heads, the engines take a skilled hand to extract every ounce of power, and keep together under racing conditions. For Carlos and I.S.R.T. That man is Don Hatz.

Carlos - "Don is retired now, and no longer builds engines for everyone. I don't know why, but to my knowledge, I'm the only racer he will build them for".

While we couldn't pin Carlos down on hard numbers, he did say that a "competitive" engine needs at least 75 hp. He said his Hatz built motor is "strong".

Carlos - "It's at least as fast as anything out there. Theres a lot that the rules won't let you do. They always check these engines after a race, and we've always been legal".

Editor's Note: At the 1996 Baja 1000, one of Carlos's 2 DNF's, the winner, and 96 champion Tom Dittfield, protested Iribe's engine, and it checked legal. This led to a confrontation between Dittfield and Gerrardo Iribe at the 96 Award Ceremonies. Dittfield, it seemed, was unsatisfied with SCORE's decision and decided, quite unprofessionally, to take it up with Gerrardo publicly. A timely intervention by the B.F. Goodrich Team saved Dittfield from further emberassment.

Overall, the car is absolutely state of the 5-1600 art. Extensively tested in the Baja countryside, the "New car bugs" are already worked out.

Gerrardo Iribe' - "I raced the car earlier in January 97, and was leading the race. I went by one of the big trucks, and I guess he didn't like getting passed by a little VW. He tried passing me through a jump and he landed on the back of the car, breaking the engine (shroud, carboureator ect). We fixed it, and were ready to go" .

Editor's note :

See the article "Lapping the 400" for details on how the car did at the 1997 Parker 400.

As to I.S.R.T. , Carlos, Gerrardo and Humberto have set up shop in a building at thier home on the Baja peninsula. Equipped with Lathes, Mig's, Tubing bender's, and a wide assortment of standard and speciality tools, they are fully equipped to do everything from modify your present car, to build one from scratch (as they did with thier new 5-1600 in less than one months time !).

Carlos - " When we started out we had several people building for, and advising us on wheels, tires, suspension, tranny's ect. Tilt it this way, do it that way. I was not happy with what I was getting for service. Many of these people had commitments to other racers, and I got tired of having my car apart across a shop floor, 2 days before a race. So we Cleaned out a storage building, and started prepping the car ourselves. We made some mistakes and spent a lot of money on tools ect., and pretty soon we had it. Now I can tell you that If you want a car built, we can do it here, and do it right. We use 4130 chrome-moly and high carbon steel alloy. All the quality materials. Since we race, we know what works and what does not.

"We just rebuilt a "brand new" local car here. We took it out, and tested it. Everyone wrote down thier times, then we brought it to the shop. Afterwards, we brought it back and re-ran the test. Our times were an average of 23% faster than before. The car had more clearance, was lighter and stronger. We still haven't firmly set pricing, but we will probably settle on $25 to $30 an hour. I think that's reasonable".

"Another thing we concentrate on is saving time. I have seen NASCAR teams change a complete engine in 17 minuets. How many off road racers can do that ? Races can easily be won or lost in the pits. Every minute you waste, is another minute the other guy is gaining on you. Have you ever tried putting oil in a VW ? Something that simple can waste enough time to cost you the race. What about alternators ? We run 2. If one fails, we flip a switch and keep going. If you have to stop and change it, your wasting time. It's things like this that make all the difference. I would rather have a "good", but well prepared car than the fastest car on the course that hadn't been prepared so well.. When you look at the stat's, half of any class won't finish. Out of that half, many fail in the first 50 miles. Having a fast car that breaks won't win races. Having a well prepped, reliable car that won't break, will. There is a saying that goes, "You can't finish first, if you don't first finish" .

Even with the best preparation in the world, things can happen beyond anyone's control. That fact was driven home at the 96 Laughlin Challenge. A 50 cent keyway broke on the R&P unit, sending Carlos over a cliff, and in all likelihood, cost them the race.

Carlos - " Shut up about that ! (he laughs jokingly) Gerrardo had handed me the car, with an enormous lead on the rest of the field. We were running strong, and it looked like we would win. We had rebuilt the R&P and installed a new keyway. It shouldn't have broke, but it did. That's the way it goes. We lost a lot of time, and finished in 5'th place.

Having raced around the world, Carlos has his likes and dislikes about the different tracks and courses he has had the opportunity to run.

Carlos - "Every place has it's own enchantment, but there are some places I hate. I hate races that are so rough, you cant go fast. Races where all you do is break equipment. Look at Barstow. Why in the hell do we want to go there ? But, then again, it's been good to us. At first, I didn't like Parker, but I've learned to live with it".

As a Mexican, and the fact that it's the premiere off-road event, I love the Baja 1000. Especially when it goes to LaPaz. What's in Barstow other than rocks ? That's all there is. In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs) !

" If I said a track at any time in my career, I'd say Monaco. Class is Monaco. Others ? Speed is Monza, Death is Nurburgring (Germany). Beautiful is Spa. I hate Suzuka, Mexico City is terrible, Jarama (Spain) is horrible. Watkins Glen is Ok, but I like Road America better.

"Racers today don't know what it is to run a stock Jeep for about 40 hours without. anything. Today there are helicopters, radio's and GPS. Some people can get lost looking for thier own bathroom ! Don't laugh, it's true ! I go to races every week and I see professional racers say "Hey Carlos, you know where contingency is this year" ? I mean God almighty ! This is a professional racer, and he doesn't know where contingency is ? What do you suppose he knows about the course ? And I mean I see this all the time ! "

What does Carlos think it takes to make a Champion racer ?

Carlos - "More than anything you must have ability. A lot of ability. Let me say this. There are 3 kinds of racers. There's the guy who goes racing so he can impress his girlfriend, the guy who was always a fan of racing and wants to give it a try, and the guy who really has the drive, the ability. He has it in him to race. He must race. It's in his blood.

Then, you must have the money, and the equipment to go racing. You need the car, the tools, the pit support, the spare tires, wheels and parts ; all that and more. There's travel expenses, hotel's, feeding everyone for a week and such. It all add's up. And it add's up fast. You must also be able to sell yourself. Every professional racer needs sponsors. If you can't sell yourself to a sponsor, it gets a lot more expensive. To be that one man, well, you have better odd's in a crap shoot.

That said, Carlos has some plans ahead, that are a little different than anything that you may have seen in the world of off-road racing before.

"We now have 3 cars. We have a pre-Runner Blazer, the motorhome, all the good equipment. Since we cannot run all 3 at the same time, I am considering offering a program similar to what some are doing on motorcycles. A "Baja adventure" where we supply the training, teach you to drive, pre running, car, pit support, communications, housing, meals, insurance, translator (if neccasary) ect. Everything you need to go racing in Baja, in a package deal. It will be all inclusive, from airline tickets to personal security, should you require it. Of course, such a thing will not be inexpensive, but consider what you are getting. Then compare that to how much such a thing would cost if you had to do it all yourself. We will provide a "turn key" package at a fraction of the cost. We won't grantee you will win, that's up to you, but we will guarantee you a memorable experience that you will never forget ! We have not finalized any plans in this direction, or set any pricing, but any interested persons can contact me for further information at ...

Carlos is a strong supporter of SCORE. His friendship and association with Sal Fish and many other SCORE officials, dates back well over 20 years. None the less, there are a couple areas that he feels could, and should be changed for the good of the sport, and the safety of drivers and fans alike..

Carlos - "The current rules say that we must run stock drum brakes on the front. This would not be a problem, except that they have not been built for 30 years. All the drums we run are used, and they are getting very hard to come by. If you know where I can find 20, I'll buy them right now. But they are used, and who knows if they are safe. Why not let us use new front Disc brakes ? They aren't going to make us go any faster. Is cost the problem ? Discs list for $450, and drums are $100 per pair. We go through 3 pair (at least) a year. Is that $150 too expensive ? Racing is expensive. If you cant afford to race, you shouldn't be out there. At the very least, make disc brakes optional. Yes it costs more, but we will be safe. That's the issue. It is unsafe to run used parts in a critical position like the front end. Will we need another "Barstow" incident, before we use some common sense ? Lets stop running experiments in stupidity. Let's be practical.

"Another area Is checkpoints. Don't put them in high speed areas where we have to waste time slowing way down and taking off. Don't put them in areas where you wouldn't stop in a 4x4. Either way, it causes problems . Checkpoints need to be located in areas that are low speed, and "easy in, easy out". High speed check's can be dangerous to staff and driver alike. Unneccacarly dangerous.

The 1996 Baja 1000 had several instances of stuck vehicles holding up a large number of others for several hours. This is something that Carlos feels SCORE should address.

Carlos - "What do we do in a short course ? We have an option. we can go over a big jump, or we can take an optional, but legal route around. We know where these areas are in Baja and other courses, because people get stuck in the same places every year. Why not provide Detours as part of the course ? Make them longer, but fair, so you can legally get around these problem areas if you have to. Is it fair to hold up all these racers in different classes ? I don't think it is. Should it be a hard race ? Yes ! Should it be an impossible race ? No it shouldn't.

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Back to The ORC Race Page

 

Interview by Norm Lenhart
Editor / Writer VW's & Sand Cars
Photos by Norm Lenhart & Gary Cory

"In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs)" !..............Carlos Iribe

 

Recently, It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Carlos Iribe and his family at the 1996 SCORE Award Ceremonies, and later, for 5 great days at his home in Baja. The 1996 season was a mixed blessing for the I.S.R.T. (Iribe Superior Racing Technology) Team. Most of the season saw the team finish high in the money, but a DNF at the Baja 1000 cost them not only the Toyota True Grit award, (for finishing every mile of every race) but the Class 5-1600 Championship as well.

In 1997 Carlos, and his son's / co-drivers Gerrardo (20) and Humberto (21), are intent on avenging last seasons Second place standing, and bring the I.S.R.T., 5-1600 Baja in to the Winners circle. With a 3'rd in 1995 and a 2'nd place finish in 1996, They are carving a sure and steady path to that elusive SCORE Championship.

For the Iribe's, off-road racing is a family affair.

