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1
00:03:17,762 --> 00:03:21,984
Sometimes you'll be
surprised how close it is to you.
2
00:03:22,114 --> 00:03:25,292
I found out, but that was only later.
3
00:03:25,422 --> 00:03:30,862
Every day for 22 years I drove past
this dry wash in the way to my shop.
4
00:03:30,993 --> 00:03:34,518
In all those years, I didn't once
take the time to look or even listen
5
00:03:34,649 --> 00:03:38,305
to the sounds that roared at me
from behind that standard scrub.
6
00:03:38,435 --> 00:03:41,612
It was here a lot of the kids in the
neighborhood got to racing around
7
00:03:41,743 --> 00:03:45,573
in their go-karts, making
a lot of dust and noise.
8
00:03:45,703 --> 00:03:49,098
But when I retired,
I started looking a lot at it
9
00:03:49,229 --> 00:03:52,710
and learning about this
world they call off-road.
10
00:04:01,502 --> 00:04:03,068
Here's how you get there.
11
00:04:03,199 --> 00:04:07,247
On three wheels, four, six wheels or two.
12
00:04:14,645 --> 00:04:18,780
You can make that world
for yourself on any steep hill.
13
00:04:18,910 --> 00:04:22,914
Especially the kind of ditch to spit out
the dust and keep coming back at her.
14
00:04:37,189 --> 00:04:39,627
Wide open is the only way to the top.
15
00:04:46,155 --> 00:04:49,811
Sometimes, the spectator takes
his chances along with the driver.
16
00:04:57,297 --> 00:05:00,996
Well, you're right: dirt is dirt
no matter where you find it.
17
00:05:01,126 --> 00:05:05,348
What made it different for me, though, was
the kind of people that moved around in it.
18
00:05:06,044 --> 00:05:07,742
I'm gonna...
19
00:05:07,872 --> 00:05:09,657
I want to get to know better, you know?
20
00:05:09,787 --> 00:05:12,181
How they think and how they feel and...
21
00:05:12,312 --> 00:05:14,270
Well, you know, the
highs and that kind of thing.
22
00:05:14,401 --> 00:05:17,229
I got a lot of time on my hands and...
23
00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,102
Well, I thought this would be
a good way to spend it.
24
00:05:20,232 --> 00:05:21,277
Well, here we go.
25
00:05:31,026 --> 00:05:33,855
One of the first things I learned
was that the off-road world
26
00:05:33,985 --> 00:05:35,770
is a family affair.
27
00:05:35,900 --> 00:05:38,425
You take bikes, for instance,
28
00:05:38,555 --> 00:05:41,079
You'll find machines that
match up with the size and weight
29
00:05:41,210 --> 00:05:43,255
for every member of the family.
30
00:05:43,386 --> 00:05:45,606
And when the kids
start going head-to-head,
31
00:05:45,736 --> 00:05:47,999
they bring along the
fiercest rooters in the world.
32
00:06:17,464 --> 00:06:21,163
Now, there everybody's
a future Joelle O'Leary,
33
00:06:21,293 --> 00:06:23,818
Malcolm Smith or Roger Decoster.
34
00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,606
Like the man says:
sometimes you eat the bear,
35
00:06:29,737 --> 00:06:31,173
sometimes the bear eats you.
36
00:07:07,035 --> 00:07:09,864
A few more pounds, a few more
years, they're ready for motocross.
37
00:07:13,476 --> 00:07:15,522
Men and machine and dirt.
38
00:07:28,143 --> 00:07:29,927
Kidney-shaking bumps.
39
00:07:30,058 --> 00:07:33,975
Grimes and a guy
who'll stop at nothing to win.
40
00:07:34,105 --> 00:07:35,150
Or at least beat you out.
41
00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:48,685
Where did it all begin?
42
00:07:51,079 --> 00:07:55,779
Well, in this country we haven't
exactly been strangers to the automobile.
43
00:07:58,521 --> 00:08:00,958
Even back when they called
them horseless carriages,
44
00:08:01,089 --> 00:08:04,962
all it took was one vehicle,
one man behind the wheel
45
00:08:05,093 --> 00:08:07,051
who wouldn't settle for the ordinary,
46
00:08:07,182 --> 00:08:10,968
and a love affair between
dirt and driver began.
47
00:08:11,099 --> 00:08:15,103
The movie people are always
ready to get in on a good thing.
48
00:08:15,233 --> 00:08:18,062
And they gave us this thrilling tale.
