{"id":2461,"date":"2019-04-16T17:57:31","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T17:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/diomederacing.com\/blog\/?p=2461"},"modified":"2019-06-11T21:08:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-11T21:08:00","slug":"sonora-rally-adventure-raid-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diomederacing.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/16\/sonora-rally-adventure-raid-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Sonora Rally Adventure Raid Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had been looking forward to heading down to help the boys with their racing at Sonora.\u00a0 A couple of months out, Jim told me that they had decided to \u201ctravel light\u201d this time.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure just what he was trying to tell me at first. He also said I should check out this new class that they were doing.\u00a0 Called Adventure Raid.\u00a0 So later that night I looked it up.\u00a0 Below is the partial description from the website.<\/p>\n

New Adventure Raid class:<\/p>\n

The new Adventure Raid class replaces last year\u2019s Safari Class.\u00a0 Adventure Raid is intended as an introduction to navigation rally without the stresses of racing and most extreme terrain. It is a guided trip, designed for street legal 4 wheel drive vehicles (Raptors, Jeeps and Overlander vehicles) and adventure motorcycles (BMW GS, KTM 950, etc.). You will be running paved and dirt roads mostly parallel to the race course, with occasional intersections with the race course to provide opportunities to watch the action.\u00a0 You will not be running at race speeds or scored in results.\u00a0 Navigation is by following the guide and following provided GPS tracks. The trip will be at an easy pace to enjoying the scenery and the unique Sonora Rally experience, at points along the course and in the bivouac.\u00a0 5 day guided trip that parallels the Sonora Rally.\u00a0 Includes Sonora Rally Adventure Raid decals. Includes Bivouac Pass with bivouac meals and awards party dinner.\u00a0\u00a0 Includes 4 nights in hotel.\u00a0 Camping 2 nights at remote dirt bivouacs (right in there with the competitors) using your own camping gear.\u00a0 A SPOT or InReach tracking device is required.<\/em><\/p>\n

What can I say it sounded just amazing to me, so I signed up right away.\u00a0 It was afterward I thought maybe I should talk with Jim a bit more about it.\u00a0 I mean that time of year could mean any kind of weather.\u00a0 I might have to ride down there and back in a snowstorm.\u00a0 Not, my idea of fun.\u00a0 So I begged for some space in their trailer.\u00a0 I mean if they were traveling light, there should be room, right?\u00a0 Come to find out that was Jim speak for not taking any women with them. Aha.\u00a0 I still begged for room if the weather was crap.\u00a0 He and David, of course said they would help me out if I needed it.\u00a0 Not to mention they were fine with hauling my gear around so I could travel light on the Tiger.\u00a0\u00a0 They really are great friends!\u00a0 \u00a0Now, had I really thought it all through, I would have done a few things differently.\u00a0 The biggest thing was that I wouldn\u2019t wait until the night before I left to pack up everything.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This lead to me not packing my dirt gear, but instead planning on using my Adventure gear.\u00a0\u00a0 Poor planning on my part.\u00a0 Along with forgetting a few key items, like phone charger, empty SD card in the Sena.<\/p>\n

The ride down to San Luis Rio was uneventful and a tad on the boring side.\u00a0 Since there had been storms rolling across NM and AZ.\u00a0\u00a0 I didn\u2019t feel that it was wise to try any of the routes that went through more interesting terrain, I wasn\u2019t keen on riding in snow.\u00a0\u00a0 I arrived the Saturday before things really got rolling.\u00a0 I beat Jim and John to the hotel, mainly because they had to wait in traffic for the border crossing and I just rode right on by it all to jump to the front of the line.\u00a0 I do like being able to ride around the traffic at border crossings.\u00a0\u00a0 All I had to do was get to the hotel and check in.\u00a0 The next day was just tech and check in.\u00a0 I hung out with the guys at tech.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have much to do to the bike.<\/p>\n

The first two days the Rally takes the racers into the Giant Dunes just outside of San Luis Rio.\u00a0 Being on a large bike instead of a cage, the plan was that I would take a dirt road out to the Dunes and meet up with the others there.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t make it.\u00a0 The dirt road was a great deal of deep sand.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t able to get on top of it and get the bike going.\u00a0 It stalled just climbing out of the ditch, then it didn\u2019t want to start.\u00a0 This happened a few more times, not sure what the deal was with the not starting.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t done anything with the battery and it\u2019s running fine.\u00a0 I am thinking that it thought the sand was a bad idea and it was trying to tell me to give it up and go back to the pavement.\u00a0 I got about a mile in, when the clutch became more of an issue.\u00a0 So I decided I should quit while I was ahead.\u00a0 One of the guys with me thought it was a good idea and that we should tow the bike out so that I could save what was left of my clutch.\u00a0 Great idea, just too late.\u00a0 It was toast.<\/p>\n

