The Baja Perspective

There has been a lot of dramatic press lately about the lawlessness in Mexico, specifically Baja. My personal opinion is that it's probably only slightly worse than it's even been, but with more and more stupid gringos heading south making themselves easy targets it seems like the place is being overrun by banditos if you read the newspapers. I tend to think thats a bit of an exaggeration. If you are new to traveling in Baja please take the time to read the Questions section on this site. Read it all the way to the bottom. A friend that I have been traveling to Mexico with for about 25 years forwarded me the email below from a fellow desert racer. I don't know the dude, but I sure like his perspective. Why all this race-talk on a website dedicated to a motorcycle run? You can replace the words "racer" with "biker" and see that it's very relevant to us and what we do. I'm not trying to scare anyone off here, a big part of the reason we go down there is because of the lack of rules and regulations, just don't forget to keep your head on straight or you might find yourself in a world of shit. Can't wait for April!

-Bill


Big Picture, by Kent Kroeker

About five years ago I hobbled into the Emergency Room at Balboa Naval Hospital with five broken bones in my left leg. I see my friend, Steve in the waiting room, hunched down in a wheel chair.

We looked at each other for a second and then he asked, "Baja?"

"You too?" I responded.

I had high-sided my KTM in a CODE race and he had been stabbed in the kidneys with a rifle barrel while being mugged and was getting checked for internal injuries.

Neither of us was surprised about the circumstances.

Oddly, we've both been back to Baja about a hundred times since. So has one of KORE's best drivers, Rodolfo Iribe, despite his pelvis being snapped in half, due to "Baja circumstances" beyond his control.

And we dont' go back for the trails.

We've got plenty of great trails here in the States. We go to Baja for everything that comes with it - the life experience you can't get from dinner and a movie.

And the experience isn't all negative. I don't care what people say. For every corrupt, piece of crap Mexican cop I've had to pay off and every kid I've had to chase down for stealing tools or parts, I've also got a story of incredible generosity and kindness shown by Mexican locals. Going to Baja to race is like turning up the volume of your life to #10- because, until you get back across the border, it's everything, all the time.

It's still the Wild West and that's precisely why we continue to go there. A hundred years ago it was the same - people got gunned down in cold blood, but the reasons were different - cattle, land disputes, women. Look at the history of our American West; it's filled with violence, frontier justice and mayhem.

It's dangerous and gnarly down there. I'm not saying it's right or it's good. I'm just saying that if you're going to Baja to race, it's all or nothing. There's no "reset" button on this video game and the rollercoaster you're riding might not be up to code.

So don't bring the wife and kids.

Bring your henchmen and your war face.

Like most Third World countries, there is no Rule of Law and there are no safety standards in Mexico. You're pretty much responsible for your own security. Personally, I like the way it feels to be in a country where there is nobody you can blame for anything, and you have to pay attention all the time.

Fifteen years ago, my Dad showed up to a prerun with a SCUBA spear gun strapped on the back of his bike in plain view – like he was going to pull it out and spear banditos on the move. “I ain’t takin’ crap off nobody on this trip.” He said. It was dangerous back then, and it’s dangerous now.

But for racers, I don’t think guns are the answer. A little humility and common sense are. I’ve seen Rudy get us out of big jams down there just because he knows how things work and how things are. It’s not because he uses force – he doesn’t weigh 150 lbs. It’s because he knows the culture, knows the code of ethics and common sense.

A little common sense goes a long way. I've been to a lot of countries that make the most dangerous, nasty parts of Baja look like Club Med. Only a Level Nine retard would tow a race trailer at 80 mph at night on some desert road in Djibouti, Egypt or Bahrain. Why would you do the same thing in Baja? Because it's closer to the border? Because a "sanctioned" race is taking place? Because you drive like that in Nevada?

On the way back from La Paz in ’98, my crew got run off the road by the Duralast Semi Truck. This year it was the same thing twice – once by whoever was towing the Herbst race vehicles and once by some jackass with a toy hauler. I’m talking about inches from death. Why are we doing a conservative 60 mph in the middle of the day, getting passed by Americans on the One who are easily doing 80? The biggest problems we have seen have always been from Americans. Get a clue. Narrow, raised road, no shoulder, low visibility, no medical, bandits, saboteurs, smugglers and 15 year old kids with automatic weapons . Is it prudent to drink ten Red Bulls and try to make it to the border non-stop? I’ll bet that “smelling the barn” has killed more people than anything else in Baja.

How is it that there are millions of decent people in Mexico living long, happy, productive lives without experiencing any of the problems Americans face when we're down there for two weeks? They don't have radios, sat phones, spare parts, big teams – or spear guns. They don't even have extra money. How do they do it?

Fundamentally, we race for the thrill of going to the limit - for the barbaric pleasure of keeping it pinned when everything inside you is telling you to lift. By these standards, the second you cross the border, you’re racing, whether you’re in a caged vehicle or not. But you’re not a very good racer unless you survive. So have a safety plan. Assign a safety officer. Do what he says. Follow the rules. Be humble and low key. Drive only during the day. Use static pits. Our team has a five page document that revolves entirely around safety. It is strict and absolute and has kept us safe for many years.

Mexico ain’t gonna get better because there’s nothing wrong with it.

Racers can boycott, write letters and complain, but until Americans stop using drugs, Mexico will remain as is. Just like Iraq and the Middle East in general, the situation won’t change until we stop using oil. But like we do with our foreign policy and everything else, we address symptoms instead of causes. In all these negative threads about Baja, we’re pointing fingers at the wrong people.

The point is that BIG PICTURE we, collectively both as Americans and individually as racers, we are responsible for everything - the political situation, for the tragedies, accidents and mayhem that takes place when we race. Sometimes it might not seem that way, but any mishap investigation will always point to a series of human decisions or mechanical failures that ended up in tragedy.

I apologize if this doesn't sound nice or sympathetic.

And Sal Fish is not responsible for your well being. If I stumble out of Hussongs, trip on a crack in the sidewalk and land on a rusty piece of rebar, should I call Sal and complain that the streets are not up to OSHA standards?

Despite what people say on these threads, Sal is a good man and he cares about racers. But fundamentally, Sal is responsible for organizing bad *** races that take place on dirt roads that go right through the middle of private ranches and small towns with live people in them. And for the most part these are decent, good people who happen to have been born in a wild, savage country.

And the lawless anarchy that prevails south of the border is precisely why, in the 21st century, a race like the Baja 1000 is even possible.

Someone in another thread asked the question, “Baja, yes or no?”

Well, Big Picture, for me and my team, as long as there are races we will go to Baja.

And, one day, if there are no more races, we will still go to Baja.