Teamwork

When you want to accomplish a task with a team, you have to plan.  We pre ran the course and made our plan.  We adjusted, talked a lot, went over it many times, and had contingency plans if something went wrong.  We knew what our goal was, and what it was not.  We talked about not getting sucked into racing anyone in the excitement of the race, and to stick to our plan – just finish.

Todd and Kevin completely 100 miles and got the car to Victor and Tony.  They completely 100 miles and got the car back to Todd and Kevin.  Marie and I would wait 14 hours from the end of our first turn to the beginning of our second one. 

I was a Baja veteran and had to most experience racing.  Victor was a tour guide and knew the terrain well too.  Kevin, Todd and Marie had experience chasing, but not racing here.  Tony was new to Baja.  You have to use your teams strengths.  I had planned to drive the worst, roughest parts of the course.  

I usually race Ironman and I’m on a bike the whole time.  Being in the chase vehicles was interesting.  Get to the next location (fighting traffic through little towns where the main highway is the only paved road) and wait.  It’s not easy as the hours and days go by and you’re becoming sleep deprived.

You watch other race vehicles go by.  You see dust coming wondering if that’s your team coming.  No.  Nope.  YES!  It them!  Everyone is ready.   New driver and codriver are dressed and waiting.  Two chase team embers unhook the team in the car so they can get out.  Others clean the lights and check the tires and suspension.  New team gets in and get help hooking everything up.  When all looks good, we give the go signal and the driver, who can’t turn their head to see if anyone is coming, steps on the gas, and disappears into their own dust.

It’s pretty cool.

We’d change out drivers ten times, and co-drivers 12 times.  Just as planned.

I jumped in with Marie for the 70 miles before SanIgnacio – very deep and steep sand whoops followed by a very steep rocky hill climb.  This is where I fell into a cactus in the black night one year.  No worry about that now.  (Who is boss now Mr. Cactus!)  This time it was daytime and hot.  We got the car to a military checkpoint where we planned on switching. Todd and Kevin got in again.

An 11-year-old kid was selling coffee in front a lone abandoned building.  I gave him the few pesos and a five-dollar tip.  Timing is everything.

Todd and Kevin had 170 miles to go including a river crossing and some significant rocks to deal with.  We had outfitted our car with an extra-large 30-gallon gas tank so we had an advantage over many in our class.  Still, 170 miles was a lot.  If they missed the gas pit, we’d be in big trouble.

We started the race at 11:30 am.  It got dark.  Now it was light again.

Almost halfway there….