Contingency – the day before the race

This is only my second time out here in Baja for the race, and I am still trying to understand why they call today … Contingency Day. More on that in a little bit … this for me, and for the team … is the day before the race.

I can imagine that the day before the big race for anyone must be somewhat the same … a little bit of chaos, a little of bit of panic, a little bit of last minute planning and a little bit of enjoyment. It also is the day with a lot of packing <bg>.

The Jeep needed to be packed first … while this may not sound like a big deal, and on the surface may not look like a big deal … you have to remember that the you are about to drive for 700+ miles without stopping, off-road, at night and in a very rugged environment … add to it, that typically less than 60% of people who start the race finish… packing becomes important.

I guess you start by asking … “What could go wrong?” … hmmm … which usually is answered by “Just about everything!” … spare tire, check. 2 extra one check. Oil, better take several bottles. Brake fluid, yep. transmission oil, umm, yep. Anything that is liquid, make sure you have that. Could we break a drive shaft, umm, I guess … better pack one of those. Axle, yep, just in case. Transfer case … hmmm … yep, those break, so pack an extra one … in the end, you almost pack enough stuff to make another vehicle … and I’m not kidding. Unfortunately, you can’t carry everything, with you … so you rely on experience to tell you what to put in the race vehicle, the rest you pack into the chase vehicles.

Then you ask yourself, what could the people traveling in the race jeep need … remember, you’ll be sitting in the thing for up to 12 hrs … oh yeah, and if you have any issues, you may need to sit in the desert for many more hours waiting for help … so, food, water, first aid, warm clothes … you get the picture.

Then you just reminded yourself, that it could break down … so you are happy that you have spares … but you’ll need tools … so you pack those … and you’ll need lots of them … more than you can carry … so same routine … the rest go in the chase vehicle.

Once you’re packed … or mostly packed … what should you do … well, apparently for desert racing … you have a parade! With your packed vehicle as the main float.

I wrote a little about this last time … this race is a huge thing to Baja Mexico, it is their Indy 500, their Formula 1, their Nascar … and the driver and teams … are celebrities … the schools are let out, they close the main street and the race vehicles, make a slow progression through the route, ending at the tech inspection (which we passed the day before).

Our Jeep stands out … it honestly stands out amongst all the other vehicles … it is interesting, different and has a story. It, in a way looks out of place, like an old surfer amongst a throng of kids … some don’t understand it … but those who know the sport, give it a great deal of respect … Tim’s Jeep also has stories … it’s been there, done that … it has history … and I think for Tim, he learns a little more about it every time he comes here.

I gave an SD card to another racer that needed it for his GPS, when he asked me what car I was with … I said “I’m chasing for an old CJ Jeep”. The guy, in his twenties … “The blue and white one? I know that Jeep, my dad worked at the shop that built it.”

During the parade, Tim met several who knew the Jeep and told Tim a little more about it … “I knew a guy that raced against it” … I think more people took pictures of it, and commented how cool it was, then some of the vehicles worth 100 times more.

Contingency, turns out is where you put stickers on your car, and should you win your class (or something to that ilk), you get money from the people whose stickers you have … Slime sticker, worth $100 if you win your class … Autometer sticker, $50 … and so on … so we now have a few more stickers <bg> … I think one sticker is worth 100 free beers and 100 free tacos if we win … but I ‘m not sure on that one.

The end of the day before the race, is the drivers meeting … 284 competitors in this years 2011 Baja 1000 … with some cars up to 6 people … the drivers meeting, turns out to be 700+ people … there was the customary Tecate girls, the Mexican honor guard, the national anthems, a prayer, some  politicians, a few general announcements … then a couple of cautions about not running each other over … and finally the last minute course changes. This all ends by 830P … then everyone goes to “sleep” and rest … or drink and party … or fix and pack … or a little of all of the above.

For us it also meant the alignment of our lights … Tomorrow is race day … the 44th Baja 1000 … and we are going to be in it … I’m very excited to be part of this … not sure I can sleep or rest much … on the upside, I get to write my post<g>.