2014 Baja 1000 Contingency
Nov. 13, 2014
UTVUG Staff
Contingency at The Baja 1000 is something difficult to describe if you’ve never experienced it before. The schools in Ensenada are on holiday for the race and the streets flood with local kids and their families coming to watch the competitors go by. It is truly a sight to behold as the race vehicles push through the throngs of people who have come to spectate, get Baja 1000 merchandise and of course Stickers!
The weather could not have been more beautiful for contingency, with temperatures in the 70s and bright sunshine glinting off the race vehicles the fans turned out in droves to enjoy the fair-like atmosphere. Many teams finished brand new vehicle builds in the weeks leading up to the race and it is always fun to see them beaming with pride as fans take pictures and get autographs.
We were on hand talking with the racers and getting a feel for their strategies and what they perceived to be the biggest challenges in the coming days. Many teams shared concerns about unknown storm damage and treacherous roads for the chase trucks. In a point-to-point race of this magnitude the chase teams face almost as grueling a challenge (if not more) as the drivers! With 1250+ miles of treacherous terrain with washed out roads, silt beds that can swallow a trophy truck whole, and untold surprises peppered throughout the course, it’s safe to say this Baja 1000 will be one heck of a battle.
Class 19 Entries (In Starting Order)
1921 Jamie Kirkpatrick
1947 Levi Gilkison
1904 Cory Sappington
1919 John Angal
1948 Kevin Fuller
1942 Scott McFarland
1930 Sean Cook
1908 Justin Lambert
1905 Marc Burnett
1932 Matt Parks
1945 Jeffrey Scolman
1907 Eric Pucelik
1938 George Felix
1949 Terry Hui
1917 Derek Murray
1903 Jose Romero
1927 Frank Bushman
1943 Tom Longshore-2nd RS
1923 Benjamin Bischoff-1st RS
UTVUnderground would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the racers out here repping for us, good luck to everyone!
For those who are stuck at home, enjoy the great photos of contingency and make sure to follow along during the race over the next few days. SCORE is featuring live tracking and video streaming on their site all race long Here.
For more coverage, info and late breaking stories as the drama of Baja unfolds, make sure to keep checking back into the UTVUnderground Baja 1000 Live Update thread in the forums Here.
-Jake Yubeta
Photos by: Vincent Knakal // UTVUnderground.com - Mad Media
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