History: The Baja Sports Committee
By Pancho Vanilla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_gZ...aB1zFIQWFT_jVg
The Arab Nations committed a terrorist attack upon the innocent citizenry of the world when they jacked up the price of crude oil by 70% in October - overnight. This made members of the motorsport community very uneasy, and for off-road racing, the Grandaddy Mexican (Baja) 1000 was set to go in November.
The Mexican 1000 promotor was the National Off-Road Racing Association (N.O.R.R.A.) who bailed out and decided to hold a race in Arizona; rather the entire length of the Baja Peninsula (1,200 miles) and have the crews turn around afterward the take essentially the same route home. Roughly 2,000 miles for six or seven pit trucks; five days minium off from work for each "volunteer" official or checkpoint monitor; or even race team members. You had to take a minumum of five days off in order to help a team.
Who can blame Ed Pearlman and Don Francisco at N.O.R.R.A. for bailing out of a race where oil shortage was going to be real, that prices could continue to soar? It was easier drop such an important event like the Mexican 1000, just go to Parker, Arizona and run a desert race of 400 miles so folks could make home in time on Sunday to catch an NFL game. It's a "no brainer"!!!
Folks; the men and women in this feature are solid pioneers. In speaking with Walker Evans recently about about this particular 1973 motorsports event, he said there was incredible pressure to win the Baja event (Ford Motor Company, Olympia Brewing Company, Parnelli Jones Enterprises with a new Chevy Silverado) and nothing but three little days in November in Parker, Arizona and no challenges. He could not imagine missing a Baja race (500 or the 1000), "...so we somehow got the resources we needed. Besides, my starting position was first off the line for four-wheelers and I knew I could win it overall with my truck (Class 8/Ford F-150 Longbed)." Walker had forgotten about the sudden economic concerns when I reminded him there was a new promoter in '73 (Baja Sports Commitee / BSC / who had no experience in this event) and that there was no Baja 1000 in 1974; that meant no racing and no sponsors. "Walker..." I said, "The Craftsman Truck Series came thirty years later and without sponsor you could not race to the level it was (is...) so you'd be stuck with your old construction company and no racing."
Wearing one of his white hats, arms forward upon his desk and looking down quietly - he was deep in thought a few moments... Then he rose his head and pointed a waving index finger at me and said: "I remember! That was a terrible time to have no fuel! We had those long gas lines at the filling stations! Baja made me what I am today!" Then he put a finger up between his lips and front teeth with a grimace and looking off to the left side of the desk to the flooroom said: "I don't know how we did it... We wanted the overall win but the sterring column broke apart and we had brake problems late in the race, but I am amazed he went down at all, but I would never miss a Baja race over any other."
Walker asked me to pass along his gratitude to the Republic of the United Mexican States; especially the people along the entire length of the Baja California peninsula.