I still cannot believe what has happened!  For over 15 years I’ve dreamt of racing in the Baja 500. I have found myself surrounded by the best people in the UTV off road racing community and now consider them my family. Without their help this longtime dream could have never been realized. I will turn 58 this year. My good friend, Steve, will be 64 and is right by my side on this adventure.

          The video "From Dust To Glory" which chronicles the Baja 1000 experience has been a strong influence on my journey over the past several years.  I've just finished watching it for who knows how many times.  I have obsessively studied the UTV videos from Chapo Racing, Shock Therapy and on and on down the rabbit hole of YouTube.

          Steve and I had never raced anything and to top it off had never even sat in a UTV. We have ridden hundreds of thousands of miles all over this beautiful country on our Harley’s but this was beyond new to us.  Hell, at this point in my life I am 5’10" at 170 pounds which isn't a bad size for sitting in a UTV.  But Steve who is 6’3" and 290 pounds could be a logistical problem.  The big question was, "Can he even fit in one?"  

          Another very real challenge we faced was having very little funds. The UTV Class looked like our best option.  I eventually found out you sell off everything at any level to fund this sport.  I wasn't sure people would understand why I needed to do this so, other than my wife and kids, I only mentioned this to one or two friends.  They either thought I was nuts or didn’t believe I wanted it this bad.  We decided to tell no one so going forward until we left, "mum was the word."  

          In January 2022 I was watching a YouTube video and I saw a guy talking about a wreck he had in a UTV.  If it wasn’t for his Geiser Performance built cage he’s pretty sure the outcome would have been devastating.  The safety cage seems like a good place to start. 

          I looked up Geiser Performance and made a call to even see what a cage would cost. Luckily for me, Greg Geiser answered the phone! This was where my six-month journey to Baja really began.  When I explained my dream to Greg all I heard was dead silence.  He asked me about my racing experience.  I told him I’d never raced anything before.  Well, I could have mentioned the soap box derby when I was 9 but didn’t want to sound to cocky.

          The next ten minutes was Greg begging me not to begin in the Baja 500.  He assured me that I had no idea what I was getting myself into and that maybe I should get my feet wet in something much smaller. He didn’t use the word "powder puff" but I could feel this may be where I should begin.  Greg finally gave in a little after making sure he was taking no responsibility if I moved forward and gave me the number to one of his good friends.  Nick Bruce, owner of Adrenalin Motor Sports, a sponsored Can-Am racer, and a guy who has pretty much raced everything you can think of throughout his life. I reached out to Nick and again explained my dream. I think he understood I was committed. After listening to the wealth of information Nick was offering the one thing that I’ll never forgot was the main comment. He said, “Bud, you are so far in over your head." I took this as motivational words for any old man with a dream!

          The next questions were, "What will you be racing and what will you be running for your pre-runner? My answer was, "What’s a pre-runner?" This is how I discovered that you actually need two cars to race the Baja, one to race and one to pre run in. I was clearly not sure how I would pay for one much less two.  Nick began asking questions about chase crews, pit crews and car builds to pass-tech-for-score to even run in the Baja.  Now I was thinking it’s time to sit down and have a drink. To my surprise Nick decided to go all in!  His commitment to guide, direct, and walk me through and help in any way he could.  He set me up with his good friends and network of some of the best people in the off-road business. We started at his dealership, Adrenalin, with a 2022 Can-Am X3 x rs Turbo RR two-seater with smart shox  , then assigns Joe to walk me through the build of what we need to do. Later I find Nick became more involved then I ever expected staying on top of and directing everything he knew needed done not only for my safety but for the car to be able to make it through the Baja 500. I’m then giving the number to Steve Simms owner of SD lighting , who set up my lights. I have never driven at night with any kind of light set up that you would swear you’re still in the middle of the day. These have to blow his competition away. Over the past 6 months Steve would actually call me just to make sure everything was going well and just to check in, as would Greg Geiser. Joe and I spoke almost daily and Nick and I every week. The attention and help I was getting was humbling to say the least, when everyone realizes me buying a second UTV to pre run with is surly out of the questions (can you say home line of credit for the first one ) they now give me a number to yet another close friend JR owner of Baja UTV tours . JR to my surprise invites me to fly to Yuma and ride along on a tour so I can see the Baja terrain and work with me on learning lead nav, realizing now that navigating this race is a huge part, on the last day of the tour, JR reaches out to shake my hand and I’m thinking he’s just being polite, but the hand shake followed the words you wreck it, you buy it. So my first time in a Can Am is about to happen.  Jr is letting me run one of his Can Ams, never would I believe the capability of these machines, at this point I’m pretty much done, hook line and sinker and now believe I could become someone with an addiction? JR knows we have signed up for the Baja 500 to run in the sportsman class which later Nick talks me into running with the pro stock UTV class because they have built me a pro stock car, have to admit I was nervous moving out of sportsman but how do I say no to a guy (now my family and friend) that has become my mentor in this long dream that seems to becoming a reality. JR runs a crew of three Isaac, David and Angel (mechs and chase drivers) and to my surprise has agree to provide me with a pre-runner, trucks and his crew for the race, Nick has suggested I use Carlos at Baja pits, a lot of people use BFG pits but I’m running MTR Kevlar tires not BFG and turned out like everyone else helping me Carlos would call and check in to see if I needed anything.  Is this really happening, after I return to Maryland I remember riding with my wife and getting the phone call my shocks have been sent to shock therapy and set up.  Don’t know about you but my wife is like what’s all the excitement over, well she obviously hasn’t seen them on you tube, still feel I’m in a dream.  I’ve got my buddy Steve Co driving and navigation that said after one time, if you’re in buddy I’m right there with you, Can Am sponsored racer Nick Bruce is taking me in, best light set up by Steve SD lighting, strongest cage, by Geiser performance and I can hardly contain myself when Nick tells me he’s sending it over to his friends at Lone Star and Chapo racing to finish some safety details, I’m like What? More guys I’ve idealized on you tube, this just cannot be happening. Almost forgot, I had to call Nick and ask what do you wear when racing, a little embarrassing but this is where I’m at. Of course why would I not think Nick would set me up with his other friend that owns a race supply store UPR Racing Supply, Tim Hawley. Tim went right down the list from helmets to gloves, underwear, pumper hoses, everything I knew nothing about and personally shipped it to Maryland for me to try on. Service beyond belief, best part I got the best possible equipment within my budget that fit perfectly So now it’s just weeks away, hotels are lined up for my wonderful wife, Via who has been the most supportive wife ever, my boys and Steve’s wife, we are registered, have our insurance etc, etc, etc and begin the drive from Maryland to Arizona to see the UTV for the first time only weeks before the 500. I have also been invited with Nick, his friends and the rest of team Andrenalin-Can Am to pre-run for three days with them. I cannot explain the excitement and disbelief that this is happening , the course was nothing like I’ve seen on tv.  I’m not sure using words like cliffs, ruts that would swallow a car, canyons, rocks, and sand three feet deep, areas that inches are the difference of tearing up your car or making it through are even close. I remember my buddy Steve saying during the Pre-run, there is no way this is a race course. Now comes the contingency and tech.

