Road To Baja - Episode 2
by Karl Burkat
Nov 25, 2009
Story by Russ Day
Radek wasn't exactly comfortable with the predicament he was in. He was out practicing by pre-running his last 200 mile leg of the race. It was cold, getting dark and the fog was rolling in on the west coast of of the Baja south of Ensenada. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem – except he had no jacket, his GPS had bounced out of it's mount and was laying somewhere out in the desert, and oh yeah, the bike had no lights.
Radek wasn't exactly comfortable with the predicament he was in. He was out practicing by pre-running his last 200 mile leg of the race. It was cold, getting dark and the fog was rolling in on the west coast of of the Baja south of Ensenada. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem – except he had no jacket, his GPS had bounced out of it's mount and was laying somewhere out in the desert, and oh yeah, the bike had no lights.
Earlier in the day he had trouble finding gas for the bike, which set him back a few hours, and after encountering another rider pre-running the course that had no lights, he gave his back up light to him, and now needed it.
Watch: Episode 1 - Preparation
Watch: Episode 3 - The Race
This had been the way it was from the time that Radek and Andrew arrived a week earlier. Although the trip down had been uneventful, notwithstanding a speeding ticket from California's finest, preparing for the race showed just how easily the unexpected sneaks up on you in the Baja. After Andrew and Radek got settled in at Kiki's Resort in San Felipe they started pre-running the course and decisions were quickly made as to who would ride what sections of the race.
Andrew rode most of his sections first, spending plenty of time sessioning the whoops section of the lower circle of the course just west of San Felipe. Other than Andrew injuring his thumb and knocking himself out after taking a high speed spill, it seemed that things were going relatively well, the bike was running like a Swiss watch and was pulling through the sand like a thoroughbred.
Back home however things weren't so well. Our second chase truck, Andrew's Toyota Land Cruiser, overheated the week before Karl and I were to depart. Unfortunately it just didn't run right after that. It was decided that we couldn't chance using it and that we would take my Land Cruiser down instead. This too took some serious preparation since it had mechanical issues and I spent the first few days of what was supposed to be the start of the trip pulling wrenches on our makeshift chase truck.
Meanwhile Andrew and Radek continued to pre-ride the course, and by the time Karl and I reached San Felipe things had taken a turn for the worst. Days before the race, the motor in the race bike had developed a serious knock; it was obvious that total failure of the engine was imminent, rendering the bike unusable. It would later turn out after we got back home, that the only part of the engine that didn't get rebuilt in the bottom end was the culprit; a crankshaft bearing had failed.
With no other choice Andrew got down to stripping the race bike so that he could build up his own 2005 KTM 450 EXC that had been brought down as a pre-running bike. It was well used and certainly not originally intended to be put in service as the race bike, but he worked day and night over the next couple of days building it up so that it would be ready for the start line. Radek would have to leave him to it as he had to set out to pre-run his last leg of the course.
Fairly remote and nearly 200 miles long, it was a section that neither of them had seen yet, running south west into the desert from the Mex 3 highway just west of San Felipe out to the Pacific Coast, up to Ojos Negros and back down to the finish line in Ensenada.
The next morning after I arrived I was set to chase Radek as he pre-ran that last leg of the race, the dawn revealed another of the Baja's occasional problems, there was no fuel available at any of San Felipe's gas stations. “Later today, maybe tomorrow morning” was the same cheery answer that the station attendants would provide when asked when they would have fuel next.
Radek, with enough gas in the second pre-running bike's tank to reach the next town, set off from San Felipe. I was driving his truck and was set to rendezvous with him that evening at the end of his run in Ojos Negros where we would load the bike up and drive back to San Felipe. Following paved highway meant I could leave later in the afternoon and still meet Radek at the end of his run, so I had plenty of time to wait around town for the fuel tanker that was “scheduled” to arrive and fill the gas stations.
A few hours later in Valle de Trinidad, Radek was playing the same waiting game for gas. As it would turn out the only thing predictable in the Baja is unpredictability.
Here is the next episode of “The Road To Baja”
Watch: Episode 1 - Preparation
Watch: Episode 3 - The Race
This had been the way it was from the time that Radek and Andrew arrived a week earlier. Although the trip down had been uneventful, notwithstanding a speeding ticket from California's finest, preparing for the race showed just how easily the unexpected sneaks up on you in the Baja. After Andrew and Radek got settled in at Kiki's Resort in San Felipe they started pre-running the course and decisions were quickly made as to who would ride what sections of the race.
Andrew rode most of his sections first, spending plenty of time sessioning the whoops section of the lower circle of the course just west of San Felipe. Other than Andrew injuring his thumb and knocking himself out after taking a high speed spill, it seemed that things were going relatively well, the bike was running like a Swiss watch and was pulling through the sand like a thoroughbred.
 |
| The 41st Tecate Score Baja 1000 course map |
Back home however things weren't so well. Our second chase truck, Andrew's Toyota Land Cruiser, overheated the week before Karl and I were to depart. Unfortunately it just didn't run right after that. It was decided that we couldn't chance using it and that we would take my Land Cruiser down instead. This too took some serious preparation since it had mechanical issues and I spent the first few days of what was supposed to be the start of the trip pulling wrenches on our makeshift chase truck.
 |
| Andrew's Cruiser set to go... or so we thought |
Meanwhile Andrew and Radek continued to pre-ride the course, and by the time Karl and I reached San Felipe things had taken a turn for the worst. Days before the race, the motor in the race bike had developed a serious knock; it was obvious that total failure of the engine was imminent, rendering the bike unusable. It would later turn out after we got back home, that the only part of the engine that didn't get rebuilt in the bottom end was the culprit; a crankshaft bearing had failed.
With no other choice Andrew got down to stripping the race bike so that he could build up his own 2005 KTM 450 EXC that had been brought down as a pre-running bike. It was well used and certainly not originally intended to be put in service as the race bike, but he worked day and night over the next couple of days building it up so that it would be ready for the start line. Radek would have to leave him to it as he had to set out to pre-run his last leg of the course.
 |
| Radek and Andrew work on the back up plan |
Fairly remote and nearly 200 miles long, it was a section that neither of them had seen yet, running south west into the desert from the Mex 3 highway just west of San Felipe out to the Pacific Coast, up to Ojos Negros and back down to the finish line in Ensenada.
The next morning after I arrived I was set to chase Radek as he pre-ran that last leg of the race, the dawn revealed another of the Baja's occasional problems, there was no fuel available at any of San Felipe's gas stations. “Later today, maybe tomorrow morning” was the same cheery answer that the station attendants would provide when asked when they would have fuel next.
Radek, with enough gas in the second pre-running bike's tank to reach the next town, set off from San Felipe. I was driving his truck and was set to rendezvous with him that evening at the end of his run in Ojos Negros where we would load the bike up and drive back to San Felipe. Following paved highway meant I could leave later in the afternoon and still meet Radek at the end of his run, so I had plenty of time to wait around town for the fuel tanker that was “scheduled” to arrive and fill the gas stations.
A few hours later in Valle de Trinidad, Radek was playing the same waiting game for gas. As it would turn out the only thing predictable in the Baja is unpredictability.
Here is the next episode of “The Road To Baja”
7 Comments
- + 0
brule
(Nov 25, 2009 at 17:45)
Stoked to see part three! The guys were just there on the weekend checking out the 2009 Baja 1000!
Great videos so far! I've been wanting to do a baja style race for awhile. I'd start with the 250 or something shorter though haha. Great website Radek!
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