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Wednesday 16 October 2024
Photos by Jony G Actionstudio
Perseverance, grit, determination; these words are synonymous with the successful teams racing in Mexico. More often than not, the picturesque landscapes of Baja throw curveballs at the teams, and the difference between a bad race and a good one comes down to how each team reacts to the adversity they face.
"The last two years we have won this race Overall and in Class. In those races we had no issues, flats, or downtime, and while I had to drive hard, in a way it felt easy since everything went so smoothly according to plan. This year that was not the case" said Dave Mason Jr. - Driver of the #165 Yokohama Evolution Unlimited Buggy. "Being the defending winner, I started first on the road, which has its pros and cons."
The NORRA 500 is a rally-style event, which means the racing takes place in stages; 2 days of racing with 3 sprint sections per day and untimed transit sections in between. One unique aspect about this format vs. the open point-to-point desert races is that there is no prerunning allowed, and the racing officials do not mark the course in any way. The competitors all see the course for the first time as they race through it, and they have to rely heavily on navigation.
"Stage 1, Day 1 we had an awesome run going. Getting into a groove, and running smooth. Unfortunately we came up this hill, and the car fell into a huge ditch that we couldn't see because of overgrown bushes" said Mason Jr. This is one of the negatives of being the first car on the road. Many of the trails the course runs through have not been used for a long period of time, and the vegetation can obscure the driver's view. "The ruts were over waist deep, and I immediately knew we would not be able to get out on our own. My codriver Matt Nelson got out the tow strap and we waited for the Trophy Trucks to come. The #48 truck went flying past, hoping to capitalize on our mistake, but luckily the second truck of Paul Broughton came about 20 minutes later and stopped to help us. It took 3 hard pulls to yank us out of the hole, and then we were ready to get back in and keep going."
The team's troubles were not over yet though, as the 3rd truck to come up the trail was blinded by the dust and found the same fate as the #165. "As soon as we got pulled out, the next truck behind got wedged into the rut like we did. I knew we were losing a lot of time in the race, but I decided to help them too since they were in a tough spot." One hard pull brought the #99 trophy truck back onto the trail and everyone was able to keep going.
Above: Dave Mason Jr. and Team Manager Steve Barlow reflect on a rough and dirty Stage 1.
All said, the Mason Team lost over 25 minutes dealing with the nasty section of race course. They knew they were at a serious disadvantage, but the race was still young, and there would be opportunities to climb back up the leaderboard.
In Stages 2 and 3 of Day 1, the Mason Off Road Team would come in 3rd and 1st Overall, respectively, and finish out the day 8th Overall. "I think we were sitting 37th after the First Stage, so we battled back very well. We passed the #48 truck toward the end of Stage 3. They blew their engine. At the end of Day 1 the car is in great shape. We had no flats with our Yokohama Tires, and we have the speed to make up time tomorrow" said Mason Jr.
The team went to work that evening to prepare the racecar and go over their logistical plan for Day 2. Team Mason Off Road is made up of highly-dedicated racers who all love Baja and work hard to prove what they are capable in these competitive races.
A determined Dave Mason Jr. and new Co-Driver, Evan Erdelyi, line up for the start to Day 2.
For Day 2, the team made a distinctive change to their gameplan: They switched navigators. Evan Erdelyi is the Lead Fabricator on the car and knows its mechanical workings better than anyone. His time spent navigating in Baja is limited, but the team saw this as an opportunity to gain experience and evaluate the performance of the car in a real race. "I was nervous at first getting in the car. After I started to settle in it was a fun and challenging course for me being the navigator." said Edelyi. "Trial by fire" is how Dave Mason Sr. referred to it. Erdelyi had been expecting to spend his day chasing the car and managing the pit stops, instead he found himself flying up the coast at times over 125 mph.
So how did the young fabricator do? The results speak for themselves. The team would respond to the adversity they faced by dominating all 3 of the Stages on Day 2, winning each one by multiple minutes overall!
The series awarded an extra special trophy called the "King of the Beach" to the competitor that was the fastest of everyone in the final stage of the rally. This 51.0 mile section, starting in San Vicente, is legendary and well-known among Baja racers. The road starts in a deep canyon and makes its way to the beautiful untouched coastline. It includes flowing high-speed turns along massive ocean cliffs and climbs over the mountains to the inland valley vineyards of Santo Tomas. When the dust settled, Dave Mason Jr. was named the King. The duo of Mason Jr. and Erdelyi had posted the fastest time by 1 minute 59 seconds over the next fastest competitor. This was a huge margin of victory for the distance traveled.
Above: Mason Jr. displays the team's new trophies.
In the Overall Standings, the team climbed from 8th the first day to ultimately finish 3rd, as well as take 2nd in their highly-competitive Unlimited Buggy class. This, along with the King of the Beach award helped make up for the struggles experienced in Day 1. The team went home in great spirits having known they accomplished a solid race, and would be bringing back a racecar in great condition, ready for Mr. Erdelyi to reprep for the grueling Baja 1000 next month.
Above: Team owners, Dave Sr. and Debbie Mason, would like to recognize the exceptional efforts of our team members - Steve Reeder (Lead Engine Builder), Steve Barlow (Team Manager), Evan Erdelyi, Matt Nelson, Arthur "Bacon" Acevedo, Chuy Nunez, Ryan Reeder, Lorenzo Bonacci!
We would also like to sincerely thank the amazing companies that support our efforts in off road racing:
Primary Sponsor: Yokohama Tires #TeamYokohama
Vision Canopy
Baja Designs "The Scientists of Lighting"
Wiseco Pistons
NAWAKAR Outdoor Procuts
Pedal Commander
Speed Strap
Weddle Performance Transaxles
SR Performance Engines "Engines with Attitude!"
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