Jason Baldwin of Baldwin Racing dies

I don't know if anybody else noticed this, but upon flying back from the Baja 1000, Jason Baldwin crashed into the ocean and died. He was pretty big in off road racing and had/has a big shop right here in northern WI building race trucks near Crandon. Jeff

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/11/21/sports/s053115S27.DTL

BTW, I finally saw "From Dust to Glory" on DVD this past weekend. Interesting film, but seemed like they were trying to make more of the event than there is. Trying too hard to make it seem like a Grand thing. Jeff

Jeff 98XJ WI said:

BTW, I finally saw "From Dust to Glory" on DVD this past weekend. Interesting film, but seemed like they were trying to make more of the event than there is. Trying too hard to make it seem like a Grand thing. Jeff

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Explain this? How is the Baja not a grand thing?

DrMoab said:

Explain this? How is the Baja not a grand thing?

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X2.

Thats sucks about his death..

DrMoab said:

Explain this? How is the Baja not a grand thing?

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Exactly (although I may be too close to care about what others discount).

How is 20 hours of continous driving trails with sections that are more difficult that most rockcrawling areas, alternating with graded and paved road sections with speeds well over one hundred miles per hour (with no chassis alterations between sections) not a grand event?

What about the team logistics of supporting a vehicle to operate continously for 1000 km in these conditions (with no gas stations, and no repair shops, except what the team brings with them)?

You could contend the Baja 1000 was easy if the European Raid-Rallye Factory Teams (the Paris-Dakar or Senegal endurance racers) were entering the event and winning (or even placing), but this contention has never been fullfilled (the European teams have never even finished, although Baja drivers have placed in the European Raids).

You should drive down and witness a few races in person (witness a week of pre-running, and the weekend of competition). The experience will probably change your perception of the scale of the event. The preparation, participation, logistics, competition, and the shear determination demnded of the teams racing is hard to understand (even through a movie like Dust to Glory).

It is a sad event to lose a competitor on, or off, the track. The Baldwin family has always been a competitive force. Through up and down business cycles, BK filings, reorganizations, and very sad events racing and pre-running they have always remained focused participants (even if the focus is tapping a competitors back bumper to urge them out of the way). A sad event, but probably not the end of racing for the Baldwin family.

Ok, to me it was a pretty cool film and I bought into the mystiqe of the race. However, for others that aren't really into the whole deal, it seemed like the movie makers were being a little too magical or reverent or awestruck or whatever the correct term is with their voice overs and stories. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more actual racing footage, tech on the trucks, and less romantasizing about the race. I thought the scenes where the one bike rider veered off course onto the beach and just TORE along it trying to pass the guy in front of him on the track...and failed...was the best scene in the whole film! I would LOVE to make a trip down there sometime and experience the whole buzz. That's on my list of must do's before I die!! Jeff

I'm a diehard WRC fan and I've only just gotten cable and have been able to watch CORR events and I am mighty impressed. It's a shame we can no longer watch Jason battle with his brother or anyone else on the short track.

RIP