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Andy Lagzdins'
SCORE Tecate BAJA 1000 ATV Race Report
::Continued::
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| BAJA
1000 starts on the city streets of Ensenada,
Mexico |
Feeling out of our element and not really prepared
for this monumental beat down, Tom started the
first 120 mile leg of the race. His determination
brought him to the first rider change in second
place in the 450 Pro Class. I hopped on and started
pushing through the next section, feeling more
comfortable as I went. The Christy’s Duncan
team was leading by a few minutes, but suffered
an electrical gremlin which put them 15 minutes
back by the time the problem was corrected. I
handed off the quad to Jim and he maintained the
lead into the 280 mile mark, where I was ready
to take over again. I started through the first
half of the San Felipe loop, pounding the sand
whoops and holding the throttle open on the lake
beds.
I came into the 350 mile mark in 5th overall
on the track and third overall on adjusted time,
behind the Factory Honda 700XX’s of Wayne
Matlock and Mike Cafro. This would be the pinnacle
of our race, as Jim would get turned around in
the dust near mile 400 for a half hour, and eventually
the headlights would go out on our quad and Tom
would have to do his best Obe Won Kenobi impersonation
and use “The Force” to bring the machine
to the finish using only the headlights of other
racers. It’s a good thing we did all that
pre-running with flashlights!
To finish the Baja 1000 is a feat in itself,
and to place 2nd in 450 Pro is one of the most
satisfying feats on my personal resume. I learned
and experienced so much in the weeks that I was
in Mexico - the racing, the terrain, the people,
the machines - it is a way of racing that is hard
to conceive unless you actually do it.
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Tom
Wright, Andy Lagzdins, Jim Stack finished
2nd in the Class 24 - Pro 450 |
Of course, now that I got a taste of what it’s
all about, I have to try and conquer it! So, I’ll
be out in the desert again, tearing across the
Baja peninsula just like I envisioned I would
be when I was back in Math class!
www.score-international.com
23961 Craftsman Rd. #A
Calabasas, CA 91302
818-225-8402
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