December 16, 2011:  After months of careful planning and cooperative efforts with Mexican officials and several potential corporate partners, the National Off Road Racing Association (NORRA) today announced the official dates for the 2012 Mexican 1000 Rally as April 28 – May 2, 2012.  The new time slot not only reflects a change in the event’s overall formatting, but were necessitated by NORRA’s desire to avoid a conflict with another off-road race promoter over the Rally’s original May 5 – May 9, 2012 date.

Dubbed the “Happiest Race on Earth,” the unique off-road rally was created by promoter Mike Pearlman in 2010. The one-of-a-kind, once-a-year, four-day rally includes vintage off-road vehicles and motorcycles, rally cars, modern desert racecars and classes for prerunner trucks and buggies. Pearlman’s late father Ed and others established the first running of the NORRA Mexican 1000 off-road rally in November of 1967, which eventually became internationally recognized and evolved into the Baja 1000 in the mid-1970s.

Unlike the first two Mexican 1000s, the rally will be held starting on a weekend instead of mid-week to allow more spectator interaction and to provide participants the chance to enjoy the rally within one full calendar week. The 2012 proceedings will begin with a technical inspection/car show at the historic bull ring in downtown Mexicali on Saturday, April 28. The first stage of the rally itself will depart Mexicali on Sunday, April 29 and is planned to end in San Jose del Cabo on May 2, 2012.

With the dates now solidified, NORRA will open online registration to all participants for the 2012 Mexican 1000 on Sunday, January 1. In addition, an updated Mexican 1000 Website will be unveiled on New Year’s day as well.

“We are very pleased to have the 2012 dates finally secured and our event soon open for registration,” explained Pearlman. “Unfortunately, our original dates needed modification to help accommodate Casey Folks and his Best-In-The-Desert (BITD) organization’s new sanctioning of next year’s General Tire Mint 400 — a situation which forced Casey to reschedule his Silver State 300 at the same time as ours. While our two events are very different, we not only have competitors that wish to compete in both, but we want to continue our positive relationship with Best In The Desert.”

Registration will be open to all automobiles and motorcycles that meet basic safety standards as outlined the new NORRA rulebook (currently available at the www.mexican1000.website. Although the spotlight will remain squarely on vintage machinery, NORRA has added several new categories for modern and vintage rally cars as well as some for modern desert racing machinery, 4x4s, dune buggies, and ATVs and motorcycles of all types and ages. Each day of the rally consists of special stages (unlimited speed timed stages in the dirt) linked together by controlled speed liaison / transit sections (highway).

While still a competitively timed event, all entries will enjoy the same course, beautiful Baja scenery and group festivities. In addition, the NORRA organization is working to greatly enhance one of the Mexican 1000’s most distinguishing elements – the rally’s camaraderie, hospitality and fun.

Despite official entries not being officially open until January 1, it is expected that many of the rally’s most distinguished racers – a list that included Bob Gordon, Walker Evans, Parnelli Jones, Malcolm Smith, Bud Feldkamp, Frank “Butch” Arciero, Larry Roeseler, Michael Gaughan and others will return for the 2012 rally.

For more information, please visit NORRA’s website: www.norra.com

Lobsam  Yee wins the last  Baja of 2011

The last great Baja race of the year was presented by RECORD celebrating the winter edition of the off road race Ensenada-San Felipe 250.  This race was conquered overall by Francisco Septien and Lobsam Yee.

A total of 201 entries from Mexico, U.S.A. and Germany (163 4-wheel vehicles and 38 motorcycles)

Took the green flag at Ojos Negros and lived an 185 mile adventure that ended in San Felipe.

It was a really cold 250, temperatures registered below -2 degress celcius at places like Ojos Negros, Heroes de Independencia, Santa Catarina, Valle de la Trinindad and San Matias.

The motorcycles started at 6:30 A.M. and the 4-wheel vehicles at 9:30.  It was a really difficult 250 for everybody, since they used many trails that were used at the 44^th edition of the Baja 1000.

The king of the motorcycles for this 250 was Francisco Septien.

Francisco Septien closed a great season by winning his class M/C Pro and also the overall with an official time of 4 hours, 3 minutes and 49 seconds, also capturing the 2011 championship in his class with this organization.

In the 4-wheel vehicles it was Lobsam Yee from Tijuana that demonstrated that in Baja you don’t need a big class vehicle to win, he drove his Barajas Buggy with great talent to overall victory and in Class 12.

Lobsam Yee wins the Overall the winter edition of Record's Ensenada-SanFelipe 250.

Yee is an experienced racer, by mile 70 he was well ahead of rivals like Jay Culbertson, Eric Chase, Carlos Ibarra and Jaime Huerta.

For this 250 a Gran Reto (shootout) was organized for the 5-1600, 7 Stock and 11 Classes, it was 50 dollars per racer and it was not mandatory.  The idea was to compensate with good prizes to the winners of those classes, like an advanced Christmas present.

A first class duel was experienced by Alonso Gonzalez, Miguel Sandoval and Pin Bernardino, they had a tremendous battle for victory to the end, at the finish line it was the 7Stock of Xalos Racing driven by Alonso Gonzalez the winner.

Cisco Bio was the best of the very demanding Class 11 at the last RECORD race of the year.

Class 11 was taken by Cisco Bio from the team Mastercraft/Impact Racing, he drove the 185 miles and beat Roberto Robles by only 2 minutes and Ramon Fernandez by 11 minutes.

Class 11 always has a great turnout at RECORD events and this race had 28 of them, including Klaus Rasch who debuted with this organization.  Unfortunately for this race he had to abandon early with transmission problems in his VW.

The Race Ready Ensenada-San Felipe 250 had its complicated moment at the goat trail coming down to Valley T, were Martin Aguirre’s Class 8 suffered steering problems, stopping at the narrow passage and plugging the race course for a couple of hours.

Many racers contemplated the idea of pushing Aguirre’s truck off the embankment to clear the course.  At the end it was decided to fix the unit in order to resume the competition, this incident affected more than 80 % of the competitors.

After the race resumed, Record’s president Ramon Castro opted to move everybody to San Matias and do a restart by class, even though the drivers that were not affected by this bottle neck incident were so far ahead on there way to the checkered flag at the San Felipe Arches.

