After a dramatic year in the SCORE International Series in Baja, Mexico for Pirruñas Racing in Class 24(450 pro), the team was able to pull off the 1st place win in Class 24. The Baja 1000 puts man and machine to the ultimate test. Preparation and logistics is the key in winning such a long and demanding race. You can be leading the first 500 miles of the race but in a blink of an eye your race can end in a heart beat. Riders need to be focused and keep mistakes to a minimum and pit crews need to be on point and ready for whatever and whenever.
The Baja 1000 started for Pirruñas Racing in August after the team competed in the Longest Offroad race in America the BITD Vegas to Reno. Team leaders and brothers, Juan and Alonzo Dominguez began wrenching on the Liberty Motorsports Trx450r to get it ready for 883 miles of offroad racing. The motor was put together by Honda dealership “Liberty Motorsports” in Yuma,AZ while the rest of the quad was prepped by Alonzo Dominguez. Juan took care of the logistics and planning for the race and also decided who would be riding the 109A trx450r through the grueling Baja 1000.
The Pirruñas Racing team consisted of Juan and Alonzo Dominguez from Yuma, AZ; Gilberto “Filemon” Perez from Mexicali, Baja California; David Scott from New Mexico; Travis Dillon from San Diego, California; and 17 year old Jose “Luigi” Velez from San Felipe, Baja California. “I decided to go with riders who have experience in Baja” said Juan. “Experience is what can win you a race down there and that is what these guys have and they are fast!”
Pirruñas Racing headed across the border to race headquarters in Ensenada, Baja Mexico to get ready for the green flag to drop on Thursday November 14. SCORE International decided for the first time in history to start the Baja 1000 at 11 pm for motorcycles and atv’s on Thursday so they can get a head start on the trucks and buggies. Rider of Record Juan Dominguez was the first rider to hit the trail on the Liberty Motorsports Honda Trx450r. “I was excited to start this year’s Baja 1000 at night. I love riding at night since you’re only focused on what your lights can see. The fog got pretty intense around race mile 15 but the millions of spectators guided you the right way making it easier to not get lost.” said Juan. Juan handed 109a to team rider Filemon at Ojos Negros in 3rd position after starting 7th in the class. Filemon put in a solid ride through the pitch black night of Baja and handed the bike off to Dave Scott at rm75. The team took their time and checked oil, fluids, and filters before Dave headed off into the night for his 120 mile section through the Pine forest and the silt beds of El Saldaña. After a well needed maintenance check, chase crews drove to El Chinero at rm195 to wait for Dave. As the sun was starting to set over the beautiful Sea of Cortez, Dave showed up in one piece and in 2nd place only minutes from the leader. Pit crews checked over 109a for any problems that might turn into disasters but the honda was in one piece and ready for “Luigi” to take on 80 miles of 4 feet deep whoops through his home town of San Felipe. “The Elka Suspension Stage 5s shock absorbers worked flawlessly through my section. My uncle Felipe Velez from Baja ATV Riders only did the revalving and set up our shocks and man did he leave them dialed! I was able to hit the 4 ft deep whoops with confidence and was able to make time on the leader” said Luigi. Luigi handed the Liberty Motorsports trx450r to Alonzo at Puertecitos(rm270) who would crossover 109a to highway 1 at El Crucero(rm385) where his little brother Juan would be waiting for him. “Luigi put in a fantastic ride! He handed the bike off to me in one piece and only minutes behind the leader” said Alonzo ” I was able to catch and pass the leader around rm350 in the Calamajue wash. My heart was pumping with excitement as we were leading the Baja 1000!” Alonzo handed the bike off to Juan at El Crucero with a 10 minute lead. The pit crew checked over the bike so Juan could have a clean 120 mile ride through the silt beds of the fish camps. “The silt beds were gnarly! It was like going through flour I had to stay on the throttle or else I would sink. There was tons more silt then pre running the week before! But the Liberty Motorsports trx450r ripped through that stuff easily while our UNI air filters kept the bike breathing!” said Juan. Juan handed the bike off to Filemon at CataviÒa(rm500) and the crew again maintenced the Honda before Filemon took off on his 160 mile section through the mountains. “At this point of the race I just wanted to take care of the quad through rocks and not make any mistakes to blow our lead. My section was really technical and rocky so I knew I had to be patient and race mile by mile” said Filemon. After battling for almost 6 hours through the grueling terrain of Baja, Filemon shows up at Santo Domingo(rm660) with 109a running flawlessly. The pit crew mounted the lights once again, checked all fluids, and Alonzo was off into the darkness. “I could already smell the victory but I knew there was still 230 miles left so I had to keep it together. I got a flat coming up the rocky mountains to Mikes Sky Ranch so I took it down a bit since I knew we had a pretty good lead” said Alonzo. The course crossed over to highway 3 once again where Travis Dillon would be waiting to take the helm. Alonzo handed the bike over to Travis Dillon and he was off heading towards the nasty rocky silt beds of Tres Hermanos. “I was excited to see that we were in the lead. The last time we saw the bike was at Puertecitos and we were in 2nd. So I decided to turn it down a bit and ride smart into the night and hand off the quad to Alonzo so he can take it the finish” said Travis. At race mile 850, Alonzo took over the quad one last time and made his towards the finish. ” I was screaming inside as I took off from the last pit! All our hard and determination was about to pay off but I told myself that the race doesn’t end until we cross the finish line” said Alonzo.
After 24 hours and 16 minutes, Pirruñas Racing sees the checkered flag at the finish line back where it all started in Ensenada. ” we had no major issues today only a flat tire! Our months of preparation paid off and our Liberty Motorsports trx450r ripped all day long, our Elka Suspension Stage 5 shocks gave us a smooth ride, our UNI air filters kept our quad breathing, our Motul lubricants kept our engine running smoothly, our RK Chain never missed a beat, the IMS Products fuel system allowed us for quick fuel stops, the Barker’s Exhaust for giving us the power we needed, Baja ATV rider’s only for revalving and tuning our shocks, our DWT wheels for taking al the beating from grueling terrain! To be the best you have to run the best and thats exactly what we proved today” Said Juan. “It is a dream come true!” The team finished 2nd quad overall behind Class 25 winners Adolfo Arellano and 7th overall bikes and quads.
Pirruñas Racing owes a huge thank you to their chase crews: Vicente Dominguez(father of Juan and Alonzo), Daisy(Juan’s girlfriend), Ruben Rodriguez and his kids Ruben Jr and Ivan Perez, for being awake for almost 2 days chasing 109a all over Baja!
The team also wants to give a HUGE thanks to all the sponsors: Double Lucky, Yuma Mortuary, Liberty Motorsports, Elka Suspension, IMS Products, Fox Racing, Yuma Park n Swap, Polar Cooling, Yuma’s Auto Glass, Uni Air Filters, Iron Scroll of Yuma, Loyalty Management, Barker’s Exhaust, DWT Wheels, RA Corporativo & Juridico Rodriguez, RK Chains, Motul Lubricants, Baja ATV Rider’s Only, and Lands clean for all their support! We couldn’t do it without you guys!!