Carlos - "I act as the driver of record, Team manager, Owner, and I even wash the car once in a while (laughing). My Wife and Daughter handle all the logistics, and of course, Gerrardo and Humberto build, work on, and drive the cars as well..

Every full bore racing effort needs pit support, and I.S.R.T. is no exception. The format of desert racing is such, that even a family effort like the Iribe's needs additional help .

Carlos - "B.F. Goodrich is my main source of pit support. I have been associated with them a while now, and they are fantastic people. I am also a member of "Baja Pits" At one time, I served as the secretary and even as president, but my job doesn't allow me enough time . Baja Pits was started 12 years ago in Tijuana, to provide assistance to Mexican racers who may not speak the language ect. It is similar to the Checkers, Mag 7 and others. They support us all the time as secondary pit support, and are great friends. Speaking of Mag 7, I recently won the "Baja Spirit Award", which is given to those who they feel epitimize the spirit of Baja (good sportsmanship, willingness to help fellow competitors ect). With this award comes a year of pit support, and they have done an excellent job .

Carlos Iribe is a VW racer with an incredibly diverse Racing career. At 52, he has raced in Trans-Am, SCCA, Formula A. On motorcycles he spent time on the flat tracks of TT and even Speedway. Off-Road Trucks, Buggies and Bajas, fill out his report? as a well rounded professional with a tremendous amount of experience. His recreational interests are quite diverse as well, including the martial arts, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. While his outside intrests are more reminicent of an executive, than an off-road racer, Carlos Has some definite reasons for racing.

Carlos - "The challenge for any man is to excel in whatever he does. For me, Racing became that challenge. You are so close to danger, that when you are away from it, you appreciate how good it is to be alive. I try to better myself every day. Not better than anyone else, but to be better myself. I want to be the best I can be.

In 1959, Carlos was attending military school, when a friend who raced the 650cc expert class, suggested he try his hand in the Novice class on a 200 cc Triumph Cub "just for fun". Thus began the first of many victorys .

Carlos - "I kept at it, and I started getting better and better, and I had ability. When I came to the US, I was at a race with some friends. I got to talking with one of the pro's, and was given a chance to do a few laps on his bike. I guess he liked what he saw, because he let me race his bike that weekend (Ascot professional flat tracker) and I won again. I was given an AMA "Expert" licence, never having held an "Amateur". I jumped straight from "novice" to "expert". Not many people have done that. Later on, (with his sponsorship) I traveled the country for several years, racing, and became a 3 time National champion.

Making a name for himself on Motorcycles afforded Carlos the opportunity to move into the "Trans-Am" series in a Penske Camaro. where he won 3 championships. From there, he went on to "Formula A"( a Formula 1 car with a "stock block" production engine.

Carlos - "At the Ontario Motor Speedway, I won my class the first year, and took second, the next. OMS was a beautiful course. For whatever reason, it closed after only 2 years. I loved racing there.

Carlos Iribe's off-road racing career began with a bit of trepidation. In 1977, he raced a 200 event promoted by the late Billy Martin at Laguna Salada (Mexico).

Carlos - " A friend lent me a car ( a Class 1 short course car) and I decided "this seems like a lot of fun, I'll go do a little jumpin' ". I started that race dead last and won ! When I looked at the car, I had half destroyed it. I blew tires, I broke parts, and the guy was happy that I won anyway ! So he said "lets do it again", and I couldn't finish. Then "Baja Onyx" sponsored a Class 1 car and in my first 5 races, we still couldn't finish. I could go as fast as anyone, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. At the Walt Lott (HDRA) "Imperial 300" I figured it out. I needed to slow down . When I did, I began keeping cars together and winning races.

Since then, the Iribe's have finished over 90% of thier races "in the money". And Class 1 was just the start.

Carlos - "I've raced Class 1, (at the time) Class 2 , Class 5, Class 1/2-1600, Class 5-1600 Class 8, Class 7 & 7s, Class 11 and even once in Class 9 (challenger)".

With wins and "in the money" finishes in every race you can think of, Carlos has covered an incredible amount of miles in the seat, and on the saddle of racing vehicles.

Carlos - "I have over 800 trophies in my racing careerNot only first place trophys, but altogether. I don't know of many races under 200 miles, so figuring it out, that's at least 800 races, and about 40,000 miles. Either that or the local trophy company is making a lot of money off me (laughs)! Then you take into account all of our "pre-running". We pre run some courses 3 or 4 times (a year). That's a lot of miles".

The pre-running chores are handled by Larry Minor's former Class 8 1986 Blazer , which, believe it or not, does double duty as a grocery getter ! I was fourtanate enough to have Carlos bring me for a run on part of the 95 Baja 1000 course, and I'm here to tell you that the truck flat out hauls. At speeds aproaching 85 mph over some pretty rugged terrain, this former race truck still has what it takes to get the job done.

Carlos - "We converted it over for more comfort, with a refrigerator, food warmer, stereo and a couple other things. How many pre-runners can your wife drive to the store to get groceries ? You can with this one. Right now, We probably have $50,000 in it altogether, but I doubt if you could build one like it today for 100K. We had to import it to Mexico and regester it here, because we couldn't "smog" it in CA. It's a hell of a good truck. I wouldn't have any problems with slapping a couple numbers on it and taking it racing".

I.S.R.T. is a racing effort backed by some of the finest sponsors in the sport, and Carlos is quick to thank and credit them .

Carlos - Right now, we are sponsored by London Bridge Resorts (Lake Havasu AZ), Kokomo's, Tecate Beer, Carta Blanca Beer, Don Hatz (the legendary race engine builder), Kuster Shocks, and Race Ready. Then there's ElSur Technologies, and of course my major sponsor, B.F. Goodrich, and my good friend, B.F. Goodrich race director, Dan Newsome. They give me my tires, technology, communications and support"..

In my past association with BFG, Frank DeAngelo and Mike Leone (who I'm proud to say is like a father to me) gave me a considerable ammount of help as well. They have been my friends for a long time, and have tought me a lot over the years.

Class 5-1600 is of course, a highly modified VW, which is limited in displacement, ceratin aspects of suspension. The distinctive silver and red paint now adorns an all new bug, built at the I.S.R.T. shop by Gerrardo. The ever present "Tasmanian Devil" of Loony Toons fame now covers the nose . The Chassis is a lightweight 4130 chrome-moly I.S.R.T. design, allowing for easy access while maintaining strength.

Carlos - "It's different from anything else out there. Suspension travel is at 11 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. How many 5-1600's have 14 inches of rear travel ? The Chassis is lighter than most designs, and a lot easier to get into. Everyone has thier own ideas about what works and what doesn't, but I will say this, In 3 years we have had only had 2 DNF's."

Wright arms and combo spindles are turned by a Wright Rack and Pinion unit, and tied together with aircraft aluminum tie rods and International 1 ton tie rod ends. Dampening the suspension are 2 prototype Kuster velocity sensitive shocks. The rear sports Kuster's as well, along with stock length, I.S.R.T. custom boxed arms.

Carlos - "We've used Rancho's, K.Y.B.'s Fox, Bilstien's ect, and they are fine shocks, but when I started using Kuster's, my times changed. We all make mistakes once in a while (driving) , and the first time I made one with the Kuster's, it was "Hey, that wasn't so bad !" We can't get them to fade ect.. I think they are the finest shocks in the world. Now I can just about close my eyes and stand on the gas. The only thing I hate is that they're so expensive. Even though I race and win with them, I have bought every set I have ever used".

Editor's note :

At this time, the final status of Kuster is unknown. Sale of the technology is pending.

One of the limitations of 5-1600 is that the engines are essentially stock. Limited to 1600cc and single port heads, the engines take a skilled hand to extract every ounce of power, and keep together under racing conditions. For Carlos and I.S.R.T. That man is Don Hatz.

Carlos - "Don is retired now, and no longer builds engines for everyone. I don't know why, but to my knowledge, I'm the only racer he will build them for".

While we couldn't pin Carlos down on hard numbers, he did say that a "competitive" engine needs at least 75 hp. He said his Hatz built motor is "strong".

Carlos - "It's at least as fast as anything out there. Theres a lot that the rules won't let you do. They always check these engines after a race, and we've always been legal".

Editor's Note: At the 1996 Baja 1000, one of Carlos's 2 DNF's, the winner, and 96 champion Tom Dittfield, protested Iribe's engine, and it checked legal. This led to a confrontation between Dittfield and Gerrardo Iribe at the 96 Award Ceremonies. Dittfield, it seemed, was unsatisfied with SCORE's decision and decided, quite unprofessionally, to take it up with Gerrardo publicly. A timely intervention by the B.F. Goodrich Team saved Dittfield from further emberassment.

Overall, the car is absolutely state of the 5-1600 art. Extensively tested in the Baja countryside, the "New car bugs" are already worked out.

Gerrardo Iribe' - "I raced the car earlier in January 97, and was leading the race. I went by one of the big trucks, and I guess he didn't like getting passed by a little VW. He tried passing me through a jump and he landed on the back of the car, breaking the engine (shroud, carboureator ect). We fixed it, and were ready to go" .

Editor's note :

See the article "Lapping the 400" for details on how the car did at the 1997 Parker 400.

As to I.S.R.T. , Carlos, Gerrardo and Humberto have set up shop in a building at thier home on the Baja peninsula. Equipped with Lathes, Mig's, Tubing bender's, and a wide assortment of standard and speciality tools, they are fully equipped to do everything from modify your present car, to build one from scratch (as they did with thier new 5-1600 in less than one months time !).

Carlos - " When we started out we had several people building for, and advising us on wheels, tires, suspension, tranny's ect. Tilt it this way, do it that way. I was not happy with what I was getting for service. Many of these people had commitments to other racers, and I got tired of having my car apart across a shop floor, 2 days before a race. So we Cleaned out a storage building, and started prepping the car ourselves. We made some mistakes and spent a lot of money on tools ect., and pretty soon we had it. Now I can tell you that If you want a car built, we can do it here, and do it right. We use 4130 chrome-moly and high carbon steel alloy. All the quality materials. Since we race, we know what works and what does not.