This was the closing of Record’s season, this year brought many great drivers to five 1^st class events, there is great hope that in 2012 the level of competition will continue rising.

Pictures By Alejandro Soltero/www.fotosoolweb.com

Translation By Claudio Sarabia

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Winners Overall

M/C

Francisco Septién – M/C Pro 4 hours 3 minutes 49 seconds

4-Wheel Vehicles

Lobsam Yee – Class 12– 3 hours 46 minutes 12 seconds

Official Results

http://www.recordoffroad.com/tiemposFinales.aspx?Event=SF275

Spanish story:

Lobsam Yee gana la última Baja del 2011

Por Gabriel García

La última gran Baja del año corrió por cuenta de la organización Récord al celebrar la edición de invierno de la carrera fuera de camino Ensenada-San Felipe 250, misma que fue ganada en forma overall por Francisco Septién y Lobsam Yee.

Un total de 201 participantes de México, Estados Unidos y Alemania (163 carros y 38 motocicletas) tomaron el banderazo de arranque en Ojos Negros para vivir una aventura que finalizó 185 millas después en San Felipe.

Fue una 250 muy fría, al registrarse temperaturas por debajo de los -2 grados en puntos como Ojos Negros, Héroes de la Independencia, Santa Catarina, Valle de la Trinidad y San Matías.

Las motocicletas arrancaron a las 6:30 de la mañana y los carros a las 9:30 en lo que fue una 250 complicada para todos, al utilizar muchos de los caminos por donde pasó la edición 44 de la Baja 1000.

Francisco Septién cerró una gran temporada, al ganar la categoría Pro de motocicletas y el overall con un tiempo oficial de 4 horas, 3 minutos y 49 segundos, atrapando también el título 2011 de Récord en su clase.

En los autos el tijuanense Lobsam Yee demostró que en Baja no ocupas un carro muy grande para ganar, al manejar con gran precisión su Buggy Barajas hacia la victoria absoluta y en la Clase 12.

Yee es un piloto experimentado y en la milla 70 ya le sacaba buena ventaja a rivales como Jay Culbertson, Eric Chase, Carlos Ibarra y Jaime Huerta.

Para esta 250 se contó con el Gran Reto en las Clases 5-1600, 7 Stock y 11, que consistía en aportar 50 dólares por corredor, siendo esto no obligatorio, para darle un buen premio al vencedor de esas categorías, como si se tratara de un regalo adelantado de Navidad.

Un duelo de lujo vivieron Alonso González, Miguel Sandoval y Pin Bernardino, quienes lucharon con todo por la victoria hasta el final, siendo el triunfador de la 7 Stock, el primero y dueño del equipo Xalos Racing.

La Clase 11 fue ganada por Cisco Bio del equipo Mastercraft/Impact Racing, quien manejó las 185 millas para vencer por dos minutos a Roberto Robles y por 11 a Ramón Fernández.

Como es una costumbre en los eventos de Récord, la 11 contó con una gran respuesta de participación, al arrancar la 250 un total de 28 vehículos, entre ellos Klaus Rasch, quien hizo su debut en Récord, pero la mala suerte no estuvo de su lado al abandonar en forma temprana por problemas con la transmisión de su Volkswagen.

El atorón del Valle de la Trinidad

La Race Ready Ensenada-San Felipe 250 vivió su momento complicado en la bajada del Valle de la Trinidad, al detenerse en medio del camino el Clase 8 de Martín Aguirre, esto al tener fallas en la caja de la dirección y provocando un atorón que duró 2 horas.

Varios pilotos pensaron en la idea de aventar el Truck de Aguirre para abajo del camino de terracería, pero se decidió por arreglar la unidad para reanudar la competencia, algo que afectó a más del 80 por ciento de los competidores de carros.

Tras reanudar la carrera, el presidente de Récord, Ramón Castro eligió trasladar a todo el contingente a San Matías y arrancarlos de nuevo por categorías, aunque los pilotos que se salvaron del atorón ya les llevaban mucha ventaja para recibir la bandeara a cuadros en Los Arcos de San Felipe.

Este fue el cierre de la temporada en Récord, con un año que contó con grandes pilotos y cinco eventos de primera calidad, esperando que en el 2012 el nivel siga a la alza.

Fotos por Alejandro Soltero/www.fotosoolweb.com

Ganadores overall

Motos

Francisco Septién – Motos Pro – 4 horas, 3 minutos y 49 segundos

Carros

Lobsam Yee – Clase 12 – 3 horas, 46 minutos y 12 segundos

Resultados oficiales

http://www.recordoffroad.com/tiemposFinales.aspx?Event=SF275

Rancho El Milagro Orphanage, located in Ensenada BC, Mexico, is a home for boys and girls that have been orphaned, abandoned or have had a history of abuse. For over 30 years, Rancho El Milagro has been a refuge for these children. General Tire, along with our partners Azuñia Tequila and Wahoo’s Fish Taco, is proud to support such a worthy cause. Please join us in our support so that we may give these children the chance at a future that they deserve. For further information, please visit http://ranchomilagro.org/

Donations: Baja Children’s Fund – Rancho El Milagro PO Box 556 Chimacum, WA 98325

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Taking the unofficial overall victory at the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000 was the father and son team of Andy and Scott McMillin. It came down to the wire with the top three Trophy Trucks all finishing within minutes of each other. Winning their second Baja 1000 title together as a team, Andy stated at the finish line that finishing it with his Dad was the most important part of the win.

Stay tuned for more photos and a full write up here on RDC!!

Exclusive coverage of Mikey Childress and his prep work for the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000! Watch Mikey as he bombs the race course on his bike instead of a pre-runner to get an up close and personal look at the intricacies of this year’s course. Childress’ moto background gives him a leg up on the competition as he scouts the Baja peninsula for the best lines.

Song Info: Fear (INSTRUMENTAL) by First Blood – Available on Bullet Tooth Records

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Exclusive coverage of “Ballistic” B.J. Baldwin getting ready to compete for the win at the 2011 Baja 1000! Check out his beastly 700 horsepower custom pre-runner as he tears up the Mexican hillside on this year’s racecourse and battles treacherous boulders, buckets of rain, and bottomless silt beds!

Song: Deception of a Ghost – In Case You Forgot (Instrumental) – Bullet Tooth Records

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

Cameron Steele takes you on an in depth tour through this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 course.

