Nancy Emde-Steward on the Team Trail Boss Honda before the start of the 2005 Baja 1000. When it was over she got what 53% of the entries didn't a finisher pin!

o here we go into 2006! I can’t think of any better way to start the year off than with an issue of Parts Magazine that is the biggest one we’ve ever done. It’s 144 pages of news, products and events from the world of Parts Unlimited.
     We’re blessed out here in the west with 12 months of riding weather, so it’s been a busy winter for us. It’s a fabulous time to ride the desert and trails, yet we’ve got to get our magazines to the printer too. This past November they held the 38th annual Baja 1000 race south of the border and there was a record 400+ entries this year. After Dana Brown’s movie “Dust to Glory” came out, everyone wanted in on the action in Baja. Jesse James raced a buggy this year with his Monster Garage Show colors on it. Travis Pastrana gave it a shot on a Suzuki and to the relief of his fans, friends and sponsors, he brought it in safely for his share of the team race.
     I was really proud of my sister Nancy Emde-Steward, who not only raced as a member of Team Trail Boss, but she finished her segment and was awarded a finisher pin after the whole team made it to the end. This has always been a tough event to finish, but this year’s race was especially hard on the equipment. Only 47% of the cars, trucks and motorcycles that started were still around at the finish.
     This was Nancy’s first-ever attempt to race the 1000, but she has been riding motorcycles for over 30 years and at one time was one of the top female TT racers in San Diego County (They called it the “Powder Puff” class in those days…that’s a term you don’t hear much any more).           Nancy her and husband Chris Steward have both been riding a long time and they have a special love of the trails of Baja, Mexico. Ten years ago they started a business called Trail Boss Tours and nowadays run almost 30 tours a year down there for their customers. For more about their Baja 1000 race or Trail Boss Tours, check out the report on page 17.
     Speaking of racing, in this issue we’ve also got reports from the Maxxis Endurocross Championship in Las Vegas, an update of the 2006 Supercross season to date, and we have a quick look back at the 2005 racing season and the accomplishments of some of Parts Unlimited’s sponsored riders.
     From all early indicators, we’ve got a great season of motorcycling ahead. We’re trying to balance our time schedule so we can get our jobs done and still have time for some riding. We hope you do too.
Ride safe,