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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VOLUME 58 ISSUE 12 MARCH 23, 2021 P133 much more special for these two factory-Honda teammates. The '98 Baja 1000 would also be the last race for the vener- able XR600, a bike that had won many championships for Honda. This extra-long course re- quired 20 pit stops to service the bikes and riders as they raced their way south. I was working a pit with Eric Crippa (another legend in his own right), and we were a little more than halfway down the route in the town of San Ignacio. For people working pits far down the course, race day starts off slow and quiet, but your thoughts are always with the riders. As we set up our pit early that morning, we were thinking about Johnny, who was already on the course and racing when our day got started. As the morn- ing wore on and we completed our mundane task of getting everything ready, Johnny was still racing. By noon we were casu- ally having our lunch, our pit was set and ready, and Johnny was still racing. Because of the length of this particular race, Johnny would ride the first 120 miles, and then Lewis would take a 60-mile stint, after which Johnny would ride another 440 miles to our pit. Hours went by, the midday sun turned to afternoon heat, we napped and talked to the locals who were meandering around our pit, and we thought about Johnny, who was still racing. We knew that he was leading as we followed the race by radio, but it would be hours before the race reached us—and Johnny was still racing. It's just incredible when you think about it. Johnny was racing, for hours and hours, as we went through our entire day. Johnny was still racing, pushing as hard as he could at speeds that no one else on course could match, across terrain that he'd only seen maybe once several weeks earlier during pre-run practice. Remember what I said earlier—absolute respect. As the sun started to set, we heard the helicopters coming. The excitement built—my palms were sweating, my heart was racing. Johnny was still in the lead and heading our way fast. The chase trucks arrived, and our pit, which had been quiet and peaceful just moments be- fore, was now a frenzy of activity. The team helicopter carrying our team manager, Bruce Ogilvie, landed nearby. In a moment, Bruce was right there, making sure we were ready. This was the pit where we would change wheels and add the lights for the night portion of the race. We had to do all of those things fast, but correctly. Bruce was the master at making sure the team knew exactly what to do. Lewis had already arrived, ready to get back on the bike and race it through the night. Even with the flurry of activity going on around him, he casually reminded us to take our time and make sure that the lights were aimed where he wanted them. Jimmy has ice running through his veins. He's always cool and calm. I was manning the dry break, which is a tall slender gas contain- er that quickly fills the bike with fuel. It's heavy and awkward to handle. As Johnny approached, I could see the white of his eyes. They were huge and focused as he slowed to a stop after hours and hours of all-out racing. As he hopped off, the team began the hasty work on the bike. The fuel went in quickly, and the crew from the chase truck worked with fevered precision to get the front wheel on and the lights installed, and then, just as quickly as it had all started, Jimmy was on the bike and gone, heading off into the night like lightning across the desert. He had 500 miles still to race, alone and in the dead of night. When all of the chaos at our pit settled down, I looked over and saw Johnny sitting on the bumper of the box van. His head was down as he relaxed his neck and shoulders—he was finally done. I got chills as I thought to myself, What a stud. Jimmy rode on through the night to win the overall. Together, they beat the million-dollar tro- phy trucks. Ivan Stewart in his factory Toyota finished second but couldn't match the pace of Johnny Campbell and Jimmy Lewis. Two absolute heroes of the desert. CN