"We just rebuilt a "brand new" local car here. We took it out, and tested it. Everyone wrote down thier times, then we brought it to the shop. Afterwards, we brought it back and re-ran the test. Our times were an average of 23% faster than before. The car had more clearance, was lighter and stronger. We still haven't firmly set pricing, but we will probably settle on $25 to $30 an hour. I think that's reasonable".

"Another thing we concentrate on is saving time. I have seen NASCAR teams change a complete engine in 17 minuets. How many off road racers can do that ? Races can easily be won or lost in the pits. Every minute you waste, is another minute the other guy is gaining on you. Have you ever tried putting oil in a VW ? Something that simple can waste enough time to cost you the race. What about alternators ? We run 2. If one fails, we flip a switch and keep going. If you have to stop and change it, your wasting time. It's things like this that make all the difference. I would rather have a "good", but well prepared car than the fastest car on the course that hadn't been prepared so well.. When you look at the stat's, half of any class won't finish. Out of that half, many fail in the first 50 miles. Having a fast car that breaks won't win races. Having a well prepped, reliable car that won't break, will. There is a saying that goes, "You can't finish first, if you don't first finish" .

Even with the best preparation in the world, things can happen beyond anyone's control. That fact was driven home at the 96 Laughlin Challenge. A 50 cent keyway broke on the R&P unit, sending Carlos over a cliff, and in all likelihood, cost them the race.

Carlos - " Shut up about that ! (he laughs jokingly) Gerrardo had handed me the car, with an enormous lead on the rest of the field. We were running strong, and it looked like we would win. We had rebuilt the R&P and installed a new keyway. It shouldn't have broke, but it did. That's the way it goes. We lost a lot of time, and finished in 5'th place.

Having raced around the world, Carlos has his likes and dislikes about the different tracks and courses he has had the opportunity to run.

Carlos - "Every place has it's own enchantment, but there are some places I hate. I hate races that are so rough, you cant go fast. Races where all you do is break equipment. Look at Barstow. Why in the hell do we want to go there ? But, then again, it's been good to us. At first, I didn't like Parker, but I've learned to live with it".

As a Mexican, and the fact that it's the premiere off-road event, I love the Baja 1000. Especially when it goes to LaPaz. What's in Barstow other than rocks ? That's all there is. In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs) !

" If I said a track at any time in my career, I'd say Monaco. Class is Monaco. Others ? Speed is Monza, Death is Nurburgring (Germany). Beautiful is Spa. I hate Suzuka, Mexico City is terrible, Jarama (Spain) is horrible. Watkins Glen is Ok, but I like Road America better.

"Racers today don't know what it is to run a stock Jeep for about 40 hours without. anything. Today there are helicopters, radio's and GPS. Some people can get lost looking for thier own bathroom ! Don't laugh, it's true ! I go to races every week and I see professional racers say "Hey Carlos, you know where contingency is this year" ? I mean God almighty ! This is a professional racer, and he doesn't know where contingency is ? What do you suppose he knows about the course ? And I mean I see this all the time ! "

What does Carlos think it takes to make a Champion racer ?

Carlos - "More than anything you must have ability. A lot of ability. Let me say this. There are 3 kinds of racers. There's the guy who goes racing so he can impress his girlfriend, the guy who was always a fan of racing and wants to give it a try, and the guy who really has the drive, the ability. He has it in him to race. He must race. It's in his blood.

Then, you must have the money, and the equipment to go racing. You need the car, the tools, the pit support, the spare tires, wheels and parts ; all that and more. There's travel expenses, hotel's, feeding everyone for a week and such. It all add's up. And it add's up fast. You must also be able to sell yourself. Every professional racer needs sponsors. If you can't sell yourself to a sponsor, it gets a lot more expensive. To be that one man, well, you have better odd's in a crap shoot.

That said, Carlos has some plans ahead, that are a little different than anything that you may have seen in the world of off-road racing before.

"We now have 3 cars. We have a pre-Runner Blazer, the motorhome, all the good equipment. Since we cannot run all 3 at the same time, I am considering offering a program similar to what some are doing on motorcycles. A "Baja adventure" where we supply the training, teach you to drive, pre running, car, pit support, communications, housing, meals, insurance, translator (if neccasary) ect. Everything you need to go racing in Baja, in a package deal. It will be all inclusive, from airline tickets to personal security, should you require it. Of course, such a thing will not be inexpensive, but consider what you are getting. Then compare that to how much such a thing would cost if you had to do it all yourself. We will provide a "turn key" package at a fraction of the cost. We won't grantee you will win, that's up to you, but we will guarantee you a memorable experience that you will never forget ! We have not finalized any plans in this direction, or set any pricing, but any interested persons can contact me for further information at ...

Carlos is a strong supporter of SCORE. His friendship and association with Sal Fish and many other SCORE officials, dates back well over 20 years. None the less, there are a couple areas that he feels could, and should be changed for the good of the sport, and the safety of drivers and fans alike..

Carlos - "The current rules say that we must run stock drum brakes on the front. This would not be a problem, except that they have not been built for 30 years. All the drums we run are used, and they are getting very hard to come by. If you know where I can find 20, I'll buy them right now. But they are used, and who knows if they are safe. Why not let us use new front Disc brakes ? They aren't going to make us go any faster. Is cost the problem ? Discs list for $450, and drums are $100 per pair. We go through 3 pair (at least) a year. Is that $150 too expensive ? Racing is expensive. If you cant afford to race, you shouldn't be out there. At the very least, make disc brakes optional. Yes it costs more, but we will be safe. That's the issue. It is unsafe to run used parts in a critical position like the front end. Will we need another "Barstow" incident, before we use some common sense ? Lets stop running experiments in stupidity. Let's be practical.

"Another area Is checkpoints. Don't put them in high speed areas where we have to waste time slowing way down and taking off. Don't put them in areas where you wouldn't stop in a 4x4. Either way, it causes problems . Checkpoints need to be located in areas that are low speed, and "easy in, easy out". High speed check's can be dangerous to staff and driver alike. Unneccacarly dangerous.

The 1996 Baja 1000 had several instances of stuck vehicles holding up a large number of others for several hours. This is something that Carlos feels SCORE should address.

Carlos - "What do we do in a short course ? We have an option. we can go over a big jump, or we can take an optional, but legal route around. We know where these areas are in Baja and other courses, because people get stuck in the same places every year. Why not provide Detours as part of the course ? Make them longer, but fair, so you can legally get around these problem areas if you have to. Is it fair to hold up all these racers in different classes ? I don't think it is. Should it be a hard race ? Yes ! Should it be an impossible race ? No it shouldn't.

Back to The Iribe Home Page

Back to The ORC Race Page

 

Interview by Norm Lenhart
Editor / Writer VW's & Sand Cars
Photos by Norm Lenhart & Gary Cory

"In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs)" !..............Carlos Iribe

 

Recently, It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Carlos Iribe and his family at the 1996 SCORE Award Ceremonies, and later, for 5 great days at his home in Baja. The 1996 season was a mixed blessing for the I.S.R.T. (Iribe Superior Racing Technology) Team. Most of the season saw the team finish high in the money, but a DNF at the Baja 1000 cost them not only the Toyota True Grit award, (for finishing every mile of every race) but the Class 5-1600 Championship as well.

In 1997 Carlos, and his son's / co-drivers Gerrardo (20) and Humberto (21), are intent on avenging last seasons Second place standing, and bring the I.S.R.T., 5-1600 Baja in to the Winners circle. With a 3'rd in 1995 and a 2'nd place finish in 1996, They are carving a sure and steady path to that elusive SCORE Championship.

For the Iribe's, off-road racing is a family affair.

Carlos - "I act as the driver of record, Team manager, Owner, and I even wash the car once in a while (laughing). My Wife and Daughter handle all the logistics, and of course, Gerrardo and Humberto build, work on, and drive the cars as well..

Every full bore racing effort needs pit support, and I.S.R.T. is no exception. The format of desert racing is such, that even a family effort like the Iribe's needs additional help .

Carlos - "B.F. Goodrich is my main source of pit support. I have been associated with them a while now, and they are fantastic people. I am also a member of "Baja Pits" At one time, I served as the secretary and even as president, but my job doesn't allow me enough time . Baja Pits was started 12 years ago in Tijuana, to provide assistance to Mexican racers who may not speak the language ect. It is similar to the Checkers, Mag 7 and others. They support us all the time as secondary pit support, and are great friends. Speaking of Mag 7, I recently won the "Baja Spirit Award", which is given to those who they feel epitimize the spirit of Baja (good sportsmanship, willingness to help fellow competitors ect). With this award comes a year of pit support, and they have done an excellent job .

Carlos Iribe is a VW racer with an incredibly diverse Racing career. At 52, he has raced in Trans-Am, SCCA, Formula A. On motorcycles he spent time on the flat tracks of TT and even Speedway. Off-Road Trucks, Buggies and Bajas, fill out his report? as a well rounded professional with a tremendous amount of experience. His recreational interests are quite diverse as well, including the martial arts, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. While his outside intrests are more reminicent of an executive, than an off-road racer, Carlos Has some definite reasons for racing.

Carlos - "The challenge for any man is to excel in whatever he does. For me, Racing became that challenge. You are so close to danger, that when you are away from it, you appreciate how good it is to be alive. I try to better myself every day. Not better than anyone else, but to be better myself. I want to be the best I can be.

In 1959, Carlos was attending military school, when a friend who raced the 650cc expert class, suggested he try his hand in the Novice class on a 200 cc Triumph Cub "just for fun". Thus began the first of many victorys .

Carlos - "I kept at it, and I started getting better and better, and I had ability. When I came to the US, I was at a race with some friends. I got to talking with one of the pro's, and was given a chance to do a few laps on his bike. I guess he liked what he saw, because he let me race his bike that weekend (Ascot professional flat tracker) and I won again. I was given an AMA "Expert" licence, never having held an "Amateur". I jumped straight from "novice" to "expert". Not many people have done that. Later on, (with his sponsorship) I traveled the country for several years, racing, and became a 3 time National champion.

Making a name for himself on Motorcycles afforded Carlos the opportunity to move into the "Trans-Am" series in a Penske Camaro. where he won 3 championships. From there, he went on to "Formula A"( a Formula 1 car with a "stock block" production engine.

