Baja 1000 Results 2014: Race Winners, Video Highlights and More
The Baja 1000 is a race that brings vehicles from all walks of life together for an off-road racing festival in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, with drama guaranteed on the 1,275-mile trek.
This year’s race proved no different, as teams put together the kind of performances that will go down in the history books—from runaway victories to record-breaking triumphs.
Here’s a look at the results from a quite incredible week at the Baja 1000, with an in-depth look at the top headlines.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Usual Suspects Top Overall Podium
| Position | Team |
| 1st | Rob MacCachren, Andy McMillin and Jason Voss |
| 2nd | Luke McMillin and Dan McMillin |
| 3rd | Cameron Steele and Pat Dean |
| 4th | Troy Herbst and Ryan Arciero |
| 5th | Justin Davis and Scott Schovajsa |
When it comes to sheer talent in the off-road racing world, they don’t come much better than Rob MacCachren, Andy McMillin and Jason Voss.
The trio are nothing short of a dream team, as they proved en route from Ensenada to La Paz, romping to the overall four-wheel vehicle victory in comprehensive style.
In such a mentally draining and challenging race, it’s important to keep your wits about you, and the trio did exactly that—completing the race in an impressive time of 22:31:27 and blowing fellow competitors out of the water.
That time is even more commendable when you consider just how easily the Baja track can catch you out, as these videos show:
Luke and Dan McMillin came second, but the gap of almost 29 seconds tells you all that you need to know about the race. Meanwhile, Cameron Steele and Pat Dean completed the podium line-up in third.
However, it was all about MacCachren’s team, whose perfectly planned race strategy paid dividends. Mac himself took the wheel for the opening 472 miles and McMillin handled the next 450 before handing the reins to Voss, who saw the team over the finish line 373 miles later.
The latter has won two domestic desert races this year but has never tasted overall glory at Baja. For McMillin and Mac, though, victory is a distinct possibility every year, with 2014’s triumph chalking up the sixth between them.
The team leader spoke with SCORE International Off-Road Racing once the wild celebrations had ceased and told them that every member of his team played a pivotal role:
"Starting the race really took the pressure off me because I just needed to get the truck down the trail in a timely fashion. It really paid off. I took care of the truck, Andy took care of the truck and when Jason got in north of Loreto he was putting about a minute every 10 miles on the rest of the people. When that happened I knew that our strategy was a good one.
"
The victory moves McCachren up to the top of the SCORE Trophy Truck all-time career leaderboard, as Baja marked his 12th victory.
The 2013 race didn't go MacCachren and McMillin’s way, but this year they were absolutely flawless. And should they keep improving as a unit at such an astronomical rate, next year’s Baja crown is very much in sight.
Kawasaki Break Honda Hearts
The motorcycle race at the Baja 1000 seems to be the same every year; it’s all just a case of who will have the brilliance to knock Honda from its perch as the class’ dominant force. And usually, no one really does.
So, when the Honda team of Colton Udall, Mark Samuels and Ian Young took a healthy lead, an 18th straight team victory was looking a distinct possibility.
| 1 | Ricky Brabec, Robby Bell, Steve Hengeveld, Max Eddy Jr. |
| 2 | Colton Udall, Mark Samuels, Ian Young |
| 3 | Brady Welton, Ron Weinmeister, Brandon Hunt, Brandon Welton |
| 4 | Ray Dal Soglio Mike Carter, Zach Vogle Quinten Bowen |
| 5 | Gabriel Castro, Miguel Castro, Hector Ortiz |
However, Ricky Brabec, Robby Bell, Steve Hengeveld and Max Eddy Jr of the Kawasaki team had other ideas and romped to a remarkable victory.
With a time of 24:24:01 and an average speed of 52.36 mph, Kawasaki finished almost 27 minutes ahead of Honda, but it’s safe to say that the defending champions contributed to their own downfall.
Although the Kawasaki performance was phenomenal, particularly Hengeveld’s lightning-fast night ride, Honda should have had a big enough lead heading into the final day to finish first.
However, Young’s crash in Loreto meant that Kawasaki were always hot on the heels of their rivals, and Brabec eventually saw them over the line.
Brabec, who rode in three of the seven sections, was understandably overjoyed at the end of the race but told SCORE that victory wasn't a formality:
"We finally ended Honda’s streak and it feels good. It didn’t come easy because we were behind all day. We had problems all day long with tires and lights. Max Eddy had a wheel blow out on him at about race mile 680 and later had to change a tire out there. When I got on the bike the lights went out so I had to pull the radio out of my bag and get a hold of my chase crew. I got the new set of lights it all started coming together. Honda can be beat and we did it today.
"
The victory marks Kawasaki’s first Baja victory since 1996, but the crown is a deserved one. Keeping Honda away from the top of the podium takes some doing, but they’ll be back fighting for redemption next time.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