The 692.8 mile loop that makes up this year’s 1000 is full dangerous turns, high-speed roads, treacherous mountains and vehicle-destroying woops! Cameron aims to help you tame this gnarly beast with some words of wisdom from his decades of experience.

Keep an eye on RDC for race day coverage; including live updates and audio feeds from Baja as over 300 drivers leave the line in their quest for glory!

Stay on top of the action here: http://www.race-dezert.com/home/2011-score-baja-1000-live-coverage

Directed by The Martelli Brothers – Produced by Mad Media

San Vicente’s Miracle

This story almost did not make it to race-dezert.com.  At this race I lived one of the most incredible moments of my life.  God saved my life along with Alejandro Soltero (Fotosol) while we were covering RECORD’s San Vicente 200 race.

The morning of Saturday October 15 was very special, the motorcycles struggled a great deal with the early fog which limited their speed along the 46 mile race course.  Even that could not stop Francisco Septien from achieving victory with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes and 7 seconds.

Overall winner at San Vicente 200 on the bikes was Francisco Septien.

Septien dedicated his victory to the memory of his fallen friend Jorge Hernandez who past away when he suffered an accident during the 2007 edition of this race.  Hernandez lost control of his bike when he hit a ravine, he lost his life due to the severe injuries.

Moment when Team Peninsulares Class 8 was about to roll over at San Vicente’s Silt Bed.

The real miracle of San Vicente took place at race mile 36 at the silt beds of Rancho Guadalupe.  Only two vehicles had gone trough, Martin Aguirre and Rick Sanchez, when Miguel Montoya’s Peninsulares Team Class 8 Ford F-150 driven by Miguel’s cousin Carlos showed up in the distance.  He was approaching the first silt bed zone at more than 80 MPH and to our bad luck Alejandro and myself chose a spot that was very close to the course.  The only thing I could remember was the truck losing control and flying over us making contact with Alejandro.

Thank God, RECORD’s Medical team and even the organizer Ramon Castro responded to our cry for help.  Alejandro was transported to the hospital with injuries to his chest, back and neck, luckily those were not life threatening injuries.

In my case, there were only minor cuts and bruises to arm, chest, back and head and I will be able to continue living Baja adventures but in a more prudent way.  It was our error by misjudging the danger of this occasion.

Viry Felix won class 14 driving on her property.  She was really familiar with the terrain since part of the race course goes trough her family’s ranch.  Viry is going for the season title.

Felix is currently preparing to race the Baja 1000 where she is planning on driving her solo.

Elias Hanna won his third race of the year in class 7S.

Elias Hanna maintained his winning streak by taking class 7S honors.  He won his third race of 2011 for HN Motorsports/Lucas Oil Team.

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Winners

Class – Driver – Time

Bikes

Pro – Francisco Septien – 2:55:07

Sportsman – Juan Gutierrez – 2:58:15

Safari – Deam Jonathan – 3:16:00

Atv Pro – Rafael Torres – 3:36:00

Atv Sportsman – Marcos Cousiño – 3:08:41

Cars

Open – Jason Whipple – DNF

½-1600 – Ray Files – 4:00:44

5-1600 – Miguel Rosales – 4:16:50

7 – Agustin Rasso – 4:57:11

7S – Elias Hanna – 4:34:30

8 – Martin Aguirre  – 4:18:25

9 – Jorge Samprieto – 5:35:04

10 – David Castelan  – DNF

12 – Matias Arjona – 4:13:38

14 – Viry Felix – 4:17:42

15 – Fabian Aros – 4:48:57

18 – Francisco Valdez – 3:39:44

Safari – Alejandro Medina – 3:46:22

Original spanish story:

El milagro de San Vicente

Por Gabriel García

Esta nota podría no ser parte de Race-Dezert si DIOS hubiera querido, ya que tocó vivir uno de los momentos más increíbles de mi vida, al salvar la vida, junto a Alejandro Soltero cuando estábamos cubriendo la carrera San Vicente 200, fecha oficial del campeonato 2011 de Record.

La mañana del sábado 15 de octubre fue una muy especial, con los motociclistas sufriendo demasiado con la brisa y limitando mucho la velocidad a lo largo de la ruta de 46 millas, algo que ni siquiera impidió que Francisco Septien conquistara la victoria con un tiempo de 2 horas, 55 minutos y 7 segundos.

Septien dedico la victoria a la memoria de su fallecido amigo Jorge Hernandez, quien partiera al cielo durante la edición 2007 de esta carrera, al perder el control de su motocicleta por una zanja, lo que le costó sufrir lesiones de gravedad que le costaron al vida.

El verdadero milagro de San Vicente se dio en la milla 36, a la altura de los talcos del rancho Rincón de Guadalupe, habían pasado solamente dos carros, Martin Aguirre y Rick Sanchez, cuando apareció a lo lejos el Clase 8 del equipo Peninsulares de Miguel Montoya, con su primo Carlos al volante del Ford F       -150 y alcanzando velocidades por encima de las 80 millas en la primera zona de talcos, para nuestra mala fortuna, elegimos Alejandro y yo, un sitio muy pegado a la vista y posteriormente solamente recuerdo como el vehículo se descontrolo, pasando volando por encima de mi, golpeando antes a Alejandro.

Gracias a DIOS el cuerpo médico de Récord y el mismo presidente de la organización, Ramón Castro acudieron al llamado de emergencia de nosotros para trasladar de emergencia a Alejandro, quien presento golpes en diferentes partes del pecho, espalda y cuello, aunque afortunadamente sin fracturas.

En mi caso, fueron cortadas y golpes menores en un brazo, pecho, espalda y cabeza, puedo seguir viviendo aventuras en Baja, pero de una forma prudente y dejando en claro que fue error de nosotros al no medir el peligro en esta ocasión.

Felix impone una vez más su poder femenino

Viry Felix ganó la Clase 14 al manejar en sus terrenos, ya que en una parte de la pista su familia tiene su rancho y enfila hacia el titulo de esta temporada.

Felix se encuentra trabajando en lo que será su participación en la Baja 1000 donde manejara sin un relevo al volante de su Buggy.

Elias Hanna mantuvo su inercia ganadora al imponerse en la 7 Stock, pensando en el bicampeonato de la clase y ganando su tercera carrera del 2011 para el equipo HN Motorsports/Lucas Oil.