Carlos - "At the Ontario Motor Speedway, I won my class the first year, and took second, the next. OMS was a beautiful course. For whatever reason, it closed after only 2 years. I loved racing there.

Carlos Iribe's off-road racing career began with a bit of trepidation. In 1977, he raced a 200 event promoted by the late Billy Martin at Laguna Salada (Mexico).

Carlos - " A friend lent me a car ( a Class 1 short course car) and I decided "this seems like a lot of fun, I'll go do a little jumpin' ". I started that race dead last and won ! When I looked at the car, I had half destroyed it. I blew tires, I broke parts, and the guy was happy that I won anyway ! So he said "lets do it again", and I couldn't finish. Then "Baja Onyx" sponsored a Class 1 car and in my first 5 races, we still couldn't finish. I could go as fast as anyone, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. At the Walt Lott (HDRA) "Imperial 300" I figured it out. I needed to slow down . When I did, I began keeping cars together and winning races.

Since then, the Iribe's have finished over 90% of thier races "in the money". And Class 1 was just the start.

Carlos - "I've raced Class 1, (at the time) Class 2 , Class 5, Class 1/2-1600, Class 5-1600 Class 8, Class 7 & 7s, Class 11 and even once in Class 9 (challenger)".

With wins and "in the money" finishes in every race you can think of, Carlos has covered an incredible amount of miles in the seat, and on the saddle of racing vehicles.

Carlos - "I have over 800 trophies in my racing careerNot only first place trophys, but altogether. I don't know of many races under 200 miles, so figuring it out, that's at least 800 races, and about 40,000 miles. Either that or the local trophy company is making a lot of money off me (laughs)! Then you take into account all of our "pre-running". We pre run some courses 3 or 4 times (a year). That's a lot of miles".

The pre-running chores are handled by Larry Minor's former Class 8 1986 Blazer , which, believe it or not, does double duty as a grocery getter ! I was fourtanate enough to have Carlos bring me for a run on part of the 95 Baja 1000 course, and I'm here to tell you that the truck flat out hauls. At speeds aproaching 85 mph over some pretty rugged terrain, this former race truck still has what it takes to get the job done.

Carlos - "We converted it over for more comfort, with a refrigerator, food warmer, stereo and a couple other things. How many pre-runners can your wife drive to the store to get groceries ? You can with this one. Right now, We probably have $50,000 in it altogether, but I doubt if you could build one like it today for 100K. We had to import it to Mexico and regester it here, because we couldn't "smog" it in CA. It's a hell of a good truck. I wouldn't have any problems with slapping a couple numbers on it and taking it racing".

I.S.R.T. is a racing effort backed by some of the finest sponsors in the sport, and Carlos is quick to thank and credit them .

Carlos - Right now, we are sponsored by London Bridge Resorts (Lake Havasu AZ), Kokomo's, Tecate Beer, Carta Blanca Beer, Don Hatz (the legendary race engine builder), Kuster Shocks, and Race Ready. Then there's ElSur Technologies, and of course my major sponsor, B.F. Goodrich, and my good friend, B.F. Goodrich race director, Dan Newsome. They give me my tires, technology, communications and support"..

In my past association with BFG, Frank DeAngelo and Mike Leone (who I'm proud to say is like a father to me) gave me a considerable ammount of help as well. They have been my friends for a long time, and have tought me a lot over the years.

Class 5-1600 is of course, a highly modified VW, which is limited in displacement, ceratin aspects of suspension. The distinctive silver and red paint now adorns an all new bug, built at the I.S.R.T. shop by Gerrardo. The ever present "Tasmanian Devil" of Loony Toons fame now covers the nose . The Chassis is a lightweight 4130 chrome-moly I.S.R.T. design, allowing for easy access while maintaining strength.

Carlos - "It's different from anything else out there. Suspension travel is at 11 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. How many 5-1600's have 14 inches of rear travel ? The Chassis is lighter than most designs, and a lot easier to get into. Everyone has thier own ideas about what works and what doesn't, but I will say this, In 3 years we have had only had 2 DNF's."

Wright arms and combo spindles are turned by a Wright Rack and Pinion unit, and tied together with aircraft aluminum tie rods and International 1 ton tie rod ends. Dampening the suspension are 2 prototype Kuster velocity sensitive shocks. The rear sports Kuster's as well, along with stock length, I.S.R.T. custom boxed arms.

Carlos - "We've used Rancho's, K.Y.B.'s Fox, Bilstien's ect, and they are fine shocks, but when I started using Kuster's, my times changed. We all make mistakes once in a while (driving) , and the first time I made one with the Kuster's, it was "Hey, that wasn't so bad !" We can't get them to fade ect.. I think they are the finest shocks in the world. Now I can just about close my eyes and stand on the gas. The only thing I hate is that they're so expensive. Even though I race and win with them, I have bought every set I have ever used".

Editor's note :

At this time, the final status of Kuster is unknown. Sale of the technology is pending.

One of the limitations of 5-1600 is that the engines are essentially stock. Limited to 1600cc and single port heads, the engines take a skilled hand to extract every ounce of power, and keep together under racing conditions. For Carlos and I.S.R.T. That man is Don Hatz.

Carlos - "Don is retired now, and no longer builds engines for everyone. I don't know why, but to my knowledge, I'm the only racer he will build them for".

While we couldn't pin Carlos down on hard numbers, he did say that a "competitive" engine needs at least 75 hp. He said his Hatz built motor is "strong".

Carlos - "It's at least as fast as anything out there. Theres a lot that the rules won't let you do. They always check these engines after a race, and we've always been legal".

Editor's Note: At the 1996 Baja 1000, one of Carlos's 2 DNF's, the winner, and 96 champion Tom Dittfield, protested Iribe's engine, and it checked legal. This led to a confrontation between Dittfield and Gerrardo Iribe at the 96 Award Ceremonies. Dittfield, it seemed, was unsatisfied with SCORE's decision and decided, quite unprofessionally, to take it up with Gerrardo publicly. A timely intervention by the B.F. Goodrich Team saved Dittfield from further emberassment.

Overall, the car is absolutely state of the 5-1600 art. Extensively tested in the Baja countryside, the "New car bugs" are already worked out.

Gerrardo Iribe' - "I raced the car earlier in January 97, and was leading the race. I went by one of the big trucks, and I guess he didn't like getting passed by a little VW. He tried passing me through a jump and he landed on the back of the car, breaking the engine (shroud, carboureator ect). We fixed it, and were ready to go" .

Editor's note :

See the article "Lapping the 400" for details on how the car did at the 1997 Parker 400.

As to I.S.R.T. , Carlos, Gerrardo and Humberto have set up shop in a building at thier home on the Baja peninsula. Equipped with Lathes, Mig's, Tubing bender's, and a wide assortment of standard and speciality tools, they are fully equipped to do everything from modify your present car, to build one from scratch (as they did with thier new 5-1600 in less than one months time !).

Carlos - " When we started out we had several people building for, and advising us on wheels, tires, suspension, tranny's ect. Tilt it this way, do it that way. I was not happy with what I was getting for service. Many of these people had commitments to other racers, and I got tired of having my car apart across a shop floor, 2 days before a race. So we Cleaned out a storage building, and started prepping the car ourselves. We made some mistakes and spent a lot of money on tools ect., and pretty soon we had it. Now I can tell you that If you want a car built, we can do it here, and do it right. We use 4130 chrome-moly and high carbon steel alloy. All the quality materials. Since we race, we know what works and what does not.

"We just rebuilt a "brand new" local car here. We took it out, and tested it. Everyone wrote down thier times, then we brought it to the shop. Afterwards, we brought it back and re-ran the test. Our times were an average of 23% faster than before. The car had more clearance, was lighter and stronger. We still haven't firmly set pricing, but we will probably settle on $25 to $30 an hour. I think that's reasonable".

"Another thing we concentrate on is saving time. I have seen NASCAR teams change a complete engine in 17 minuets. How many off road racers can do that ? Races can easily be won or lost in the pits. Every minute you waste, is another minute the other guy is gaining on you. Have you ever tried putting oil in a VW ? Something that simple can waste enough time to cost you the race. What about alternators ? We run 2. If one fails, we flip a switch and keep going. If you have to stop and change it, your wasting time. It's things like this that make all the difference. I would rather have a "good", but well prepared car than the fastest car on the course that hadn't been prepared so well.. When you look at the stat's, half of any class won't finish. Out of that half, many fail in the first 50 miles. Having a fast car that breaks won't win races. Having a well prepped, reliable car that won't break, will. There is a saying that goes, "You can't finish first, if you don't first finish" .

Even with the best preparation in the world, things can happen beyond anyone's control. That fact was driven home at the 96 Laughlin Challenge. A 50 cent keyway broke on the R&P unit, sending Carlos over a cliff, and in all likelihood, cost them the race.

Carlos - " Shut up about that ! (he laughs jokingly) Gerrardo had handed me the car, with an enormous lead on the rest of the field. We were running strong, and it looked like we would win. We had rebuilt the R&P and installed a new keyway. It shouldn't have broke, but it did. That's the way it goes. We lost a lot of time, and finished in 5'th place.

Having raced around the world, Carlos has his likes and dislikes about the different tracks and courses he has had the opportunity to run.

Carlos - "Every place has it's own enchantment, but there are some places I hate. I hate races that are so rough, you cant go fast. Races where all you do is break equipment. Look at Barstow. Why in the hell do we want to go there ? But, then again, it's been good to us. At first, I didn't like Parker, but I've learned to live with it".

As a Mexican, and the fact that it's the premiere off-road event, I love the Baja 1000. Especially when it goes to LaPaz. What's in Barstow other than rocks ? That's all there is. In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs) !

" If I said a track at any time in my career, I'd say Monaco. Class is Monaco. Others ? Speed is Monza, Death is Nurburgring (Germany). Beautiful is Spa. I hate Suzuka, Mexico City is terrible, Jarama (Spain) is horrible. Watkins Glen is Ok, but I like Road America better.

