BC team completes Baja 1000

From Team Rally Raid Canada

LA PAZ, MEXICO -- Team Rally Raid Canada sponsored by Duncan Motorsports completed the 2010 Baja 1000, finishing an impressive fifth in class.

The team brought home the Husaberg FE570 for the manufacturer's first ever Baja finish.

Finishing the event was the BC-based squad’s top priority and although happy with the fifth place finish it has a time protest with the event organizers to see if the almost one hour that rider Nick Caldwell spent assisting a downed competitor can be readjusted to the overall time for the event. Official timing has the team competing the race in 33.02 hours.

The DMS Racing-built Husaberg FE570 did an excellent job of dealing with the harsh Mexican environment. Essentially stock other than upgrades available through the Husaberg Performance Parts Catalogue the bike performed flawlessly.

“We rode an absolutely stock Husaberg FE390 and FE450 bike during the pre-ride portions and we were so impressed by their handling, performance and reliability,” team manager Don Hatton noted.

Paul Gallagher had the pleasure of riding off the starting line in Ensenada heading across Baja towards San Felipe and the dreaded woops section. Marc Ebdrup rode the second leg of the race from Coco’s Corner to San Ignacio. He had to deal with the blinding sun as he rode the very fast last daylight section, and the first part of the night sections.

Caldwell rode the night section of the course. Compounding the already dusty conditions from the silt beds was the cold damp foggy weather heading into the rider change at checkpoint eight. Light was supplied by only the two eight-inch HID headlights on the front of the bikes.

Hatton saved the best and possibly the hardest section for himself. Taking off at 3:00am from checkpoint eight Hatton had nearly zero visibility for the first 100 miles while battling the damp fog, cold temperature, and nearly 60 miles of sand whoops, and worst of all being passed by the 100 mph Trophy Trucks. After all this he had to ride the Aztec Stairs, nearly 11 miles of two-foot drop off prior to coming into the end of the race at La Paz. He took nine hours to complete the 250-mile section.