Power Days 300 – Germany, The gates opened to the public

As amazing and completely rad as this entire experience has been I literally had to drag myself out of bed for the Baja Power Days 300 media day.  Long days have led into even longer nights and I am definitely suffering the effects of jetlag and living on 9 hours of sleep (total) over the last three nights.

While I was expecting just another run-of-the-mill media day, I will have to admit by the time I returned to the hotel this evening I was duly impressed with the exciting activities of the day.  I was even one of the lucky few individuals that was honored with a ride in one of the WRC cars and this experience has provided me with a whole new appreciation for a different style of off-road racing (which I will expand upon in separate article).

Arriving at the track I was immediately impressed by the overwhelming turnout of European media.  Speaking with the media coordinator (whose name I cannot even begin to pronounce or spell) she indicated that she received over 180 applications for credentials and the response from the wide-reaching European motorsports community was overwhelming.  It would seem as though Armin Schwarz’s vision and his credibility as a World Rally driver have contributed to the popularity and curiosity surrounding this event.

Walking around the pits and through the staging area I was finally able to comprehend how extremely pioneering this experience is and realize the future potential of an international off-road racing series.  As the Trophy Trucks, Class Ones and WRC’s lined up to provide coveted media rides the demand definitely outnumbered the available seats.  Regardless of the disappointment some of the media experienced by not being selected for a ride-along, the enthusiasm and interest level in the SCORE classes of vehicles remained high and there was a constant flow of journalists and photographers surrounding the imported North American race vehicles.

In addition to offering promotional rides and demonstrating the capabilities of the race cars, the media day also provided the drivers the opportunity to shake-down their vehicles and pre-run the course one final time prior to the commencement of the spectator activities.  While the fun runs were an excellent introduction to the SCORE class of vehicles, one of the journalists got a little more than they  bargained for when Danny Sullivan rolled his No. 33 Toyota Trophy Truck on the in-field while providing a ride-along.  As the track workers scrambled to right side the truck, it was obvious they were not accustomed to rolling over 5000 pound racecars because Sullivan’s truck sat on its lid for what was probably a good five minutes while the course officials tried to roll the truck over with the tractor.

As the No. 33 was being towed back to the pit’s the always entertaining BJ Baldwin announced , “I am just gonna tell Danny don’t worry – no one saw a thing, they were all watching me!”  When Sullivan exited the truck to survey the damage I asked him how he had gotten himself all out of shape to which he responded, “I just got into a deep rut and I tried to get up on top of it but I caught the tire and the truck went over.”  Feeling somewhat embarrassed about his showing Danny ended our conversation by saying, “There are only three things anyone remembers about a race; who got the hole shot, who entered, and who wadded.  I got two of the three covered!”

While the concept of this event is incredible and the execution of the activities leading up to the spectator days have been top-notch, the track conditions definitely make it difficult for the SCORE vehicles to demonstrate their full capabilities.  The ground water seepage continues to wreck havoc on the course by creating a fine wet sand that is similar to driving along the beach of San Felipe.  The comparatively heavy Trophy Trucks and Class Ones get limited traction and the tires will not hook-up under these less than ideal course conditions.  This setback aside, the European participants and media can definitely appreciate the sheer horsepower and engineering of these vehicles.

While glancing over the participant list for the SCORE invited racers, I wondered what was the criteria Armin Schwarz, Martin Christiansen and Sal Fish used when selecting representatives.  By chance, I happened to run into Christiansen in the elevator and took the opportunity to ask him exactly that question to which he responded, “Honestly, we first looked at which vehicle manufacturer each of the potential participants were running and then secondly we looked at the persona and character surrounding the participants so we could offer some excitement and flavor to the show.  We wanted as many of the manufacturers represented in order to offer a comprehensive showing to the European market.  Gustavo Vildosola was an obvious choice as he not only represented Ford, he is also an excellent representative of Mexico.  Jesse James was also another natural choice due to his popularity here in Germany and the notoriety he offers our sport.  BJ Baldwin’s personality coupled with the Chevy badge made him our top pick for the bowtie while Danny Sullivan offers a very solid Toyota program.  We did invite Brian Collins to represent the Mopar badge however there just wasn’t enough time after the 500 to prep the truck and get it shipped here.”

While visiting with some of the crews in the pits, I realized there was something missing.  The U.S. and Mexico teams that are participating in this event are rather high-profile and when they go to races it is certainly on a grand scale.  While walking around the pits, it was a strange to see the Trophy Truck teams working out of cargo shipping containers without the comforts of their semis, motorhomes and chase trucks.

For BJ Baldwin and his crew the lack of access to the normal support gear has been extremely frustrating.  When the two bags of necessary tools and equipment didn’t make the connecting flight out of LAX one of the guys in the shop shipped the bags overnight.  Unfortunately there was a mix up with the shipment and that has left the crew without a tire pressure gauge and many other tools of the trade – including needed race suits, neck restraints and helmets for the media day rides.  Running out of options and time, BJ made a 2am wake up call to MasterCraft owner, Robbie Pierce.  Knowing that Pierce was boarding a German-bound flight in several hours BJ was able to talk Robbie into bringing three spare Mastercraft race suits, two helmets and several Hans devices.  While this contribution was an enormous step forward, BJ’s crew was still forced to work with borrowed tools which is not the usual mode of operation and is definitely out of character for this professional team.   Participating in events like these this far from home is definitely an adventure but it certainly is a hassle when things do not go as expected.

Tomorrow the gates open and nearly 15,000 spectators are expected to be introduced to the North American version of off-road racing.  Although I am once again wrapping up another article a little past 4am, I am definitely looking forward to seeing what the morning brings and witnessing the reaction of the general public as many of them see a Trophy Truck for the first time…..stay tuned!

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