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Tue May 10, 2005 11:08 pm

Hello everyone. I have a question for those of you who may know. Are there any offroad races for baja bugs that are just for fun? By this I mean, are there any races where you bring a baja not built to any specific rules, and race others for a good time? I would really like to participate in a race sometime, but would have to change a lot on my car to qualify for class 5 1600. Not to mention is would cost a fortune to get setup to be competitive at all. I think it would be cool to have a short race, maybe 100 miles or so where anyone could come out and run. Who cares where you finish. Just to compete and have a good time with others who dont want to spend a fortune to race. Does anything like this exist? Thanks.

Wed May 11, 2005 7:37 am

I would be down for that. I sent an E-mail to MDR about their street legal class but never got a response.Even a short closed course would be cool.

Wed May 11, 2005 11:09 am

Show up to just about any "poker run", and you will be able to race with 75% of the cars in attendance....haha

Also, if you car meets the safety standards, most courses or sanctioning bodies will allow you to run in sportsman class.

SHMO

Wed May 11, 2005 4:13 pm

Since you are in the bay area, contact the East Bay High Tailers club. Bugformance in San Jose probably has a contact number. Memorial Day is a high desert rallye (Hawthorne,Nevada-- I think its a 125 mile course). Several desert runs a year. Or contact Ridge Runners in Modesto. If no luck contact me and I have a phone # for CORVA (California Off Road Vehicle Association). Sacramento may still have short course racing at their local off-road park (Prairie City). I haven't checked the CORVA site but go to wwwcorva.org for info. CORVA has a norcal jamboree every year at Frank Raines Park (Patterson- about 45 min from S Ramon)

Wed May 11, 2005 5:13 pm

In a bug that does not meet a the specs for a certain class you would be able to enter the sportsman class, MDR does it and MORE does it, You still have to meet all the safety requirements, It costs $200 for entry, and its basically for fun,There is a m.o.r.e race over memorial day weekend in Lucerne Valley You should stop in and check it out.. If you make it, we will be running check A if you get thirsty for a soda or something. There is 170 cars entered so far in this race. Its gonna be a good one

Wed May 11, 2005 6:38 pm

That's cool that I could run in a sportsman event. $200 sucks though to just drive for fun. I would not be able to pay that much unfortunately. I know that most races have high entry level fees for payouts, but I dont really care about prizes or anything since I dont know anything about driving in a race and dont have a car that would be particularly fast offroad. Class 5 cars are very expensive to setup correctly. So not much else other than that though? I will look more into the Nor-Cal organizations listed. I was thinking more of a small time fun run type deal somewhat locally as opposed to a major sanctioned race event. Also, what "safety" standards are there. Is there an online listing of required equipment or anything for some of the common race events.

On a side note, does anyone know of somewhere in Northern California that I can drive on a desert like road? I have only been to a few local SVRA parks that are mainly for slow moving 4x4 courses as opposed to terrain the baja is more built for. Mainly Mud and rocks, which gets old quick. I would really like to drive in the desert and hit some bumps and turns and higher speeds and what not. Is there anywhere that I can do that in this area?

Wed May 11, 2005 6:58 pm

I have been around norcal most of my life. If you find some local desert let me know :-). I go to Nevada (Sand Mountain) and highdesert in socal to play.

Thu May 12, 2005 12:04 am

Ya,

Poker run has your name all over it. Enter one, pay your $15 bucks or whatever and nerf the guy in the single hoop old school sand rail, good healthy fun. Afterall, rubbins racin and those old drunk guys with the barney mobiles LUUUV to get roosted, at least it seems that way....haha

SHMO

Thu May 12, 2005 9:08 am

I have never heard of a poker run before. How do they work, and are there any in the Nor-Cal area. $15 sounds about what I had in mind though. I would just like to run with some other cars and goof around for fun on occasion in a "race like" setup. Thanks for everyones input.

Thu May 12, 2005 9:57 am

Poker runs are mostly setup by clubs or some type or riding/driving organization.

First off, let me say I was kidding about the agressive rubbin racing and roosting thing. Don't do that at a poker run or you might end up with a knuckle sandwich. This is how it works. They group every type of vehicle and driver into one event. Each entry is given a "hand", and every person onboard is usually welcome to be an entry if they wish. Drivers run a course where there are usually 5 checkpoints. At each of these checkpoints you stop and draw a single card. That card is entered into your hand. At the end of the poker run, the entries with the best poker hands win. It maintains a totally level playing field and allows everyone to enjoy the day together regardless of the vehicle.

Now for some, this fun and friendly poker run is a casual cruise and they could care less about how fast they go. But, for others it is a flat out race! I have been involved in off shore boat racing, and at some "poker runs" I have atteneded guys show up with 150mph boats burning race fuel at a rate of 100 gallons an hour. Those guys aren't there for the $50 prize. You can usually spot the guys who want to run fast, and it is a fun way to pair your vehicle against others.

SHMO

Thu May 12, 2005 10:16 am

Right on. That sounds like exactly what I am looking for. I would like something fun like that where my wife could ride as well. I'm sure she would have a blast at an event like that. Thanks for your help SHMO. I came across the Bartstow Poker Run doing a search. Are there any in Northern California. It would take about 7 hours to get to Barstow from here. That would not be fun or worth it for any race at this point. Not to mention that I dont have a tow vehicle. I have a tow bar, but a Honda Civic that my wife drives. The baja is my Daily. Any help finding something similar in this area (within maybe 2 hours or so) would be great. Someday, I would love to head down south, but I dont have the time or money to pull a major trip anytime soon. Even if there is no organized runs up here, if anyone knows of cool riding places that are "desert like" in the area that would be great as well. Thanks again everyone. Take care.

Thu May 12, 2005 8:39 pm

Hank, have you tried duning yet? Pismo Dunes are about 3 and 1/2 hours south of you (on 101). I have seen some nice bajas playing there whenever I go? Just air down your tires and have fun. Paddles are nice to have, but not required to play. $4 day use and $10 to camp overnight on beach. Town is only minutes away and has motels,restaurants,fast food, movie theatre and a Wal Mart. What more do you need :-)?

Thu May 12, 2005 9:01 pm

Hiya Hank, The race in NV by VORRA is here in Yerington the end of the month. As I recall, you can pre-run. Also, you can camp out or stay in a motel. Check out VORRA.com for more info. If you come over, I'll have a cold one waiting for you. The start/finish line is a half mile north of my house. Ol' John 8)

Thu May 12, 2005 10:08 pm

Sounds cool. I will check out the vorra website shortly. Duning sounds and looks like a blast. I have heard that you need an insane amount of horsepower to do a whole lot though. I have a mile 1835, but have 4.37 gearing which would be a plus. I am from the east coast and have done a lot of driving on the beach in the outer banks of North Carolina. That is my wife and my favorite place to go. Pismo looks similar, but I dont know how well my car would climb is the only thing.

Thu May 12, 2005 10:39 pm

Duning doesn't require insane HP! While its true some rails are running 1000 HP alum V-8s with twin turbos, it isn't needed--- your 1835 would be fun. Less HP can actually be more fun. When we used to have low HP it was fun because of the challenges to climb or not get stuck. Now that we have lots of HP there is no challenge. Point and shoot, doesn't require any skill--anyone can climb or drag race with mega horsepower! Horsepower is an ego thing for most people, don't fall into that trap! I had/have more fun with less power. Pismo has no big dunes anymore, they shut em down around 1983 :-(. You're 1835 will do fine. You won't climb every dune, but it will give you goals for future trips. If you like duning then the next phase will be----paddle tires, bigger motor, more suspension, better driving skills, etc. It's all fun!!!!