VOLUME ISSUE FEBRUARY , P99
tion, these events featured two
riders competing as a team on a
single bike. To win, the top riders
had to set rivalries aside and form
alliances. While most partner
-
ships only lasted a race or two,
a small handful hung together
over several years, and in a few
extremely rare cases, some part
-
nerships dominated long-distance
desert racing and are now in the
record books as multi-time overall
champions and certified "super
teams." This story attempts to
define the top five Baja/desert
off-road duos of all time. But first,
some background on how the list
was determined.
When Cycle News approached
me about doing this story, it
sounded simple; however, the
more I thought about it, the harder
it became. So many legendary
teams and riders over such an
extended period, how do you
compare riders from different
eras, riding different motorcycles
under different circumstances at
different events? Ultimately, I took
the most objective approach pos
-
sible, basing the final ranking on
three things: longevity, the total
number of overall wins in both
Baja and the U.S., and riding as a
two-person team. The two-rider
team distinction is vital because
in the late '80s, SCORE (and later,
Best In The Desert) adopted
rules allowing up to six riders on
a team. By allowing more than
two riders to a team, the nature
of long-distance desert racing
changed dramatically. From 1987
on, specialists were brought in for
specific races/terrain; riders rotat
-
ed more frequently, and the race
was broken down into shorter
segments. This led to three, four,
and five-person teams. Long-
distance off-road racing became
more sprint than endurance. No
disrespect to all the three-, four-
and five-person teams that came
after 1987; they are champions
and legends, just not eligible as
an "all-time" duo.
Here's the final list starting with
Honorable Mentions:
Patrick/Bowers: Mike Patrick
and Phil Bowers were Yamaha's
first factory off-road team. They
won back-to-back Mint 400s
(1969/'70) and the 1970 Baja
1000, the sport's two biggest
events. Patrick/Bowers dominat
-
ed this early period winning more
races as a team than anyone else.
Mayes/Bakken: Mitch Mayes
and AC Bakken dominated desert
racing from 1973-'76. Their team
victories include the 1973 Baja
1000, 1974 Baja 500 and 1975 20
Mule Team 200. Products of the
Husqvarna International Training
Center, Mitch and AC were both
(Left) The headline says it all. The
Johnny Campbell/Steve Hengeveld
duo ruled the desert-racing scene in
the 2000s, even when other teams
went to three or more members.
(Right) They were simply known as
Smith and Ashcraft. The Husky duo
of Dans was nearly unbeatable in the
early 1980s.
