Baja 500 2012

[ibismojo]

Originally Posted by MotoMike

So are you the commentator? I'll have you know that I'm only 51. And a half.

Haha, nope, that's not me. It was a friend's dad who likes to ride. He was checking out the race numbers to determine the age group....for inspiration I suppose :)

[David13]

I didn't realize what he said. I wouldn't have known what he said. I had to go back and listen to it a few times.
Thanks for pointing it out, Mike.
Ha ha.
dc

[MotoMike]

I didn't realize what he said either until some guys (gleefully) pointed it out at the races this last weekend

[mrazekan]

Originally Posted by MotoMike

So are you the commentator? I'll have you know that I'm only 51. And a half.

HAHAHA!!! "That guy is REALLY old!"

I saw 600x Donald Lewis pull into Baja Pits at Borrego. He was ironmaning the 500. First question he asked was, "Where am I?" They responded with, "Baja Pits." Don asks, "Which one?" He had no idea where he was! Turns out he was doing circles out in the desert!

Hours later I was at the first Valle T access road. I was crossing the racecourse when I heard a bike coming so I ran across. Here comes 600x puttering down the course. He looks at the access road: beer, food, the highway, a warm bed. Then he looks at the race course: nightfall, 250 more miles of this sh!t. He makes the left and keeps puttering down the race course! I am surprised Don Carlos let him leave Borrego! BALLS!!!

I would love to hear his story of the 500. If he remembers it!

Originally Posted by MotoMike

Cool! Thanks Craig. I have been looking for video and pics, but not finding anything, where did you get this?

I'm with you. It has been tough finding information. Oh well. Here are my photos and videos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/6689127...7630092176538/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8azeY...&feature=g-upl

Originally Posted by MotoMike

BTW, at the beginning, with the Weatherman audio, the picture looks suspiciously like they are sitting in line at the Tecate border crossing. It took us 5 freaking hours to get through Otay Mesa crossing.

It took my teammates 5 hours at SY! Whne I was a kid, these waits were unheard of!!! Now they are de rigueur. When I went through Tecate on my tiger, I pull up right to the right hander that pulls into the crossing to split through the barriers. Militares stop me and tell em to go to the end of the line. I litterly said, "You're kidding right?" He said no and that I must appear to queue to not upset everyone else waiting in line. He also said that it is OK for me to split lanes between the cars. "You're kidding right?" Again, no. So I had to ride to teh end of the line, split lanes to within 10 feet of where I was talking to the dude, and then he waved me into the border crossing.

Congrats on the finish!

[MotoMike]

Originally Posted by mrazekan

HAHAHA!!! "That guy is REALLY old!"

I saw 600x Donald Lewis pull into Baja Pits at Borrego. He was ironmaning the 500. First question he asked was, "Where am I?" They responded with, "Baja Pits." Don asks, "Which one?" He had no idea where he was! Turns out he was doing circles out in the desert!

Hours later I was at the first Valle T access road. I was crossing the racecourse when I heard a bike coming so I ran across. Here comes 600x puttering down the course. He looks at the access road: beer, food, the highway, a warm bed. Then he looks at the race course: nightfall, 250 more miles of this sh!t. He makes the left and keeps puttering down the race course! I am surprised Don Carlos let him leave Borrego! BALLS!!!

I would love to hear his story of the 500. If he remembers it!



I'm with you. It has been tough finding information. Oh well. Here are my photos and videos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/6689127...7630092176538/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8azeY...&feature=g-upl



It took my teammates 5 hours at SY! Whne I was a kid, these waits were unheard of!!! Now they are de rigueur. When I went through Tecate on my tiger, I pull up right to the right hander that pulls into the crossing to split through the barriers. Militares stop me and tell em to go to the end of the line. I litterly said, "You're kidding right?" He said no and that I must appear to queue to not upset everyone else waiting in line. He also said that it is OK for me to split lanes between the cars. "You're kidding right?" Again, no. So I had to ride to teh end of the line, split lanes to within 10 feet of where I was talking to the dude, and then he waved me into the border crossing.

