Cycle News

Cycle News 2021 Issue 02 January 12

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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P106 CN III LOWSIDE I t should come as no surprise I was more than happy to see the back end of 2020. The year that bought us Cov- id-19 and all the associated terrors of death, unemployment, financial distress and social distrust was the most stressful of my life, so I could think of no better way to see those 12 months go up in smoke by gathering a few friends, putting on our socially distanced adven- ture helmets, and heading south across the border. Mexico is a country still pretty foreign to me. Growing up in Aus- tralia, the most contact I had with the country was the occasional El Paso taco night in the fam- ily house—not exactly the most authentic experience, I grant you. Later in life, I discovered the brilliant Dust To Glory film and so came my first exposure to the Baja 1000. However, I still didn't really appreciate just how full-on that race really is. I remember talking to Johnny Campbell when we were teammates at the Vegas-to-Reno desert race in 2016 about the event, and the way his eyes lit up about a race he so dominated left an impression on me. I had to see the terrain for myself. Obviously, at a much, much slower pace. Meeting at Chris Fillmore's place at 6:00 AM on December 29, we set off an hour and a half late after Jon Beck slept straight through his alarm. We finally got moving and crossed the world's easiest border crossing at Tecate, immediately hit with the wonderful scent of the finest cuts of meat from the big spinning stick. The longing for tacos fills your brain until you finally relent and satisfy the demand. We rolled on Highway 2 for about half an hour, then it was straight onto the dirt for a three- hour taste of what was to come. Open two-way dirt roads with next to no one on them, you're sudden- ly in the world's biggest adventure playground. It's hard to convey the sense of freedom this gives a rider A deserted beach, some buddies and an adventure bike. Baja is about as good as it gets. G E T T I N G AWAY F R O M BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK 2020

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