I’ve found a few organizations offering pit stops…
BF Goodrich Racing – Free if you use BFG tires (limited spots) and have their stickers on your truck and suit.
MAG 7 (The Magnificent 7) – about $700 including emergency roadside and pits every 60 miles.
Baja Pits – About $750 for pits emergency roadside.
JCR Honda Racing – pits for motorcycles
I’ll definitely need a racing radio…
I looked up SCORE (the governing body of the Baja races), and found out that their offices are in Calabasas – only 20 miles from my place. I called and drove there today to pickup the rule book.
The Rodeo fits in the “Stock Mini” pro class for small SUV’s and Class 15 for “full bodied 4 wheel vehicles”. Another class that looks interesting is the M-Truck class for things like Unimogs and Pinzgauer’s (some day). I’ll probably enter Class 15, as it’s a Sportsman Class and is only $1000 to enter including insurance and fees (vs Pro Class @ $2100). Each additional driver is $45 (plus the extra driver safety equipment)
After reading the rules, there are a few things I need to get before I can enter the race:
For myself, I need:
For the Rodeo:
Also recommended is a built in extinguisher system for engine, fuel and driver compartments
As for modifications, I’m allowed to lift the suspension up to 3 inches in “Stock Mini”. In Class 15, it looks like anything goes as long as it still looks like a stock SUV, and the engine is normally aspirated. I’ll email SCORE tomorrow to clarify. I also want to find out about pit crew / stops / team communications. I know you’re not allowed to use HAM radio, public service, marine or aircraft frequencies… so basically – a racing radio.
In other news, I found the perfect Southern California replacement for the Rodeo:
1975 Ford Bronco
I own a 1994 Isuzu Rodeo. My parents were selling it about 8 years ago, and it looked exactly like a Penny Racer that I had as a kid, so I bought it!
1994 Isuzu Rodeo 4x4
Now, it’s old, rusty, has problems with power windows, a cracked windshield, no AC, no dashboard lights, a leaky head gasket, the renowned Isuzu valve tick, and the transmission is starting to go.
However, the 4WD system has been well maintained, it has the factory off road package, and a nice brush guard (for destroying parking meters at Manhattan Beach after you ask the meter maid if it’s OK to park here and get a ticket anyway 20 minutes later… not that that ever happened), it has a bitchin’ Surf Ohio spare tire cover, and it refuses to die.
Seeing that the end is near for this beloved horseless carriage, I’ve decided let it go out with style – racing in the 2012 Baja 1000.
I never intended to do this until moving to Simi Valley, CA – where everyone seems to have jacked up 4×4′s that have never driven off road, but have $30,000 in specialty parts. So I thought to myself: if I was an old SUV about to be put out to pasture, I’d prefer to go fighting in the Baja.
So if it dies in Mexico (and I assume it will break in half), I will hold a brief ceremony and leave it where it lies for the locals to scavenge for parts. Though, I will probably take the spare tire cover home…
This blog will be the diary for finding out what I need to do to enter the Baja, assembling my team, prepping the vehicle, and finally running the race!
As of now, I’m planning to enter a stock SUV class, but if I can get a few things (like a corporate sponsorship, a V8, a new transmission, racing shocks, a lift, some badass off road tires and a winch) then I may enter it in the modified class.
If the damn truck actually finishes, then I’ll just have to donate it to a charity, or really fix it up and enter it again in 2013!
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