49
00:08:18,193 --> 00:08:20,978
In this early Hollywood saga,
we see the story of a young man
50
00:08:21,109 --> 00:08:23,459
out for a quiet spin in the country.
51
00:08:23,590 --> 00:08:27,942
Suddenly, he decided he'd had
enough of the ordinary. Off he goes.
52
00:08:28,072 --> 00:08:29,857
Off, looking for adventure.
53
00:08:29,987 --> 00:08:31,249
And danger.
54
00:08:57,493 --> 00:09:00,365
Looks like he found the danger.
55
00:09:00,496 --> 00:09:02,803
When I was a boy, we had our heroes.
56
00:09:02,933 --> 00:09:06,720
Big names like Barney
Oldfield, or Eddie Rickenbacker.
57
00:09:06,850 --> 00:09:10,767
They went to work on the cars:
strip the body, tore off the fenders,
58
00:09:10,898 --> 00:09:13,117
beefed up the engines.
Challenged not only each other,
59
00:09:13,248 --> 00:09:16,120
but the limits of their rigs.
60
00:09:16,251 --> 00:09:20,342
Would you believe you can get up to
14 horsepower in one of these bombs?
61
00:09:20,472 --> 00:09:24,651
These early road racers challenged
a strongly held scientific concept.
62
00:09:24,781 --> 00:09:28,829
The experts told us we'd never be
able to drive faster than 50 miles an hour.
63
00:09:28,959 --> 00:09:31,832
A human wouldn't be able
to breathe going that fast.
64
00:09:37,185 --> 00:09:40,623
Nowadays, progress has come
so far, we all breath air like this.
65
00:09:43,278 --> 00:09:46,020
And the cars got faster,
the crowds bigger ,
66
00:09:46,150 --> 00:09:48,805
Speeding over 100 miles an hour.
67
00:09:48,936 --> 00:09:51,460
They can only push so far.
68
00:09:51,591 --> 00:09:54,811
Drivers learn to live or die with danger.
69
00:09:54,942 --> 00:09:56,204
And with dirt.
70
00:10:00,556 --> 00:10:03,037
Out of that, came the sprint car.
71
00:10:03,167 --> 00:10:05,909
1600 pounds of handcrafted racer.
72
00:10:07,389 --> 00:10:09,086
O pen cockpit.
73
00:10:09,217 --> 00:10:10,784
The call for constant over steering.
74
00:10:11,785 --> 00:10:13,090
Power sliding turns.
75
00:10:34,721 --> 00:10:37,637
Squanomie falls, Pittsbourough, Ascot.
76
00:10:37,767 --> 00:10:40,465
Just names for you?
77
00:10:40,596 --> 00:10:44,078
Well, 40 or 50 years ago, they were
the tracks where men like Rick Furcall,
78
00:10:44,208 --> 00:10:47,951
Jan Opperman, Smokey
Snowpack put it all on the line
79
00:10:48,082 --> 00:10:50,954
85 times a year.
80
00:10:51,085 --> 00:10:53,522
To they, the world of dirt
is pushed way past
81
00:10:53,653 --> 00:10:55,698
the oval track of a sprint car.
82
00:10:58,396 --> 00:11:00,311
You find all kinds of machines.
83
00:11:07,928 --> 00:11:09,059
Like these dragsters.
84
00:11:17,459 --> 00:11:19,896
Digging into the dirt,
these dragsters explode
85
00:11:20,027 --> 00:11:23,204
from a standing starting
speed of 120 mph
86
00:11:23,334 --> 00:11:24,814
in three seconds or less.
87
00:11:41,613 --> 00:11:44,399
Well, sir, I got my first
taste of the world of dirt
88
00:11:44,529 --> 00:11:48,142
here in the national sand drags
in Bakersfield, California.
89
00:11:50,535 --> 00:11:52,668
It's a mighty nice place to be.
90
00:12:08,597 --> 00:12:10,947
And it was here I met Tommy Robertson,
91
00:12:11,078 --> 00:12:13,123
top national drag racing competitor.
92
00:12:13,254 --> 00:12:15,038
Bakersfield's got it all.
93
00:12:15,169 --> 00:12:16,407
I'll tell you, Fred. Here in Bakersfield
94
00:12:16,431 --> 00:12:18,389
we got the best cars running.
95
00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:21,001
We got modified Jeep classic,
we got dune buggies,
96
00:12:21,915 --> 00:12:23,525
we got hot dragsters.
