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The Adventurous
Baja 1000 Raffo Racing Report
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Arlington Heights,
IL (November 29, 2007) - Chris Raffo with his all volunteer pit
chasers, drivers, and navigators came from throughout the United
States to run the 40th edition of the Tecate SCORE Baja
1000. This year’s edition saw the racers travel from Ensenada all
the way to Cabo San Lucas. The trek down the peninsula for the Class
3 #306 Fig Partner, Phil’s Inc., DiMare Fresh, Reid Racing, Ringers
Gloves, Fresh Air Systems, Bilstein, BFGoodrich Tires Chevrolet K5
Blazer was scheduled to be nearly 1300 miles long. This was the
longest route ever for the “1000.”
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Along with all the
guys in the chase truck, Chris put together four pairs of drivers
looking to cross the finish line before the fifty three hour time
limit expired.
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Driver Lineup
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Chris Raffo and his
eighteen year old son, Pete, would go until mile 205, when Texan,
Brianne Corn would navigate until mile marker 350.Then Californian
Jeff Dolan and Wisconsin native, John Holtz, would take over the
controls until the 830 mile marker. The Pennsylvania team of Dennis
Chencharick at wheel with Jody Nevling keeping an eye on the course,
would take over for another three hundred fifty miles. Finally Chris
and Pete would get back in the Blazer to complete the final one
hundred fifty miles into Cabo San Lucas.
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1300 miles to Cabo
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The start of the
race saw the #306 Fig Partner, Phil’s Inc., DiMare, Reid Racing,
Ringers Gloves, Fresh Air Systems, Bilstein, BFGoodrich Tires
Chevrolet K5 Blazer start strong, quickly catching up to the truck
that started thirty seconds in front of them.
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Just after Chris and
Pete headed down the trail outside of Ensenada, a u-joint broke.
Undaunted the team replaced the unit and quickly got back on course.
Unfortunately this was the first of many diversions the team would
experience. The longer course with hundreds of miles of new
territory would really test Raffo Racing.
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Here’s a list of
stops the team made as they raced down the Baja Peninsula.
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Race
Mile Description
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100 Replace right front flat and a
broke brake hose.
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160 Replace front driveshaft
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205 Rebuild both front hubs, replace
one front spindle, replace front driveshaft
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250 Replace rear flat tire
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280 Replace rear flat tire and found
broken rear brake hose
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340 Replace broken tie rod
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350 Driver change – Jeff Dolan and
John Holtz
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514 Run out of fuel and replace left
front shackle bolt
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791 Run out of fuel in the middle of
nowhere
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830 Driver change – Dennis
Chencharick and Jody Nevling, rear brake line repair
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839 Replaced broken steering box
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990 Transmission housing breaks in
two and two rear shock mounts are broke.
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At race mile 990,
with a lengthy repair at hand, and time running out to make to
finish, Raffo Racing retires from the 2007 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.
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In an effort to get
some rest and decompress from the non-stop three day trek through
Baja, Chris takes the team to a friend’s vacation home in Bahia de
Los Angeles. There, the guys decided to replace the transfer case
on the Blazer, giving the entire crew some time behind the wheel of
the “Raffonator” K5 Blazer.
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Once back in the states, team owner Chris Raffo commented,
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“Our race obviously didn’t go as planned. All the
competitors mentioned this year’s 1000 was one of the roughest in
recent memory. Even the winner of our class had serious downtime. My
guys never quit. No matter the problem, they kept plugging away,
keeping the Blazer headed for Cabo. Unfortunately there wasn’t
enough time to replace the transfer case and make it to the finish
within the time limit.”
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“Thanks goes to Reid Racing, their steering knuckles
performed flawlessly. I can’t forget Fig Partners, DiMare, D & L,
High Angle Driveshaft, Powermaster, and Phil’s Inc. without their
support we wouldn’t be here.”
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“Hats off to Brianne Corn and Jody Devling. It was their
first time navigating the Baja 1000, let alone ever in Baja, they
did a great job. Everybody stayed on their game for almost 50
straight hours. It’s just another incredible experience in Baja.”
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Chris Raffo would
like to thank his supporters including:
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FIG Partners,
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DiMare Inc.,
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D & L Performance,
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Phil’s Inc.,
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Bilstein Shocks,
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BFGoodrich Tires,
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Reid Racing,
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Powermaster,
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High Angle Driveshaft,
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Instant Mexican Auto Insurance,
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Rich’s Signs &
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Sunoco Race Fuels.
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www.rafforacing.com
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact: Mike
Reusche (847) 869-2434 –
mike@mt-graphics.com
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