Toby wins for best hair.
One of the most challenging parts of doing the Baja 1000 is race strategy and particularly fueling strategy. You’re dealing with remote locations, variable terrain and driving non-stop for 36 hours with four teams of drivers and co-drivers. It makes playing 3D chess feel like Tic-Tac-Toe.
Fortunately for me, we hooked up with Carlos Bravo, who I connected with after taking a photo of his son with our car back in 2007. His race car is in the shop, he knows the roads and I offered him a co-driver slot when he offered up his chase truck.
We run a different strategy that a lot of other teams. We do fueling from our chase trucks, each of which carries a 55 gallon drum of 110 octane race gas, plus spare tires, plus spare parts and tools. 1107 has a 12 gallon fuel cell and averages 6-9 mpg depending on the terrain. A little less when we’re plowing through silt. A little more when we’re driving on asphalt.
Our goal was refueling every 80 miles or so, depending on where we could get to the car. And driver/codriver swaps every 200 miles or so. With that in mind, here’s what Carlos and I (mostly Carlos) put together.
Overview
CHASE ONE (Stuart and Fiamma) will handle most of the northern section of the course. CHASE TWO (Carlos, Mario, Paul) and CHASE THREE (CHUCK / GIL / JENN / TOBY / ROSH) will handle the southern sections).
CHASE ONE – TOYOTA – Stuart – Fiamma
CHASE TWO – FORD F150- Carlos – Mario – Paul
CHASE THREE – SUBURBAN – Chuck – Gil – Romy – Jenn – Toby – Rosh
DRIVER LINEUP
CRUSTY / ROMY
PAUL / CARLOS
ROMY / JENN
TOBY / ROSH
TOBY / CHUCK
TOBY / GIL
JIM / GIL
RACE START – CRUSTY / ROMY
CHASE ONE TO RM150 – Saldana
CHASE TWO TO RM80 – Ojos Negros
CHASE THREE TO RM80 – Ojos Negros
RM80 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE THREE
CHASE TWO TO RM200 – 3 POLES
CHASE THREE TO COCOS CORNER
RM150 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE ONE – SALDANA
CHASE ONE TO RM250
RM200 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE TWO – 3 POLES
DRIVER SWAP – PAUL / CARLOS
CHASE TWO TO RM 285
RM 250 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE ONE- PERCEBU
CHASE ONE TO RM760 SAN MATIAS
RM285 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE TWO – PUERTOCITOS
CHASE TWO TO RM 385
RM 350 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE THREE – COCOS CORNER
CHASE THREE TO KM233 FOR DRIVER SWAP
RM385 – CHASE TWO WAITS FOR 1107 AND FOLLOWS TO KM233
KM233 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE THREE – DRIVER SWAP ROMY/JENN
1107, CHASE 2, CHASE THREE TO RM520
RM520 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE 3
CHASE TWO TO RM570
CHASE THREE TO RM660
RM570 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE TWO
CHASE TWO TO RM690
RM660 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE THREE – DRIVER SWAP TOBY / ROSH
CHASE THREE TO RM 690
RM690 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE TWO
CHASE TWO RM800
CHASE THREE TO RM770
RM760 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE ONE
CHASE ONE FOLLOWS 1107 TO RM770, PROCEEDS TO RM800
RM770 – CODRIVER CHUCK GETS IN, CODRIVER ROSH GETS OUT
RM800 – FULL FUEL FROM CHASE ONE
CODRIVER GIL GETS IN, CODRIVER CHUCK GETS OUT
1107 TO FINISH LINE
CHASE THREE TO START/FINISH
CHASE ONE, CHASE TWO TO FINISH LINE
1107 STOPS ONE BLOCK FROM FINISH, JIM GETS IN AS DRIVER