97
00:12:23,655 --> 00:12:25,135
We got... Fred?
98
00:12:25,266 --> 00:12:27,790
- Fred?
- Yeah?
99
00:12:27,921 --> 00:12:30,837
Did you come here to see
the cars or... something else?
100
00:12:30,967 --> 00:12:33,883
Well, I guess I came to see everything.
101
00:12:34,014 --> 00:12:35,374
Well, you came to the right place.
102
00:12:36,668 --> 00:12:38,028
Listen, Fred, here at Bakersfield,
103
00:12:38,148 --> 00:12:39,541
we got just about everything.
104
00:12:39,671 --> 00:12:41,761
Modified class, Jeeps,
105
00:12:41,891 --> 00:12:43,763
Chevy Blazers...
106
00:13:02,433 --> 00:13:05,480
But for my money, the superstars
of the fuel-burning dragsters
107
00:13:05,610 --> 00:13:08,265
and those babies are pushed by
as much as a thousand horsepower.
108
00:13:24,107 --> 00:13:25,717
And that's a flameout, Fred.
109
00:13:25,848 --> 00:13:28,938
Somebody just kissed $15,000 goodbye.
110
00:13:43,866 --> 00:13:46,390
Tommy sent me on
to Pismo Beach, California,
111
00:13:46,521 --> 00:13:50,090
and another kind
of sand drag competition.
112
00:13:50,220 --> 00:13:53,702
And I met another inhabitant of
this world of dirt: Randy Gardner.
113
00:13:53,833 --> 00:13:55,704
You're not kidding.
114
00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:57,675
I come every day, Pismo
Beach is where it's at.
115
00:14:02,058 --> 00:14:03,799
You're going to see it all here.
116
00:14:03,930 --> 00:14:05,888
I mean, we got classes
for more kind of buggies
117
00:14:06,019 --> 00:14:07,107
than you can ever believe.
118
00:14:38,573 --> 00:14:40,662
And not just drag races,
119
00:14:40,792 --> 00:14:42,752
but the meanest, baddest
dune climbs you ever saw.
120
00:15:10,779 --> 00:15:14,391
A dune climb is like a
hill climb in one respect:
121
00:15:22,486 --> 00:15:24,532
you have to make it to the top.
122
00:15:24,662 --> 00:15:26,795
If you say so.
123
00:15:26,926 --> 00:15:28,362
Hey, go get them!
124
00:15:35,021 --> 00:15:37,762
Here at Pismo, they got so many
different kinds of machines entering,
125
00:15:37,893 --> 00:15:39,764
they keep inventing new classes.
126
00:16:17,324 --> 00:16:19,587
Sometimes, you just can't
keep up with everybody.
127
00:16:40,129 --> 00:16:42,218
That's a buddy of mine
on a '46 Ford hood.
128
00:17:12,161 --> 00:17:14,424
He kind of forgot something
called the law of friction.
129
00:17:18,863 --> 00:17:21,127
That's called flying
by the seat of your pants.
130
00:17:23,781 --> 00:17:27,698
From Labor Day to the
4th of July is 10 months.
131
00:17:27,829 --> 00:17:31,050
And from the ocean due to Pismo
beach to the base of Pikes Peak
132
00:17:31,180 --> 00:17:35,228
is 1,300 miles
and 5,400 feet of elevation.
133
00:17:50,112 --> 00:17:53,550
Some will tell you that this is
the granddaddy of off-road racing.
134
00:17:56,162 --> 00:18:01,036
Since 1916, a Pikes Peak hill
climb has taken its toll of cars.
135
00:18:01,167 --> 00:18:02,603
And of motorcycles.
136
00:18:10,132 --> 00:18:13,831
This 14-mile course is still as
dangerous and as much of a challenge
137
00:18:13,962 --> 00:18:16,530
to racing driver Rick Meyers.
138
00:18:16,660 --> 00:18:19,794
He and his brother Roger
have been daring the tight turns
139
00:18:19,924 --> 00:18:24,625
and sheer drops of the Pikes
Peak Hill Climb since 1972.
140
00:18:24,755 --> 00:18:27,976
It's also a family tradition
for young Bobby Unser Jr.
141
00:18:28,107 --> 00:18:31,327
The Unser have been putting this
one away for the last eight years.
142
00:18:40,684 --> 00:18:43,165
Louis Unser builds engines.