Fotos por Alejandro Soltero y www.fotosolweb.com

Traducción por Claudio Sarabia

Solaiza conquers ESSOR’S La Montaña

Oscar Solaiza put in a great effort at ESSOR’S last race of the 2011 season, he came out with the overall and the class 7SX win at the “La Montaña 250” off road race that took place in Ojos Negros.

Oscar Solaiza flew through Ojos Negros’s Sky to victory at ESSOR’S last race

The Chacales Racing Team leader had no mercy on his rivals by winning the 2 heats of three 18 mile laps around Rancho Grijalva.

A total of 25 entries, 11 motorcycles and 14 four wheel vehicles took the green flag to start their race. The terrain had the best that Baja has to offer with jumps, silt, sand and mountain roads. It had a great diversity of obstacles to conquer.

ESSOR and its president Carlos Tapia continue to offer quality events at accessible prices, as well as prizes from their sponsors. In this occasion Solaiza won overall and also his class, and took home a total of $1100.00.

Oscar Arambula was the 1/2 -1600 class winner, since he had no in class rivals he aimed for the overall and came short with third place overall.

Oswaldo Moncada had a great battle with Emmanuel Verdugo and claimed the victory in the M/C Expert class by only 2 seconds.

Oswaldo Moncada from Ensenada won by just 2 seconds over Emannuel Verdugo.

Moncada had to come from behind on the second heat to get close to Verdugo, finishing the race in 1:30:39 VS a 1:30:41 of his opponent on corrected time.

Jonathan Bretado was the king of the Amateur ATV class finishing with an official time of 1:46:49 after completing the 108 mile race course.

This was the 5th and final event of ESSOR’S 2011 season that consisted of 4 races and a Family Poker Run.

Alejandro Cancino had so much fun at the off road race “La Montaña 250”

Carlos Tapia still has not provided a date for the championship banquet but it will be before the end of the year. They will also have the 2012 race calendar ready and will look to add more participants and prizes for the winners at the ESSOR events.

Results:

Motorcycles

Expert Class
1) Oswaldo Moncada
2) Emannuel Verdugo

Amateur Class
1) Julio Garcia
2) Luis Vazquez

Amateur ATV Class
1) Jonathan Bretado
2) Juan Avalos
3) Maximo Preciado

4 Wheel Vehicles

Class 1-2 1600
1) Oscar Arambula

Class 7SX
1) Oscar Solaiza
2) Alejandro Cancino

Class 15
1) Francisco Valdez
2) Abel Rodriguez
3) Armando Castro

Photos by Alejandro Soltero and Fotosol

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Original Spanish story:

Solaiza conquista la Montaña de Essor

Por Gabriel García

Fotos por Alejandro Soltero y www.fotosolweb.com

Traducción por Claudio Sarabia

Óscar Solaiza cerró con todo la temporada 2011 de Essor, al ganar en forma overall y la Clase 7SX en la última fecha, la carrera fuera de camino La Montaña 250 que se realizó en Ojos Negros.

El líder del equipo de los Chacales no tuvo piedad de sus rivales al ganar los dos heats de 3 vueltas que tuvo que darle a la pista de 18 millas que se ubicó en el rancho Grijalva.

Un total de 25 participantes (11 motocicletas y 14 carros) recibieron el banderazo de arranque en las 250 millas, evento que contó con un circuito con brincos largos, cortos, arenales y montaña, simple y sencillamente lo mejor de Baja en cuanto a obstáculos.

Essor y su presidente Carlos Tapia siguen buscando ofrecer eventos de calidad y a costos accesibles, así como premios por parte de sus patrocinadores, ya que en esta última fecha, Solaiza al ganar el overall y su categoría se llevó a casa un total de 1,100 dólares.

Óscar Arámbula fue el vencedor en la Clase ½-1600, aunque sin rivales de por medio, con lo que se enfocó en pelear por el liderato overall, misión en la que falló, pero amarró el tercer sitio general.

Moncada y una victoria de locura

Oswaldo Moncada libró un duelazo con Emmanuel Verdugo por la victoria en la categoría Expertos, al ganarle la victoria overall por solamente 2 segundos.

Moncada tuvo que venir de atrás en el segundo heat para acercarse a Verdugo, finalizando la carrera con un tiempo de 1 hora, 30 minutos y 39 segundos por 1:30:41 de su rival en la pista.

Jonathan Bretado fue el rey de los Atv´s Novatos en forma contundente, logrando un tiempo oficial de 1 hora, 46 minutos y 49 segundos tras completar las108 millas en las que consistió la competencia.

Esta fue la quinta fecha del campeonato 2011 de Essor, misma que consistió de 4 carreras y un Póker Run familiar.

Carlos Tapia todavía no da a conocer la fecha de su premiación anual, misma que sería antes de que finalizara el 2011 y pensando en ya tener listo su calendario para el próximo año, donde buscará aumentar el número de participantes y de premios para los ganadores en Essor.

I have been using GoPro’s since the HD version of the camera was released late 2009.  I had heard of many different new HD cameras on the market but never came across one I wanted to try until my friend Mike Koenig (class 6 racer out of Sacramento) told me about the Drift Innovations HD170 Stealth.  He had been using them for a few races and said it was the best camera he has used.  Talking with Mike about it convinced me it was about time to try something new.

I spoke with Drift Innovations and they sent me a HD170 Stealth camera to try along with the optional suction cup mount.  The camera comes with a couple of flat and curved helmet mounts as well.  Next step was to buy a 32gb SDHC card and then I headed north to the VORRA MasterPull USA 500 race.  I mounted the camera in Rick Massie’s Trophy Truck for the first test of my new onboard camera.

Drift Innovations HD170 Stealth

The camera has a standard 1/4” mount on the base which makes it easy to install since there are so many different mounting options for 1/4” mounts.  I already had a good roll cage mount that I bought from ORW so it was easy to set up.  The built in LCD screen makes it really easy to get the perfect view that you want to film.  And to make it even easier the lens rotates so you can put the camera in any position and rotate the lens where you need it to be.

The camera gets over 2 hours of battery life on a full charge so I started the camera about 10 minutes before the start of the race.  As luck would have it (for me anyway) the truck had to stop for a flat about 100 yards before a jump I was filming at on the third lap.  This was my opportunity to grab my spare battery and SDHC card and I swapped them out before they finished changing the flat.

