Racer - September 2015 MAZDA

THE LURE OF BAJA

It could be the natural beauty, much of it unspoiled and untouched by man. It could be those amazing fish tacos from little stands on the corner. Most of the racers, though, will tell you that it’s the people who make Baja California so special.

“I think the landscape and how beautiful it is down here plays a part, and the people of Baja – how respectful they are, and how they embrace us to come into their country and race our off-road trucks down here,” says Red Bull/KMC Pro 2 and Pro 4 driver Bryce Menzies of what draws him to Baja. “They love to see our sport. There have been thousands of people walking around on Friday, coming up for autographs. You just don’t see that back in the U.S. It’s cool to see them as excited Lucas Oil/General Tire Pro 2 and Pro 4 driver Carl Renezeder described the fans as being like kids at Christmas, the most excited he’s ever seen, and Monster Energy/Toyo Tires Pro 4 racer Kyle LeDuc agreed.

“They’re not afraid to ask you for your autograph,” he says. “They want you to hold their babies, take pictures, sign skin…it’s pretty unique. They’re a lot more die-hard down here. The stands are packed, and every time there’s a crash, or someone pulls off a pass, or something crazy happens, the fans get so vocal. They’re like a soccer crowd. I think being in Mexico is amazing, and a good step for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.”

BAJA CALIFORNIA LOVES OFF-ROAD RACING, AND THE GUYS WHO RACE THERE LOVE I T BACK.

LUCaSOILOFFROaD.COM

(ABOVE) The fans packing out the stands made for an electric atmosphere.

(LEFT) Bryce Menzies kicks up the sand in Pro 2. The changing track conditions were an added challenge.

from the wannabes – and the deterioration of the track led to the series cutting all races to 10 laps. Sometimes even that wasn’t enough; Saturday’s Pro Lite race was red flagged to fill a hole that sent Sheldon Creed’s truck flipping and ended his day.

But it didn’t bother the fans. They were loving every minute of it. With every pass, every crash, the grandstands shook with the crowd’s roar. When Brock Heger rolled, landed on his wheels and continued in Saturday’s Pro Lite race, the crowd seemed ready to spontaneously combust.

It’s that kind of enthusiasm that draws people such as Hector Ponce to volunteer to be a translator for the teams – most of the Pro 4 and Pro 2 pits had one to help fans understand the sport and to be able to ask questions. But, stationed with Greg adler’s 4 Wheel Parts team, Ponce wasn’t

The Baja peninsula is a hotbed of off-road racing, thanks to the Baja 1000 (BELOW). Now, LOORRS is bringing the thrills, too.

content to stand around and talk.

“I started volunteering at a couple of
SCORE races in 2013,” he explained in
between sessions of scraping mud off
adler’s Pro 4. “I’m from Ensenada.
Everybody loves off road here. It’s the first
time I’ve seen the Lucas Oil Series live, and
I do this for love. I love off road, and I’m
here helping the guys – translating,
That’s the sort of thing that makes
those involved in bringing LOORRS to
Ensenada happy. Rodrigo ampudia, Sr.,
father of the Papas & Beer Pro 2 racer and
owner of the local bars of the same name,
was the key figure, along with Steve and
Bryce Menzies and the Novellos, owners of
Estero Beach Resort, who made it happen.

“What a dream,” ampudia enthused. “It’s a dream to show all the fans here in Baja what we’ve been living for the last six years. It’s a really cool atmosphere and we love it. The fans didn’t know what they were going to experience. Now they’re going around the pits really enjoying it.

I think we’re going to develop a new
breed of fans, a new breed of stars here
in Baja – the stars of short course.”
The sand played havoc with trucks and
the racing. The roost – which double
Pro 4 winner Kyle LeDuc said was like
someone throwing shovelfuls of sand in
your face – made visibility an issue. The
ruts and holes made racing difficult –
more than one wag in the paddock said