"Racers today don't know what it is to run a stock Jeep for about 40 hours without. anything. Today there are helicopters, radio's and GPS. Some people can get lost looking for thier own bathroom ! Don't laugh, it's true ! I go to races every week and I see professional racers say "Hey Carlos, you know where contingency is this year" ? I mean God almighty ! This is a professional racer, and he doesn't know where contingency is ? What do you suppose he knows about the course ? And I mean I see this all the time ! "

What does Carlos think it takes to make a Champion racer ?

Carlos - "More than anything you must have ability. A lot of ability. Let me say this. There are 3 kinds of racers. There's the guy who goes racing so he can impress his girlfriend, the guy who was always a fan of racing and wants to give it a try, and the guy who really has the drive, the ability. He has it in him to race. He must race. It's in his blood.

Then, you must have the money, and the equipment to go racing. You need the car, the tools, the pit support, the spare tires, wheels and parts ; all that and more. There's travel expenses, hotel's, feeding everyone for a week and such. It all add's up. And it add's up fast. You must also be able to sell yourself. Every professional racer needs sponsors. If you can't sell yourself to a sponsor, it gets a lot more expensive. To be that one man, well, you have better odd's in a crap shoot.

That said, Carlos has some plans ahead, that are a little different than anything that you may have seen in the world of off-road racing before.

"We now have 3 cars. We have a pre-Runner Blazer, the motorhome, all the good equipment. Since we cannot run all 3 at the same time, I am considering offering a program similar to what some are doing on motorcycles. A "Baja adventure" where we supply the training, teach you to drive, pre running, car, pit support, communications, housing, meals, insurance, translator (if neccasary) ect. Everything you need to go racing in Baja, in a package deal. It will be all inclusive, from airline tickets to personal security, should you require it. Of course, such a thing will not be inexpensive, but consider what you are getting. Then compare that to how much such a thing would cost if you had to do it all yourself. We will provide a "turn key" package at a fraction of the cost. We won't grantee you will win, that's up to you, but we will guarantee you a memorable experience that you will never forget ! We have not finalized any plans in this direction, or set any pricing, but any interested persons can contact me for further information at ...

Carlos is a strong supporter of SCORE. His friendship and association with Sal Fish and many other SCORE officials, dates back well over 20 years. None the less, there are a couple areas that he feels could, and should be changed for the good of the sport, and the safety of drivers and fans alike..

Carlos - "The current rules say that we must run stock drum brakes on the front. This would not be a problem, except that they have not been built for 30 years. All the drums we run are used, and they are getting very hard to come by. If you know where I can find 20, I'll buy them right now. But they are used, and who knows if they are safe. Why not let us use new front Disc brakes ? They aren't going to make us go any faster. Is cost the problem ? Discs list for $450, and drums are $100 per pair. We go through 3 pair (at least) a year. Is that $150 too expensive ? Racing is expensive. If you cant afford to race, you shouldn't be out there. At the very least, make disc brakes optional. Yes it costs more, but we will be safe. That's the issue. It is unsafe to run used parts in a critical position like the front end. Will we need another "Barstow" incident, before we use some common sense ? Lets stop running experiments in stupidity. Let's be practical.

"Another area Is checkpoints. Don't put them in high speed areas where we have to waste time slowing way down and taking off. Don't put them in areas where you wouldn't stop in a 4x4. Either way, it causes problems . Checkpoints need to be located in areas that are low speed, and "easy in, easy out". High speed check's can be dangerous to staff and driver alike. Unneccacarly dangerous.

The 1996 Baja 1000 had several instances of stuck vehicles holding up a large number of others for several hours. This is something that Carlos feels SCORE should address.

Carlos - "What do we do in a short course ? We have an option. we can go over a big jump, or we can take an optional, but legal route around. We know where these areas are in Baja and other courses, because people get stuck in the same places every year. Why not provide Detours as part of the course ? Make them longer, but fair, so you can legally get around these problem areas if you have to. Is it fair to hold up all these racers in different classes ? I don't think it is. Should it be a hard race ? Yes ! Should it be an impossible race ? No it shouldn't.

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Class 5-1600 Baja Bug

Interview

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Interview by Norm Lenhart
Editor / Writer VW's & Sand Cars
Photos by Norm Lenhart & Gary Cory

"In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs)" !..............Carlos Iribe

 

Recently, It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Carlos Iribe and his family at the 1996 SCORE Award Ceremonies, and later, for 5 great days at his home in Baja. The 1996 season was a mixed blessing for the I.S.R.T. (Iribe Superior Racing Technology) Team. Most of the season saw the team finish high in the money, but a DNF at the Baja 1000 cost them not only the Toyota True Grit award, (for finishing every mile of every race) but the Class 5-1600 Championship as well.

In 1997 Carlos, and his son's / co-drivers Gerrardo (20) and Humberto (21), are intent on avenging last seasons Second place standing, and bring the I.S.R.T., 5-1600 Baja in to the Winners circle. With a 3'rd in 1995 and a 2'nd place finish in 1996, They are carving a sure and steady path to that elusive SCORE Championship.

For the Iribe's, off-road racing is a family affair.

Carlos - "I act as the driver of record, Team manager, Owner, and I even wash the car once in a while (laughing). My Wife and Daughter handle all the logistics, and of course, Gerrardo and Humberto build, work on, and drive the cars as well..

Every full bore racing effort needs pit support, and I.S.R.T. is no exception. The format of desert racing is such, that even a family effort like the Iribe's needs additional help .

Carlos - "B.F. Goodrich is my main source of pit support. I have been associated with them a while now, and they are fantastic people. I am also a member of "Baja Pits" At one time, I served as the secretary and even as president, but my job doesn't allow me enough time . Baja Pits was started 12 years ago in Tijuana, to provide assistance to Mexican racers who may not speak the language ect. It is similar to the Checkers, Mag 7 and others. They support us all the time as secondary pit support, and are great friends. Speaking of Mag 7, I recently won the "Baja Spirit Award", which is given to those who they feel epitimize the spirit of Baja (good sportsmanship, willingness to help fellow competitors ect). With this award comes a year of pit support, and they have done an excellent job .

Carlos Iribe is a VW racer with an incredibly diverse Racing career. At 52, he has raced in Trans-Am, SCCA, Formula A. On motorcycles he spent time on the flat tracks of TT and even Speedway. Off-Road Trucks, Buggies and Bajas, fill out his report? as a well rounded professional with a tremendous amount of experience. His recreational interests are quite diverse as well, including the martial arts, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. While his outside intrests are more reminicent of an executive, than an off-road racer, Carlos Has some definite reasons for racing.

Carlos - "The challenge for any man is to excel in whatever he does. For me, Racing became that challenge. You are so close to danger, that when you are away from it, you appreciate how good it is to be alive. I try to better myself every day. Not better than anyone else, but to be better myself. I want to be the best I can be.

In 1959, Carlos was attending military school, when a friend who raced the 650cc expert class, suggested he try his hand in the Novice class on a 200 cc Triumph Cub "just for fun". Thus began the first of many victorys .

Carlos - "I kept at it, and I started getting better and better, and I had ability. When I came to the US, I was at a race with some friends. I got to talking with one of the pro's, and was given a chance to do a few laps on his bike. I guess he liked what he saw, because he let me race his bike that weekend (Ascot professional flat tracker) and I won again. I was given an AMA "Expert" licence, never having held an "Amateur". I jumped straight from "novice" to "expert". Not many people have done that. Later on, (with his sponsorship) I traveled the country for several years, racing, and became a 3 time National champion.

Making a name for himself on Motorcycles afforded Carlos the opportunity to move into the "Trans-Am" series in a Penske Camaro. where he won 3 championships. From there, he went on to "Formula A"( a Formula 1 car with a "stock block" production engine.

Carlos - "At the Ontario Motor Speedway, I won my class the first year, and took second, the next. OMS was a beautiful course. For whatever reason, it closed after only 2 years. I loved racing there.

Carlos Iribe's off-road racing career began with a bit of trepidation. In 1977, he raced a 200 event promoted by the late Billy Martin at Laguna Salada (Mexico).

Carlos - " A friend lent me a car ( a Class 1 short course car) and I decided "this seems like a lot of fun, I'll go do a little jumpin' ". I started that race dead last and won ! When I looked at the car, I had half destroyed it. I blew tires, I broke parts, and the guy was happy that I won anyway ! So he said "lets do it again", and I couldn't finish. Then "Baja Onyx" sponsored a Class 1 car and in my first 5 races, we still couldn't finish. I could go as fast as anyone, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. At the Walt Lott (HDRA) "Imperial 300" I figured it out. I needed to slow down . When I did, I began keeping cars together and winning races.

Since then, the Iribe's have finished over 90% of thier races "in the money". And Class 1 was just the start.

Carlos - "I've raced Class 1, (at the time) Class 2 , Class 5, Class 1/2-1600, Class 5-1600 Class 8, Class 7 & 7s, Class 11 and even once in Class 9 (challenger)".

With wins and "in the money" finishes in every race you can think of, Carlos has covered an incredible amount of miles in the seat, and on the saddle of racing vehicles.

Carlos - "I have over 800 trophies in my racing careerNot only first place trophys, but altogether. I don't know of many races under 200 miles, so figuring it out, that's at least 800 races, and about 40,000 miles. Either that or the local trophy company is making a lot of money off me (laughs)! Then you take into account all of our "pre-running". We pre run some courses 3 or 4 times (a year). That's a lot of miles".

The pre-running chores are handled by Larry Minor's former Class 8 1986 Blazer , which, believe it or not, does double duty as a grocery getter ! I was fourtanate enough to have Carlos bring me for a run on part of the 95 Baja 1000 course, and I'm here to tell you that the truck flat out hauls. At speeds aproaching 85 mph over some pretty rugged terrain, this former race truck still has what it takes to get the job done.

Carlos - "We converted it over for more comfort, with a refrigerator, food warmer, stereo and a couple other things. How many pre-runners can your wife drive to the store to get groceries ? You can with this one. Right now, We probably have $50,000 in it altogether, but I doubt if you could build one like it today for 100K. We had to import it to Mexico and regester it here, because we couldn't "smog" it in CA. It's a hell of a good truck. I wouldn't have any problems with slapping a couple numbers on it and taking it racing".