After the race was over the camera was still exactly where I mounted it. (not the case with some other cameras and mounts) But I did notice that the lens had been rotated and not level any more.  After watching the footage you could see when the co-driver wiped the lens it slightly rotated it each time.  After doing that many times throughout the race it had turned about 40 degrees.  He must have been pressing really hard when wiping it because there is allot of tension in the lens when you rotate it.  You can correct this in editing programs but you have to zoom in to crop out the black corners which lowers the resolution.

Drift HD170 Stealth at the VORRA USA 500

Next up was the SNORE Midnight race at Primm.  This was the perfect chance to test it out at night.  I set the camera to night mode and ran it in Wayne Lugo’s 1450 truck for a race.  The footage came out good overall.  The dash lights and GPS had a slight blur but the view through the windshield opening looked to be more in focus.  Overall it films good quality night footage with not much noise that you would see in other cameras at night.

The third time I got to use the camera was during a test with Jason Rodriguez and his new 7200 truck.  I mounted it in about 3 different suspension locations and got some great footage for Dezert People 9.  The LCD screen made a huge difference while setting up the perfect angle.

The Stealth HD170 also comes with a wireless remote that you can use to start and stop recording.  This is key for saving battery life and storage space.  My friend Mike uses the remote with two cameras at the same time on his truck and it makes for allot less footage to sit through at the end of a race.

You can also power the camera by the USB port to get longer record times.  The only limit is the 32gb SDHC card size.  You will also have to put a dust boot over the end of the camera and USB cable since the USB port is at the end of the camera where the back cover opens.

Note: While writing this review I just found out that Drift has a new Drift HD camera coming out this October.  It looks similar to the Stealth HD170 but it’s smaller with more features. I will list the upgraded features below.

Drift HD Available October 2011

Drift Innovations HD170 Stealth, Pros & Cons:

Pros:

• Price $269 ($30 cheaper than the GoPro HD but with more features. The new Drift HD will be $369 which is similar to the GoPro price with the add-on LCD screen)
• Easy to mount.
• Durable housing.
• Resolution up to 1080p HD.  720 has 60fps option.
• Mic input so you can record from an intercom.
• Remote control to start and stop, works with multiple cameras at the same time.
• 1.5” LCD screen makes changing settings and adjusting to the perfect angle a snap.

Cons:

• Lens rotated during the VORRA race from the co-driver wiping it clean. I think he was just pressing to hard causing it to rotate so I don’t see this as a big issue.  There is allot of tension on the lens and maybe someway to lock it down once you find the right angle would improve it in future models.
• The lens is not replaceable. (it is in the new Drift HD model)
• Does not come with a dust cover / case. They do offer an aftermarket cover.

Stealth HD170 Features:

• Maximum Video Resolution: 1080p High Definition
• SD Memory Capacity: up to 32GB
• 25 / 30 / 50 / 60fps in 720p or 25 / 30fps in 1080p
• Still Photo: 5 megapixel with Photoburst Mode
• Digital Zoom: Digital x4 (in 720p/30/60fps & WVGA mode)
• Lens Angle: 170° Fully Rotatable Wide Angle Lens
• LCD Screen: 1.5″ Colour TFT
• Water Resistant
• Remote Control: Wireless RF (5m range) Hands Free Video and Photo
• Mounts: Multiple Mounting Design
• Audio: Built-in Microphone & Speaker
• Menus: User Friendly Control Panel in 15 Languages

Tech Specs:

• Sensor type: CMOS
• Water Resistant
• Video resolution: 1080p, 720p & WVGA
• Video format: H.264
• File format: .MOV
• 25 / 30 / 50 / 60fps in 720p or 25 / 30fps in 1080p
• Video format: 16:9
• Lens Rotation: 300°
• Recording Angles: 127° in 1080p, 170° in 720p & WVGA
• White balance: Auto
• Exposure: Auto / Manual (advanced users)
• Zoom: Digital x4 (in 720p/30/60fps & WVGA mode)
• Remote range: 10 ft. range
• Built-in Microphone
• Inputs: Optional External Microphone
• AV Output: HDTV out (cable included)
• Battery: 1110mAh rechargeable lithium-ion/ Optional 1700 mAh Li-ion rechargeable.
• Power-Save option saves batteries by powering down the screen
• Built-in memory: 32 MB
• SD memory capacity: Supports memory cards up to 32 GB
• Photo resolution: 5 Megapixel
• LCD screen: 1.5″ colour TFT
• Lens focal range: 0.5m to infinity
• Dimensions: Camera – 133 (L) x 50 (D) x 33 (W) mm / Remote Control 52 (L) x 40 (W) x 13 (D) mm
• Power: Camera – DC 3.7V / Remote control: DC 3C, 1x CR2032 battery (included)
• RF: Receiver (Camera): 433.92MHz ISM band / Transmitter (Remote): 433.92MHz ISM band
• Weight: Camera – 138g / Remote control – 19g
• Operating Systems: Compatible with Windows 7, XP & Vista; Mac OS 10.2

The new Drift HD helmet mount

The new Drift HD camera specs (available October 2011)

• Full HD for creating crystal clear footage
• More compact housing, 4.1 inches and 4.23 oz., 25 percent smaller that its predecessor
• Replaceable lens
• Second rear cover to protect the camera when using an external mic or a USB charger
• A playback LCD screen for lining up shots and the ability to play back the footage right away
• Micro HDMI connector for HDTV playback
• A remote control to enable you to film what you want to record, not the boring stuff in between
• New goggle strap in addition to curved and flat adhesive mounts, paired with a universal clip for multiple mounting options
• Standard 1/4″ 20 mm thread for use with most tripods

If that isn′t enough the camera also has the following :

• A rotating lens so you can mount the camera at any angle and any position to get that shot you are looking for
• It can take 9 MP photos. Put it in the photo burst mode and you can take pictures every few seconds for as long as your memory card and battery lasts
• You can pair the remote control to your camera or any number of additional cameras.
• A digital zoom function so you can get even closer to the action or your friend in front
• A 2.5 microphone input for external microphones
• Night mode so you can record in darker and duskier conditions
• Waterproof case accessory offering
• External power pack accessory offering (20 hrs. record time)

Visit them on the web  www.driftinnovation.com

Rob MacCachren showed everyone this past week that when your drivers education teacher told you to keep two hands on the wheel, it actually slows you down.  Coming off a broken collar bone after a rollover in his Pro 2 truck a month back at Glen Helen, MacCachren not only reached the podium last week out in Crandon, but also took the overall win in his Trophy Truck today at the SCORE San Felipe Challenge of Champions race.   Also impressive is that he won this same race back in March, but nearly 5 minutes slower then his winning time of today.  Tavo Vildosola led most of the race only to be slowed down by a hub issue at race mile 196, allowing Rob Mac gain the lead again.

