orking in
the motorcycle industry is extremely rewarding and for many, has become
big business. But often business takes priority over the reason many
of us got into motorcycling in the first place…to go riding!
How many people work within the industry and get so involved with
their jobs that they forget to go riding once in a while?
Going riding, just for fun, is one of
the greatest things about the annual FMF Baja ride. The all-new “FMF
Tour de Baja” ride (the new moniker for the event) came about
after three years of the now-famous “Baja Mar” events.
Don Emler (founder and head honcho of FMF) decided to change the format
and come up with an entirely new ride and give the participants a
whole new view of the Baja peninsula.
Many industry notables turned off their
cell phones and closed their laptops to take part. Plus, some great
champions and other guests joined in the fun. These included former
Supercross and Motocross Champion Jeff Emig, former World Champion
Danny LaPorte, plus Marty Moates, Kurt Casselli, journalist Jason
Webb and actors Perry King (“Riptide”) and Jay Acovone
(“JAG”).
This year, FMF decided to take a step
back, enjoy a different flavor of Mexico and do some camping. The
ride started from the renowned Rancho Santa Veronica—the starting
point of the Tecate Hare Scrambles. Rancho Santa Veronica is one of
those places that caters to motorcyclists and is a perfect starting
and finishing point for any Baja ride.
Day One had the riders take on 135 miles
of trail with a lunch and gas stop after mile 65 at Lalo’s Tacos
in La Rumarosa. Lalo’s Tacos is one of those little joints in
Mexico that you’re not sure about until you eat the food. Then
you can’t get enough of some of the best Mexican food in the
world. All the participants gorged themselves on the fine cuisine
and used the stop to gas up and refill empty camelbacks.
From there, the riders descended 4,000
feet to sea level where the temperatures reached well over 100 degrees!
The course took the riders along the base of the Sierra de Juarez
Mountains heading due south to the campground Canyon de Guadalupe.
Upon arrival, the riders were greeted
with the sight of a lush and remote palm oasis with a myriad of natural
hot springs. This campground is a paradise nestled in a hostile desert
environment set in the base of the mountains. Each site has its own
private hot pool with palapa- or palm-shaded sleeping area. After
135 miles of mountains and desert, the hot pools were welcome and
well-used by all riders. No one complained about sleeping on the ground
for the next two nights because soaking in the pools made all the
kinks and saddle sores vanish.
| 
After tacos
in La Rumarosa, the FMF Tour De Baja descended 4,000 feet through
these mountains to sea level and the wide open desert. |
Old school—Marty
Moates was one of the first Americans to beat the Europeans
at motocross. He's still a great rider and loves going to Baja. |
Some guy’s
skills never fade. Marty Moates could wheelie forever across
the dry lake and never break a sweat. |
Parts Unlimited’s
Mike Garrett. |
Head Chef Steve Boozer kept everyone's belly full of great food
made out of his makeshift Canyon De Guadalupe kitchen.
|
Photographer Scott Cox (far left) shares a moment with FMF honchos
Danny LaPorte (in the Corona jersey), Don Emler (next to LaPorte)
and Vinnie Mandzak (Mercedes Benz) enjoying a break in the FMF
Tour De Baja. |
Former National
Motocross and Supercross Champion Jeff Emig joined the FMF Tour
De Baja and enjoyed the "get away from civilization"
atmosphere. |
Motoverte
magazine’s Stephan La Grande. |
FMF provided a chef for the duration
named Steve Boozer (that is his real last name and he lives up to
it) who made sure all the riders had full bellies, great food and
a good time. Corona was one of many sponsors, so the nightlife was
full of good-natured ribbing lubricated with plenty of the company’s
products and some tequila. Motion Pro supplied a very trick two-stroke
blender that was put to use blending the tequila with a large variety
of mixes that eventually included chips and salsa. Those of us who
don’t drink enjoyed water, juice and soft drinks and found the
camp comedy to be highly entertaining.
Day Two gave riders the option to lounge
in the hot pools, hike the canyon to cool pools and waterfalls for
impromptu cliff diving, or take a 10 mile loop that wound its way
along the base of the mountains and the surrounding flat areas with
a few technical areas tossed in for photo opportunities. Many riders
took a hike to the falls during the heat of the day, and then took
a fun ride out during the cooler afternoon.
