I want to say a couple things. I checked this thread a few times at work today and it killed me that I couldn't comment. I type slow and the boss kept walking by.
I drove down Friday to Ensenada by myself amd met mi amigos there. One is a member of the Regulators Racing team and they asked me to help chase with them. During the drive down I missed the turn for the toll road right after crossing the border. I am ashamed to say it wasn't the first time I've done that. So I had a scenic tour of downtown TJ and drove in a circle..couldn't find the way back on the tollway and circled around again. Now I know how to find the tollway if (when) I miss that turn again. They must have changed the signs, yea that's it. Never once did I feel uncomfortable being by myself. There were lot's of racers heading down and alot of Federal Police patrolling the toll road. I felt safer then in many areas of Southern California. I even parked on the streets for the contingency/inspection and all weekend in Ensenada.
No you don't take a little heat down there Grimm. For the reason Tony said plus the really bad guys have automatic weapons and if they are gonna take your rig then they are gonna take your rig. I could get killed in a car crash driving up the 405 just as easily if not more likely (to quote a line out of Dust To Glory). At the start of the race there were about 10 military guys in full green camo and green and black face paint guarding the starting line. They didn't really blend in the city terrain with the face paint and green fatigues and their machine guns but it was a good show of force along with all the truck loads of them driving around town.
And like Tony said the danger is part of the excitement of Baja. Plus I speak enough spanish to ask a question and then they answer in spanish and I don't understand a word they are saying. So the challenge to communicate is also part of the adventure.
Being this was my first time chasing with a race team it gave me a whole new dimension of Baja racing. I'm hooked and damn it just added about 10 things to the list of things to add to my XJ...roll cage, race radio, GPS, yellow light on back, BFG Baja TA 33's etc etc.
If you haven't experienced a baja race I encourage you to do so. My first times we arrived at night and camped out on some dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Then I was awakened at 5:30 by the sound of a motorcycle screaming by and when I got out of my tent the whole road is lined with people. After the bikes go by the excitement builds until the first helicopter is spotted signaling a trophy truck is about to come by. There is nothing I have experienced like a 800 HP trophy truck driving by on a dirt road doing 100 MPH about 6 feet away from you. AWESOME is all I can say.
I'll get off the soap box now. Here are more pics, another vid and a link to all the pics I took. Make sure you crank your speakers way up for the video. I love that sound!!!!
I call this first one Hang On CoCo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lUscVBuX9s
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bajacurt/sets/72157605420288512/
atriot: lol