They say we all get 15 minutes of fame in this life well this is definitely it or maybe in this case 8 hours.  Parents are taking pictures of you with their kids, signing autographs, 100,000 people and pretty much being that Rock star we’ve all dreamed of as kids.  It was one of the craziest days of my life (until race day shows up) the night before the race we are still working on the car at 10 pm or should I say everyone but me (remember I know nothing and God gave me no mechanical ability so at this junction better to let the experts do what they know needs done) even as detailed as inches of measurements to make sure ride height is exact. Let me just say again the owners of the companies I mentioned are out there by my side making sure everything is right.  

Now it’s race morning up before 5, heart is racing and adrenaline is off the chart , my dream of sitting at the starting line and seeing the count down from ten to go is just hrs away, would it actually happen that we could finish in the allotted time and get a finishing medal, would we be able to stick to our game plan of protecting the car and remembering Nicks advice of keeping my brain in my helmet on the race course, his exact words, I’ve seen it time and time again. If your brain escapes your helmet and you think you’re a seasoned racer you will have a problem!!!!!!! Run the race that you feel is within your ability and protect the car, the terrain alone is your biggest concern, it will get crazy in the first 150 miles and you will see vehicles turned over in areas that you’ll look at and wonder how is that even possible dust so thick with cars trying to pass you can’t see and the crowd of spectators lined up inches from you as you race down the course and he sure was right, Nicks other driver Juan Dominguez and his brother stayed with us at the start line to make sure we were strapped in properly and not alone , a seasoned racer who also helped clean up our lead nav the night before the race, and so it begins we are at the starting line and my dream is in full motion , the flag drops as does my heart and we are in what I thought would never be possible. This part probably should not be in here but back when we started, Joe asked if I wanted him to order me a race catheter, pretty sure I was being punked as the new guy because no way is that a real thing , but to my surprise it sure was so listening to the experts I guess I’m in.  50 miles into the race and I’m in pain now realizing I’ve somehow pinched off my hose with my race harness submarine belt, that lasted about a minute or two in pain when I pulled over in the race unzipped my uniform luckily got the catheter off in time before the balloon and just as I enjoyed a sigh of relief I realized that the two cars that passed us I’m sure was filming due to everyone having a go pro mounted on front of the race cars. Still praying for the sake of my wife and kids I don’t become an internet star with that clip? Steve and I shared driving and nav, the course was nothing like pre-running due to the amount of damage the trophy trucks did ahead of us, it was beyond brutal, I think running the cliffs at night was better because you really couldn’t see how far down if you went over, Steve made it very clear on many occasions saying hey buddy a little more left would be nice, every possible mad max terrain was thrown at you, words cannot describe what we saw. Lucky for us our chase crew radioed in and saved us in two nav mistakes, I believe there were 167 virtual check points you had to hit within 49-60 feet.  We missed three causing us 30 minutes in penalties. But after 18 plus hours of mind playing tricks, body being beat and brain fried from concentration we found ourselves in tears as we crossed the line to receive our finishing medals.  My dad would say you only get to die once but you live every day, man was he right so here comes the best, after 22 years of being with the best wife ever I look over and realize she’s got that same look in her eye as if we were on our first date, my boys could not be prouder of their dad and I see the way Steve’s wife is looking at him, Priceless!

I’m going to end on what we still can’t believe happened. We had just laid down after being up 24 hours, maybe closed our eyes for an hour when my wife got a text that unofficially, and we are still in disbelief, we just got third in the Baja 500 pro stock UTV class.  I think I said what 40 times before calling Steve next door waking him up and hearing him say what just as many times.  Within a minute Nick called and said it’s official, forever in the Baja history books as a third place podium finish. I was told by many that for days after you run the Baja you won’t even want to see your car, your body will still be healing and racing will be the last thing on your mind then it happens, two weeks later you’ll be saying man that was fun and how can I do it again. Sure it will I thought, well I just past the two week mark, just got off the phone with Nick thinking, can I make the Baja 1000 in November?  Am I absolutely nuts? I’m addicted and the Can Am is now on the top of my list wondering why I never looked at a UTV before.

Everyone I mentioned and I’m sure I’ve forgot some, I am beyond honored to have them as friends, the off road community is the best!