The 2018 NORRA Mexican 1000
1,362 Mile of Off-Road Motorcycle Racing over the Length of Mexico's Baja Peninsula
The 5:15 AM alarm comes way too soon, but I got this down, H2o, bananas, yogurt, muffin, protein powder shakes, as much pizza as I can stomach and more H2o. I like to leave myself with a good half hour to study the day’s course map, think about what I’m about to do and just chill…
It’s nice seeing familiar faces at the starting line.
The Flying Pig has their bike fixed and is ready to fly. Sweet!
I am ready. Everyone including myself is pumped for the last day and making it to Los Cabos.
I’m not last today, not even close. Obviously, I had a good day yesterday and I’m feeling pretty stoked about that. I’m also feeling pretty good about today being 181 miles in total, I can handle that!
Today starts with a 24-mile transit section. This is the start of the first race section. Here we go, THIS IS IT! This race section is extremely fast at times with a few tricky navigation issues.
Out of respect to Jake’s family and friends the only thing I’m going to report on this section is that I have never witnessed such unselfish loving and caring for any individual in my entire life. No one could have comforted or helped Jake more then what took place out in the field on this day. I will never forget.
The next transit section brings us through Todos Santos, A beautiful village where Heidi and I lived for three months back in 05’ during our first ride through Baja. That’s when JustAdventureTravel.net first started and part of what made us fall in love with everything Baja. Anyway, after gassing up I go into the store to get some road food. There is a long line of car chase truck people there doing the same. While chatting, one guy knew my urgency to get going and said “Hey, I’ll pay for that, you just get going!” How flipping nice is that. Once again, the spirit of NORRA shines through.
The next race section, the second to last of the race is only 47 miles long but has some deep sand and sharp turns. The lead car passes me about half way through so I am now trying to hang far to the right while keeping my speed up. I never received a pass signal on my racingTrax box from the car, just a revving of his engine signaling me he was there. I thought this is weird, last year every car that passed first gave me a signal on my race box. Ten minutes later another car passes. Again, no signal, just a horn. When I hear the horn, I am way to the left so I pull off left and signal with my right hand for them to pass on my right. Two more cars pass and no signal. I’m now convinced the cars signaling the bikes is NOT WORKING, cars always signal bikes, we all know how dangerous this is for the bikes. So now I am really trying to hang as far to the fight as I can while paying attention to any approaching sounds. Just before the end of this race section I see the first car that passed me pulled over stopped. I ask if he’s OK and get a quick thumbs-up. I blast off.
The next transit section is super short. At the end of it the race officials know my predicament being mixed in with the lead cars and signaled me to get my ass going. I know I’m risking a penalty of doing the transit too quick but don’t care. I line up, clock in and blast off. This last race section is a special secret section that is not on the GPS files, and is only in road book. Sense a lot of racers only use GPS the race course is marked with flags, ribbons and in tricky places a person is stationed pointing with a flag. I decide to not even use my roadbook this section because I do not want to take any of my attention off my riding and any approaching race cars.
The last race section is only twenty some miles but starts out with some deep sand and sharp turns. I spill on one of the sandy turns. The Biltwell Sportster bike pulls over to see if I’m OK. We chat for a few seconds both discussing how we are not getting any signals from the cars wanting to pass on our race box, we agree the sucky boxes are not working! Then he says “Lets get our asses to Cabo and have some margaritas!” We blast off. Oh Yeah!!!
Soon I come around a corner as HS!
I know this guy. Luckily, I see him under a tree a hundred feet ahead covering himself with a tarp. He is fine and says something about flint and &@%^! I didn’t understand the words but I knew what he meant (the bike somehow caught on fire!) poor bastard but at least he is OK…
The last ten miles is through a couple super long washes with super deep sand. This is tough going with tons of groups of spectators all cheering us on. Right in front of one group I take a nasty spill in the deep sand and crank my left shoulder, my good shoulder. Two guys sprint over to help me pick up the bike and off I go thanking them profusely. Now I’m trying to keep my speed down in the super deep stuff to avoid another fast crash but realize speed is what I need to keep the bike moving forward. A couple times near the end of the wash, the wash that’s lasting forever hardens up and is fast. The Sportster blasts past me at blinding speed on one or the hard sections and maintains his lead. I think to myself ‘How flipping cool, the Sportster is kicking my butt!’
Just before the end of the wash I hear the roar of an engine then see the Cop’s trophy truck fly over a sand bank on my left to pass. At the end of the wash are a ton of spectators where I hit a firm dirt road. This dirt road looks familiar and is, it’s the last section before the finish line. I finished the race, I’m ecstatic.
Cavegirl is staged and ready to great me. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for the last two weeks.
The entire Cavebiker crew is there also ready to welcome me in. I am so fortunate!
The car in front of me was being interviewed and didn’t make room for me to get off the podium. So I couldn't just sit there, I dismount and do a little victory dance :)
Time for that margarita, maybe two!
The award party is fantastic. The comaraderie among all the racers is intense. Stories are flying. Hugs and high fives are being launched toward the moon.
I’m awarded a trophy for 2nd in class (Modern Lites) And even more impressive to me is I took 20th overall!
I didn’t even know until I posted this right now that a pic of me racing is on the BIG SCREEN behind, how flipping cool! This is one of the happiest days of my life.
Heidi seems to be happy also :)
More margaritas, more rallying with racers, more hugs and high fives…. Then I just happen to hear off in the distance “Hand painted… NORRA… Retro Ass… Bitch’n Helmets” “The most Bad Ass award of the night” “Canada Tom on an XR400” “Blinkers” “Duct tape” “He’s got the best attitude of anyone we’ve ever met” I start sprinting toward stage. I collide with Michele Busch right in front, I pick her up and spin her around half a dozen times while still making forward progress. It felt like it was planned and practiced. The MC says “He’s coming in hot!”
Thank you Norra! Thank you Biltwell team! Thank you to all the Mexican people and to all the NORRA racers! You are what make this the greatest event on earth.
I am like the happiest person on earth right now.
Thanks everyone for following along and sharing in the struggle and the joy of My Road to Baja Off-Road Racing. What Freaking Fun!
Heidi writes:
So.....The morning after the awards party Tom needs to pick up his duffle bag from the Biltwell team before 7 am. I notice we need water, I ask him to stop at OXXO. He is gone for about an hour. When he walks into our room, he says "the store is closed..... and the bike is gone" In that order! I hug him and say I am sorry that happened. He says it is only metal and rubber and I am still the luckiest guy on earth. I am here with you and Sam (our dog). Now that's my bad ass Cavebiker.
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