Lessons from Project Baja
Eat when you can, drink when you can, sleep when you can (and #JFF)
Back in 2017, we were asked by our client, VW, to pull together a video crew and cover the Project Baja team in the Baja 1000. Since I’d learned about the Baja 1000 from the Desert Dingo Race Team on another VW shoot back in 2015 I had been waiting (and occasionally begging) for our client to come to us with this assignment. Still, when we got the call, I had no idea where to start. People plan for months, years, even decades to race and chase in Baja. We had three weeks.
I hopped on a call with Driver Josh McGuckin and his Co-Driver (and Rebelle) Emme Hall. I frantically asked all the questions I could think of and they answered to the best of their ability. And I think this is when they first shared one of the team’s mottos, “Eat when you can, drink when you can, sleep when you can.” The phrase was born out of the lessons the team had learned on their prior run at the 1000 and was a key part of their strategy in 2017. Racing class 11 is not the sprint that dirt bikes or trophy trucks run in around 12 hours. It’s a days-long marathon. You’re in a pre-1981 VW Beetle with no modifications to the engine or suspension. The focus, excitement, and determination that propels you off the starting line in Ensenada wanes well before you approach the finish line in La Paz. Everyone has enough adrenaline to take you through the first handful of hours. The trick is making it through the last bit without damaging your car, yourself, your teammates, and your friendships. A lot of folks try to go all out through the whole 45+ hours of the race (average speed in Class 11 is 25 MPH) without taking the time to eat/drink/sleep. You’ll do better overall if you eat drink and sleep when you have the opportunity. Because believe it or not, especially in Class 11, you’ve got some time.
This was the most enduring lesson I learned from the race team and I think about it every time I’m in a challenging spot, not just off-road and in the truck, but in life. Something that is difficult to do when you’re well rested, well hydrated, and on a full stomach is an order of magnitude more difficult when you’re tired, thirsty, and hungry! You don’t get extra points for dehydration, hunger, and tiredness. We’re definitely taking this advice to heart as we prep for the Rebelle and strategize making it through 10 days and 1,500 miles, and hundreds of checkpoints.
Project Baja did not win Class 11 back in 2017, but they made a hell of a go at it. They made it all the way to the finish line (JFF or Just F#%king Finish is another great phrase Emme introduced us to) but it was outside of the set time limit so technically they received a DNF. By the time they were due to arrive, the crowds were gone but the finish line was still there. We asked around and bribed someone on staff to turn the lights back on at the archway and as the last team of driver/co-driver pulled across the finish line the entire race and chase team (plus our video crew) cheered for them as if they’d won the whole thing.
Emme Hall introduced me to the Rebelle on our Baja adventure and since then I’ve been fascinated with the navigation Rally. By the time we queue up at the starting line in October, it will have been about six years since I learned about the competition and set my intention to compete. Quite a bit longer than the three weeks we had to prep for Baja! I’ll keep those wise words from Project Baja at top of mind: eat when you can, drink when you can, sleep when you can, and I’m going to go ahead and add shower when you can.
