We initially heard broken reports over weatherman that our 4X had something broken on the bike, and just as we were starting to decide how to change our chase plans and get to the bike, Max came over the radio saying that the tire had melted, but he had found another worn out tire at Baja Pits, was changing it, and would be moving in less than 10 minutes. We later learned that Max had to use a couple screwdrivers(!) to change the tire and get back going. If that doesn’t pretty much sum up the perseverance required to finish the Baja 1000, I don’t know what does.
By the time Max came in to our pit location just north of San Ignacio our deficit to the 1X bike had grown to around 20 minutes. It definitely wasn’t ideal, but we still had over 500 miles left to race and two incredible riders to get it done for us. Then we suffered yet another emotional punch to the face when we received an update that Ricky had dropped to over 40 minutes behind the 1X. As it turned out, not long into Ricky’s section, he suffered a light failure. Luckily, he had made the decision to stick a radio in his fanny pack and was able to hail Max’s chase crew to meet him in San Ignacio and change the lights with a backup set they had in the van. Putting that radio in his pack saved our race and was just another example of what it can take to overcome the challenges of Baja.
At this point in the race I was starting to feel a little deflated, but there was still something in the back of my mind whispering that there were still a lot of miles to cover and truly anything can happen. That’s when we got a bit of a lifeline: We heard 1X chase crews coming over the Weatherman’s radio channel and saying that the Honda had a problem. Ian had crashed and broken his wrist near San Isidro road, but showing the heart that he has, he was able to finish out his section and get the bike to Mark Samuels, keeping them in the lead. We were definitely benefitted by the situation as Ricky came in to our pit just over 20 minutes back, but a prolonged final major maintenance pit stop pushed the gap back out to nearly 30 minutes. From this point there were 310 miles to go. Our race bike was good to go to the finish, and we had the fastest night rider in Baja getting on it. A 30-minute gap had never seemed so small to me.
Right away we received reports that Steve had closed to within 15 minutes of the Honda, though we suspected they might have had to do some maintenance of their own, possibly to repair some crash damage or fix some light issues. Then the reports kept coming that Steve was closing in. We heard 12 minutes, then 6 minutes, then 3 minutes, and a part of me couldn’t help but start thinking of the 2012 Baja 1000 when we were in the exact same situation only to suffer the heartbreak of a motor failure. I did my best to keep my emotions in check, not get too excited about the possibility of winning and not think too much about the potential what ifs, but when we stopped on the course for a visual check of the bike and saw Steve come through with over 3 minutes on the Honda and 120 miles to go, I started thinking to myself that this might finally be our year.
Steve continued to pull away to the finish, crossing the checkered flag after over 24 hours of racing with a 20-minute gap over the 1X team, finally taking the win that we had been working and waiting for since 2009. It was such a mixture of emotions for me at the finish line; I had been trying for half a decade to win this race, only to come up short and suffer so much disappointment, that I almost couldn’t believe it was real, that we had really just won the Baja 1000! I was so stoked for Max and Ricky, as they had just added their names to an incredibly elite list of racers who have won this granddaddy SCORE event, and I couldn’t help sharing a moment with my dad, with Steve and with our chief mechanic Phil. This is something that we’ve put our whole hearts into for so many years and I still get a combination of chills and tears at the thought that we finally achieved it.
There are so many people to thank for helping to make this happen. I want to thank our major team supporters: Dean and Bonanza Plumbing, Monster Energy, THR Motorsports, Precision Concepts, Hoosier Machining, Kawasaki, my personal sponsors: MSR mx, Shoei helmets, Sidi boots, Spy goggles, Focus apparel, EVS sports, USWE hydration systems, ATP Mechanix sport supplements, Ryan Abbatoye Designs, Northland Motorsports, FMF racing, BRP, Alamo Alarm, IWC Motorsports, and A’ME grips and all of the team sponsors for stepping up for this event. Thanks to Phil, Ty, Bob and John at Precision Concepts for building one heck of a race bike, to Sean, Kendall, and Bob for watching over me in the helicopter, everyone involved with the KC66 Foundation for the improvements, especially having their helicopter switch between lead bikes when our heli’s had to land for fuel, meaning the race leaders were rarely, if ever, without aerial support—a huge safety improvement.
Thanks to Baja Pits, and to our own pit crews and chase drivers for putting their lives on hold for two weeks to help us achieve this dream, and to all of our supporters for believing we could do this. Thank you to Joe Feeley for coming down and being so gracious in helping us when we literally dumped a laundry list of to-do’s in his lap, thank you to Scott and Rob for continuing to believe in this effort, supporting Ricky and Max this year, and giving us another chance to make it happen. A huge thank you to my teammates for all of the work you put in, having the fantastic rides that you did, and wanting me to be a part of this with you. Thank you to my parents for everything you’ve done to help me get to this point.
And, most importantly to me, thank you to my wife. You’ve believed in me in so many different ways, not just that I could ride well, but that I could keep our promise, and you supported my decision to race when it was a difficult thing to do.
I want to congratulate the WFOx team for everything they’ve achieved this year and wish them the best of luck moving forward. Colton had a ride that I doubt will ever be repeated, holding the lead of the Baja 1000 for over 600 miles by himself; he definitely deserves a cape and a big S on his chest for that. I also want to congratulate SCORE on a successful event; I can’t imagine how much work it was to make the peninsula run a reality after all of the damage caused by the hurricanes.
Lastly, I want to touch on the fact that this race meant we’ve been without Kurt for one year now. The motorcycle community, and undoubtedly the lives of his friends and family, aren’t the same without him, and not a day goes by that we don’t think about him. I do believe he was watching everyone racing down the peninsula, with that smile that we all miss so much.
Winning this Baja 1000 feels like it truly has closed a chapter in my life. It’s something that I’ve wanted so badly and to come so close to winning it twice previously, only to suffer the most bitter disappointment, makes being involved in this win all that much more special. I’ve achieved more than I ever could have dreamed in Baja, and while I feel this was my last time racing for the overall pro motorcycle win, I’m sure it wasn’t my last time heading across the border. There’s still just something about racing in Baja, the adventure, the challenge, and the achievement of crossing the finish line that keeps those who have raced it coming back year after year.
Robby Bell
www.robbybellracing.com
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