Great pics Andrew and Mark. I heard the white Unicorn Bronco had mechanical issues and the brown and black Donko lost their motor the first day.
As for out trip, we literally had no real mechanical issues and no flats on any of our vehicles or the trailer. We had such a great time and the extra day NORRA added this year was perfect. I couldn'the be any happier with our team or the Bronco. The Bronco ran fast and strong but is just no match to 1st place Lovell's professional race team. I did manage to beat them on the 174 mile leg the 4th day, but their torque beast 427ci engine and 37" tires proved once again to be the winning combination.
A quick recap:
I drove the whole race. Day 1, Ensenada to San Felipe, 200 miles. Randy "Skid" Mark was in the first day. As usual there was plenty of initial carnage the first 2 days as some drivers get over excited and end up blowing a turn or a motor or break something. We ran pretty conservative the first 2 days. Randy's pretty good with the rally book and we went through the day with few issues. The terrain was rocky going over the mountains then smoother as we got in the valleys. The dry lake on the east side was zero visibility in some spots with the strong winds whipping up the silt so we had to stop and wait for it to clear up to make sure we didn't run into a ditch or another vehicle. The whoops going into San Felipe were the worst of the whole race besides maybe the long stretch the end of the 1st leg on the second day. The party that night was great. We played pide piper that evening going down the malecon throwing stickers to fans from the top of Mark's truck. That was awesome.
Day 2. San Felipe to Bahia de Los Angeles, 221 miles. Jeff "Baja" Bennett was in the Bronco for the first time. Jeff did great learning the rally format. Day 2 had some long transit stages so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for Jeff to get acclimated. We only missed 1 turn and that was literally by a few feet. Jeff and I really did well together and I'm sure he had a good time. The day went very smooth with no issues I can recall. The windstorm in BoLA was fun.%) I finally got the sand out of my body, and that was from INSIDE the house. We had a great time with Andrew and Todd Zs team that night swapping stories over some ice cold cervezas. They also had a chef on their team who cooked up some awesome tacos for everyone. Thanks again guys!
Day 3, BoLA to Loreto. This was the longest day with 397 miles. Mark "Doc" Womack was in the Bronco and was a kick to ride with as usual. It was nice to have Mark in the Bronco for this day. Mark just has a knack for knowing the information the driver needs and how to convey it so it's easy to understand. We did really well the whole day and picked up quite a few spots. We got to some haul ass sections and really got the adrenaline pumping. Mark is a little big for the co-driver'so side but he managed without his knee pads
We slept under the stars that night after some cold ones and some tasty food from the buffet.
Day 4, Loretto to La Paz, 293 miles. "Go-Go" Gary Bowden was supposed to be in the car but had a little Montezuma's going on so Jeff got back in the first leg. Jeff and I were really clicking now. We did a pretty much flawless run. Randy finished into La Paz where we were greeted by the Baja Sur Early Ford Bronco Club. What a great bunch of people. They honored me by presenting me with a 50th anniversary plaque. I'm on my tablet, so I'll post pics later. Randy and I really battled the the Lovell brothers that long 2nd leg. We traded positions a few times. I initially came upon them by a silt bed area where they had stopped to assess the situation and pick the best route through it. They apparently heard a car coming up and took off. When I got there I couldn't see who it was in front of me, just dust, so I barreled through. We missed a turn in the chaos and as it turned out, so did they so we both brought it around and they ended up in front. They had to make a quick fuel stop a few miles up so I got around them. We got stuck behind a small wreck down the road, and about an hour later they were on my tailgate again so I let them pass. The steep mountains with the beautiful view of the Sea of Cortez can be really treacherous as we found out. While in the dust on Lovell's tail going down a steep sharp left, I lost the road and went over the edge into some boulders. Luckily I drive more conservatively or we could have been in real trouble. Locking up the hubs and 4 low got us out and no damage. The hotel was very sanitary looking and had security, so after a good night's sleep we were ready to finish this adventure.
Day 5, LA Paz to San Jose del Cabo, 153 miles. With Gary not having any seat time yet, we had to have a pow wow in the morning to determjne who was going into the finish line in Cabo. I originally thought Mark should with all his help and generosity, but he wanted Jeff for the experience. Jeff was a good sport as usual and was good with Gary going in. The terrain was easy until you got the the southern coast on the cliffs, where it's extremely rocky and treacherous. Slow going through that section opens up to some wide open curvy sedan roads then through the deep sandy beaches where 4x4 comes in very handy! I hope there's some video floating around on the web somewhere of us hitting the pavement coming into Cabo. I really lit em up and went sideways. The crowd was cheering away as we smoked on to the podium.
This was a great experience, and I hope anyone who has the dream of doing it can see it fulfilled one day. Thanks again to everyone on our team, and all the support from the Bronco brotherhood. It couldn't be possible without you.
Salud!
"Rapido" Randy Ludwig #49