FEATURE
P60
RACING IN THE BAJA 1000
have come away from here with
a newfound respect for the guys
who do this on a regular basis.
I want to say a big thanks to the
entire team... this was a logistical
challenge to pull-off and without
the entire team and sponsors it
would have been impossible."
From Joe, the bike was then
handed off to Bodak.
"For me, it was riding the unknown - a test of mind and body,"
says Bodak. "At times, with the
monotone sound of the bike and
all of the visuals of the elements
of riding at night, your mind takes
you places that you could only
ever experience out there. I had
to stay super focused and dig
deep to keep the wheels moving
forward. It was exhausting and
overwhelming at times - badass,
you know? It was the experience
of a lifetime."
Steven's stint ended and Merle's
began. Scherb knew what he
was up against, he pre-ran the
famous Mike's Sky Ranch. For
(Above) The night shift – Edwards
gets ready to head out on his stint.
(Right) The team celebrates
Edwards' crossing of the finish line.
anyone who knows Baja, you
know Mike's as an extremely
technical trail system through the
mountains. Lined with rocks, river crossings and trail sometimes
only wide enough to fit a single
truck or motorcycle. Merle had it
coming - and he had to do it at
night, all 80 miles of it.
"To sum up my stint in one
word – rowdy! The temperature
outside was in the low 30s. I went
through a low water crossing,
about 20 feet long, only a few
miles into the trail. I was soaking wet. We could hear over the
radio that the trophy trucks were
coming and I knew the trail was
tight. I was going to get passed,
which isn't a good feeling. It felt
like my head was spinning on a
swivel the entire time, constantly
looking over my shoulder for the
trucks. On top of that, I had a
gnarly 30-mile rock climb, with
silt. It was brutal. The clutch started slipping and to add to that, the
lighting system was giving me fits
due to the water crossings shorting it out. Only high beam worked
on the lights, and that was draining the battery. After it was all
said and done with, I felt like I had
my own 1000 miles wrapped up
into 80."
I had the hand-off from
Scherb at Valle de Trinidad with
the plan for me to hit the "Goat