In Class 1 Dan McMillin who teamed up with Chuck Hovey once again took the top spot in their respective class.  Both drivers are coming off impressive showings at the BITD Vegas 2 Reno race where Hovey grabbed a top 5, and Dan finished in the Top 10 at his first stab at racing a Trophy Truck with his dad Mark.  Coming in second place was the always fast Letner Racing who had the lead but was forced to drive the last 30 miles with no power steering slowing them down.

The real winner in San Felipe were Gatorade and water bottle companies as the heat took its toll on everyone.  Contingency on Friday was a ghost town most of the day with very little vendors, and everyone rushing through to get their cars past tech to stay out of the heat.  With temps reaching over 100 in town and humidity at 40% people stayed inside, in the pool, or at the bar to keep cool.  On race day the usual overpopulated Zoo Road was probably only at 40% capacity.   Other popular spectating spots on the course also had less spectators, leading people to wonder is the lack of spectators due to the high heat or because of the lack of entries?

- Jesse Ashcraft was in third place in Trophy Truck when rolled the truck at race mile 248.  Medical help was requested for the codriver but was later canceled.
- Caspino was stuck on the dry lake bed for a while as they could be heard on Weatherman asking for help repeatedly.
- Andy McMillin sat this one out in his Trophy Truck but shared driving duties with his older sister Jessica in the protruct.  Word on the street is that he is selling the Trophy Truck to get another Protruck.  Not really.
- Justin Davis threw a fan belt and had power steering issues slowing him down off the start.
- CTR Trophy Truck cracked oil pan.
- Bad Apple Racing blew a motor.
- Their seemed to be more Ford Raptors in town then race entires.

Photos by Jason Zindroski of HighRev Photography

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Septien y Moncada, the new bosses of EL ALAMO

Francisco Septien could not have picked a better partner for the closing of the 2011 RECORD season.  He joined forces with Oswaldo Moncada, which turned out to be a great decision since they won the summer edition of the EL ALAMO 200.

In an unsuspected move, RECORD’s president and event organizer decided to move the race from Ojos Negros to Ejido Heroes De Independencia, in hopes of gathering more racers for the event. 80 teams showed up for the race.

A total of 22 motorcycles and 58 4 wheel vehicles went around the colorful 47.9 mile loop in more than one occasion.  All motorcycles and 4 wheel vehicles went for 4 laps with exception of the Safari class that were only required to finish 3 laps.

Francisco Septien took the overall in bikes at the RECORD El Alamo 200.

Septien’s victory started happening during lap one when he passed Ricardo Muñoz who started in the first position.  For the second lap he delivered the bike to Moncada with a great lead.  Moncada finished the last laps without any problems.

The duo from Ensenada reached the victory with an official time of 3 hours, 22 minutes and 20 seconds; with this result they have a great position for the 2011 title in the PRO category.

Cristian Vera came out with a real valuable win over Adolfo Arellano and Rafael Torres in the ATV Pro class.

Neri Sanchez pulled off the best performance of his career winning the Overall and the 1/2 1600 class by beating four rivals in his class.

Neri Sanchez pulled off the best performance of his career winning the Overall and the 1/2 1600 class by beating four rivals in his class.

Sanchez won by stopping the clock at 3 hours, 51 minutes and 41 seconds, this is his first complete season in RECORD in the 1600 class.

Victor Angel Valdez overcame a rollover on the first lap and won class 10 after he collided with another race vehicle from a different class that entered the race course in an illegal way.

The first win for Agustin Rasso and Piraton Racing Team came at El Alamo; they won class 7 by 23 minutes in front of Greg Garber who finish second.

Viry Felix set the bar high in class 14 aboard the buggy Baro and she came out with a 2nd Overall proving that women can also shine in Baja.

Viry Felix set the bar high in class 14 aboard the buggy Baro and she came out with a 2^nd Overall finish proving that women can also shine in Baja.

Felix is a Mexican Woman from Ensenada and she wants to not only beat Baja but also the men.  She finished her race in 3 hours, 55 minutes and 56 seconds.

In RECORD, class 11 is at its peak and Rene Rodriguez confirmed it after pulling a victory after a very close race with Ramon and Tomas Fernandez from Sombrerito Racing Team.

Elias Hanna is the new driver on the Lucas Oil stable and he gave his sponsor the victory in the 7S class.  With this win he has regain the point leadership for this championship.

Hanna drove the four laps on the 47.9 mile route aboard his Ford Ranger clearly showing that he is the King in the 7S class.  He put almost 30 minutes on the second place Francisco Huereca.

The next Race and second to last of the season is San Vicente 200 that will take place on October 14-16.  With this we are anticipating a very interesting closing of the championship.

Official Results

http://www.recordoffroad.com/tiemposfinales.aspx?Event=ON

Pictures courtesy of Fotosol www.fotosolweb.com

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Original Spanish version:

Septién y Moncada, los nuevos amos de El Álamo

Por Gabriel García

Francisco Septién no pudo elegir a un mejor coequipero para lo que será el cierre de la temporada 2011 de Récord, al unir fuerzas con Oswaldo Moncada y ya esa decisión le dio resultados, al ganar la edición de verano de El Álamo 200.

En forma inesperada el presidente de Récord, organizador del evento, decidió mover la sede de la carrera de Ojos Negros al ejido Héroes de la Independencia, buscando atraer con esto a más corredores, algo que finalmente no se pudo dar del todo, al contar con 80 equipos solamente.

Un total de 22 motocicletas 58 vehículos recorrieron en más de una ocasión la pintoresca ruta de 47.9 millas, en el caso de las motos tuvieron que dar 4 vueltas a la pista y en los carros, todos dieron 4 giros, a excepción de los Autos Safari que completaron 3.

