Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Wrap Up

So we raced the BAJA 1000... I learned valuable lessons... Like 44% of the teams who started, we did not finish the race... It can be done. I will be back...

Here is what I learned about the race:

Enjoy the days before...
Wednesday in Ensenada was awesome. Because our bike was a spectacle, Rigid Industries allowed us to park it at their display tent on the main parade route the day before the race. 
Like anything, the stress can get to you. DON'T LET IT. The real experience starts the day before the race.
 #TEAMHARDOCORE CEO JJ Kelly would soil his dockers at how seriously people were taking us. We signed autographs and laughed about how ridiculous it was that anyone cared. We took pictures with hundreds of kids on the bike. A local handicapped guy wanted to sit on the bike for a picture, so we lifted him up on it. He grabbed the bars and smiled ear-to-ear. His happiness was infectious - I was lucky to be a part of that.
I bought a 5 gallon bucket and the beer in it from a street vendor.
Jeremy McGrath randomly stopped by and chatted about the bike (days before he announced his new role at Kawasaki). 
This race has a special way of making everyone approachable.

The Chase...
As an amateur, this race can be done with a single chase vehicle. It's all about planning. We had our plan dialed; rider swaps, meeting points, gas stops and approximate times were documented for each section of the ride. Closeup map printouts marked the meeting points and were taped on the walls of the bus. Times were marked and edited along the way.
Make sure you have a good crew not riding. My good friends Mike Moyers and Nick Smith pulled some long hours driving and kept focus to make sure the bike was fresh, and the bus met the bike at the planned pickup points. Without these two stellar humans, we wouldn't have had a chance.

The Lead Up...
Everyone wants to be associated with this magical race. Solicit companies to help you. We successfully got support from Green Trails Mobil, Rigid Industries, Lucas Oils, Motion Pro, Route 15 Cycles, JH2, Fly Racing, Top Secret Designs, Warp9, Gold Metal Welding, #TEAMHARDCORE and Allied Precision Arms. Not to mention the friends and relatives who chipped in for gas.
You will spend some money, but it's worth it - In the end, money is fake, be rich in experiences.

Mental Rider Preparation...
It's not easy to tell if somebody can't do it. Only you know when the doubt sets in. I'd stress that you need to have a serious talk with your riders and make sure they know to throw in the towel if they aren't feeling like they can get the bike to the next checkpoint.



So what happened to 236x?
Here is the breakdown:
- Mile 1 to 163 In my typical style, I ,"Krash" Williams, rode with a few minor crashes. Luckily youtube videos have surfaced to prove I am an idiot! With a little luck, I was ahead of schedule and mid-pack when I handed to bike off.
- Mile 163-200 Ray Connolly rode and it turned out to be a gnarly rocky section. Ray rode perfectly, kept it on 2 wheels and handed it off ahead of schedule.
- Mile 200-264 Larry Curik took the seat. Larry ran out of gas around mile 230. We found him, gassed up and he was on his way. He ran out of gas again around mile 260. We found him and switched riders early.
- Mile 260-301 Gary Kuklinski took over. At this time, it was night and trophy trucks caught us - the ride got a little intimidating. Gary handled it like a true veteran and got the bike to the next checkpoint.
- Mile 301-345 Joe Steltenpohl took the bars. This was Joe's FIRST RACE EVER! We got to watch him blast through a silt section in front of us that was giving buggies serious problems. Joe got to the checkpoint a few minutes before the bus. The kid can ride! 
- Mile 345-431 I got to ride again. Night riding is gnarly, and the desert is a crazy place. At 4am, in the middle of no-where, there will be a group of locals partying around a bonfire cheering you on. The moon is only there to confuse you - every time I turned, it was in front of me, totally throwing me off my game. Baja Pits had a pit support vehicle breakdown and it threw off a gas stop. I ran out of gas ONE MILE BEFORE THE SWITCHPOINT! I loaded up on a local dude's trailer and took the ride of shame for a mile.
- Mile 431-495 Larry Curik took the controls again. He was fatigued and had a defeated look about him. We found a spot around mile 470 and agreed that we could meet to check on him. He started into the darkness. Larry got to mile 460 and started encountering rough terrain. He had trouble getting the bike through and his body started cramping up. With back spasms and a charlie horse, he threw in the towel. Being out of communication range, we spent a few hours trying to find him via radio. We discovered that he hadn't hit the emergency medical button, and decided that we would wait for daylight for a rescue mission. Nick Smith and myself hiked from Mile 470 to 460 for 4.5 hours to find Larry slowly moving down the trail. I bummed some gas and rode the bike back to the meeting point, wearing a helmet, Vans slip-ons, jeans and a t-shirt. Don't ever ride in the desert in a t-shirt unless you want arm-rash! At this point checkpoints were closing and pits were closing down. We were basically timed-out.
- Mile 470-495 Ray Connolly needed more ride time. He took the bars and ripped a final ride to get his money's worth. This is the act of a badass.
- Mile 495... We realized our race was over. I was a sad moment and a hard one to stomach. Over a year of preparation and piles of money and research were invested to go less than half of the distance. It's a hard pill to swallow.