143
00:18:43,296 --> 00:18:45,776
His machines have been some
of the fastest on the market.
144
00:18:48,953 --> 00:18:52,261
Bobby Unser is here today in
the unfamiliar role of spectator.
145
00:18:58,572 --> 00:18:59,703
Along with Parnelli Jones.
146
00:19:06,754 --> 00:19:10,366
Rick Meyers and Peter
Firestone check out Rick's tires.
147
00:19:10,497 --> 00:19:12,760
They've taken sprint tires
and re grooved them
148
00:19:12,890 --> 00:19:15,197
so, the tread can cut
through the loose gravel
149
00:19:15,328 --> 00:19:17,721
to grab onto solid ground
and find traction.
150
00:19:19,941 --> 00:19:22,161
Well, it's all about
cutting it. It's just a step.
151
00:19:22,291 --> 00:19:23,988
- That's right.
- By cutting it,
152
00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:25,531
it'll soften it but give it
a little more pressure
153
00:19:25,555 --> 00:19:26,339
in the center part of the tire.
154
00:19:26,469 --> 00:19:28,167
That's right.
155
00:19:28,297 --> 00:19:29,857
Make the hold thing hold a little more.
156
00:19:30,821 --> 00:19:32,345
- I guess I'll find out.
- I agree.
157
00:19:33,955 --> 00:19:35,715
We'll both find out.
It's not gonna hurt you.
158
00:19:37,263 --> 00:19:40,788
There goes Bobby Unser Jr.
159
00:19:40,918 --> 00:19:42,833
It looks like he's making
a pretty good time...
160
00:19:42,964 --> 00:19:44,661
The family follows his progress.
161
00:19:46,881 --> 00:19:49,231
We can see him
in there, he's really moving.
162
00:19:49,362 --> 00:19:52,365
The crowd is appreciating a good race.
163
00:19:52,495 --> 00:19:56,978
He's on a curve. His tail is moving a
little sideways going out of those curves.
164
00:19:57,108 --> 00:19:59,708
Apparently, the road is a little
loosy, skating just a little bit.
165
00:20:01,809 --> 00:20:04,986
Bobby Jr.'s time?
12 minutes, 52 seconds.
166
00:20:08,076 --> 00:20:10,252
Something for Rick Mears to beat.
167
00:20:10,383 --> 00:20:15,083
That and 14 miles of
switchback road, 156 turns,
168
00:20:15,214 --> 00:20:18,391
and a climb of 9,392 ft.
169
00:20:51,902 --> 00:20:55,645
The sun's your enemy. first it's
behind you, then it owns your windshield
170
00:20:55,776 --> 00:20:57,691
on a snaky left-hander.
171
00:21:02,435 --> 00:21:04,654
Now, for a high right-hander,
172
00:21:04,785 --> 00:21:08,397
coming at 100 mph, stand on
the break, throw your car sideways.
173
00:21:23,151 --> 00:21:24,761
Then flat-out through the esses.
174
00:21:37,818 --> 00:21:39,733
Now for a blue-sky turn,
175
00:21:39,863 --> 00:21:42,301
nothing for markers but blue sky.
176
00:22:01,885 --> 00:22:05,628
At this speed, Rick turns his wheel
right to go left and left to go right.
177
00:22:07,935 --> 00:22:10,329
The racers call this opposite lock.
178
00:22:10,459 --> 00:22:12,809
And the dirt takes all opposite lock.
179
00:22:44,667 --> 00:22:47,714
It's 6,000 ft. down.
180
00:22:47,844 --> 00:22:49,585
A lot less, if you're lucky.
181
00:23:06,428 --> 00:23:08,517
After eight years of Unser domination,
182
00:23:08,648 --> 00:23:10,606
today is a new winner.
183
00:23:10,737 --> 00:23:13,174
Rick Mears puts Bobby
Unser on second place
184
00:23:13,304 --> 00:23:14,610
by over 40 seconds.
185
00:23:23,576 --> 00:23:27,188
I got down to earth in a hurry
at the Indian Dunes cycle park,
186
00:23:27,318 --> 00:23:30,800
some 40 miles or so
north of Los Angeles,
187
00:23:30,931 --> 00:23:33,542
where I took in the national
women's motocross championships.
188
00:23:49,340 --> 00:23:52,692
I met a great young gal.
Dee Williams, 17.
189
00:23:52,822 --> 00:23:56,260
But when it comes to motocross
racing, no longer a novice.
