2015 Baja 500 trip with Locos Mocos

When we received the call from Team LOCOS MOCOS asking for a few sets of hands to help fuel 40+ motorcycles and run emergency pit support for 28+ trucks at mile 178 for the Baja 500, we jumped at the chance to lend a hand. What a perfect opportunity to log more miles with the TC Tacoma in harsh high speed desert conditions on the same 2” long travel kit that was prepped before the rallye in Africa. We joined Pauliana & Raptor Billy at mile 65 to prerun the course and met the remaining crew at Laguna Salada and headed to set up the pit. Baja is brutal on equipment and Pauliana snapped a passenger side spindle 10 miles from the pit.

Gadget, Baja Jones, Bethel & Jesus quickly unloaded the trailer and sprung into action firing up the welder and generator. They took the disc cutter and managed to refabricate the spindle before the sun set. In less than 3 hours we reassembled the front end, bolted it back together and were running on race course headed to camp for the full moon that night.

Bike 1X was the first into pit at 9:30am. A quick dry brake fill and go………. and the long race day pit support began. A tight pack of lead bikes set the tone as the next 4 hours bikes & quads pulled in for gas, water, some mechanical help and inspections.

This pit location offered some of northern Baja’s most scenic trails through the pine forest, the switch backs of La Rumorosa grade, Laguna Salada & Guadalupe Canyon. Its always great to lend a hand to fellow racers short on pit support and to see them reap the rewards of their efforts by crossing the checkered flag in an extremely brutal race. Our final pit assistance was on a UTV with a flat just as the sun set. A dunk at Guadalupe Canyon for a few of the crew that night and that quick another Baja 500 was in the books.

See you in the DIRT!