P132
CN
III WHEELSPIN
BY KEITH DOWDLE
D
uring my career I've had
the pleasure of working
with all types of racers in
all genres of racing—from road
racing to motocross, supercross
to enduro and cross country,
even motorcycle drag rac-
ing—but the desert guys always
topped my list as some of the
most incredible riders I've ever
known. Desert racing is a brutal
and dangerous game played by
some of the bravest—yet most
incredibly humble—people you'll
ever meet. From Dakar to Baja,
these people risk their lives
doing what they love. I have
absolute respect for all of them.
Johnny Campbell and Jimmy
Lewis are two of my all-time
favorites, and they're both still
heavily involved with rally and
desert racing. Guys like Ricky
Brabec and other desert riders
who are currently at the top of
their game owe much of their
success to these two legends.
And they're two of the nicest,
most approachable guys you
could ever have the pleasure of
knowing.
In 1998 Campbell and Lewis
teamed up to compete in the
Baja 1000. That year the race
started in Santo Tomas instead
of the traditional Ensenada start-
ing point and ran 1062 miles to
La Paz. Starting in Santo To-
mas made the race longer than
usual, but it was a course that
had been used before. In 1986,
Johnny Campbell's mentors,
Bruce Ogilvie and Chuck Miller,
won the race on the same route,
which made the 1998 race that
HEROES OF THE DESERT
The Honda ad says it all. Johnny
Campbell and Jimmy Lewis combined
efforts to win the Baja 1000 in 1998, the
last Baja race for the air-cooled XR600.