190
00:23:56,391 --> 00:23:58,611
- Hi, Fred.
- Dee has been racing competitively
191
00:23:58,741 --> 00:24:01,178
for... three years?
192
00:24:01,309 --> 00:24:03,429
Well, a little more than
two and a half. Almost three.
193
00:24:04,138 --> 00:24:06,377
You know, that's really great. A
lot of women get into motorcycles
194
00:24:06,401 --> 00:24:08,403
because of their family.
195
00:24:08,534 --> 00:24:11,275
That's my friend Nani Evans
over there, with her dad, Walker.
196
00:24:11,406 --> 00:24:14,104
He's part of Parnelli Jones' racing team.
197
00:24:20,937 --> 00:24:24,898
Tell me, Dee, is racing something
you can do on a full-time basis?
198
00:24:25,028 --> 00:24:27,553
We're getting there.
The prize money is coming along.
199
00:24:27,683 --> 00:24:30,164
This race has prices of over $1000.
200
00:24:30,294 --> 00:24:31,731
Well, that's respectable.
201
00:24:31,861 --> 00:24:34,081
It sure can help.
202
00:24:34,211 --> 00:24:36,953
But when you look at the
equipment a racer has to wear,
203
00:24:37,084 --> 00:24:41,088
to say nothing of the cost of,
you know, of keeping up a bike,
204
00:24:41,218 --> 00:24:44,787
you take all the help you can
get, including tips on strategy.
205
00:24:47,834 --> 00:24:51,446
Just before you turn the side
way, go ahead and get in there.
206
00:24:51,577 --> 00:24:53,883
- All right.
- All right? Good luck, sweety.
207
00:24:54,014 --> 00:24:57,147
Every year, you see
more and more young women
208
00:24:57,278 --> 00:24:59,106
turning up for races
here at Indian Dunes
209
00:24:59,236 --> 00:25:02,370
and other tracks along the country.
210
00:25:02,501 --> 00:25:04,764
I like the motocross. It's a short race,
211
00:25:04,894 --> 00:25:07,418
so, a lot of whoop-de-doos
and tight turns.
212
00:25:07,549 --> 00:25:10,117
In fact, I think motocross
can make you a better driver.
213
00:25:10,247 --> 00:25:12,293
If you're last out the course.
214
00:25:12,423 --> 00:25:13,729
Yeah, that's part of it, too.
215
00:26:40,250 --> 00:26:43,732
Women's motocross, I see, is
beginning to make its own name:
216
00:26:43,863 --> 00:26:46,517
Sue Fish, Jan Thornton, Jean Cazar,
217
00:26:46,648 --> 00:26:49,303
and a lot of others, trying
to prove their own thing.
218
00:26:49,433 --> 00:26:52,045
Let me tell you,
when you weigh 95 pounds
219
00:26:52,175 --> 00:26:55,744
a 175-pound bike can be one big mother.
220
00:27:41,224 --> 00:27:42,748
It's a hell of a big difference
221
00:27:42,878 --> 00:27:45,228
between the beauties
of the women's motocross
222
00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:48,797
to the beast's juicy plow on their
way to the swamp buggy races
223
00:27:48,928 --> 00:27:51,017
here in Naples, Florida.
224
00:28:34,974 --> 00:28:37,367
Did you come all the way
down here to see these races?
225
00:28:37,498 --> 00:28:40,390
Well, we've been down here for a couple
months, we just happen to know them.
226
00:28:40,414 --> 00:28:42,522
We heard of them and we
decided we'd come and see them.
227
00:28:42,546 --> 00:28:44,984
- All the way back in Indiana you heard them?
- Oh, yes.
228
00:28:45,114 --> 00:28:48,291
I see. I'll tell you what, you really
enjoy it. This is your fist race, is...
229
00:28:48,422 --> 00:28:51,033
something that's really a sight to behold.
230
00:28:51,164 --> 00:28:54,167
It's like Daytona and
Indianapolis all in one.
