A good finish at the legendary Baja 1000 would have clinched the number one spot, however, it turned out not to be. A whirlwind of pre-race obstacles surfaced just prior to the race, and just making the start was quite an accomplishment.

The last minute repair of a leaking fuel line caused a delay in the designated start time by 10 minutes, which considering a vehicle leaving every 30 seconds, meant 20 racers would need to be passed just to get in official position. Rules state your elapsed time starts at your designated time, not actual time.

The power of the Solar Racing F-150 showed itself early, as did the incredible suspension comprised of the Bilstein Shock Absorbers and the long travel National Leaf Springs. The attached photo shows the SR Ford soaring off one of the jumps right off the start line, in the riverbed that accommodated close to 100,000 spectators.

Navigating details were handled by Rick Connolly, long time friend, business associate, and most recently, his Help-U-Sell Real Estate-Rancho Bernardo-Poway sponsorship of Solar Racing efforts.

Within the first 75 miles, not only were the 20 non-class vehicles passed, 5 class trucks were passed. In addition, the truck swallowing silt beds, the white-out type dust conditions, along with the local-made booby-traps, made for an interesting and exhilarating start. It was going to be a long race, so a somewhat conservative pace was in order.

To make things more “interesting”, the truck was without radio communication other than a hand-held radio. In addition, the IriTrack Satellite GPS tracking system (the OnStar for race cars) was having power supply issues rendering it inoperable.

By the first checkpoint at Race Mile 77, the SR F-150 had moved up to 4th in class, by Race Mile 130 it had progressed to 2nd in class on-track.

Well, at Race Mile 137, the race rapidly ended when the ring and pinion gear exploded out the rear differential cover causing the powerful truck to coast to a stop in the sandy wash, just under 2 miles to the next checkpoint, with the only remaining competitor to pass in sight in the distance.

The logistical demands of the Baja 1000, the longest non-stop point to point off road race in the world, are staggering to say the least. Unfortunately, the location of the spare rear-end made it logistically impractical. The race was over for the team, and the Championship aspirations were now in the hands of the competitors.

One of the two contenders for the championship was passed at Race Mile 5 while on side of course, and the other towed the disabled SR Ford to the next checkpoint. He then went on and continued the remaining 900 miles and 25 hours later to take a 2nd place finish in the race, and consequently the Championship.

Although Solar Racing did not win the Championship, it still had a solid Second Place finish for the year. It is the 2nd Second Place in 3 years, and the 3rd year-end podium finish in 4 seasons!

A Special thanks to the Solar Racing pit/chase crew as well as all of the Solar Racing Sponsors:

San Diego based: Spectrum Assembly, Help-U-Sell Rancho Bernardo-Poway, ViewSavers Window Maintenance, Bilstein Shock Absorbers, National Springs, Insurance4Mexico.com now GotCoverage. com, Strider Knives, H&M Motorsports, and RLH Communications

And Nationally: Goodyear Tires, International Racing Consultants, Sign Pros, DesertRacing.com, Autometer Gauges, K&N Filters, MSD Ignitions, Currie Enterprises, Lincoln Welders, and Crow Enterprizes.

Cool Things: It was the first race to run with the IriTrack Satellite GPS tracking system, also known as the “OnStar” for race cars. The IriTrack system combines several data and voice technologies in a single unit that utilizes satellite equipment to communicate between the vehicle and the IriTrack control center. Inside the instrument are a GPS module, an Inclinometer (rollover detection), a G-Force Meter (detects high G-load stop, ie. bad crash), an Iridium Satellite Voice/Data Modem, a micro-computer, and the operational software.

This technology enabled not only race operations to monitor progress, but also enabled those with internet connectivity to monitor the variety of racers running the system throughout the Baja Peninsula.

Who says all attorneys are bad? As part of the race monitoring, all racers are to have a GPS logging system installed by race ops. What is typically paid for by credit card, was now requiring close to $500 cash. Since that level of money is typically not needed in the race truck, it was not on hand. Since the support vehicles had already left, it looked like another setback. However, a race fan had overheard the dilemma and offered to help. Much to the surprise of driver and navigator, He opened up his wallet, handed over the $500 and said “have a nice race”. He wanted nothing in return other than the recognition not all attorneys are bad. It turns out He, Arturo Hernandez, “El Abogado Defensor”, was an attorney from San Jose, California. What an awesome gesture!