Baja 1000 Champions: DragonFire racing has had the opportunity to race for Team Green Kawasaki in DragonFire Built Kawasaki Teryx and win Both the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 this year. Documenting this process needs to start by thanking everyone.
Team Green Kawasaki for the unconditional support in vehicles, parts and patience to make sure we brought them another title. Reid Nordin and Larry Roeseler for being a part of this winning team, their input, testing, pre running and planning added both confidence and experience to our team. Hans Wagge for taking the time off twice a year to be part of this team, working countless hours to ensure everything is ready. Darren, Seth, Danny, and Goo for spending the last three months getting the pre runner, race cars, and race bikes ready. Their dedication and attention to detail surpassed any and all expectation. Jack, Kevin, Fugi, Jim Creegan and the entire Bi Polar crew for chasing our two race cars for over 30 hours, cold nights and dangerous roads.
My Sponsors: Team Green KAWASAKI, ITP Tires and Wheels, Fox Racing, Redline Webber, Jack Daniels, Lowrance, Ogio, Makita, Monster Energy, and DragonFire Racing.
The testing we did prior to racing and the support from our sponsors made this victory possible.
We showed up with over 40 people to support this race, 7 trucks and trailers, two teams, 6 pre runners, and several dirt bikes. All made it home, some a little banged up and broken but all home and all excited to take home another victory.
Baja 1000 Highlights:
The KAWASAKI Teryx Motors and Differentials ran no stop for over 24 hours, without an issue and zero down time. We were fortunate we caught a spring retainer failure while testing during the week and made the appropriate changes to make sure the motor would last running over 7500 RPM for the duration of the race.
DragonFire Nessie: this vehicle surpassed all expectations. We started almost dead last, and passed every vehicle and class both broken and moving. Our overall time has us beating Trophy Truck and Class 1 cars. But a bigger accomplishment is our time would have won or taken a podium in every other 4 wheel Vehicle Class. Here is the list we would have Podiums in: Class 3, Class 5, Class 5/1600, Class 6, Class 7, Class 7sx, Class 8, Class 9, CLASS 10, Class 11, Stock Full, Stock Mini, Pro Truck, Class 17. 4<SUP>th</SUP> in Baja Challenge, Class 2 Predator X18 and Class 7-2.
Both Nessie1 and Nessie2 Completed every mile Baja had to offer. All our pre run DragonFire Teryx’s ran flawlessly for almost 2000 miles.
The ability to have 4 wheel drive, 19 inches of travel, be small and nimble, made this the perfect car for the Baja 1000.
ITP for building the best Tires in the business, 2 Races now Won on the ITP BAJA Cross, and special thanks to ITP for the new race wheel they developed for us to race on. Nessie 2 finished the race on the wheels and tires it started on. Nessie 1 took out three wheels at the Borego Road Crossing, but beyond that had only one flat the entire race.
Fox for working with us on the new internal Bypass shocks that allowed us to pass Class 8 Truck in the whoops of San Felipe.
Our motor department for both designing and building motors in both our race cars that lasted the entire race.
Baja 1000 Challenges:
Valve Spring Retainers failing and costing us two motors
COLD COLD nights
Bottle necks that cost us about 2 hours of down time
Three of my good friends, acting like idiots and crashing while pre running. They all crashed in the same corner. Several Broken Bones and Dunlap tire marks left on all involved.
Many people only go to Baja to say they were able to finish the race, and to see the excitement the people have when their vehicle crosses the line is amazing. Only a few people start the day with a plan to win. We went to Mexico with only one intention and that was to win the Baja 1000. We came prepared and the preparation worked. We understood the limitation of the car and drove within them, we understood the challenges the course would provide and drove around them. We were strategic in our race and chase strategies and ran without challenge or Challenger. Baja is a love hate realationship, and I love hating the Baja.
Todd