I.S.R.T. is a racing effort backed by some of the finest sponsors in the sport, and Carlos is quick to thank and credit them .

Carlos - Right now, we are sponsored by London Bridge Resorts (Lake Havasu AZ), Kokomo's, Tecate Beer, Carta Blanca Beer, Don Hatz (the legendary race engine builder), Kuster Shocks, and Race Ready. Then there's ElSur Technologies, and of course my major sponsor, B.F. Goodrich, and my good friend, B.F. Goodrich race director, Dan Newsome. They give me my tires, technology, communications and support"..

In my past association with BFG, Frank DeAngelo and Mike Leone (who I'm proud to say is like a father to me) gave me a considerable ammount of help as well. They have been my friends for a long time, and have tought me a lot over the years.

Class 5-1600 is of course, a highly modified VW, which is limited in displacement, ceratin aspects of suspension. The distinctive silver and red paint now adorns an all new bug, built at the I.S.R.T. shop by Gerrardo. The ever present "Tasmanian Devil" of Loony Toons fame now covers the nose . The Chassis is a lightweight 4130 chrome-moly I.S.R.T. design, allowing for easy access while maintaining strength.

Carlos - "It's different from anything else out there. Suspension travel is at 11 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. How many 5-1600's have 14 inches of rear travel ? The Chassis is lighter than most designs, and a lot easier to get into. Everyone has thier own ideas about what works and what doesn't, but I will say this, In 3 years we have had only had 2 DNF's."

Wright arms and combo spindles are turned by a Wright Rack and Pinion unit, and tied together with aircraft aluminum tie rods and International 1 ton tie rod ends. Dampening the suspension are 2 prototype Kuster velocity sensitive shocks. The rear sports Kuster's as well, along with stock length, I.S.R.T. custom boxed arms.

Carlos - "We've used Rancho's, K.Y.B.'s Fox, Bilstien's ect, and they are fine shocks, but when I started using Kuster's, my times changed. We all make mistakes once in a while (driving) , and the first time I made one with the Kuster's, it was "Hey, that wasn't so bad !" We can't get them to fade ect.. I think they are the finest shocks in the world. Now I can just about close my eyes and stand on the gas. The only thing I hate is that they're so expensive. Even though I race and win with them, I have bought every set I have ever used".

Editor's note :

At this time, the final status of Kuster is unknown. Sale of the technology is pending.

One of the limitations of 5-1600 is that the engines are essentially stock. Limited to 1600cc and single port heads, the engines take a skilled hand to extract every ounce of power, and keep together under racing conditions. For Carlos and I.S.R.T. That man is Don Hatz.

Carlos - "Don is retired now, and no longer builds engines for everyone. I don't know why, but to my knowledge, I'm the only racer he will build them for".

While we couldn't pin Carlos down on hard numbers, he did say that a "competitive" engine needs at least 75 hp. He said his Hatz built motor is "strong".

Carlos - "It's at least as fast as anything out there. Theres a lot that the rules won't let you do. They always check these engines after a race, and we've always been legal".

Editor's Note: At the 1996 Baja 1000, one of Carlos's 2 DNF's, the winner, and 96 champion Tom Dittfield, protested Iribe's engine, and it checked legal. This led to a confrontation between Dittfield and Gerrardo Iribe at the 96 Award Ceremonies. Dittfield, it seemed, was unsatisfied with SCORE's decision and decided, quite unprofessionally, to take it up with Gerrardo publicly. A timely intervention by the B.F. Goodrich Team saved Dittfield from further emberassment.

Overall, the car is absolutely state of the 5-1600 art. Extensively tested in the Baja countryside, the "New car bugs" are already worked out.

Gerrardo Iribe' - "I raced the car earlier in January 97, and was leading the race. I went by one of the big trucks, and I guess he didn't like getting passed by a little VW. He tried passing me through a jump and he landed on the back of the car, breaking the engine (shroud, carboureator ect). We fixed it, and were ready to go" .

Editor's note :

See the article "Lapping the 400" for details on how the car did at the 1997 Parker 400.

As to I.S.R.T. , Carlos, Gerrardo and Humberto have set up shop in a building at thier home on the Baja peninsula. Equipped with Lathes, Mig's, Tubing bender's, and a wide assortment of standard and speciality tools, they are fully equipped to do everything from modify your present car, to build one from scratch (as they did with thier new 5-1600 in less than one months time !).

Carlos - " When we started out we had several people building for, and advising us on wheels, tires, suspension, tranny's ect. Tilt it this way, do it that way. I was not happy with what I was getting for service. Many of these people had commitments to other racers, and I got tired of having my car apart across a shop floor, 2 days before a race. So we Cleaned out a storage building, and started prepping the car ourselves. We made some mistakes and spent a lot of money on tools ect., and pretty soon we had it. Now I can tell you that If you want a car built, we can do it here, and do it right. We use 4130 chrome-moly and high carbon steel alloy. All the quality materials. Since we race, we know what works and what does not.

"We just rebuilt a "brand new" local car here. We took it out, and tested it. Everyone wrote down thier times, then we brought it to the shop. Afterwards, we brought it back and re-ran the test. Our times were an average of 23% faster than before. The car had more clearance, was lighter and stronger. We still haven't firmly set pricing, but we will probably settle on $25 to $30 an hour. I think that's reasonable".

"Another thing we concentrate on is saving time. I have seen NASCAR teams change a complete engine in 17 minuets. How many off road racers can do that ? Races can easily be won or lost in the pits. Every minute you waste, is another minute the other guy is gaining on you. Have you ever tried putting oil in a VW ? Something that simple can waste enough time to cost you the race. What about alternators ? We run 2. If one fails, we flip a switch and keep going. If you have to stop and change it, your wasting time. It's things like this that make all the difference. I would rather have a "good", but well prepared car than the fastest car on the course that hadn't been prepared so well.. When you look at the stat's, half of any class won't finish. Out of that half, many fail in the first 50 miles. Having a fast car that breaks won't win races. Having a well prepped, reliable car that won't break, will. There is a saying that goes, "You can't finish first, if you don't first finish" .

Even with the best preparation in the world, things can happen beyond anyone's control. That fact was driven home at the 96 Laughlin Challenge. A 50 cent keyway broke on the R&P unit, sending Carlos over a cliff, and in all likelihood, cost them the race.

Carlos - " Shut up about that ! (he laughs jokingly) Gerrardo had handed me the car, with an enormous lead on the rest of the field. We were running strong, and it looked like we would win. We had rebuilt the R&P and installed a new keyway. It shouldn't have broke, but it did. That's the way it goes. We lost a lot of time, and finished in 5'th place.

Having raced around the world, Carlos has his likes and dislikes about the different tracks and courses he has had the opportunity to run.

Carlos - "Every place has it's own enchantment, but there are some places I hate. I hate races that are so rough, you cant go fast. Races where all you do is break equipment. Look at Barstow. Why in the hell do we want to go there ? But, then again, it's been good to us. At first, I didn't like Parker, but I've learned to live with it".

As a Mexican, and the fact that it's the premiere off-road event, I love the Baja 1000. Especially when it goes to LaPaz. What's in Barstow other than rocks ? That's all there is. In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs) !

" If I said a track at any time in my career, I'd say Monaco. Class is Monaco. Others ? Speed is Monza, Death is Nurburgring (Germany). Beautiful is Spa. I hate Suzuka, Mexico City is terrible, Jarama (Spain) is horrible. Watkins Glen is Ok, but I like Road America better.

"Racers today don't know what it is to run a stock Jeep for about 40 hours without. anything. Today there are helicopters, radio's and GPS. Some people can get lost looking for thier own bathroom ! Don't laugh, it's true ! I go to races every week and I see professional racers say "Hey Carlos, you know where contingency is this year" ? I mean God almighty ! This is a professional racer, and he doesn't know where contingency is ? What do you suppose he knows about the course ? And I mean I see this all the time ! "

What does Carlos think it takes to make a Champion racer ?

Carlos - "More than anything you must have ability. A lot of ability. Let me say this. There are 3 kinds of racers. There's the guy who goes racing so he can impress his girlfriend, the guy who was always a fan of racing and wants to give it a try, and the guy who really has the drive, the ability. He has it in him to race. He must race. It's in his blood.

Then, you must have the money, and the equipment to go racing. You need the car, the tools, the pit support, the spare tires, wheels and parts ; all that and more. There's travel expenses, hotel's, feeding everyone for a week and such. It all add's up. And it add's up fast. You must also be able to sell yourself. Every professional racer needs sponsors. If you can't sell yourself to a sponsor, it gets a lot more expensive. To be that one man, well, you have better odd's in a crap shoot.

That said, Carlos has some plans ahead, that are a little different than anything that you may have seen in the world of off-road racing before.

"We now have 3 cars. We have a pre-Runner Blazer, the motorhome, all the good equipment. Since we cannot run all 3 at the same time, I am considering offering a program similar to what some are doing on motorcycles. A "Baja adventure" where we supply the training, teach you to drive, pre running, car, pit support, communications, housing, meals, insurance, translator (if neccasary) ect. Everything you need to go racing in Baja, in a package deal. It will be all inclusive, from airline tickets to personal security, should you require it. Of course, such a thing will not be inexpensive, but consider what you are getting. Then compare that to how much such a thing would cost if you had to do it all yourself. We will provide a "turn key" package at a fraction of the cost. We won't grantee you will win, that's up to you, but we will guarantee you a memorable experience that you will never forget ! We have not finalized any plans in this direction, or set any pricing, but any interested persons can contact me for further information at ...

Carlos is a strong supporter of SCORE. His friendship and association with Sal Fish and many other SCORE officials, dates back well over 20 years. None the less, there are a couple areas that he feels could, and should be changed for the good of the sport, and the safety of drivers and fans alike..

