THE FUTURE OF OFF-ROAD/BAJA/ DESERT RACING

By Scot Harden

Those keeping score may have noticed my editorial contributions to the pages of Dealernews over the past year were spotty, at best. Several reasons factor into this. First and foremost, I’ve been swamped moving my home and business for the last 40 years from SoCal to Idaho. Those who have made similar moves know how challenging it is, especially those with decades of accumulated cr@p to account for. I’ve also been busy hosting events like the Nevada 200 Trailride, servicing my consulting business, and, more recently, having knee replacement surgery (an occupational hazard of 50 years of off-road motorcycle racing). All this aside, one of my most rewarding undertakings this past year has been working with Johnny Campbell to expand the Handstands @100mph Baja/Desert Off-Road Motorcycle Racing initiative.

Handstands @100mph is a labor of love undertaken by the two of us. Given our background in the sport and all it has given us, we strongly desire to see this type of racing flourish. Our mission is to draw attention to longdistance off-road desert racing, honor its history and past champions, promote the sport to a younger generation, recharge and reinvigorate participation. Specifically, we are talking about SCORE events like the San Felipe 250, Baja 500 and Baja 1000: BITD events like the Parker 250, Vegas-to-Reno and other major long-distance desert racing events like The Mint 400, AMA’s National Hare & Hound series, rallies like Dakar and desert motorcycle racing in general.

Our inaugural Handstands @100mph event held in 2021 was well attended and featured dozens of past champions and legends in the sport, including the most extensive collection of iconic desert race-winning motorcycles ever assembled. For 2022 we expanded Handstands to honor the racing organizations, clubs, and people who are the backbone of the sport. See the November issue of Dealernews: https://issuu.com/dealernews/docs/issue_11_ november_d4893c58be9a40/68

We started with a reunion at the amazing Blackmore Ranch in Murrieta, followed by an AMA-sanctioned Dual Sport ride in the Ocotillo SVRA, where we proudly hosted one of only a handful of events for organized group rides ever permitted inside the SVRA. While implementing our Handstands @100mph initiative, we have engaged with racing organizations/promoters, OEMs, aftermarket companies, race teams, racers and fans of the sport, soliciting feedback, encouraging conversation, and hopefully providing inspiration to grow the sport.

After two years of hard work, we are proud to say we see some progress and renewed interest from those involved in the sport. If nothing else, we’ve drawn attention to the value Baja/Desert motorcycle racing offers as a sales and marketing platform. We’ve also attracted a lot of coverage by the press and the racing organizations to the extent that SCORE recently invited yours truly to serve as Grand Marshall at the 2022 Baja 1000, the first time ever that SCORE selected a motorcycle racer for such an honor.

SCORE followed this up with extensive coverage of its motorcycle classes in its latest issue of the SCORE Journal. Best In The Desert is also pushing the motorcycle classes hard, including bringing back their World Hare & Hound Championship, and the Martelli Brothers continue to push the boundaries for desert racing promotion through their iconic Mint 400 event (and new California 300 race). Add in the growing interest and coverage of our American riders in international desert rallies like Dakar, and we are starting to move the needle in a positive direction.

But even though we are seeing renewed interest in this racing segment, we still have a long way to go to bring it back to its glory days of the late 70s, 80s and early 90s. Based on the feedback we’ve received, and our own experience in the sport, here are a few suggestions Johnny and I want to share in laying the foundation for future growth:

OEM Involvement: There is no question that we need to get the motorcycle manufacturers involved in Baja/ Desert Racing for it to draw the attention of the media and the racing public at large. Back when this form of racing was at its peak, we had factory involvement from brands like Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki and KTM. We need the OEMs to get involved again. To do so, we must demonstrate that we’ve greatly improved the safety protocol and emergency support for all racers. Kurt Caselli’s tragic death at the Baja 1000 and Danny Hamel’s death years before at the Baja 500 sent shock waves through the OEM ranks, ultimately leading to them scaling back the factory efforts. Getting the OEMs back will require a concerted effort by all parties involved and for the promoters to demonstrate adequate safety measures are in place.

Fortunately, some great work has already been accomplished in this area. SCORE is leading the way with dedicated air medical support, GPS tracking, controlled speed zones, medical staff, and an evacuation plan for anyone injured during their events. More work and refinement need to be done, but we are already far ahead of where we were just a few short years ago. We are very close to providing an effective safety net to protect riders in the event of a major crash or incident. Coordination between the promoters and a group like the Caselli Foundation may solve this problem to everyone’s satisfaction. Certainly, satisfy OEMs’ concerns that their riders are protected as much as possible, given the inherent danger of any form of motorcycle racing.

Sanctioning Body & Racer Accreditation Program: To draw international riders requires the current U.S.-based promoter groups to work with an international motorcycle racing federation to set standards and competition protocols for racers to compete. Because SCORE and BITD races include four-wheel and motorcycle classes racing simultaneously, a certain level of experience and skill is required. For international insurance carriers to stand behind these racers, a sanctioning body must set the standards for competition.

Expanded Media Coverage: This includes live streaming of motorcycle classes during these events. With SCORE and Martelli Bros leading the way, great strides have been made in this area. This includes investment in Live Streaming and expansion based on the advent of Starlink. The Starlink network’s enormous capabilities for live Internet broadcasts from practically anywhere on the planet closes the technology gap and makes it possible for expanded coverage of motorcycles at any long-distance off-road event. Best In The Desert is also making efforts to provide live coverage of their events and hopefully will include motorcycles. And with Martelli’s partnering with King Of The Hammers recently, maybe we will even see the King Of The Motos live streamed in the future? (See sidebar).

More Streamlined, Focused Series Structure: There needs to be less fragmentation and division. Too many series and races are competing for the press and the racing public’s attention. There needs to be an overarching offroad series consisting of a select number of major events in Baja and the U.S. Perhaps a U.S. series champion and Baja series champion with an overall Grand Champion for both series. Something along these lines would go a long way towards elevating the sport and provide an easy-to-understand path for marketing to promote the sports heroes and champions.

Baja/Desert motorcycle racing — like American Flat Track and Supercross — is among the few quintessentially American forms of racing and is in an exceptional class. The sense of accomplishment, challenge and adventure that Baja/Desert racing embodies are second to none! The “lone dust cloud across Chapala dry lake,” seeing the shimmering lights of La Paz after 450 miles of riding through the night, and soloing Vegas to Reno are all peak life experiences that only Baja/Desert racing affords.

Marketing is about storytelling, and what better stories/ marketing opportunities does Baja/Desert racing generate? Handstands @100mph wants to ensure future generations have their own stories to tell based on these classic events.