ODO: 315,043
The rain had moved past Ensenada by the time we got to the edge of town. Unlike the racecar, we could choose our path through town so we headed to our hotel parking as quickly as possible. Parked, we all ran to the finish line, we didn’t want to miss a second of it. From what we knew, we were the going to be the first car in our class to cross the line.
The finish line is a 90 degree turn onto the main drag where you drive under an arch and up a ramp. We found our team, and made our way inside the finish area and up onto the ramp to welcome our car home. Our team was quite large, apparently too large for all of us to be at the finish line, so everyone but the drive teams were invited to stand back outside the barricade.
It was now around 11pm, and there was still a very sizeable crowd cheering for cars as they finished the race. The atmosphere was electric. KoKo got some of the Eye in the Sky team on FaceTime so they could experience what we were experiencing with us. Everyone had worked so hard, and put in countless hours over the past week, the past few months, and since the last race, to get to this point. Car 710 is five miles out. Car 710 is two miles out. Car 710 is one mile out!
Mike and Justin were given checkered flags to guide the car across the line. Everyone was cheering. After a quick interview with the Mike and the drive team who brought it home, we were allowed back inside the finish area. It was all hugs and champagne, finisher medals and first place hats. We did it. We won the 2023 Baja 1000.
As the adrenaline and excitement began to die down, it was time for some food and rest. The racecar was parked safely in the hotel parking lot, and for the first time, the entire team was in one place. Because of the logistics of pre-running, each drive/chase team has a different departure day from the US depending on where they started the race. After everyone had been introduced, celebratory beers were cracked and enjoyed. We headed out to the only restaurant still open and tried to get some food in everyone. Our final driver fell asleep twice at the table. After dinner it was mostly straight to bed, we were a very tired bunch.
In the morning, it was time to pack it up and head home. The racecar got a quick car wash. They won’t let you cross the border with a dirty car, and by the end of the race, the car was DIRTY. We watched all of our friends pack up, and said the first of several goodbyes we would say to them before we hopped across to mainland Mexico. Now it was time for us to start our big trip! First order of business, hustle back to Loreto to meet friends for four days of desert adventure!
Here are some fun stats from the race:
- Our total time to finish: 35:25:07
- Total race miles: 1310
- Average racecar pace: ~37mph
- Our estimated pre-running + chase miles: 2100 miles
- Number of chase teams: at least 11
- Parts broken/lost including our chase trucks: 3 tires, 1 wheel, Dodge front axle, several skid plates
- Times the racecar got stuck: 1
- Flat tires in the racecar: 1
- We got an 8:24 speed penalty
- This is first time the race has run south to north