Carlos - "The current rules say that we must run stock drum brakes on the front. This would not be a problem, except that they have not been built for 30 years. All the drums we run are used, and they are getting very hard to come by. If you know where I can find 20, I'll buy them right now. But they are used, and who knows if they are safe. Why not let us use new front Disc brakes ? They aren't going to make us go any faster. Is cost the problem ? Discs list for $450, and drums are $100 per pair. We go through 3 pair (at least) a year. Is that $150 too expensive ? Racing is expensive. If you cant afford to race, you shouldn't be out there. At the very least, make disc brakes optional. Yes it costs more, but we will be safe. That's the issue. It is unsafe to run used parts in a critical position like the front end. Will we need another "Barstow" incident, before we use some common sense ? Lets stop running experiments in stupidity. Let's be practical.

"Another area Is checkpoints. Don't put them in high speed areas where we have to waste time slowing way down and taking off. Don't put them in areas where you wouldn't stop in a 4x4. Either way, it causes problems . Checkpoints need to be located in areas that are low speed, and "easy in, easy out". High speed check's can be dangerous to staff and driver alike. Unneccacarly dangerous.

The 1996 Baja 1000 had several instances of stuck vehicles holding up a large number of others for several hours. This is something that Carlos feels SCORE should address.

Carlos - "What do we do in a short course ? We have an option. we can go over a big jump, or we can take an optional, but legal route around. We know where these areas are in Baja and other courses, because people get stuck in the same places every year. Why not provide Detours as part of the course ? Make them longer, but fair, so you can legally get around these problem areas if you have to. Is it fair to hold up all these racers in different classes ? I don't think it is. Should it be a hard race ? Yes ! Should it be an impossible race ? No it shouldn't.

