Ask the Shaper (or Anyone who wants to answer) (Vol. II)

[MTBarrels]

This is a little off topic, but as "Step into Liquid" was mentioned. I thought I'd point out that just as Bruce Brown followed up "Endless Summer" with "On Any Sunday"--a movie about desert motorcycle racing, his son, Dana Brown, is following up "Step Into Liquid" with a movie on racing the Baja 1000 (filmed in 2003 with 4 helicopters, a crew of 55, 12 cameras--as best I remember--and a full-race vehicle with cameras onboard).

My Baja off-road racing enthusiast friends (one of whom is briefly in the final version) who have seen the preview showing are raving about it capturing the spirit of off-road racing in Baja. Showings at public theaters (Landmark) are just starting (beginning today, in San Diego at the Hillcrest, continuing for a week) and I'm looking forward to finding out if my friends' opinions are correct...and how it compares with Bruce's "On Any Sunday".

Although done in the B1K in 2004, rather than in 2003, those of you who have driven to Scorpion Bay via the coast route leaving Mex 1 at San Ignacio might be interested to learn that Robbie Gordon, in a Trophy Truck (~$300K to 400K US per vehicle), averaged 80 mph between San Ignacio and Ciudad Insurgentes (just N of Ciudad Constitucion)--at night.

A related great read, if it's still somewhere on the internet, is a description of the battle between Robbie and (sorry, name escapes me right now) for 2nd place in the B1K-2000. After a 4.5 hour delay near the start due to a failed power steering unit, Robbie ultimately ends up near the end of the race chasing the second place truck down a two rut dirt road at night--flat out at 130mph, running on the rev-limiter. At the last pit (for his competitor) Robbie is only a few minutes behind--but has to catch and pass the 2nd place vehicle within about 20 miles as the road then moves into the mountains and there's no place to pass. He misses catching the truck ahead before entering the mountains by 15 sec, but tries to pass in the mountains, goes over the side and down into a canyon, blowing out both front tires in the process. He and his navigator change both tires, lever the truck around so it's pointing back up hill, manage to make it back up the canyonside, and finish about 30 minutes behind the second place vehicle--and with virtually no remaining bodywork on the vehicle.

mtb