I realize that 495 miles is more than 99% of the population will ever attempt, and I will be back. It might be a few years, but I will be back.

As a wrap-up, we had incredible support from our Family and Friends. An infectious excitement built in the months leading up to the trip. I need to roll credits and mention key people who contributed to the stoke: 
Jenny, Roger, Kaye, Lona, Mason and Kris Payne. Debbie, Frank, Andy, Gwen, Joe & Janet Williams. Shelly, Eli and Eric Reichert. Ray, Pat, Lori & Viola Connolly. Cris, Courtney, Cali & Laurie Kuklinski. Justin, Blake, Alex and Anna Hauss. Cadence, Gideon and Adam Luechtefeld. Chris Banks. Jimmy Hogenmiller. Jen Moyers. Liz Ludwig. Sid Turpin. Steve Kuehl. Jo Wottowa. Brigham Fisher. Kevin Passmore. Doug Scronce. Lisa Moncayo. Timmy Borko. Jay Dart. JJ Kelly. Terry Meyer. John Pretti. Scott Peipert. Robb Dove. Mike Urban. Paul Schroeder. Matt Grayson. Al Schuck... and so on.  
If I missed you, or misspelled your name, no hard feelings, you know who you are and what you did!


Nick Smith. Drinking a beer in DooDoo Canyon
Ray in show-mode waiting for tech support.

#teamhardcore at the Rigid Industries tent

Posing at the Mexican Cultural Center

Me and the King, Jeremy McGrath

Good times captured

The happiest dude in Ensenada. From his wheelchair to the bike like a pro.



Nick in desert mode.

Mike Moyers getting publicity and making sure the rider finds the bus.

A KX500AF that went 495 miles.

Late night pit stop.

Stopping to smell the cacti.

I know a good campground near Ensenada. I might tell you where it is, but probably not.

Gary Kuklinski - 63 and ready to rule the world.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

TICK TOCK TICK TOCK

To my knowledge, we will be the first team to attempt the Baja1000 on a KX500AF. As a reminder, a KX500AF consists of a race-proven, no longer made 500cc 2-stroke monster engine (the KX500) shoehorned into a modern Aluminum Motocross Frame (the AF). It is -fingers crossed- the perfect weapon for the desert.
Good news for us - the Sportsman MC class will no longer be split between "under 450cc" and "over 450cc". Everybody in the Sportsman class will battling no matter the size of their bike. I think that puts the 5hundo at an advantage.

Some progress updates:
The bike to this point has been an incredible amount of work, and an amazing testament to the talent of Ray Connolly of Gold Medal Welding - who actually has a GOLD MEDAL IN WELDING (no joke).

Post frame modification, The bike moved to Larry Curik of Lone Star Choppers & Allied Precision Arms for his special touch. He is the fab-master and his attention to detail is unmatched. I'm talking "carbon-fiber airbox adapter" and "precision-fit headlight mount" kind-of detail.

The engine has been handled by Justin Hauss of Route 15 Cycles and JH2. Since the moto-world has shifted towards the 4-stroke, Justin's days are spent working on much more-complicated machines. Justin could build this 2-stroke engine blindfolded.
Next- Justin gets to shift gears to work the suspension. He normally tunes for Motocross and Supercross, but I know he can make this bike ride like a recliner for the desert. All hail JH2.