La victoria de Septién se dio desde la primera vuelta, al superar a Ricardo Muñoz Junior quien arrancó primero, para dejarle en el segundo giro una buena ventaja a Moncada, quien cerró sin problemas en las dos últimas vueltas.

Los ensenadenses alcanzaron la victoria con un tiempo oficial de 3 horas, 22 minutos y 20 segundos, con lo que apuntan hacia el título 2011 de la categoría Pro.

Cristian Vera se apuntó un triunfo muy valioso, al imponerse a Adolfo Arellano y Rafael Torres en los Atv´s Pro.

Obtiene Neri su primera victoria overall en su carrera

Neri Sánchez logró su mejor actuación de su carrera, al ganar en forma overall y la Clase ½-1600, esto al vencer a 4 rivales en su categoría.

Sánchez ganó al detener el reloj en 3 horas, 51 minutos y 41 segundos, siendo esta su primera temporada completa de Récord en la 16.

Víctor Ángel Valdés se repuso a una volteada en el arranque de la competencia, esto por toparse con un carro de otra categoría que se metió en forma ilegal a la pista, para ganar la Clase 10.

El primer triunfo de Agustín Rasso y el equipo Piratón Racing en la Clase 7 se dio en El Álamo, al superar por 23 minutos de diferencia a Greg Garber, quien finalizó en la segunda posición.

Viry Félix impuso condiciones en la 14 a bordo de su buggy Baro y consiguió la segunda posición overall, demostrando que las mujeres también pueden brillar en Baja.

Félix es una de las mujeres mexicanas y de Ensenada que quieren vencer a la Baja y también a los hombres, logrando su triunfo con un tiempo de 3 horas, 55 minutos y 56 segundos.

En Récord la Clase 11 está en uno de sus mejores momentos y René Rodríguez confirmó eso, al quedarse con la victoria tras librar un duelo de primera con Ramón y Tomás Fernández del equipo Sombrerito Racing.

Hanna le da un triunfo de poder a Lucas Oil

El nuevo piloto de la escudería Lucas Oil, Elías Hanna, le dio a su patrocinador la victoria en la 7 Stock, con lo que recuperó el liderato en el campeonato.

Hanna manejó las 4 vueltas a la ruta de 47.9 millas a bordo de su Ford Ranger, dejando en claro que es el rey de la 7S, al sacarle casi 30 minutos a su más cercano perseguidor, Francisco Huereca.

La penúltima fecha del calendario 2011 de Récord es la San Vicente 200, que se llevará a cabo del 14 al 16 de octubre, con lo que el campeonato apunta para un cierre de locura.

Resultados oficiales

http://www.recordoffroad.com/tiemposfinales.aspx?Event=ON

Fotos por Fotosol

www.fotosolweb.com

Jesse Jones explains how the new Fox Racing Shox bypass cooling system reduces internal shock temperatures by over 100 degrees.

CODE NAME: Cactus Cooler – NEW External Cooling System from FOX Racing Shox

FOX Racing Shox has just released the “ECS” External Cooling System as an option on all new and existing FOX bypass shocks. The ECS is our latest development to come out of the Race Application Development program (RAD) that works with top motorsports athletes to devise and develop new technologies under the most extreme racing conditions.

FOX Racing Shox - Racing Applications Development - Cactus Cooler

The ECS cooling system, code name “cactus cooler”, effectively drops fluid temperatures up to 100 degrees. The ECS does not use any pumps or fans; it uses the normal motion of the shock piston as it cycles up and down to pump the fluid through fully adjustable, bypass check valves into a billet aluminum and stainless steel heat sink. After excessive heat is allowed to escape, the cooled fluid continues back to the shock completing the cycle. The faster the shock works, the more fluid is pumped through the cooling system.

The cactus cooler helped Trophy Truck Champion Jesse Jones put a ten minute lead on the rest of the field right off the start in this year’s SCORE, San Felipe 250 race. San Felipe is recognized as one of the most brutal race courses in existence due to the deep sand and relentless three to four foot deep whoops that stretch on for miles. The ECS system allowed Jones to stay on the gas where others had to back off in order to save their shocks. If not for getting stuck in the infamous Matomi wash Jones would have held a comfortable lead into the finish. As it was FOX Racing Shox racer and multi-time champion in his own right Rob MacCachren went on to take the win that day.

FOX Racing Shox - Racing Applications Development - Cactus Cooler

Regardless if you are in the heat of competition or pushing the limits for pure fun the extra cooling capacity of the ECS system will allow you nonstop performance. You’ll be able to outrun or outdistance anything in your path.

For more information check out foxshox.info/cooler or call 1.800.FOX.SHOX

COMPANY: For 35 years, FOX Racing Shox has been the industry leader in the design and development of high performance shock absorbers and racing suspension products for snowmobiles, mountain bikes, motorcycles, ATVs and off-road cars and trucks.

CONTACT:

FOX Racing Shox
619-768-1800
foxracingshox.com

CODE celebrated the 10th running of the ORW Lazo de Amistad Grand Prix in Jacume Baja Mx.
 This race has been a favorite of racers and spectators for many years and this year’s race did not disappoint.
Friday night contingency/tech was held on the Rancho Jacume grounds complete with all of what you expect from any Baja race.


An all new course lay out had the regulars scrambling to find their lines. Many pre-ran late into the night, some found lines that weren’t the greatest.

Traditionally this race has been a bit on the hot and dusty side but this year wasn’t bad with cooler temps and mountain breezes.

Most liked the new technical race course which ran a 20 mile loop of Baja’s finest.

The closest racing of the day was in the entry stacked classes 11 and 1600.

Jacume has always been a very spectator friendly race and the fans were treated with some great action with races throughout the day

“We had a great event today.” “There were no major incidents and almost everyone liked the new course.” “Well, at least the guys who won did.”, Said Alfonso LaCarra laughingly, “But I think we had some great racing today and we’ll have more tomorrow morning with the bikes.” “I couldn’t be happier with the support and turn out we’ve have this weekend.”

Come support CODE Off-Road at their next event near Mexicali at the Mexicana Logistics 300 held on the Laguna Salada on October 1st-2nd. You will not be disappointed!