The final night concluded with the “weenie”
awards. These awards were actually plastic hotdogs and were part of
the good-natured ribbing. “Weenie” award recipients included
Mike Bryant and Vinnie Mandzak for getting really lost on Day One;
Emilio Bole who cracked his case in the first 1.5 mile of the ride;
Steve Boozer for oversleeping and not getting the coffee started when
promised; and Don Emler received two awards—the first for planting
his YZ high in a bush and the second for running out of gas.
The terrain
on the FMF Tour De Baja varied from tight and technical to wide
open desert as well as two-track and fire roads. Occasionally
there were also a few rocks and cactus, but no one complained. |
Wiener Awards
(plastic hot dogs) were given to participants who showed a special
lack of skill in prep or riding in a good-natured way. FMF Tour
De Baja Host Don Emler received two: one for running out of
gas and the other for getting his YZ stuck on top of a bush. |
Day Three was solely dedicated to getting
back to Rancho Veronica in one piece and without incident. Total mileage
for the day was 75 miles. Seeing that it was Sunday, the trail leaders
knew it would be a busy day with considerable traffic on the trail
and on the roads. We knocked out a quick 35 miles going due north
over the dry lake bed (remember the great shot of Malcolm Smith crossing
the dry lake in On Any Sunday, we all got to pretend it was us) then
ripped up the mountain pass that brought us to Canyon de Guadalupe.
We reached Lalo’s (greatest tacos ever!) again for a quick pit
stop to feed the bikes and the bodies. The last 40-mile leg was some
awesome single and two-track trails through grassy meadows to complete
the fantastic three-day sojourn.
The 2004 FMF Tour de Baja was another
wild success! FMF thanked all who participated and gave huge props
to the sponsors: FMF, Braking, Corona, Dunlop, Mercedes Benz of Beverly
Hills, Motion Pro, No Fear, Race Tech, Sparkletts and Scott USA. Without
their help, the event would have been a lot more primitive. Lastly,
FMF and all the riders want to acknowledge and thank the crew who
put the whole thing together: Head honcho Tom Thrailkill; Baja guru
Paul Eddy; Zen Master sweep riders Don Chalmers, Tom Engelhardt and
Jim Tripp; the gas man Ron Clough; the “muscle”—Gordon
Thrailkill and Alton Beachamp; the cook, Steve Boozer; everyone’s
go-to guy, Joe Agosta; and fix-everything-for-you-guy mechanic Mike
Tripes. Without these guys, there would have been no Tour de Baja.
The FMF crew (especially Don Emler)
likes to ride. And fortunately for us, with a whole bunch of friends.
It will be hard to beat this year’s ride, but FMF is already
planning one for next year. 
The
riders of the FMF Tour De Baja relax before heading home. How many
racing greats can you spot in this group? Hint: there is a former
World Champion, National Champion, Supercross Champion, several ISDE
Gold Medalists and a Dakar rider or two, plus a bunch of regular guys
having a great time.
RIDERS:
Riders at this year’s event included: Brandon Baldwin, Mike
Basher, Emilio Bole, Joe Bonnello, Adam Booth, Greg Briles, Fred Bramblett,
Michael Bryant, Chris Carter, Kurt Casseli, Robert Chavez, Clark Collins,
Joe Colombero, Blake Conner, Abel Cordero, Scott Cox, Laurette Cushman,
Jeff Emig, Sean Finley, Mike Garrett, Scot Harden, Robin Hartfiel,
Ron Heben, Jay Iacovone, Perry Karidis, Perry King, Stephan La Grande,
Buster Lawrence, Jimmy Lewis, Jonathan Lower, Vinnie Mandzak, Mike
Masano, Sean McGarvie, Marty Moates, Mel Moore, Donnie Nelson, Doug
Nichol, Tito Robles, John Rocha, Tim Saunders, Steve Surber, Andy
Taylor, Ash Vaughn, Beto Verber, Tim Wadman, Scott Wallenburg, Jason
Webb and Kelly Yancy. FMF staff: Don Emler, Don Emler Jr., Danny LaPorte,
David Dye, Mitch Ikemoto, Brion McHale, George Luttig, Doug Muellner
and Mike Tripes. Tour de Baja staff: Joe Agosta, Steve Boozer, Don
Chalmers, Ron Clough, Paul Eddy, Tom Engelhardt, Gordon Thrailkill,
Tom Thrailkill and Jim Tripp.
Parts Magazine
Volume 11 #6
Parts Magazine Index
