race day

 Cars, truck and motorcycles arrived last evening to race today in the ProBaja 2011 Los Barriles 300 desert racing series:
 http://www.probajaonline.com/probaja-desert-series-2011/los-barriles-east-cape-300/#inscritos

Some of the competitors stayed near our RV park and it was interesting to see them settle in and get prepared for race day. The main gathering site is 2 blocks away from our RV park and we walked over to enjoy the atmosphere which was a lot like being at a rodeo fairground with food stands, beer tents, candy floss, merchandise stands and young race fans coming by to get their posters autographed by their favourite drivers.

Through the evening and night each car drove through and was looked over. We were told that to build one of the big units it could cost as much as $400,000. This does not include the big support teams, vehicles and fuel that go along with them. Some of the vehicles were much more modest, the mechanical skill and pride of their owners stood out in each one. As the sun set, the banda music started up and we feel asleep to the sound of engines thrumming long into the night.

Today we drove out to La Ribera to watch part of the race. The race course ran through the desert, through small town dirt roads, on the Mex. #1 highway and up the surrounding hills and down into wide arroyos. The terrain is very rough and the speeds are high. We heard of a few serious incidents throughout the day. Several vehicles broke down and didn't finish the race. A cow was hit by a motorcyclist. One car's engine flew apart going up a steep hill and the car following it narrowly avoided hitting spectators. A support vehicle speeding through the last arroyo missed a turn around a gravel pit and rolled over into the pit. The rescue vehicles got stuck in the sand, but lots of hands nearby, the occupants were helped quickly to be taken away by ambulance.

We returned to town and back over to the main site to see the drivers return after the end of the race. The best part was seeing how excited the young kids were to see the cars and drivers up close!