NAVY OFFROAD wins another 1000 mile race in the Baja!

[Baja_Seve]

The NAVY OFFROAD race team returned victorious from the 2012 Mexican 1000 with a class win and 13th place overall finish. This makes three 1000-mile offroad wins in three years! The team won by almost 5 hours after 4 days of racing which does not give due credit to the competitive intensity of the race down the rugged Baja peninsula.

The 2012 Mexican 1000 was a 1257-mile race starting on Sunday, April 29, in Baja California Norte near the border in Mexicali and finishing in Baja California Sur on the coast in San Jose del Cabo, on Wednesday, May 2, 2012. The race traveled the length of the beautiful yet unforgiving Baja peninsula. The Mexican 1000 was a rally format with Special and Transit stages using a simple GPS track along with Dakar-style rally notes for course details.

The team raced a vintage single-seat SCORE-legal Class 9 Challenger buggy in Category VC (Vintage swing-axle buggy) competition. The buggy raced under number 50 in support of the 50th anniversary of the US Navy SEALs and was wrapped in a very, very cool Navy digital Type 1 camouflage pattern. Race 50 has a great legacy, as one of the first T-MAG Challenger buggies built in the early 1980’s and has many Baja 1000, Baja 500, and points’ victories to its credit.

Race 50 drivers were Mike Shatynski, Tim King (Frog Tim), and Tony Miglini.

Chase support was provided by two trucks on Highway 5 along the eastern peninsula from San Felipe in the north, on Highway 1 down the length of the peninsula, and Highway 19 on the western peninsula from Todos Santos to the south.

The chase drivers were Curtis Wegener, Brian Greene, and Tim Armstrong (Cabo Tim) in Chase 1 and Chase 5 trucks.

On Day 1, the race started at the historic old bull ring in Mexicali and finished in scenic Bahia de los Angeles. Mike, Tony, and Frog Tim all took turns at the wheel of Race 50 and covered 409.5 miles with an 11 minute, 21 second lead over the second place race team though a 5 minute penalty dropped the advantage to 6 minutes, 21 seconds. The team quickly moved into the top 20 of the 92 starters. The day ended on the beachfront at the iconic Hotel Raquel and Larry with the team making minor preps to Race 50. As the sun set, Brian and Tony took a few minutes to hook a few fish from shore before a hot dinner in the restaurant.

Day 2 started in Bahia de los Angeles and ended 389.4 miles later in Loreto. Tony started and drove a clean race through some of the most beautiful and remote desert in Baja. He turned Race 50 over to Mike in the oasis town of San Ignacio with the same advantage. Race 50 blew a rear tire after a nail puncture while passing through one of the remote villages on the Pacific Coast. Mike changed the tire and finished the last 75 race miles on a weird combination of 1 rear and 3 front tires. The day ended with a 6 minute deficit. All other competitors had dropped back and it was now a tight race between the brothers, Jorge and Cesar Vela, (from Guadalajara and Mexicali respectively), in Race 150. The Vela brothers were piloting a two-seat Challenger buggy built in 1989 by Tubular Designs. Both Race 50 and Race 150 moved up to the low teens in overall standing on Day 2. After checking into the luxurious Hotel Santa Fe, the team replaced the spare tire and made preps for Day 3 before heading to dinner at the El Nido steakhouse for mouthwatering Sonoran beef and Sea of Cortez shrimp.

Day 3 began in Loreto with Frog Tim in the driver seat. Tim took Race 50 up and over the Sierra de la Gigante mountains past Mission San Javier (founded in 1699) and found his zen in the washes before handing Race 50 to Mike on the Pacific Coast. Mike took Race 50 back over the rugged mountains on a new course into La Paz. Tim and Mike drove their own race over 301 miles to save Race 50 for the final day but lost another 6 minutes on the clock. The team prepped Race 50 at the gorgeous La Marina Hotel for the final race to the finish on Day 4, then enjoyed a waterfront dinner at the famous Bismarkcito restaurant on the malecon on La Paz bay.

Day 4 started in La Paz with Race 50 in 15th place with a 12 minute deficit to overcome before finishing 157 miles later in San Jose del Cabo. Race 150 began in 13th place overall. It was Mike’s race to win and the Vela brothers’ to lose. Mike reeled in Race 150 and made back 4 minutes in the first 40 miles of racing. Race 50 and 150 were seconds apart when they came to a stop at a course bottleneck above Highway 19 in the town of Todos Santos. Curtis and Brian with Chase 5 sprinted up the hill to find a way around but there was none. When the course cleared, the race was back on and Mike pressed for the opportunity to pass Race 150 and get clean air. A few miles further, Mike made the pass when Race 150 blew a turn. Mike never looked back and rocketed in Race 50 toward Cabo.

After racing the entire length of the Baja peninsula, Race 50 crossed the finish line just after noontime in San Jose del Cabo at the luxurious Cabo Azul resort. Frog Tim and Cabo Tim in Chase 1 joined Mike at the finish line as they watched the minutes tick by. The free shots of resposado tequila provided by the hostesses from race-sponsor Azunia tequila couldn’t cut the tension as the team waited for word of Race 150. By 12:30 pm, it was clear that Race 50 had won the 2012 Mexican 1000!!! The team trailered Race 50 and checked into the resort for a few hours of poolside relaxation before the official results were released.

The awards dinner and ceremony were on the beach that evening in front of the 5-star Cabo Azul resort. The six team members reveled in their great effort as Mike, Tony, and Frog Tim accepted the first place trophy from NORRA. NAVY OFFROAD - Men, Machine, and Mission - had again conquered the infamous and unforgiving Baja peninsula in the legendary Mexican 1000. And the Mexican 1000 had again lived up to its reputation as the most FUN race on earth with a combination of camaraderie and competition found nowhere else.

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[yachtman]

Good for you guys!!!!!! FUN

[AZ45]

Good work guys, that's a long haul in a swing axel!

I never got to meet you, but I sure kept seeing you.

[Tallsur4]

glad to see the finish. we were pitted next to you in the grass at the hotel in La Paz; think you got some tires for the next leg from us (#501, yellow baja bug, Bill Hernquist's team). see you next year!