![](BMWMotorcyclesNewsSpectatorswentwildwhentheyheardthesoundoftheHP2Endurocoming_files/image011.png)
“Spectators went wild when they heard the
sound of the HP 2 Enduro coming.”
BMW Motorrad Off-Road Team Places 14th Overall in Baja 1000
There were 431 entries and only 231 finishers in the 2006 Tecate
Score-International Baja 1000, but the BMW Motorrad off-road team was one
of them, posting an amazing 14th overall in the motorcycle class. The team,
consisting of riders Beau Hayden, Ron Bishop, Chuck Dempsey, Tony Megla and
Peter Postel, tore the 105 horsepower HP 2 Enduro through a treacherous
1047 mile course, racing for twenty-four hours straight to reach the finish
line at La Paz.
In a race where just surviving is a victory in itself, the team’s 14th
overall win was quite an accomplishment – even more so when you factor in
that the 13 bikes that finished ahead of the 1200 cc HP 2 Enduro were all
650 ccs or less.
The race began at 6:00 a.m. in Ensendada, with Beau Hayden tearing off the
starting line into the coastal morning haze of dust and fog. Hayden did
approximately 215 miles to checkpoint 3, just north of Puertocitos. Beau
had this to say about the race:
“I started the 22nd bike out of 26 open pro entries. There was no
wind but very thick dust and the sun was in m y eyes for the first 40 miles
of the race. The dust rarely let up during my stint on the bike. My ride
was fairly uneventful as I concentrated hard on not making mistakes or
misjudgments in the dust. The bike worked flawlessly and I steadily moved
forward through the pack. At one point we moved up to approximately 6th
overall around Valle de Trinidad. My highlight of the day was crossing El
Diablo dry lake bed where I could open up the bike and let it run.”
“It was a tight race up to this point where I would get passed in the very
rough areas of the course where there were big whoops and ruts and I would
blow back by them in the faster sections. We did a tire change at pit 3
(mile 185) and three or four riders passed me there. A few riders passed me
during a whoop/rock section prior to checkpoint three and I handed the bike
to Ron in 10th place overall.”
Averaging just above 42 mph, the team navigated hundreds of waist-deep
water crossings, extremely rocky sections of boulder fields, pitch black
night conditions, lava rocks, washouts, and tons of deep, deep silt, not to
mention the numerous other surprises that the Baja throws at you. From
local traffic, roaming cattle, and hurricane-ravaged terrain, the hazards
were ceaseless, but the team endured to capture a genuinely remarkable
result. After Hayden’s first leg, Baja legend Ron Bishop—a veteran of every
single Baja 1000 ever run—handled his section smoothly and then Chuck
Dempsey took the helm. Chuck had this to say about his section:
“I rode as safe as possible in the whoops because they were pretty big and
sandy. I wanted to save the bike to when I got to the fast roads. This was
my 21st year racing in the Pro Class down in Baja and I'd have to say that
the HP 2 Enduro is the fastest bike I have ever ridden in my life. I
started passing guys right off the bat which surprised me – when I got on
the roads it was like taking candy from a baby.”
“The middle of my section was fast,” Dempsey continued, “but the last
twenty miles were tight and rocky so I knew I had to get there as fast as
possible before all the guys would pass me back, and then we headed into
the night. I turned on the headlight and it lit up for about 3 seconds,
then turned off. That’s when I knew I was in trouble because Baja is pitch
black when there’s no moon. I rode as fast as I could, even though I
couldn't see much in front of me. That was a handful on the HP 2 Enduro
when you can't even see your own fender. That’s when everybody started
passing me back.”
I tried riding next to other riders, but they were not happy with that
since I had passed them earlier. So about seven miles from HWY 1 I saw a
group of 30 or so Mexican locals standing and drinking beers watching the
race, so I pulled up to them and grabbed the flashlight right out of their
hands and took off. (Guess I owe them a flashlight!) I started to ride
holding the flashlight with my clutch hand – it wasn’t much but it was
better than nothing.”
