The Car Tech blog

During the summer I dedicated my blog to the infamous Baja 1000 race inspired by an episode of "Jesse James is a Dead Man" that aired around that time on Spike TV. The Baja off road races are sponsored by a race organization known as SCORE International, a promotion that sponsors several annual off road race competitions for trophy trucks, and one of their signature events begins today and lasts through the end of this weekend in Las Vegas. This event is called the Terrible's Primm 300.

The SCORE Terrible's Primm 300 is an off road trophy truck that takes place in Las Vegas and is now into its 14th season as annual event for SCORE International. In preparation for this year's offering, I have provided this blog with a cool compilation video of brothers Josh and Jason Meister entering their first Terrible's Primm 300 oof road competition in 2007. This video gives us a first hand view of the awesome trophy trucks used in the SCORE off road races as well as the run of events including the practice run and the actual race itself. Based on what I see here, I can hardly wait to see the footage that stems from this year's race in Las Vegas.

For this week's final video blog dedicated to the sights and sounds of what is arguably the world's most dangerous off road race, we find two trophy trucks drifting in the sand as two wild horses almost get turned into glue during this year's Baja 500. The sky is beautiful and the color of the dirt is even pretty in its own way. Then the camera catches the cars close up as they blow by some spectators who have a perfect view of these bad ass trucks kickin' up dust.

Today get ready for flying trucks as we got some great close-up video of two trophy trucks jumping a hill on RM 312 from the 2009 Baja 500 off road race.

Seeing video like this is what makes the Baja races so fun to see. Thrill seeking spectators love to position themselves all over the place throughout this off road race so they can really hear the roar of the engines and feel the dirt fly off the trucks' wheels as they go by. The first vehicle has been identified as Baja racing vet Robby Gordon who led the race at this time. By the time the second truck leaps into action, there's so much smoke and dust you can hardly see the picturesque waterside blue sky. The Baja 500 offers a lot to the senses, both from the cars and the views of the Baja peninsula.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be sitting in a race car, anxiously awaiting the checkered flag to go down just so you can stomp down on the gas pedal and speed off onto rugged terrain? Well, now's your chance as we go along for a ride with the first five minutes of this year's Baja 500.

This in-car camera captures the first five minutes of the 2009 Baja 500 as seen through the lens within Robby Gordon's car. Robby Gordon is a NASCAR driver who has also participated in several previous Baja 500's, a race often regarded as one (if not the) most dangerous off-road race in modern times. The best thing about this video in my opinion is listening to that engine rev and roar through the streets of Ensenada and into the off-road terrain of its surrounding deserts. I love it, and hopefully you will too.

In case you've missed out, this week we are dedicating this video blog to the notoriously dangerous off road race known as the Baja 500. But it's a much different scenario to be watching a vehicle take a tumble than it is to be actually IN the vehicle as it skids, crashes or turns over. Here we get a first hand look from inside a trophy truck racing in the 2008 Baja 500 as it somehow goes from booking through the desert to all of a sudden turning over and rolling to a crashing halt. If you aren't a believer by now, you will probably be after seeing this.

While flipping through the channels on my TV this week, I saw an advertisement for the show "Jesse James is a Dead Man" on Spike TV. This particular week's episode was about Jesse's preparation to race in the Baja 500, an off road race that is often considered the most dangerous race in modern times. So with this enticement, I've decided to feature my log this week to the notorious Baja races.

For the uninitiated , The Baja 500 is an off road race that takes place in Ensenada, Mexico and encompasses motorcycles, ATVs, and trophy trucks. The race winds through cities, deserts, mountains and cliffs, and the race typically takes about 9 hours to complete. Its dangerous reputation comes not only from its off road atmosphere but also from potential set-ups such as booby traps, sand dunes, water and pits along the way. This race has been responsible for multiple deaths of both drivers and spectators, and is breath taking both in concept and execution.

This video here is a compilation of Baja 500 races past, and it features the variety of vehicles that participate in the race including motorcycles, ATVs and trophy trucks. It's a fun little promo for what Baja 500 is all about, but trust me it isn't all fun jumps and sand dust. This week we will get to see both the good, the bad, and the ugly of what Baja is all about.

So far this week we've enjoyed fun and breezy racing in the form of midget and quarter midget car racing. Now it's time to get a little dirty. In fact, you can't get much dirtier than yet another division of the USAC racing spectrum, the Traxxas TORC Off Road Championship Series.

The Traxxas TORC Series is short-course racing on all natural terrain: dirt, gravel, mud, and everything in between. What sets this race apart from other forms of off-road racing is the tough 4X4 trucks these guys push around; these bad boys can fly like dirt bikes and can do the push-and-shove of motorcross and other racing styles. This sport seems to embrace a younger, hip, edgy style much like that of the X Games or UFC: this ain't your granddad's car race.

But don't take it from me. This video puts you right up front as the tires spin and the dirt flies against the body panel. In fact, this video was put together by Traxxas TORC and features interviews with drivers and crew who know firsthand what this off-road race is all about: bumpin' fenders, jumping hills, and making a mess all in the name of motorsport racing competition. And it sure looks fun, doesn't it?