Story and photos by Art Eugenio/www.getsomephoto.com

CODE OFFROAD

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2011 Record Ensenada to San Felipe

The biggest race of the year for the RECORD series was held this summer. The Gran Reto Vehcsa Ensenada-San Felipe 250 reunited racers like Harley Letner, Francisco Septien, Danny Ledezma, Jay Culbertson, Elias Hanna, and Juan Carlos Lopez.

The overall winners of this years 250 were Brandon Prieto in the motorcycle class and Juan Carlos Lopez of the PIN Racing team for the 4 wheel vehicles.

Prieto finished the journey on his Honda Motorcycle Ironman style, with a time of 4 hours, 25 minutes and 48 seconds.

Overall bike winner, Brandon Prieto

Juan Carlos Lopez’s victory came with an official time of 5 hours, 14 minutes and 36 seconds. And thanks to an invitation by Clyde Stacy, Lopez is the newest member of RPM Motorsports,

Overall 4 wheel vehicle winner Juan Carlos Lopez

For the first time since 2003, the series directed by Ramon Castro was able to start a race from the heart of Ensenada. 229 racers from Mexico, United States and Canada (179 cars and 50 motorcycles) started the event.

Of the 225 miles of race course about 5km was through Ensenada’s city streets with a parade all the way to the dirt where they held the official start of the race. This celebrated the 15th anniversary of the event.

There were a few rollover accidents during the race between Ensenada and Ojos Negros, like the one suffered by Elias Hanna or the more spectacular crash when Enrique Muñoz flew up in the air and landed on top of Eliseo Garcia’s buggy while he was working on his car. Luckily Eliseo was able to move out of the way otherwise he would have been severely injured.

Class 9 cars can jump too!!

Around mile marker 23 there was a bottleneck that kept more than 80 vehicles at the same place trying to climb a mountain. Finally RECORD decided to stop everyone and allowed them to use the highway to bypass that area, only a few of the faster vehicles were able to clear that section. The restart was truly a bloody battle between race cars since there was severe dust in front of them.

Team Players wins the GRAN RETO 5-1600 (Shootout)

Ernie Negrete and Art Saavedra had a great idea to organize a Gran Reto de la clase 5-1600 for this race, offering a big prize purses and sponsor awards from different companies like ORW and Kartek.

Marco Marquez was the winner of this class but he had decided not to enter the Gran Reto since there was and additional fee other than the race registration. This opened the door for Tito Martinez and Team Players who finish second in class but were the winners of the Gran Reto prize purse.
A field of 34 Baja Bugs showed up to race the 5-1600 class, considerably more than the SCORE and BITD series.

This was the summer edition of the Ensenada-San Felipe 250, on December 9-11 the winter edition will take place with a similar route and could possibly start in Ensenada again.

Click here for a full list of race results

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Spanish version:

Récord llevó a cabo la mejor edición de la carrera de verano Gran Reto Vehcsa Ensenada-San Felipe 250, al reunir a figuras de la talla de Harley Letner, Francisco Septien, Danny Ledezma, Jay Culbertson, Elías Hanna y Juan Carlos López.
Los ganadores overall de la 250 fueron en motocicletas Brandon Prieto y en carros Juan Carlos López del equipo Pin Racing.
Prieto completó el recorrido a bordo de su motocicleta Honda sin un compañero al relevo y deteniendo el reloj en 4 horas, 25 minutos y 48 segundos.
En el caso de López, quien es parte ya del equipo RPM Motorsports, gracias a la invitación de Clyde Stacy, el laurel se dio con un registro oficial de 5:14:36.
Por primera vez desde el 2003 la serie que dirige Ramón Castro pudo comenzar una carrera en el corazón de Ensenada, con un arranque en falso a velocidades normales y con 229 competidores de México, Estados Unidos y Canadá (179 carros y 50 motocicletas).
La ruta fue de 225 millas, más cerca de 5 kilómetros de pavimento por las principales avenidas de Ensenada, comenzando la aventura con un desfile hasta llegar al arranque en terracería para celebrar el aniversario 15 de las 250 millas.

Un atorón que le cambio a la carrera a casi todos
En esta ocasión tras las primeras millas entre Ensenada y Ojos Negros hubo diferentes volcaduras, como la sufrida por Elías Hanna o la más espectacular, cuando Enrique Muñoz voló por los aires para caerle encima al buggy de Eliseo García, este último tuvo el tiempo necesario para moverse, ya que en caso de no hacerlo, hubiera sufrido lesiones de gravedad.
A la altura de la milla 23 se dio un atorón que provoco que más de 80 carros estuvieran en el mismo punto sin poder subir una montaña, por lo que finalmente Récord se vio obligado a detener a todos los participantes para llevarlos por la carretera de Ojos Negros hasta el sitio más cercano tras pasar esa zona.
Pocos vehículos pudieron superar esa zona, los más veloces y el nuevo arranque fue una carnicería de carros, al tener mucho polvo frente a ellos.
Esta fue la edición de verano de la 250, pero del 9 al 11 de diciembre se celebrará la carrera invernal, con una ruta muy parecida y pensando en que de nuevo el arranque sea desde Ensenada.

Gana el Team Players el Gran Reto de la 5-1600
Ernie Negrete y Art Savedra tuvieron la gran idea de organizar en este evento un Gran Reto de la Clase 5-1600, ofreciendo buenas bolsas económicas y premios de patrocinadores de diferentes compañías como ORW y Kartek.
Marco Márquez fue el gran ganador de la categoría, pero decidió no entrarle al Gran Reto para lo que los pilotos ocupaban pagar una cuota de inscripción extra en relación a la de la carrera, por lo que Tito Martínez y el Team Players quienes finalizaron en la segunda posición fueron los ganadores del premio mayor.
Un total de 34 vochos fueron parte de la 5-1600, superando por mucho las cifras que manejan organizaciones como Score International y Best In The Desert.

General Tire Presents: Onboard with General Tire at the 2011 SCORE Baja 500. The General Tire Off-Road Team was primed and ready to go for one of the roughest Baja races of the year. This year’s course was an insane combination of steep hill climbs and dusty open roads. Experience first-hand what it feels like to ride along with these insane drivers as they tear through the Baja desert and wreak havoc along the way!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

Baja 500 Official Class Results