ROUND 2/MAY 29-JUNE 2, 2013
ENSENADA, B.C. MEXICO
OFF-ROAD
P70
45TH SCORE DESERT RACING SERIES
(Left) Running third here, Kurt Caselli exits the Ojos Negros-controlled
speed zone (60 kilometers per hour
max) and gets back on the throttle.
He and teammates Mike Brown (in the
background, dressed and ready to go
if needed) and Ivan Ramirez ended up
second bike in 10:12:10 after Caselli
crashed, injuring his wrist. Though it
turned out not to be a serious injury,
KTM put reserve rider Justin Jones on
the bike at that point so he could get
the bike to the next rider exchange
point.
(Right) After years on Hondas, Kendall
Norman signed with KTM the week
before the race and received factoryprepped bikes for the 500 and 1000.
A close encounter with a local's truck
early in the race spooked him, but he
and teammate Ryan Abbatoye put in a
solid effort for third in 10:35:56.
And teammate Weigand said
he enjoyed the added competition.
"Racing KTM and Kawasaki
just adds to the drama and excitement of Baja," he said. "Whoever makes the least amount of
mistakes wins it."
Kamo was happy, too, but…
"My ride went well with the
exception of having to pass too
many Sportsman riders. It was
hot and dusty, but we did our
homework and it paid off," said
Kamo.
The factory-backed Bonanza
Plumbing/KTM Team, made up
of Caselli, Ivan Ramirez and Mike
Brown, was slowed when Caselli
crashed and injured his wrist,
among other body parts, at race
mile 140 while battling Udall. Caselli was done for the day and had
to let back-up rider Justin Jones
take over. The fuel-injected KTM
still forged on and ended up second overall, second in Class 22
and second overall race vehicle.
"I hit my chest and my stomach
when I crashed and was worried
about internal bleeding, so our
guy in the helicopter [Jones] got
on the bike and rode the next few
miles," Caselli said. "I hit a rock
and it is just so dangerous because the trucks pull the rocks
