Articles - El Duelo Off Road Race

EL DUELO

Damn it's been hot here in La Paz but Saturday and Sunday got a lot hotter.

Saturday started with closing down the Malecon for the Race Revision. This time they threw in a little twist. Why not strut out ten babes in bikinis to get things started. It was a great addition to the show but to be honest I think the cars and trucks still got most of the attention. As things go in Mexico the contest started about seven or eight hours after the published time so it never really got in sync with the activities. That said I don't think I've ever seen as many cell phone cameras in my life. Special thanks go out to the Corona girls for stepping it up by taking it off.

The ever growing sport of Off Road racing in Baja is forever being fed from the young, our future racers. It's cool to see kids of all shapes and sizes rush towards each vehicle as it finds a parking spot. And then a driver like Andrea Tomba of the number 612 class 6 Explorer is brave enough to pull out some posters and it's like a shark feeding frenzy. But none the less these drivers know and respect their fan base. There are very few sports out there that are as "fan friendly" as Off Road racing is in Baja and why not, mom gets the kids out of the house, kids get to see real cool cars and dad gets to walk down main street, beer in hand and watch girls in bikinis. Win, win for everyone.

Sunday

I arrived at the track at about 8 in the morning hoping to walk the track looking for the best spots for pictures but as I got out of the Jeep I could hear numerous vehicles out on the track practicing. I thought this picture was kind of funny with one of the team members telling the driver to take it easy each lap. Yeah right, that's like putting a piece of candy in a kid's mouth and saying "don't eat it".

Things seemed to be a little unorganized but were quickly rectified with all going into action. About 9:30 the first class of bikes were off and running. I was on the inside of the track waiting for the first bike to cross the finish line to take the checkered flag when some guy with a "cell phone" camera jumps right in front of me blocking my view. Pissed me off and I decided to put a stop to this early on. I tapped the guy on the shoulder and said hey man. Don't be jumping in front of me (said in my broken Spanish). He just looked at me with this huge smile on his face and said "that's my son" in his broken English. I laughed and said go up there and let me get a pic of the two of you together. I think dad had a better time then son.

Now mind you it was hot and getting hotter but I was still waiting for my buddies Andrea Tomba and Jose (Tani) to race. Being around the team for this entire year and watching all the hard work that goes into it has made me a fan, not just of the driver and copilot but of the entire team and their families. I've told Andrea that I know he wants lots of pics to use for promotion but it's REALLY hard to take pictures and watch the race at the same time, especially when we (see, there I go adding myself to the team) have just one race after this one and have a good shot to win it all.

Okay, they line up and I can hear the engines hitting that high pitch just before the green flag drops. Now keep in mind, I can't watch it, I have to make my best guess at where the trucks will be bunched up and focus the camera there to get the only group picture before they spread out.

Okay engines racing, flag drops and I'm waiting while hoping to see Andrea's Explorer first in the frame, what I see almost gave me a heart attack. The El Pato Rojo entry is turned almost sideways in front of Andrea and I just know any second he's going to start rolling side over side. I instinctively pull the camera down and 20 feet in front of me I can see Andrea not willing to let up and loose the position. Just feet from the first corner the red Cherokee gets back into his lane as Andrea follows Ricardo Betancourt into turn one.

Now, everyone has their opinion of what took place at the start, and of course I have mine but will keep it to myself. However what I will say is that the first 100 yards cost Andrea any chance of catching and passing Betancourt as he ran the perfect clean race hitting every corner perfectly and expertly blocking Andrea ever chance he had to pass.

Now personally I didn't want to be the first to meet Andrea when he got out of the truck because to be honest, him being Italian and all I thought he'd be really pissed. I come around the truck to see his team gathered around and a big smile on his face. He finishes up the hugs and breaks thru the crowd toward me and with that big boyish smile says, man that was a great race.

Win or loose, this team never ceases to amaze me.

PS: Bet you thought I was going to forget the bikini pics……. =)

Voted as the KICK of the Race.

I just wanted to do a quick shout out to "13" year old Mickey Monroy for having the balls to go out and mix it up with the big boys in his first race.

Great job Mickey and I look forward to following your progress and routing you on!

Russ Schnieber
7/11/2006

Article Archives

Cook your catch!

Downtown B & B

Off-road Adventure