Congrats on the finish!

I talked to Don later that night at the hotel where we were all staying, and he quit at around mile 298, where the crossover road hit hwy 1, said he had monkey butt so bad he could barely ride any more.

[Strong Bad]

Originally Posted by MotoMike

I talked to Don later that night at the hotel where we were all staying, and he quit at around mile 298, where the crossover road hit hwy 1, said he had monkey butt so bad he could barely ride any more.

Padded lycra bicycle shorts and lots and lots of Chamois Butt'r prevents that monkey butt.

[KZJohn]

Originally Posted by Strong Bad

Padded lycra bicycle shorts and lots and lots of Chamois Butt'r prevents that monkey butt.

I have been using my bike shorts under my riding pants since the 80's, (the decade not my age).

[MotoMike]

Lots of good video's popping up now. Not many bikes on this one, but halfway through there is some great footage of the rock whoops...




Mike Brown almost taking out some locals...



Watch Ivan Ramirez throw it away at 2:00. Fucking OUCH...


Kind of shitty ammie video, but he catches one hell of a yardsale at 1:55....

[Strong Bad]

WOW! That Ramirez get off was gnarly...ain't noting soft about the dirt in that area.

[cross-country]

Originally Posted by Strong Bad

WOW! That Ramirez get off was gnarly...ain't noting soft about the dirt in that area.

No doubt! That was early in the race too, rm25-30?

Great video Mike, thanks!

[KZJohn]

Originally Posted by cross-country

No doubt! That was early in the race too, rm25-30?

Great video Mike, thanks!

More like RM10 or 15. That is the down hill that leads to the paved road crossing then down into the wash with all the trash, left around the tree, then back up the hill on the other side.
Way too early to throw it down that hard!

[cross-country]

Originally Posted by KZJohn

More like RM10 or 15. That is the down hill that leads to the paved road crossing then down into the wash with all the trash, left around the tree, then back up the hill on the other side.
Way too early to throw it down that hard!

Oh, the one by the tree? It was all a dusty/foggy blur for me..... both directions. Ok, only foggy one direction.

I guess my point was, I saw both bikes later in the day and neither KTM looked like it had gone through a 6th gear cartwheel. Neither did Ivan, he must have lucked out on both acounts.

[KZJohn]

I have done the Ensanada - Ojos section forwards and backwards a bunch of times. It's one of my favorite sections to run. Most of it is burned into the back of my eyeballs.

[mrazekan]

Originally Posted by MotoMike

Lots of good video's popping up now. Not many bikes on this one, but halfway through there is some great footage of the rock whoops...

Thanks for this vid! I've seen the other three and was looking for footage of the rock whoops. That speed truck drifting sideways was KILLER!!!

Originally Posted by MotoMike

Mike Brown almost taking out some locals...

That was a couple of KIDS!!! WOW!!!

Originally Posted by MotoMike

Watch Ivan Ramirez throw it away at 2:00. Fucking OUCH...

Then get up, ride it out, and help your team get to a 3rd place finish!!!



I had to go back into my SD card to find a pic of you at the start. It was blurry so I didn't uploaded the first time but here you go:

Originally Posted by MotoMike

I talked to Don later that night at the hotel where we were all staying, and he quit at around mile 298, where the crossover road hit hwy 1, said he had monkey butt so bad he could barely ride any more.

That's only about 40 miles from where I saw him ride into the sunset. I am SO glad he made it out. Here's Don a bit fresher:
(edit: just realized which 40 mi he had to run in the dark. WOW!)

Viva la Baja!

[MotoMike]

That's Steve Williams, he started and finished, very fast rider. I was riding the rock whoops.



I had to go back into my SD card to find a pic of you at the start. It was blurry so I didn't uploaded the first time but here you go: