Third went to Honda riders Ivan Ramirez, Brent Harden and Jose Villalobos. San Filipe 250 results, Norman/Wiegand won it.
Yeah i noticed that as well. He did race on a KTM couple years ago with his dad down in baja, (at least i think i remeber it that way, not positive on that) but then its been Honda time with a couple guys. The thing is (i've done 20something big baja races now) that its a TEAM Race. This is so important to realize. How to find 3-4 fast baja guys that can/are willing to race on a Husky? Most fast guys have years of allegiance with one brand, have a cozy deal with the local Jbike shop for parts, etc, and know how to set up the Jbike bike for baja-using various shops in SoCal. Its been almost impossible in years past to find guys to race a Husky with, although maybe in 2-3 more years enough guys will be on Huskys to draw from. I was the first to try, and did have some moments, but always had a 'weak link' and suffered for it, even though we ran top ten more often that not-until the 'new guy' missed his handoff or freaked out (one guy just parked it, and walked into the desert) or whatever. Plus we really struggled setting the bikes up in '05 and '06...even carried gas on our backs before the IMS tank was available-try racing 80mph with a gallon of gas in your backpack... Baja racing is about so so so much more than just racing fast. Its the team thing. Personality (adhd tweeker meets mello get it done dude), ego (im faster, no, im faster), need for attention (what ya selling?), finances (camp out and race last years bike, or 4 star hotel with helicopter and 5 identical practice bikes?), and especially level of commitment (pre-run once, or 14 times?)--all play a big role. But again--the biggest problem is simply finding 3-4 fast guys with baja experience who all get along, and who all are 'free' to race a Husky. Many fast over 30 and over 40 guys are ex-factory, and have strong allegiances, etc. etc. not to mention all the politics. (he dissed my buddy 8 years ago, blah blah blah, i hate green bikes, whatever) Then there is the bike set up issues. 5 years ago it was a long list of stuff that needed to be sorted. Now its down to just the front forks. Until a recognized shop name in SoCal can offer perfect suspension for desert bound Huskys, the bikes will not be raced by the up-and-coming. That might change with Zip Ty. Sadly the guys in Riverside and San Deigo dont know about Les/LTR. Bottom line is it takes several years to get a decent baja team going. Its not just a one or two season deal. Throw in a still odd ball Husky, and its an uphill battle, not so much for older guys--but very hard to go against the wind for the younger guys. Their buds all race Hondas, and we know how that goes. Hopefully Husky will give BH a couple bikes, and maybe they can start with the 450 class. Maybe Uptite goes after the 250 class-they won it recently. Rob Barnum, JimO, and I do class 40? Scott H and friends Class 50, and Zip Ty takes the overall Open Pro.....we organize Husky pits on here.... Actually, thats not a bad plan. I gotta lay off the crack.
Mike, I did see something asked to Brent about the Husky thing and he said he wants to race in Baja and Husky has no Baja aspirations at the moment. So he found a team to race with, good answer. he was actually on TTalk asking if anyone was needing a rider for any of the Baja events/races. Funny you mentioned numbers of races in Baja, 20 man you've done alot!!! I got to thinkin' about racing in Mexico, different than your mega mile high profile events but shoot 2 Tecate enduros (94,97) and 7 Tecate HS races (every one except 03)........and only 1 wooden Los A baja trophy (4th place)for all that,,, are we getting old or what ! enjoy the ride,, and don't quit the crack that is good post!!! PS as I posted before Ty has his own CNC milled links on the Zip Ty team bikes, (these I saw) so they are deep into high speed Dez racing suspension tuning as the H&H/BITD/HS season progresses, from what I understand they also are playing with triple clamp offsets as well.(did not see these)
Robertaccio, my post might be a bit too honest, but i will leave it up here. i started out writing about BH's post on TT, when he was asking for a team, but figured that was crossing the line to post it. I'm a bit paranoid. I'm glad to see BH down there, even on a Honda, its just that much more Baja experience. Hopefully he will stay with it. Baja takes time to learn. Will have to ask him to join us on a Husky baja ride one day soon. Theres one more thing i gotta say: Baja Racing is Cheating. Simple as that. To win, ya gotta cheat by cutting the course. Go look at the results from the recent SF250--nobody, but nobody in the know believes the winning 2 bikes rode the same course the next 50 bikes rode. And this, more than anything, will keep Husky from racing Baja. Obviously both SHarden and TyDavis have won the Baja 1000, and know exactly whats up. Its a fair bet they (Husky) wont ever race baja as long as there is such a crazy level of course cutting going on down there, because its a stacked deck against any team being honest. Racing is expensive, and pro teams have to win to justify the cost. Plus Baja racing is on a downstroke right now, as fans realize its rigged, and the economy plays out, and the Dust to Glory buzz fades. Baja wont be a place for competing factories as long as there is pre-running. BITD has long races, without pre-running, and so its a fair fight. SCORE allows guys to go scout out the short cuts, and thats forever a problem in terms of having a fair race. Just my opinion, worth about .02 pesos. No offense meant to anyone.