“I was so happy to see my BMW team waiting for me at HWY 1. It seemed like
I rode fifty miles that night with no light. From there we jumped on HWY 1
and I rode behind the chase truck to where Tony was waiting for us with new
lights. We did another wheel change and the new race lights were installed
on the bike, then Tony took off to complete his section.”
Megla reports:
“I was the rider from San Ignacio (mile 554) to Loreto, (mile 776) and from
Insurgentes (mile 855) to checkpoint 9 (mile 943) In San Ignacio the bike
showed up late because of a blown headlight fuse in the wiring harness.
This was the pit where we had to change to stock headlight with the Baja
lights. I left San Ignacio about 6:45 and tried to make up as much time as
possible. We had dropped back to around 38th overall. The course from here
was fast graded roads, sandy roads, and tidal flats with a few muddy spots
on the Pacific coast before it turned inland to the town of La Purisma.
“From La Purisma it was a lot of old washed out rocky roads to the Gulf
side of the coast. The last 60 miles into Loreto was the toughest part of
my section. Some parts were brand new road freshly cut just for the race.
It was twisty, tight, and technical with a lot of sand washes and rocks.
1st and 2nd gear for long sections.”
“I passed about eight riders, three with broken bikes, and had a
trouble-free ride. I arrived in Loreto at 11:45 p.m, then jumped into our
chase truck and drove to Insurgentes for the next section. Peter Postel was
scheduled to ride the HP 2 Enduro from Loreto, but a slight change
occurred.
“The original plan was for me to ride Loreto to the finish,” said Postel,
“however, Tony came in and said he was feeling great, so the decision was
made for me to push hard through the next section to stay ahead of the
Trophy trucks and then he would get back on the bike. We checked the bike
when he pulled in, and the rear tire was completely gone so we changed it
there. The amount of spectators were unbelievable, even at 1.a.m.”
“South of San Javier, there was a lot of water left over from the
hurricanes. Postel went on to say, “I believe about 27 water crossings.
Also the course was extremely rocky, riding over boulders for miles. I
passed six other riders in this section. Then going out to the highway,
lots of single lane silt. From there to the finish there were big silt beds
to the ocean, some so deep the cylinder heads were dragging. This was an
area to just get through and survive. “
Postel did just that, before handing off to Megla, who had this to report:
“When Pete arrived he was completely soaked from all the water crossings. I
got back on the bike at around 2:30 in the morning.”
“In this last section I made a wrong turn when the locals took down the
course markings and I went about 5 miles off course. Once I was back on
course there were miles and miles of deep silt. The ruts in the road filled
in with the silt and the road looked hard until the bike just droops out
from underneath you and the ruts almost completely stop you. I arrived at
mile 943 at about 4:30 a.m. and gave the bike back to Peter.”
Postel finished about 100 miles later in La Paz, bringing the BMW Motorrad
Off-Road team to the 14th overall position in the motorcycle class, and
sixth in class 22 (Pro/Motorcycles over 251 cc). This strong of a finish on
a motorcycle as large as the HP 2 Enduro in conditions as challenging as
the Baja 1000 is nothing short of amazing. Congratulations to the team --
we’re all proud that you chalked up such unbelievable results!
“I very much enjoyed racing the BMW and truly appreciate the strong efforts
put forth by BMW, my teammates, and Baja Bound, said Hayden. “The HP 2
Enduro certainly drew its share of attention at Tech/Contingency and at the
start people were constantly surrounding the bike, asking many questions.”
“HP 2 Enduro is a blast to ride!” added Postel. “You just have to respect
it and ride it accordingly. I can’t wait to ride it again. It was truly a
unique experience.”
“Everyone loved the BMW HP2 everywhere I went with the bike in the States
and especially in Mexico,” stated Dempsey.
Again, kudos to the team for an amazing ride!
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