2006 Baja 500 Story By: Tony Cortes
Our first Score or Baja race. We (Brice, Frank Andrew and myself) prep for weeks, only to get nixed at tech for a bad brake lite switch. First Mc Gyver fix of the weekend.
Sat AM get up to low batteries. Re-charge, and drive truck to near start area. We can't tell if the alternator is really working or not. It seems to be.
Driving the truck into the starting area was petrifying. All these rock-stars, and then us. As Brice and I are sitting in the truck, Frank Thing, the truck owner, starts talking to some of our friendly competitors, explaining our desire to run the best we can, and try to stay out of peoples' way. All were very cordial but one.
We start about 26th, and go un-touched until a log jam at a stream crossing at about mile 12 or so. We were in the middle of a line of about 12 or so TT's and class 1's. When the jam-up is cleared up, we wave everyone past us, and then fall in at the back of the pack. We're in clean air, and running well. Just after Baja Pits 1, we start to loose battery power. Not charging. We pull well off the course and call for help. Frank's brother Dennis, bums an alternator from the Herbst people. Two hours later, we're back on the road, with a second Mc Gyver fix, since the alternator we borrowed, is 30% larger than the one we took off. Thanks to Tyler, Shannon and Mikey for the great rescue. We run strong (for us) until about RM140 when the dash starts spewing acrid smoke. I hit the master power switch, whille 19 year old Brice is yelling "I'm outta here". After killing power, and stopping the burn, Brice tears into the dash, while I re-direct traffic, since we're hidden behind a bush in a very FAST section. Turns out to be a shorted horn relay that could have burned up the whole operation.
After patching the burned wiring, we're back underway for about 3 miles when one of the fuel pumps goes out. We have one empty cell, one full cell, one good pump, and one dead pump. However, the full cell had the bad pump, and the empty cell had the good pump. The lines are not long enough to switch, so we have to unbolt the two pumps and switch them. Back on the road.
As a result of the electrical problems, we have no radio reception and no intercom. We could transmit, but we didn't know if we were getting out or not. Brice got very good at signing his co-driving duties to me.
We pull into Baja Pits 5 ( at the Mikes turnoff) just before dark. Frank was scheduled to take over driving there. I'm thinking we're done. Frank thinks not. His wife Veva borrows a fuel pump that is Mc Gyvere'd in again by Tyler and Mikey. Frank and Tyler get in the truck, and head for checkpoint three. About thirty five miles in they fell into a well used rock pit that bends a couple of steering components. Frank and Tyler use a tow strap and a tree to straighten up the front end the best they can. (True Line alignment warranty voided). By that time, they have two hours to go 200 miles. We're not that good yet, so they (carefully) back-tracked to the highway.
After going back to get the trailer in Ensenada, Shannon and I meet them on the highway at Independencia, and get back to our rooms El Faro Beach, near Estero, at 5:30 AM.
We just wanted to finish, but we didn't.
Will we be back, yes.
Did we learn a bunch, yes, both about off-road racing, and about each other.
For me, this was a dream come true, to be able to prep and drive a Score Trophy Truck in the Baja 500.
For Frank Thing , I think the the experience was pretty bitchen too, seeing his 3.5 year construction ordeal finally pan out.
For Brice Faulwetter and Tyler Poppert, our co-drivers, they earned thier rides by working thier asses off on this truck and on Frank's pre-runner, to get us to this race.
I'm still buzzed from this weekend, as I think the rest of our crew is.
What a weekend, and for me, what a ride and sweet deal. I hope Frank and the rest of the "Thingamajig" crew feel the same way.
Tony Cortes
TT58
Crew Chief and Driver