At the start of the race on the lake bed I went over to John & introduced myself. I told him we must be the two oldest idiots in the race. John's 61 & I'll be 65 next month. Later I found out there was a guy from Mass. who is 69!(He didn't finish.) Anyway I got into the hot whirlpool with John the day after the end of the race at Cabo Azul. I couldn't believe it. He really was tore up. He is one tough SOB. I talked to his wife Suzanne when we left the next day. She was PISSED. I've only just met these people but I would be honored to have them for friends. That's the thing about racing in Baja. It takes a special breed. The bonding & camaraderie are almost immediate. You feel like you've known these people all your life. Pretty simple really. The're just like you!
I don't know if you know the Feldkamps but Buddy Jr. is a great guy. He wouldn't have cared if he got the penalty or not. BTW so's his Dad!
John is my brother in law. I didn't see the incident because I was racing my 68 Bronco and a bit behind the bikes and faster cars/trucks. What I do know is that John is indeed one tough SOB. When we got to Cabo he was limping and decided to go and get his leg checked out. Turns out he finished day 2 and then rode day 3 and 4 with a broken fibula. I checked out his boot where the car hit him and noticed he's missing the buckles. I guess they weren't much of a match for a 35" BFG. But he was...and fortunately still is.
AGREED, I was trying to pass on he's a great guy(not that I needed too) for doing what he did(twice). I race in the same class, broke early but continued on with another team. I was pulling for Buddy and the Bel Ray Bullet. I think NORRA took his finishing position for the stage prior and applied it to the effected stage. One of the best things about NORRA is the great people and why most of them are there. This year there were too many incidents, apparently all avoidable with some common sense.
Can someone please post info on where we can send a check to Jimmy's family. Myself and my motorcycle club would like to help. thanks!
Could we get a list of photographers for the race going here. So far I have only found a few one of which was trackside. I forgot to bring my camera so was hoping to see what is out there. -John
I think art eugeno was there as well as araiza.. https://www.facebook.com/araiza11photo?ref=ts&fref=ts or http://araiza11.com/
Photos also at www.fotosolweb.com Also the gallery is not up yet, but maybe at www.inmotionmx.smugmug.com (it seems to have a holding place for the Mex1000)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/86168233@N08/8746662311/" title="_MG_3043 by maineroot, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/8746662311_abf425a965_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="_MG_3043"></a>
Kelly came off the bike about 45 min after this pic was taken. Knocked him out, broke his collarbone BAD. He finished the 100+ mile stage and rode pretty fast too! We made a sling out of a jersey for the rest of the day so he could move. He even walked from the hotel with his time card to the finish line to turn it in. One tough guy! We got him X-rays in loretto and flew him to LA the next am. He is recovering. Bike is in my garage. Nav tower is crunk, but can be straightened and repaired. Plan is to do come back next year and take care of some unfinished business!
oh Damn I think I ripped by him, but the dust had cleared and he was getting looked after by a couple guys . gnarly section with a concrete Vado I think ...dust and sun was crazy at this stage of the day .
congrats to all the participants. my first time, great experience and lots of fun. i was there to support #113 (larry - galacticgs) took a bunch of pics and don't know many of you guys. PM me your race # and if i have you, will send your pics. i will be gone for about a week and will check this thread, then reply to your request. cheers, joel
