CHEATING?

[DG_BTI]

over the last few years I have read posts on this board stating that so and so cut the coarse only to have others post, "if you cant prove it dont say anything" or "your starting rumors if you dont have proof", well im sorry but I will take that chance. First, I have been involved in baja racing for over 20 years now and have seen alot, as well as raced myself, so I have some credibility. While pitting this weekend just south of Erindera, I watched in amazement as only Steve Hengveld followed the coarse out of the top five bikes and the rest took a line "with" a wrong way huge [I have been warned] sign to totally cut the coarse. Then, the first two TT's did the same. Now I know that line selection is a part of racing baja, but score put that sign up for a reason, cus its a major cheat line, and to blow right by it and save several minutes while every other competitor took the slower but correct line, sucks. There were several dozen people there and everyone was dumbfounded that they would cheat so blantently. Props to all the other TT's that had to know that line but chose to race by the rules. Personaly I lost some repect for those two drivers.

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[robbie_goerke]

Were was this big cut at?

[Gabe_Lara]

Prey tell, Dennis.
Where were those lines located?

-Gabe

[DG_BTI]

it was just south of the paved road heading into town. The race coarse came up a steep hill then down a straight into a big ravine that was full of boulders and a big water crossing, then you went back up onto the flats and headed southwest at the base of the mountains. The line these few took was to take a sharp left at the top of the long hill and bypass the whole crappy section that the coares went through. Like I said there was a wrong way sign and ribbon where they hooked this left and it looked like a complette freeway out there. We even saw a rancher take his tractor out there to try and block the road during the bikes. Again, it most likely save a couple minutes and prevented them from going through the rocky water crossing, but that was the coarse, everyone else had to. Also, I brouhgt my brother in law to his first race ever, he was so stoked to see a TT for the first time, when they took the cheat line that was so far away that you coulnt even see what color they were, he was way bummed and his first comment was, does everyone in off road cheat? And just for the record I have no personal interest in this and am not saying anyones name, my intent is just to state that these things do happen, also there is no way anyone can spin it, I saw with my own two eyes, it was wrong, and thats that.

[stuckthrottle]

the course, especially that area, is littered with either/or's. IMO, they're fair game unless marked by W markers or blocked off with caution tape/pink ribbon as you said they were.

[ShaneR]

On the subject of cheating we cheated at the Baja 500. Car #107 Pat Dean/BJ Richardson. We bent a tie rod at race mile 270 about 2 miles from the pit at El Coyote. We were stuck down in the bottom of a canyon blocking the course. The tie rod was so bent that the car was undrivable. We had the helicopter land and help us get the car at least 1/2 way out of the course so other cars could pass, it was still very tight and several cars hit us as they passed. We were running 4rth car on the road in class 1 at the time so we knew there were lots of cars coming fast and didn't want to block the race. After we moved the car we tried to repair the tie rod on site and couldn't so we sent it in the helicopter to the El Coyote pit and had it straightned. At first we just wanted to get the car to the pit and out of the way. The longer we were there and the more we thought about it we wanted to finish this race so bad, our team has had lots of bad luck and DNF"s so we just wanted to finish the Baja 500. We talked to the team owner John Gaughan and he gave us the go ahead to finish the race as long as at the finish line we talked to Sal and told him what we had done and withdrew our car from the race. So that is what we did, we ran the rest of the race and our whole crew knew that we were doing alot of extra work that we wouldn't get credit for as far as a finish but doing it because we love racing and wanted to prove it to ourselfs that we are capable of finsihing races. We had 1 more problem with a broken shock and fixed it and went on to the finish as the 8th or 9th class 1 car to finish. We told Sal what we had done at the finish line and he said instead of withdrawing or a DQ he would credit us with making it to the last check point before where we bent the tie rod. I am not very proud of what we had to do to get to the finish line but I am very proud of the whole team for all the hard work they did to get the car to the finish and very proud to be a member of this team and have such a great guy as the team owner. John is a very upstanding, honest, big hearted man with lots of integrity who will help anyone at anytime and didn't want his name associated with cheating. I wish more team owners and drivers and everyone in off-road racing were like John and took responsibility for their actions. The only way to stop cheating is to not do it or at least admit if you do or the last step is for everyone to start filing protests agianst the people they say are cheating, posting that you saw someone do something does nothing but spread rumors so if cheating is seen it needs to be protested. From what I have heard but agian that is rumor there were several people who passed on the highway when it was made clear at the drivers meeting that any passing of race vehicles on the highway was grounds for DQ, every racer who was passed on the highway should have filed a protest and the person that was doing the passing should have been DQ'ed.

[baja_driver]

not the only class...I was racing 5-1600 and rolled car right at the end of that section sal made with the bull dozer(after RM224). were it goes uphill to a hard right(silt burm) and all cars were going right as marked ..then one took the line to the left...big "W" sign and all..a local that knows the area...sucks when you see how they don't have a problem doing it.

[MikeLeung]

Shane, thank you for sharing that with us. That story affirms the respect and admiration I have for the whole LV Dismination (sp?) race team.

[Kritter]

"see ya at the checks and see you at the finish"...thats racing in mexico. Just becuase you saw 1x take the right line there doesnt mean they dont have plenty of creative lines everywhere else on the course...

They are undoubtedly FAST, but they also have awesome lines that they dont let anybody but themselves and their chopper know about...awesome if you ask me. It pays to prerun...LOTS

I havent seen JC race locally this year but I see henge and he is unreal, no matter where he races, but yes their prerunning/line selection benefits them a lot.

[JrSyko]

Shane,

I thought something was up as we passed you and saw the chopper landed right next to you guys! Thanks for moving the car, it would have been hard to pass with you stuck in the corner. Good job for being so honest, that is what will continue to make this sport grow.