Just to be clear I understand being short handed, I was just trying to point out that its not only "your" effort to get you there.Haha I do see your point, I'll come back with I simply don't have enough people on my "team" to allow me to not iron man it. My one team member is racing his first BITD race at V2R. My main prep guy will be riding the full distance with me, and that leaves my dad and 1 other guy for pit crew.
This is the Phrase i was honing in on...IMO not really the way to look at things, Your "Team" is what gets you to the end, Your team can make a mistake also to cost you the race.....So i guess the point I am trying to make is You have a team effort so its really not "someone" throwing all your hard work away.I hate to see someone throw all my hard work and efforts away!
I agree, solo'ing it is very do-able. Can you stay sharp in 550 miles....I don't think so. I think there is a lot to be had by doing a short burst, then with fresh driver/co-driver another short burst.Solo'ing V2R is very do able. Is it smart? Maybe, maybe not. Its only approx 540 miles this year which is about 100 more then this years Baja 500. But the terrain & crew logistics make this race much easier IMO then a Baja race. Casey makes it where two trucks can support you the whole race. I've seen guys pitting out of a station wagon before!
Now Solo'ing a Baja 1000 in a UTV sounds impressive and courageous, but not smart in my book. Sure its the true David & Goliath story, and if finishing is your goal, then go big! If you want to win be smart and surround yourself with people who can get the team a victory.
I have yet to see in anything but maybe TT & class 1 where a solo effort has brought a better result then having a teammate. If you say "I hate to see someone throw all my hard work away" then you have just not found the right teammate. Look at it from the other side. "I hate to see arrogance in a driver throw it all away, as he is not willing to know the gains of having a real crew or support driver can offer his efforts.
You can be in great physical shape but the fact is, its the mental exhaustion that gets you. There is no way a driver who has been in the seat for 10 + hours strait can and will be as mentally focused and have the reaction time of a driver of equal skill with only 2 hours of seat time.
And I have heard the story, and reasons for keeping a tired driver in the seat. "The car is tired and he knows how far to push it." A fresh driver will run it into the ground". I say an inexperienced driver or driver not fit for your team might. But if you get someone with experience who understands the car, and the feel of the car he will adapt to the handing or lack there of, and only push it as far as the car will allow.
A teammate is not something you place a craigslist ad for or make some sort of financial deal with. Like you pay for half of the costs and you get the car for half the race. If you own a car and are looking to win, you build a team that can win. I have seen lots of guys team up due to cost, but typically they know each other, have been competitors of each others, and know each others driving styles. Like this year's 500 with Johnny & Brain teamed up. They knew each other and knew what to expect from each other. So in their case a one race teammate deal worked.
My crew sucked. One was a camera man and the other two were driver/co dawg!Thanks Jim, and you are 100% correct. Without my team there would be no racing for me. Sometimes I tend to overlook the most important assets that I have. The car and driver are only as good as the crew taking care of it. I was looking at it the wrong way and I do appreciate you reminding me what is important.
Your phone wasnt busted but our tracker didnt work and that's about the worst thing that could happen to a car in Baja let me tell you.Yea I guess my phone was busted.
Here we go....Justin said you told him thanks but no thanks....because we're trouble makersYea I guess my phone was busted.
Rookie!! LOL! If not having a working tracker is the worst, then you would not have liked to race when you taped a map to the roof of the car for reference, when "Stuck Stubs" was how you passed on info that you were broke or out of the race. When your crew had to calculate your arrival time, and what cars you were racing around as a reference as to when you might be coming. When there were no speed limits on the highways and you passed traffic like they were standing still! BTW that was so dangerous, but it was awesome! I thought I was spoiled when we had a GPS. The locals could change all the markers they wanted too! I knew where I was going.Your phone wasnt busted but our tracker didnt work and that's about the worst thing that could happen to a car in Baja let me tell you.
WTF ??? Hope your ok (going to be ok)... gotta put health before hobby.Just found out I wont be racing this race ... you guys just caught a lucky break ... did one of you guys pay off my Doctor ?
I believe you have that backwards.Here we go....Justin said you told him thanks but no thanks....because we're you're a trouble makers