Judy Smith's "411" on Contingency

The contingency area is jammed with people – race teams, Mexican fans, curious school kids, and old racers enjoying the nostalgia. A Tecate Beer display features a live band at one end, and at the opposite end of the field there’s a Coca Cola live band. In between there are a few feet where conversation is possible.

Outside on the street, where the racers are lined up waiting to go through the contingency area, it’s quieter. T-shirt vendors line the area, selling souvenir shirts as fast as they can bag ‘em up. It’s a typical Baja contingency. But it’s not a typical Baja race – it’s the biggest one ever. There are over 400 entries – counting cars and trucks and bikes and quads – but no one knows yet how many will start tomorrow morning. In the meantime there are lots of great cars to look at and lots of interesting people to talk to.

Early in the day we met Andres Ruffo, a Mexican citizen who races on the mainland. He’s got his Class 1 car on display – it’s a 2000 Chenowth, with a 383 Napa motor. Andres tells us his family has the NAPA franchise in Baja Sur. Further – he says they’re trying to get Napa interested in Off Road racing. They’re also thinking ahead to the Baja 1000 in November, and want to find a way to help pre-runners. Maybe they’ll have an area where folks with injured cars can work. In any case, when you’re pre-running the 1000, if you need parts, check the Napa stores in Ciudad Constitution, Loreto, and LaPaz. They’re planning to stock the kinds of things a damaged pre-runner might need.

There are all kinds of rumors about Robby Gordon and Andy McMillin. As of now, Robby will start in the #83 Chevy, and then will get out and get into the #89 Hummer at Mike’s Road. His dad, Bob is driving the Hummer from the start. He says it’s a serious effort, it’s not there as a chase vehicle for the Chevy. Meanwhile, McMillin will get into the #83 Chevy at Mike’s road and take it to the finish. No word on how the logistics of all this will work. Robby has to fly to Dover, Delaware to race his NASCAR car as soon as he’s through racing the wilds of Baja.

Joe Myers has a beautiful new Herman Motorsports chassis with a LS7 motor and Fortin Transmission. But what has people talking is the beautiful workmanship on the front A-arms. Also – they’re put together in some mysterious way that has people guessing. It’s #125 – keep an eye out for it.

Sigal Greenberg is back to race her Tatum Class 9 car, having made a few “small” changes since San Felipe. She has Juan Gallo as her co-driver. She’ll be in at the finish, hoping to beat perennial winner Eric Fisher.

The John Herder/Steve Melton team is here, with Herder starting and Melton finishing. This race they will make a stop to change the rear tires. They said the tire that went flat at the BITD Pahrump race (nearly costing them the win) was simply worn out. Don’t want to chance it happening again.

Andy McMillin is also signed on to his dad’s (Scott’s) #31 Trophy Truck, just in case.

Dave Raimonde has Danny Sullivan as a co-driver. This is the Phoenix Danny, not the “spin and win” Sullivan who’s driving with Bobby Baldwin in a Trophy Truck.

Jerry Penhall is racing in the #105 Class 1 car, with Jim Birmingham, an ex-pro football player (and the owner of the car) as his co-driver.

Ron Whitton, in #39 Trophy Truck has Jeff Geirser signed on for the second half, and Geiser’s brother, Rick, is signed on Whitton’s son-in-law’s truck (Garron Cadiente) just in case, but not really expecting to get to drive.

Asked what it meant to him to be the first car in the Class 1 lineup, Damen Jefferies said, “It means I’m the first guy in the log jam, I think.”

Danny Anderson and John Marking are sharing the driving in Anderson’s Class 1 car. They’re different sizes, but have an adjustable seat so it works. Should be a really good team in that class. Danny’s been testing and has made it better since San Felipe. He’s a little worried about the pine forest “there’s so much stuff in the forest that can take you out.”

The #30 Trophy Truck has a four man team, including Jerry Whelchel, Roger Norman, Todd Clement and Ronnie Gillespie. It’s Rob MacCachren’s old car from ’95.

Mike Voyles’ Trophy Truck, #62, and first off the line, is running one of Corky McMillin’s new transmissions.

