VOL. 51 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 14, 2014
P55
Baja
BANDITOS
Racing in the Baja 1000 with a Texan team led by former
World Superbike Champion and current MotoGP star
Colin Edwards. Call us crazy. We are.
BY SHEA FOUCHEK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEAU NILSSON
AND BRANDI TEAL
M
y mind is still racing…
it hasn't been that
long since the adventure of a lifetime ended – the
Baja 1000. It's like a dream
with Colin Edwards crossing
the finish line after days of the
team's pre-runs, no sleep, and
no-holds-bar racing through
the desert – the "nothing
could prepare you for this experience" race.
Baja is an undulating terra firma that seemed to be straight
out of the old cinema flick,
"Land of the Lost." It's exactly
as I was told: The Baja 1000 is
a man's race. It's not meant for
child's play or for those who
wear skirts. To give you an
idea of how truly hard-core this
race really is the sanctioning
body, SCORE International,
was quoted as saying that this
year's 1000 was the "toughest
in the history of the event." Almost 900 miles of continuous
racing. What the hell were we
thinking? Some called us crazy
and it seems we are.
It wasn't that long ago when I
heard the words, "So how about
it boys?" Those words that still
echo in my ears from months
past, sitting around the camp
fire at the Texas Tornado Boot
Camp. "How many beers have
we had? Do we even have bikes
yet?"
"We're doing it Fooch," they
said. The guys, Colin and especially Mike Myers, had been
dreaming about racing Baja forever. The thought of being able
to compete at such an historical
event was enticing, I must admit. So many legendary names
in motocross and desert racing
have graced this competition
throughout the years. It didn't
take me long to reply, "Oh, what
the hell… I'm in."
So it began, Team Texas Tornado Boot Camp on a quest to
conquer Baja – oh crap, did I
mention that not one of us had
