2023 SCORE Baja 500 Race Report:
After competing in the Pro Moto Unlimited class, the past two seasons, I decided for the 2023 season to take on the challenge of racing the Baja 500 & 1000 in the Pro Moto Ironman class. In 2020, I raced the Ironman Pro class at the Best in the Desert-Vegas to Reno event where I took 1st place after a long hard
battle, edging out 2nd place by a mere 18 seconds. However, with my years of experience racing in Baja, I knew the Baja 500 would be a much more physically and mentally demanding race. Between the rough terrain, heat, and logistics, I had my work cut out for me. I’ve raced 500 miles solo before in the
states, but this would be much tougher, this was the rough and unforgiving Baja desert. My biggest concern was if I had done enough preparation during the months leading up to this event and how I would pace myself throughout the day to be competitive in the class. This was a new concept for me,
I’m accustomed to sprinting my dedicated section of the course and not having to take the marathon approach to the entire racecourse.
The morning started with an alarm at 1:30am, as the bikes began staging at 3am with a 3am ceremonial start. After eating breakfast, geared up and chase vehicles loaded, we headed to the start line just before 3am. I’ve been racing for over 20 years, and I generally don’t get too nervous, and I wouldn’t say I was nervous but rather anxious of the unknown.
After the ceremonial start at 3:30am, we were paraded through Ensenada to the outskirts of town where the race would officially start. Having not raced the San Felipe 250, I would be starting at the rear of the class. The bikes start individually every 60 or 30 seconds, depending on class. My official start time was 4:18am. The fog and dust were intense for the first 30 miles, I was able to manage the
conditions well and quickly catch up to the lead Ironman bike at rm25. Unfortunately, I had to back off due to the dust being thick. When the dust is like this, your lights tend to reflect off the dust and mimic whiteout snowstorm conditions.
For the next 45 miles, I kept pace with the lead bike and tried to settle into a smooth pace. At rm70, we had to make a pit stop to switch out lights and get some quick nutrition. Unfortunately, we realized I was experiencing some premature rear tire wear, most likely from the 100+mph hwy section right from
the start. My chase crew and I decided to perform an unscheduled rear tire swap at this point. This meant losing time to the lead bike, but it was necessary as I would not have any chase support for the next 100 miles. After the tire change, I set off to tackle a section called the “Summit”, a section that hasn’t been ran in several years. The Summit is a rough mountainous section littered with rocks that
brings you into the Northern part of San Felipe.
Maintaining a consistent pace over the Summit, I was able to keep pace with the lead bike up until around rm105 where I had a crash. Unclear on what happened, I hit the ground pretty good but fortunately, the bike and I were intact. After losing some valuable time, I was able to regroup and get back on course. I made it to rm170 where I met up with my chase crew and received some hydration
and quick nutrition. At this point I was comfortably 2nd Ironman but down roughly 15 mins due to the earlier setbacks. Over the next 115 miles I put my head down and did my best to try and gain back some of the lost time. This was probably the hottest and roughest part of the entire course. I made it to rm285 where my chase crew was ready to perform a full-service pit stop, and I finally was able to quickly eat some much-needed food. This was a longer pit stop than I’m accustomed to, but it was needed to continue the pace I was running for the remainder of the race. Prior to the full-service pit, the gap between 1st and I was staying consistent at roughly 15 mins. After the pit stop, we were now roughly 20 mins behind. Thankfully, the roughest and hottest part of the course was now behind
me as I headed towards the Pacific side of the peninsula.
Feeling rejuvenated from the pit stop, I was able to put in a good charge all the way to the ocean and up the coast to rm400 where I was able to regain some time on the first place rider. Unfortunately, with only 70 miles remaining and a decent time gap still present, it was going to take a mistake by the lead
bike for me to close the gap. While I felt ok physically, I knew I lacked the energy to ride at a higher pace. I was settled into a smooth and steady pace and exceeding this would have most likely led to a costly mistake that I didn’t want to make at this point in the race. Therefore, I kept my head down and
focused on riding the remaining 70 miles mistake free. At last, I made it to the finish line with a time of 12hrs 55mins and 2nd Ironman Pro Moto.
Crossing the finish line in 2nd was bit disheartening but at the same time, it was a massive sense of accomplishment. As I replayed the days events in my head, I began to understand just how difficult it is to solo a Baja race and to think, I was now part of a small group of people who can say they’ve done it!
In the moment, it was hard for me to understand why I was putting myself through such a difficult task. However, when I was able to recap the race with my family and friends, it became crystal clear that I was ready for the next challenge at the Baja 1000. I have gained the knowledge of what I can do next time and how to better prepare mentally and physically.
The Baja 500 provided a ton of knowledge for myself and my team. We plan to utilize this knowledge over the next several months as I prepare to take on the Baja 1000 in the Ironman Pro Moto division. On behalf of the whole Motion Off-Road Racing Team, I would like to thank you for your generous
support! Competing at this level takes a ton of support and I am honored to represent a brand who understands the importance and value in supporting off-road racing!