I'm very proud of what my son as accomplished on his own. Finding his own sponsors, putting together his own race teams, pursuing the dream of winning Baja. Frankly when he was younger he, along with my youngest son Brock had no intention or desire to even try Baja. I have to admit I didn't push it and was quite releived when they decided to pursue other racing interests. In 35 years of racing down there I have seen everything imaginable. No one knows the dangers better than I do. I have seen many a friend seriuosly injured or worse pursuing the Baja dream. However, Brent is now pursuing his own Baja experience and all I can do is go down there and be there to help in anyway I can. For sure I now know what I put my parents through all those years. He is paying his dues and is consistently running in the Top 3 overall. The team he ran with at San Felipe as serious potential. Ivan Ramirez is a real talent and only 16 years old. I watched him ride and his style and finesse will help him to have a long career down there. He will only get faster. He also has a great family behind him. watch him in the future. Maybe one day Husky will return. It certainly has a special place in my heart. It would be great to go down there and take the overall win record back away from Honda. However as Mike and others point out in this forum there is a lot that will have to be done to make it happen. A lot of it will have to come from a grass roots level pit support program just like we had in the glory years of Husqvarna. One thing is for sure the Harden's have never relied on nepotism. We've earned every credit our due the old fashioned way, through hard work, dedication and commitment. Oh yeah and the ability to dream on a big scale!
I love this site!!! I will start calling it the Cafe Husky In-Site Thanks Gents (Mike and Scot), good correspondence. see on the trail.........RSV zona esta semana............enjoy the ride, R
Say mike and Rob, Maybe a little history to jumpstart the glory years comeback. Cool vid of Dan Smith and Dan Ashcraft. Very cool and maybe soon we see the same performances………….just different names (or maybe not?). Got to love the old Pro Circuit rear # plate fender and the trick white vented side plates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxgAlkYR0M4&feature=related Joe
Thanks Joe, the Dez Dans show!! also I will never forget the other non-Husq Dez Dan (Hamel). What a nice young man, so sorry for his tragic loss. Man those guys fly over scary fast terrain. R
I had 10 years of D37 Desert under my belt when those pics where shot. Brings back memories. Fishback, Brooks Bros, Mitch Mays, Bruce O, Larry R, it was a great time.
Then why not come back some of those guys still make a few races a year and it is fun to mix it up with them.I still beleive it is harder to win a dist 37 race then it is to win Baja.Maybe that is because you have to beat 400 other guys first .I have done Baja at least 20 times but for now it is Dist 37 and the Nationals
Hey i was racing a Husky in D37 4 years ago! Just taking a break now, i have young kids, and thats whats keeping me home. I have total repect for D37, much better riders than baja, thats for sure. Truth be told, my lungs and heart need some exercise before i go back to a district race. Baja on the other hand is a fun get away for a few days. Just for the record-- Im a big fan of yours. Lets go race that 125 at the Baja 500 !
