Baja 1000

Baja Bug on the road just outside our camp in San Ignacio.
 When we were in Ensenada we saw a lot of race cars and support rigs gathering for the upcoming Baja 1000. We knew the race was coming up and had actually been advised to avoid it. As we traveled down Baja, we ran into a crew who gave us a map of the race so we were able to see where it intersected with the Mex 1 we were traveling on. We just happened to arrive in San Ignacio hours before the first motorcycle was supposed to come through, so we decided to stay and enjoy the action. It ended up being a really fun thing for us and the kids, and I'm so glad we did it. I've never been into racing but it was really fun and I learned a lot too. It was neat to get to talk with pit crews and racers and get caught up in the excitement of it all! Having just driven the highway through the desert I didn't envy these guys doing it off road one bit. 

The kids were super excited to watch the helicopter touch down. It's hard to see them, but Erik and the kids are standing in the foreground of the picture.

This was one of the "Baja Pits" set up for racers who don't have their own pit crew. Lots of tools, racing fuel, and other gear ready. This was just a short walk down the road from where we camped.

Motorcycles were the first to start coming through. We were pretty excited to see the first one! (This isn't it.) Trucks started coming close to 11 at night, and Erik and I stayed up and saw the first one go by. Cars followed sometime in the night, and the next day we saw lots of everything, including quads. 

Think there's a lot of money in these rigs? 

These guys were parked right outside the entrance to our campground waiting for their racer to come through. We visited with them a bit, and were excited to watch them switch drivers and tune up the bike when it came the next morning. 

Riff Raff Racing was a family affair. The driver's wife was part of the crew, and he was eagerly anticipating his son being old enough to race in a few years. He said his kids' school wouldn't let them out to come be part of the race and it made me so thankful we homeschool and can include these things in our kids' education. We talked with them for a while and cheered as they drove off.

I loved seeing the teams work together. The guys in the pit do so much, and then as soon as they send off their car, they all pile into their rigs to be able to meet up with them at the next place. It's a long, tiring race for everyone involved.

Peregrine and Raphael with the Riff Raff driver and navigator. My boys now have big plans to race together one day too! (Although Peregrine was a big grossed out by the pee tube coming out of the pant leg. No need to stop that way! I was curious how they dealt with "that", so I was glad to find out the answer to my question. And yes, I asked.) 

Riff Raff about to head back out. 

A bonus for the kids was the stickers many of the teams hand out. When we drove through Mulege later in the day, Mexican boys were swarming the chase rigs, holding up cardboard signs with "stickers" written on them. They were collecting quite a few! Our kids are putting theirs into their travel journals.