The rig leaves Saint Louis on 11/8.
The bike has not yet been started, and I feel like I should be scared. Somehow, I am at ease and have no doubt this thing is going to be amazing. The pile of parts is pretty impressive. The fabrication and welding is better than factory.

On the to-do list is a harness, battery mount and a taillight mount. The rest is cleanup and final assembly.
More to come. Here is a mockup to show the vision:
This will be reality in less than 2 weeks.



Sponsors to Thank:
Route 15 Cycles • Gold Medal Welding • Allied Precision Arms • Lone Star Choppers • 
Rigid Industries • Lucas Oils • Warp 9 • Fly Racing • Top Secret Designs

Contact me if you're interested in sponsoring our effort in any way.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Back to the Rig

It's a 26 hour drive from Saint Louis to Encinitas. With a carload of rowdy, stinky middle-aged dudes, planning for relative comfort is the best shot at avoiding total chaos. With help from Sketchup, I made some rough plans for the E50 shuttle bus. 

Somehow, this is easily prioritized in this order:
1.) Riders/Crew
2.) Bikes
2a.) Cooler
3.) Tools
4.) Etc.

As soon as the mig welder starts sticking steel together, I'll wish I did something different, but I think this is a solid, simple plan.

Check it out:
1997 E350 V10


Sunday, May 4, 2014

Progress - Almost fast enough...

This month brings a heavy date... The 6-month mark until we burn down the Baja Penninsula.

The update: The bike finally looks like a bike. 
I bought a decent '01 KX500 for a spare engine. Luckily it runs, so we will be burning dirt faster than expected. I can see money going out the door fast at this point, but it's expected. It is somehow easier to dump some coin since the bike is taking shape.





Without the support of these resources, this would not be happening:
...and the 2 KX500's that are sacrificing their lives for the cause.



Sunday, March 16, 2014

Reality is a Powerful Drug

11/12-11/16. Approximately 1,130 miles is the goal. As the weather shifts I realize that reality is a powerful drug.

This race is coming quick. To make myself feel better, and  to make things a little more official... I sit behind a computer on my couch... in Saint Louis... and I officially get a Score membership. I also made contact with Baja Pits to make sure they aren't going to shy-away from our 2-stroke machine.

The real updates:
The fabrication on the bike is picking up and I continue to collect parts. The bike is going to be killer, but very one-off. We will need to pack a welder to feel safe with repairs on a bike chocked full of customization.

I will need a spare KX500 motor, a pile of misc stuff and a couple of spare sets of wheels. Give me a shout if you have something I need.

Cheers to Route15Cycles and GoldMedalWelding for the support thus far.

Graphic Concept - Channelling the great EK

Kawasaki with a raw Pro-Circuit Pipe - Nostalgic of the Spitfire 125's of my day

A lot of pipe wrapped around  a lot of motor

Saturday, September 28, 2013

On to the Rig

As people are starting their coundown for the 46th BAJA 1000 this November, I am getting more and more excited for an event that is more than a year away. The latest infusion of excitement comes in an unlikely form. A church bus.

My uncle owns a local service station - a cool neighborhood joint with full-service pumps and a 3-bay service station. He makes it possible for old ladies in vintage Cadillacs and Mercedes to never have to put gas in their cars, or air in their tires. It has a very nostalgic feel, and I really admire the business he has built.

Anyways, one of his relationships paid off for the BAJA effort. A local church had a shuttle bus sitting, taking up valuable lot-space. I have a feeling the "support crew" is going to grow since we have the room.

The more the merrier.




Monday, August 19, 2013

Buying Parts is Easy

So, the engine conversion isn't easy. A KX500AF is a pretty lofty goal, and progress has been slow, be we have much of the heavy lifting done.

Luckily, a good friend, and one of the riders is an award winning welder and fabricator. Here are some pics of the bike progress. Ray of Gold Medal Welding is the man.
the rolling chassis
stock cradle removed
new cradle tacked in - from jfab
weldy weld
weldy weld
custom headstays

custom headstays