That new buggy not only inspired me to build my current version (an off-road/on-road machine known as a Meyers Manx Dual Sport), but it led me to help Bruce and a group of enthusiastic helpers to collaborate on a racing version of the Manxter designed to debut at the 35th anniversary SCORE Baja 1000 in 2002. Not only would Bruce race, but so too would original 1967 Mexican 1000 champion Vic Wilson along with others in his team. The effort was tied into the BFGoodrich/Toyota Class 1 team with Indy car drivers Mike and Robbie Groff, Jimmy Vasser and me. Together we managed to convince a bunch of generous industry people to join our retro efforts with all manner of needed parts and services.
Making its debut at the 2002 SCORE Baja 1000, the newly constructed Manxter race car began what would be string of failure…
Wearing the No. 1967 in honor of the first year of the race itself, the well-intentioned effort made a valiant, but unsuccessful, quest to reach the finish line in La Paz. It would return the following year, a race which was documented in the theatrical film
Dust to Glory for which I served as one of the producers. Sadly, there is a scene near the end where the race Manxter was unceremoniously being rescued back to civilization on a tow-strap.
The possessed car was campaigned with Bruce three more times. Three more times it failed to reach the end. Meyers had a Baja finishing record of 0 for 5.
After the
Dust to Glory experience, I embarked on a second Baja racing film entitled
Baja Social Club, thanks in large measure to the return of NORRA and the retro-themed Mexican 1000. Created to honor the original godfathers of the sport with NORRA as its backdrop, we filmed Meyers’ return to his beloved peninsula with Old Red, this time with Vic Wilson driving a replica of the original 1967 race-winning No. 10 Meyers Manx.
It was sometime during that trip when I asked Bruce if the fact that he never finished one race bothered him like it would most racers. Ever the vibrant storyteller, he tried to spin off the obvious disappointment hidden deep inside with some type of cliche about life being a journey or something like that. That was Bruce.