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Being towed on a 500lb bike in deep sand it quite an experience.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping that I don\u2019t ever have to do it again.\u00a0 I\u2019m also bummed that the helmet camera didn\u2019t get any of it.\u00a0 Since I wasn\u2019t hurt, the getting towed to the point of tipping over and being pulled along for a bit it pretty funny. \u00a0\u00a0We got the bike to the road, I loaded back up with gear.\u00a0 As I pulled away, it became pretty obvious that the bike wasn\u2019t going to make it to the bivouac.\u00a0 So I went the gas stop on the way, I called the guys with the Roamer to come pick me up.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m glad they got the msg before they reached the bivouac.\u00a0 We waited around at the fueling spot.\u00a0 Filled up all guys.<\/p>\n

I got some good video clips of racers coming in.\u00a0 It was then on to the bivouac for the night.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/photos.google.com\/share\/AF1QipMMd3csDd3_DQGqSLBPjjJsfkDXrVZkqMnXOSI14JrVAl1YOztw5rzsNEmtbW5ppw\/photo\/AF1QipMN1UqB5MfYFm4kN0NBM0C-x5sP5dAHxHbiRBYv?key=WVJNOTYyTTdKOXJzdEd0elJDd2taVWRVZWo3ZnhB<\/a><\/p>\n

I ended up getting lucky that night at the bivouac, (get your mind outta the gutter) David and Jim offered me their spare bike to ride for the rest the trip.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0That\u2019s right a 2018 KTM 450 exc-f 6days.\u00a0 Oooh, what a nice bike!!!\u00a0 I had a blast riding it. It made the next four days fun, now they would have been fun on the Tiger too, but the Tiger would have been work.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I would have been able to ride all 4 days given how long the days were and how much more sand we ended up doing.<\/p>\n

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Sand…. and more Sand!<\/p>\n

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I do this ride again, it was that much fun.\u00a0 The days are a bit long, two of the four days with the group I ended up getting back to the bivouac after dark.\u00a0 I even missed out on dinner one of the nights.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t care about food by that point.\u00a0 I was just beat and wanted to shower and go to sleep.\u00a0 The food at all the places was amazing.\u00a0 The Sonora rally is really a first class operation.<\/p>\n

I’d love to be able to narrate the photos, but really had no idea where I was most of the time.<\/p>\n

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Great views from my room in Puerto Pennasco, the room was really nice too!<\/p>\n

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Yeah, riding the tiger in this would have been anything but fun.<\/p>\n

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I didn’t have any issue getting the bike in or out of the wash…. just sayin’<\/p>\n

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I’m just waiting for everyone to get back in their vehicles….<\/p>\n

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Looks are deceiving with this terrain.<\/p>\n

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There were a number of deep cuts across the tracks.\u00a0 Easy enough for the bike, but a few of them were also just as wide as the front tire.<\/p>\n

The first three days were mostly sand, than there was this:<\/p>\n

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Oh, there was more sand dunes as well.<\/p>\n

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I really loved hanging out on the beach in the morning.<\/p>\n

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It was fun to watch the bikes start off and to catch them at other parts of the route.<\/p>\n

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There were some issues with vehicles along the way, but they were quickly handled.<\/p>\n

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I got to ride on the beach again.\u00a0 Rode down for a mile or so, there wasn’t any way the trucks were going to make it.\u00a0 There was one spot were I wasn’t sure that I was going to make it.<\/p>\n

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It was stunning riding along the coast line.<\/p>\n

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Another great hotel.<\/p>\n

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Have you ever seen so many pelicans?????<\/p>\n

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I have never had tortillas like I have had in MX.\u00a0 OMG, they are good!<\/p>\n

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The wrap up dinner was great.\u00a0 The location was really cool.<\/p>\n

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I was lucky that the boys had room for me in the trailer.\u00a0 So I rode home with Jim and John.\u00a0 I’m still working off the international transport fee for the bike and myself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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