Velia Amparo Rivas

Finally! Mexican Father-and-Son Team Wins Baja 1000 for first time in history!

For the first time in the race's 43-year history, a Mexican team took top honors at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 on Nov. 20 after the father-son duo of Gus Vildosola Sr. and Jr. drove their Ford F-150 Trophy Truck into La Paz, Mexico. Twenty-eight-year-old Vildosola Jr. started and finished the race, while 57-year-old Senior drove a section in the middle of the grueling 1,062-mile route that started in Ensenada.

"This race means a lot to me," said Vildosola Jr. "Every time we go out and race, I say we have the privilege of representing Mexico because we're the only Mexican SCORE Trophy-Truck team . . . It's such a special day for Mexico with the bicentennial of the [Mexican] revolution and the centennial of Mexican independence, so everything just kind of fell into place and we're very happy about it. It's just perfect."

The family team overcame dust, rocks and even fog to finish with an overall time of 19 hours and four seconds, averaging 55.67 mph. That time was faster than the motorcycles this year, the first time a four-wheeler beat the bikes since 1973 in a peninsula run to La Paz. The occurrence marks just the seventh time it has happened in the race's history.

Kendall Norman and Quinn Cody were the best of the bikes, sharing a Honda CRF450X and giving Honda its 21st overall motorcycle victory in Baja, including its 14th consecutive triumph. Norman drove the first and final sections, and Cody the middle sector, to a winning overall time of 19:22:22 with an average speed of 54.87 mph.

Defending SCORE Trophy Truck season points champion and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Robby Gordon was the second overall four-wheeled vehicle, finishing unofficially 22 minutes behind the Vildosolas in his Chevrolet CK1500 Trophy Truck.

A total of 201 teams finished the race, out of the 292 competitors who started the event piloting cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in 33 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes. Race organizers listed crowds at nearly 250,000-strong along the Baja peninsula. Vehicles left the start line in 30-second intervals and all had 45 hours to finish before the course closed Saturday morning at 10:02 a.m. local time.

Saludos and don't forget to visit my website: www.bajaoceanside.com and write me at: velia.in.baja@gmail.com to make an appointment with me to take you to see your future dream home in Baja!

Velia Amparo

Published Monday, November 22, 2010 12:07 AM by Velia Amparo Rivas