Jagged X Battles Through Baja
2016 SCORE Baja 500 Race Report
Phoenix, AZ, June 13, 2016 – The 48th running of the famed SCORE Baja 500 last week was a race that punctuated exactly why this is one of the most difficult and famous races in the world.
The Polaris RZR Jagged X team arrived in Ensenada with a solid plan, a well prepped race RZR and a fully staffed and equipped crew. We know how difficult it is to race in Baja so we spent the extra time and effort to make certain we were prepared.
The team was able to spend a couple good, solid days pre-running the course, learning the route and planning our resource allotment. This planning is essential to succeed in racing south of the border. Pit access, location and communication is the key to supporting the racers as they fight their way through the hostile terrain. Desert racing is so much more than just driving a car fast in the desert.
As always, tech and contingency was an event in itself. These races are certainly some of the largest events that the local Baja cities and towns see each year and they are met with an abundance of excitement and enthusiasm. The off road racers are the rock stars of Baja and the wonderful people here always make us feel welcome.
Part of the planning and strategy is following the weather forecast and being prepared. Baja Mexico can be freezing cold, pouring rain or just plain perfect. This week the prediction was heat and “HOT” it was! The temperature at the start of the race In Ensenada was a very pleasant 80 degrees but just a few miles away in Ojos Negros, our first visual pit location, the temperature was sweltering, reaching nearly 120 degrees. Water is your friend in heat like this so it was a major concern to insure that everyone on the team ( especially our drivers) stayed hydrated. The team went through close to ten cases of Agua Fria before the day was done.
If the heat was not enough of an obstacle the course made up for it. This race would stand to be one of the most brutal courses that we have ever seen. As rough as the course was the Polaris RZR was able to charge through every section and continue to push further. It is hard to grasp the overall capability of these vehicles. The UTV class is still regulated to having the smallest tires and the smallest engines of all 4 wheel desert racing classes and yet their overall times and speeds rival many of the larger more powerful racing classes.
As the first half of the race began to take shape, Keith Redstrom and Co driver Chad Hummer would find themselves running at podium pace until a giant bottle neck brought their race to a grinding stop. Once again the off road capability of the Polaris RZR XP Turbo coupled the great traction of our BFG KR2 tires and some amazing driving skill would allow the 2919 to claw its way around dozens of stuck and stopped vehicles to reach the top of the log jam and get back to race pace. Just a few miles ahead the course went directly through the middle of a desert wildfire that had somehow been sparked earlier in the race. Temperatures by this time were well above 115 degrees. Rocks, trees, dust , ruts ,silt and heat would be the story for the next 200 miles and well into the dark.
At race mile 221 Keith and Chad were delighted to hand over the dirty but still in tact RZR to Brandon Schueler and his co-pilot Justin Sheakly. Darkness is another obstacle that while not talked about much can be just as dangerous as anything else in the lonely desert environment. The ability to stay on pace and still avoid hidden dangers takes sharp concentration and lots of experience. Brandon and Justin were on a mission to work their way to the front of the class but some unfortunate mechanical fatigue took its toll and forced the team to make some unexpected repairs on course and in the next two pits. This unfortunately slowed their pace but in the end they were able to finish this grueling race with a mid-pack eighth place finish. While we would have surely liked to have finished better, we are very proud of our entire team and their fortitude and determination.
Thank you to our entire crew and all of our generous sponsors. We could not do it without you.
Congratulations to all the racers who finished this amazing and difficult race. It is truly an accomplishment to be proud of. Congrats to Wayne Matlock on the Turbo win and to Alonso Lopez for the N/A win.
Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families and friends who experienced the tragic loss of life at the race. God bless
Polaris RZR
Walker Evans Racing
BFGoodrich Tires
1-800RaceBFG.com
Varta Powersports Batteries
Polaris Engineered Lubricants
Factory UTV
CR Designs
Vision X
UTVUnderground.com
About Jagged X Racing:
Jagged X Racing is a Phoenix, AZ based off road fabrication and accessory shop focusing primarily on the rapidly growing sport of UTV off road racing. Jagged X currently campaigns entries in both the SCORE and BITD race series’ where they have accumulated multiple Championship titles. Jagged continues to be a leader in the development and promotion of the growing sport of UTV racing.
About UTVUnderground.com
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Category: Teams/Events