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"In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs)" !..............Carlos Iribe   Recently, It was my great pleasure to be the guest of Carlos Iribe and his family at the 1996 SCORE Award Ceremonies, and later, for 5 great days at his home in Baja. The 1996 season was a mixed blessing for the I.S.R.T. (Iribe Superior Racing Technology) Team. Most of the season saw the team finish high in the money, but a DNF at the Baja 1000 cost them not only the Toyota True Grit award, (for finishing every mile of every race) but the Class 5-1600 Championship as well. In 1997 Carlos, and his son's / co-drivers Gerrardo (20) and Humberto (21), are intent on avenging last seasons Second place standing, and bring the I.S.R.T., 5-1600 Baja in to the Winners circle. With a 3'rd in 1995 and a 2'nd place finish in 1996, They are carving a sure and steady path to that elusive SCORE Championship. For the Iribe's, off-road racing is a family affair. Carlos - "I act as the driver of record, Team manager, Owner, and I even wash the car once in a while (laughing). My Wife and Daughter handle all the logistics, and of course, Gerrardo and Humberto build, work on, and drive the cars as well.. Every full bore racing effort needs pit support, and I.S.R.T. is no exception. The format of desert racing is such, that even a family effort like the Iribe's needs additional help . Carlos - "B.F. Goodrich is my main source of pit support. I have been associated with them a while now, and they are fantastic people. I am also a member of "Baja Pits" At one time, I served as the secretary and even as president, but my job doesn't allow me enough time . Baja Pits was started 12 years ago in Tijuana, to provide assistance to Mexican racers who may not speak the language ect. It is similar to the Checkers, Mag 7 and others. They support us all the time as secondary pit support, and are great friends. Speaking of Mag 7, I recently won the "Baja Spirit Award", which is given to those who they feel epitimize the spirit of Baja (good sportsmanship, willingness to help fellow competitors ect). With this award comes a year of pit support, and they have done an excellent job . Carlos Iribe is a VW racer with an incredibly diverse Racing career. At 52, he has raced in Trans-Am, SCCA, Formula A. On motorcycles he spent time on the flat tracks of TT and even Speedway. Off-Road Trucks, Buggies and Bajas, fill out his report? as a well rounded professional with a tremendous amount of experience. His recreational interests are quite diverse as well, including the martial arts, deep sea fishing, and scuba diving. While his outside intrests are more reminicent of an executive, than an off-road racer, Carlos Has some definite reasons for racing. Carlos - "The challenge for any man is to excel in whatever he does. For me, Racing became that challenge. You are so close to danger, that when you are away from it, you appreciate how good it is to be alive. I try to better myself every day. Not better than anyone else, but to be better myself. I want to be the best I can be. In 1959, Carlos was attending military school, when a friend who raced the 650cc expert class, suggested he try his hand in the Novice class on a 200 cc Triumph Cub "just for fun". Thus began the first of many victorys . Carlos - "I kept at it, and I started getting better and better, and I had ability. When I came to the US, I was at a race with some friends. I got to talking with one of the pro's, and was given a chance to do a few laps on his bike. I guess he liked what he saw, because he let me race his bike that weekend (Ascot professional flat tracker) and I won again. I was given an AMA "Expert" licence, never having held an "Amateur". I jumped straight from "novice" to "expert". Not many people have done that. Later on, (with his sponsorship) I traveled the country for several years, racing, and became a 3 time National champion. Making a name for himself on Motorcycles afforded Carlos the opportunity to move into the "Trans-Am" series in a Penske Camaro. where he won 3 championships. From there, he went on to "Formula A"( a Formula 1 car with a "stock block" production engine. Carlos - "At the Ontario Motor Speedway, I won my class the first year, and took second, the next. OMS was a beautiful course. For whatever reason, it closed after only 2 years. I loved racing there. Carlos Iribe's off-road racing career began with a bit of trepidation. In 1977, he raced a 200 event promoted by the late Billy Martin at Laguna Salada (Mexico). Carlos - " A friend lent me a car ( a Class 1 short course car) and I decided "this seems like a lot of fun, I'll go do a little jumpin' ". I started that race dead last and won ! When I looked at the car, I had half destroyed it. I blew tires, I broke parts, and the guy was happy that I won anyway ! So he said "lets do it again", and I couldn't finish. Then "Baja Onyx" sponsored a Class 1 car and in my first 5 races, we still couldn't finish. I could go as fast as anyone, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. At the Walt Lott (HDRA) "Imperial 300" I figured it out. I needed to slow down . When I did, I began keeping cars together and winning races. Since then, the Iribe's have finished over 90% of thier races "in the money". And Class 1 was just the start. Carlos - "I've raced Class 1, (at the time) Class 2 , Class 5, Class 1/2-1600, Class 5-1600 Class 8, Class 7 & 7s, Class 11 and even once in Class 9 (challenger)". With wins and "in the money" finishes in every race you can think of, Carlos has covered an incredible amount of miles in the seat, and on the saddle of racing vehicles. Carlos - "I have over 800 trophies in my racing careerNot only first place trophys, but altogether. I don't know of many races under 200 miles, so figuring it out, that's at least 800 races, and about 40,000 miles. Either that or the local trophy company is making a lot of money off me (laughs)! Then you take into account all of our "pre-running". We pre run some courses 3 or 4 times (a year). That's a lot of miles". The pre-running chores are handled by Larry Minor's former Class 8 1986 Blazer , which, believe it or not, does double duty as a grocery getter ! I was fourtanate enough to have Carlos bring me for a run on part of the 95 Baja 1000 course, and I'm here to tell you that the truck flat out hauls. At speeds aproaching 85 mph over some pretty rugged terrain, this former race truck still has what it takes to get the job done. Carlos - "We converted it over for more comfort, with a refrigerator, food warmer, stereo and a couple other things. How many pre-runners can your wife drive to the store to get groceries ? You can with this one. Right now, We probably have $50,000 in it altogether, but I doubt if you could build one like it today for 100K. We had to import it to Mexico and regester it here, because we couldn't "smog" it in CA. It's a hell of a good truck. I wouldn't have any problems with slapping a couple numbers on it and taking it racing". I.S.R.T. is a racing effort backed by some of the finest sponsors in the sport, and Carlos is quick to thank and credit them . Carlos - Right now, we are sponsored by London Bridge Resorts (Lake Havasu AZ), Kokomo's, Tecate Beer, Carta Blanca Beer, Don Hatz (the legendary race engine builder), Kuster Shocks, and Race Ready. Then there's ElSur Technologies, and of course my major sponsor, B.F. Goodrich, and my good friend, B.F. Goodrich race director, Dan Newsome. They give me my tires, technology, communications and support".. In my past association with BFG, Frank DeAngelo and Mike Leone (who I'm proud to say is like a father to me) gave me a considerable ammount of help as well. They have been my friends for a long time, and have tought me a lot over the years. Class 5-1600 is of course, a highly modified VW, which is limited in displacement, ceratin aspects of suspension. The distinctive silver and red paint now adorns an all new bug, built at the I.S.R.T. shop by Gerrardo. The ever present "Tasmanian Devil" of Loony Toons fame now covers the nose . The Chassis is a lightweight 4130 chrome-moly I.S.R.T. design, allowing for easy access while maintaining strength. Carlos - "It's different from anything else out there. Suspension travel is at 11 inches in front and 14 inches in the rear. How many 5-1600's have 14 inches of rear travel ? The Chassis is lighter than most designs, and a lot easier to get into. Everyone has thier own ideas about what works and what doesn't, but I will say this, In 3 years we have had only had 2 DNF's." Wright arms and combo spindles are turned by a Wright Rack and Pinion unit, and tied together with aircraft aluminum tie rods and International 1 ton tie rod ends. Dampening the suspension are 2 prototype Kuster velocity sensitive shocks. The rear sports Kuster's as well, along with stock length, I.S.R.T. custom boxed arms. Carlos - "We've used Rancho's, K.Y.B.'s Fox, Bilstien's ect, and they are fine shocks, but when I started using Kuster's, my times changed. We all make mistakes once in a while (driving) , and the first time I made one with the Kuster's, it was "Hey, that wasn't so bad !" We can't get them to fade ect.. I think they are the finest shocks in the world. Now I can just about close my eyes and stand on the gas. The only thing I hate is that they're so expensive. Even though I race and win with them, I have bought every set I have ever used". Editor's note : At this time, the final status of Kuster is unknown. Sale of the technology is pending. One of the limitations of 5-1600 is that the engines are essentially stock. Limited to 1600cc and single port heads, the engines take a skilled hand to extract every ounce of power, and keep together under racing conditions. For Carlos and I.S.R.T. That man is Don Hatz. Carlos - "Don is retired now, and no longer builds engines for everyone. I don't know why, but to my knowledge, I'm the only racer he will build them for". While we couldn't pin Carlos down on hard numbers, he did say that a "competitive" engine needs at least 75 hp. He said his Hatz built motor is "strong". Carlos - "It's at least as fast as anything out there. Theres a lot that the rules won't let you do. They always check these engines after a race, and we've always been legal". Editor's Note: At the 1996 Baja 1000, one of Carlos's 2 DNF's, the winner, and 96 champion Tom Dittfield, protested Iribe's engine, and it checked legal. This led to a confrontation between Dittfield and Gerrardo Iribe at the 96 Award Ceremonies. Dittfield, it seemed, was unsatisfied with SCORE's decision and decided, quite unprofessionally, to take it up with Gerrardo publicly. A timely intervention by the B.F. Goodrich Team saved Dittfield from further emberassment. Overall, the car is absolutely state of the 5-1600 art. Extensively tested in the Baja countryside, the "New car bugs" are already worked out. Gerrardo Iribe' - "I raced the car earlier in January 97, and was leading the race. I went by one of the big trucks, and I guess he didn't like getting passed by a little VW. He tried passing me through a jump and he landed on the back of the car, breaking the engine (shroud, carboureator ect). We fixed it, and were ready to go" . Editor's note : See the article "Lapping the 400" for details on how the car did at the 1997 Parker 400.   As to I.S.R.T. , Carlos, Gerrardo and Humberto have set up shop in a building at thier home on the Baja peninsula. Equipped with Lathes, Mig's, Tubing bender's, and a wide assortment of standard and speciality tools, they are fully equipped to do everything from modify your present car, to build one from scratch (as they did with thier new 5-1600 in less than one months time !). Carlos - " When we started out we had several people building for, and advising us on wheels, tires, suspension, tranny's ect. Tilt it this way, do it that way. I was not happy with what I was getting for service. Many of these people had commitments to other racers, and I got tired of having my car apart across a shop floor, 2 days before a race. So we Cleaned out a storage building, and started prepping the car ourselves. We made some mistakes and spent a lot of money on tools ect., and pretty soon we had it. Now I can tell you that If you want a car built, we can do it here, and do it right. We use 4130 chrome-moly and high carbon steel alloy. All the quality materials. Since we race, we know what works and what does not. "We just rebuilt a "brand new" local car here. We took it out, and tested it. Everyone wrote down thier times, then we brought it to the shop. Afterwards, we brought it back and re-ran the test. Our times were an average of 23% faster than before. The car had more clearance, was lighter and stronger. We still haven't firmly set pricing, but we will probably settle on $25 to $30 an hour. I think that's reasonable". "Another thing we concentrate on is saving time. I have seen NASCAR teams change a complete engine in 17 minuets. How many off road racers can do that ? Races can easily be won or lost in the pits. Every minute you waste, is another minute the other guy is gaining on you. Have you ever tried putting oil in a VW ? Something that simple can waste enough time to cost you the race. What about alternators ? We run 2. If one fails, we flip a switch and keep going. If you have to stop and change it, your wasting time. It's things like this that make all the difference. I would rather have a "good", but well prepared car than the fastest car on the course that hadn't been prepared so well.. When you look at the stat's, half of any class won't finish. Out of that half, many fail in the first 50 miles. Having a fast car that breaks won't win races. Having a well prepped, reliable car that won't break, will. There is a saying that goes, "You can't finish first, if you don't first finish" . Even with the best preparation in the world, things can happen beyond anyone's control. That fact was driven home at the 96 Laughlin Challenge. A 50 cent keyway broke on the R&P unit, sending Carlos over a cliff, and in all likelihood, cost them the race. Carlos - " Shut up about that ! (he laughs jokingly) Gerrardo had handed me the car, with an enormous lead on the rest of the field. We were running strong, and it looked like we would win. We had rebuilt the R&P and installed a new keyway. It shouldn't have broke, but it did. That's the way it goes. We lost a lot of time, and finished in 5'th place. Having raced around the world, Carlos has his likes and dislikes about the different tracks and courses he has had the opportunity to run. Carlos - "Every place has it's own enchantment, but there are some places I hate. I hate races that are so rough, you cant go fast. Races where all you do is break equipment. Look at Barstow. Why in the hell do we want to go there ? But, then again, it's been good to us. At first, I didn't like Parker, but I've learned to live with it". As a Mexican, and the fact that it's the premiere off-road event, I love the Baja 1000. Especially when it goes to LaPaz. What's in Barstow other than rocks ? That's all there is. In Baja, you have the mountains, the pine forest, the beach, the other mountains, the long stretches of desert. Then at night it changes. Mabye its because you've over driven for 15-20 hours, and the cactus are running behind you. You remember all the stories of ghosts and goblins, like the one where the hand came out of a rock and grabbed you. You have people driving in circles like they were on a merry-go-round (laughs) ! " If I said a track at any time in my career, I'd say Monaco. Class is Monaco. Others ? Speed is Monza, Death is Nurburgring (Germany). Beautiful is Spa. I hate Suzuka, Mexico City is terrible, Jarama (Spain) is horrible. Watkins Glen is Ok, but I like Road America better. "Racers today don't know what it is to run a stock Jeep for about 40 hours without. anything. Today there are helicopters, radio's and GPS. Some people can get lost looking for thier own bathroom ! Don't laugh, it's true ! I go to races every week and I see professional racers say "Hey Carlos, you know where contingency is this year" ? I mean God almighty ! This is a professional racer, and he doesn't know where contingency is ? What do you suppose he knows about the course ? And I mean I see this all the time ! " What does Carlos think it takes to make a Champion racer ? Carlos - "More than anything you must have ability. A lot of ability. Let me say this. There are 3 kinds of racers. There's the guy who goes racing so he can impress his girlfriend, the guy who was always a fan of racing and wants to give it a try, and the guy who really has the drive, the ability. He has it in him to race. He must race. It's in his blood. Then, you must have the money, and the equipment to go racing. You need the car, the tools, the pit support, the spare tires, wheels and parts ; all that and more. There's travel expenses, hotel's, feeding everyone for a week and such. It all add's up. And it add's up fast. You must also be able to sell yourself. Every professional racer needs sponsors. If you can't sell yourself to a sponsor, it gets a lot more expensive. To be that one man, well, you have better odd's in a crap shoot. That said, Carlos has some plans ahead, that are a little different than anything that you may have seen in the world of off-road racing before. "We now have 3 cars. We have a pre-Runner Blazer, the motorhome, all the good equipment. Since we cannot run all 3 at the same time, I am considering offering a program similar to what some are doing on motorcycles. A "Baja adventure" where we supply the training, teach you to drive, pre running, car, pit support, communications, housing, meals, insurance, translator (if neccasary) ect. Everything you need to go racing in Baja, in a package deal. It will be all inclusive, from airline tickets to personal security, should you require it. Of course, such a thing will not be inexpensive, but consider what you are getting. Then compare that to how much such a thing would cost if you had to do it all yourself. We will provide a "turn key" package at a fraction of the cost. We won't grantee you will win, that's up to you, but we will guarantee you a memorable experience that you will never forget ! We have not finalized any plans in this direction, or set any pricing, but any interested persons can contact me for further information at ... Carlos Iribe' Box 434822 San Ysidro CA. 92143. Carlos is a strong supporter of SCORE. His friendship and association with Sal Fish and many other SCORE officials, dates back well over 20 years. None the less, there are a couple areas that he feels could, and should be changed for the good of the sport, and the safety of drivers and fans alike.. Carlos - "The current rules say that we must run stock drum brakes on the front. This would not be a problem, except that they have not been built for 30 years. All the drums we run are used, and they are getting very hard to come by. If you know where I can find 20, I'll buy them right now. But they are used, and who knows if they are safe. Why not let us use new front Disc brakes ? They aren't going to make us go any faster. Is cost the problem ? Discs list for $450, and drums are $100 per pair. We go through 3 pair (at least) a year. Is that $150 too expensive ? Racing is expensive. If you cant afford to race, you shouldn't be out there. At the very least, make disc brakes optional. Yes it costs more, but we will be safe. That's the issue. It is unsafe to run used parts in a critical position like the front end. Will we need another "Barstow" incident, before we use some common sense ? Lets stop running experiments in stupidity. Let's be practical. "Another area Is checkpoints. Don't put them in high speed areas where we have to waste time slowing way down and taking off. Don't put them in areas where you wouldn't stop in a 4x4. Either way, it causes problems . Checkpoints need to be located in areas that are low speed, and "easy in, easy out". High speed check's can be dangerous to staff and driver alike. Unneccacarly dangerous. The 1996 Baja 1000 had several instances of stuck vehicles holding up a large number of others for several hours. This is something that Carlos feels SCORE should address. Carlos - "What do we do in a short course ? We have an option. we can go over a big jump, or we can take an optional, but legal route around. We know where these areas are in Baja and other courses, because people get stuck in the same places every year. Why not provide Detours as part of the course ? Make them longer, but fair, so you can legally get around these problem areas if you have to. Is it fair to hold up all these racers in different classes ? I don't think it is. Should it be a hard race ? Yes ! Should it be an impossible race ? No it shouldn't.     As you can see, Carlos Iribe is a facinating man, and one hell of a racer. The I.S.R.T team is committed to making 1997 the year that the 5-1600 Championship goes south of the border. In seeing the commitment, drive and determination that the Iribe's have, I have no reason to doubt that it will. I'd like to take this oppurtunity to thank Carlos and his family, not only for doing this interview, but for taking me into thier home, and treating me like a king. If you get a chance to catch the Iribe's at any of the 1997 SCORE races, be sure to stop by, say hi, give them your support. Tell'em Off-Road.com sent 'ya !     Back to The Iribe Home Page Back to The ORC Race Page Articles Class 5-1600 Baja Bug Interview Our Sponsors Photo Gallery   Baja Bugs Sand Rails Fiberglass Buggys Race Vehicles Feature / Project Cars Chassis & Suspension Engine Tech Photo Album Event Calendar What's New Interviews VW Links ! Land Use Issues Meet the ORC Staff Overview / FAQ Tales From the Trails   [Main Page | About | Staff | Advertising | Inquiries] OFF-ROAD.COM "Off-Road.com" is a Registered Servicemark. 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