The McMillins have a new Jimco coming, a rear-engine car, with a small block Chevy motor and one of Corky’s trannies. They’ll probably debut it at the BITD V to R.

The truck that Scott McMillin is driving here this race (#31) is another Robby Gordon-built truck. Used to belong to Chet Huffman.

The McMillins are a little worried about “one pretty good hill” behind Mikes. They’ve got a truck with a winch up there.

More PUNK than Me

At the press conference SCORE announced that the entry was officially at 442 vehicles. “We’re ecstatic about that” said Dominic Clark.

The mayor of San Felipe attended the conference, and Sal Fish took the opportunity to gently bug him a little about letting the racers go across Diablo Dry Lake next time they’re in the area. It’s been closed to racers for ecological reasons. The Mayor could only grin and shrug.

Mark Miller, past winner here in a Trophy Truck, called this “the most amazing event you can put together in North America.”

Cameron Steele explained his triple threat entry. He’ll start on a Class 22 bike – ride 30 miles, then come back in from Ojos and start his Trophy Truck. That, he’ll drive to the finish, and then he’ll go back out to Ojos to wait for his Class 12 (SCORE Lite) car, and drive it to the finish. Here’s hoping it works – at San Felipe he didn’t get it done.

When asked how they’d handle it if a truck broke in the pine forest, and blocked up the course – Steele said, “The first 20 people there pick it up and move it.”

Cameron Steele at his Best!

Jimmy Hook is prepping the All Girl Team, which includes Bob Gordon’s daughters Robyn and Beccy, Kate Sutton and Cari Penhall. Unfortunately, Sutton was bumped during contingency, and stumbled in front of the rear tire of the car. It rolled over her foot and ankle, tore off her toenail and probably broke her toe. They were looking for a replacement, or considering having Robyn do the extra miles.

Steve Sourpas’ car didn’t get finished once again, and to top it off his new motor blew up on the dyno, so he’s pulled out of the race.

Malcolm Smith will be driving Cam Thieriot’s car from Valle Trinidad to Santo Tomas. Glenn Harris starts, Cam finishes.

Jon Kennedy is driving a SCORE Lite #1213 from San Vicente to the finish. He’s got a broken ankle, and will have to tape it heavily. Ernie Castro, Sr. races the middle, and Brent Mitchell starts.

Craig Stewart is here to help the Weyhrich brothers. He says they’re determined to do well in the points. This time they’re driving thei9r oldest car, the old Sourapas/Marking Jimco (9 or 10 years old) because it’s a little smaller and lighter and they think it’ll help them up in the pine forest.

Mike Julson’s racing his new Jimco Trophy Truck. He’s “changed everything” and thinks he’s solved the problems. “I’m really happy with it – it’s really good.” For this race he has helicopter support, a first for him. He thinks it’ll be a big help. Hewent on to say that compared to racing in Class 1, racing Trophy Trucks is not just “a little bit more money” – “It’s a lot more money.”

Nitto Tires is introducing their new Dune Grappler desert terrain tire, developed with the help of Mark Miller and Ryan Arciero. They’ll be running them on their truck. They say the “tires are created by racers, for racers”.

George Seeley will be starting the Baja 500 for the 20th time tomorrow, and he’ll be driving all the way, because co-driver Bruce Anderson recently broke his arm in a motorcycle accident.

Cory Sappington is entered in the Rhino class. He figures it’ll take seventeen hours and 20 minutes to go the distance. They’ve put a new air cleaner, changeable in the cockpit, on the vehicle, so it’ll be easy to change. They’ve added GPS, and got a little” more power.”

Jeff Sonn, with Travis Brookshire as co-driver, will be racing a Polaris Ranger in the same class. They have no chase vehicle, no chase or it crews. They do have a 100 mile range for fuel, so figure they can handle things.

Ruben Garcia says he’s put power steering on his 5/1600 car and “loves it”. He’s also got the dual port heads, and they’ve given him a little more power.

Watch for a new entry in the Trophy Truck class soon, as Ricky and Mac Randall (3rd generation racers) have bought Dale Dondel’s Trophy Truck.