Baja 1000 with Rossi and Honda, Day 2: Dangers of a day off

Melissa Eickhoff is embedded with the Honda Off-Road Racing Team for the Baja 1000. The team is fielding IndyCar star Alexander Rossi, team owner/driver Jeff Proctor and Baja veteran Pat Dailey in a Honda Ridgeline.

An unexpected day off due to several days of rain undoubtedly left many teams, spectators, support staff and members of the media with new challenges. As I’m spending this Baja 1000 with Rossi and friends, the following may or may not have happened to us, but I’m positive we are not alone...

The Dangers of a Day Off at the Baja 1000

1. You didn’t pack enough underwear.

2. You run your section again and break someone else’s pre-runner.

3. You find a “short cut” home and end up burying the grille of a stock Honda Pilot in a sewage canal while towing a trailer. (Turns out short-cuts in Baja, aren’t.)

4. Too many margaritas.

5. You are late to the drivers meeting. (See Nos. 2 and 3.)

6. You lose track of your guests, sponsors and some of your crew. (See No. 4.)

7. You’re camping along the race course and run out of provisions, i.e. beer; and there are no locals to bail you out.

8. One day too long with your roommates in the rented house...

Some drivers may or may not have been held up in traffic en route to the drivers meeting.

9. Suddenly, the drivers meeting is super important and you realize traffic in Ensenada rivals the I-405 in LA.

10. You waaaaay overthink all the possible course changes (rumors, rumors, rumors) that don’t actually happen.

NOTE: Though delayed 24 hours due to weather early in the week, the elapsed-time SCORE Baja 1000 will start at 3 a.m. PT on Saturday for the motorcycle/quad classes followed by the start of the car/truck/UTV classes at 10:30 a.m. PT.

The event will be live streamed with vehicle tracking also available. Log onto www.score-international.com. Follow Rossi, Proctor and Dailey in the No. 709 Class 7 six-cylinder Honda Ridgeline.