231
00:28:56,256 --> 00:28:59,650
Driving my swap buggy
232
00:28:59,781 --> 00:29:02,741
You know it is A strange machine
233
00:29:03,872 --> 00:29:06,875
Drive the alligators crazy
234
00:29:07,006 --> 00:29:11,401
'Cause It's the strangest
creature That they've seen
235
00:29:11,532 --> 00:29:14,230
Swamp buggy
236
00:29:15,841 --> 00:29:18,191
Swamp buggy boogie
237
00:29:19,148 --> 00:29:21,847
Swamp buggy
238
00:29:25,502 --> 00:29:28,027
Swamp buggy Showing the extreme
239
00:29:32,814 --> 00:29:35,034
Down here, in the Florida,
Bayou Country,
240
00:29:35,164 --> 00:29:37,210
they've been running a competition
241
00:29:37,340 --> 00:29:41,780
over the Maples mile of mud
for over 30 years.
242
00:29:41,910 --> 00:29:44,173
And a fella that's figured
in most of those races
243
00:29:44,304 --> 00:29:46,654
is Swamp Rat Pickering.
244
00:29:46,785 --> 00:29:50,266
Swamp Rat, I got to say that
those are funny-looking critters.
245
00:29:50,397 --> 00:29:53,487
Yeah, we build them
to get the job done, Fred.
246
00:29:53,617 --> 00:29:56,533
High and tall, and thin wheels
247
00:29:56,664 --> 00:29:58,579
so you work your way
through these back waters
248
00:29:58,709 --> 00:30:00,078
and shoals of the Florida Everglades.
249
00:30:00,102 --> 00:30:01,234
Yeah.
250
00:30:17,685 --> 00:30:20,340
We're gonna see seven
different classes of races today.
251
00:30:20,470 --> 00:30:23,430
Well, I got to say that's a
mighty mean looking course.
252
00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:25,911
Yeah, we got in front of zero,
253
00:30:26,041 --> 00:30:29,479
figure eight trench, very exact.
254
00:30:29,610 --> 00:30:32,265
The main feature is Sippy's hole.
255
00:30:32,395 --> 00:30:35,137
- Sippy's hole?
- -Yeah, named after Sippy Morris.
256
00:30:35,268 --> 00:30:37,948
He never seemed to miss all them
bumps he put on that pile of water.
257
00:30:45,365 --> 00:30:47,628
They got extra heavy
rear axles and wheels.
258
00:30:49,108 --> 00:30:51,153
Even water filled tractor tires.
259
00:30:53,416 --> 00:30:56,496
They give me the extra traction you
need to work your way out of Sippy's hole.
260
00:30:57,638 --> 00:30:59,466
I knew we're gonna get along, Fred.
261
00:31:06,212 --> 00:31:09,345
The ideal swamp buggy
has a center of gravity
262
00:31:09,476 --> 00:31:12,174
high enough so you
won't sink to the bottom,
263
00:31:12,305 --> 00:31:14,481
but low enough so the
sucker don't turn over.
264
00:31:15,830 --> 00:31:17,571
Sometimes, you just can't figure.
265
00:32:40,045 --> 00:32:41,307
Say, cousin.
266
00:32:51,752 --> 00:32:52,752
Thank you, Fred.
267
00:32:55,451 --> 00:32:56,626
Look at them go, Fred.
268
00:32:56,757 --> 00:32:58,672
Swamp buggy
269
00:32:59,934 --> 00:33:02,458
Swamp buggy boogie
270
00:33:03,372 --> 00:33:05,722
Swamp buggy
271
00:33:13,556 --> 00:33:17,299
It's like a spaceship With wheels
272
00:33:18,561 --> 00:33:21,303
Turn and take a look behind me
273
00:33:22,739 --> 00:33:26,352
No, that I don't believe I said
274
00:33:26,482 --> 00:33:29,877
Swamp buggies By the dozen
275
00:33:30,008 --> 00:33:33,446
The swamp got them Just like me
276
00:33:55,468 --> 00:33:57,035
With all that water out there,
277
00:33:57,165 --> 00:33:58,949
you got to coat your power plant
278
00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:01,735
with a whole lot of plastic cement
279
00:34:01,865 --> 00:34:05,826
to seal electric systems. Then,
you spray away with a garden hose
280
00:34:05,956 --> 00:34:08,307
and if you don't miss none, you're ready.
281
00:34:17,751 --> 00:34:20,754
This is a good, clean sport.
282
00:34:20,884 --> 00:34:24,062
It really builds character.
283
00:34:24,192 --> 00:34:27,717
And safe. Hell, I can't even
remember the last time
284
00:34:27,848 --> 00:34:30,068
we lost a contestant
to a water moccasin.
285
00:34:30,198 --> 00:34:32,200
Much less an alligator.
286
00:34:33,636 --> 00:34:35,638
So, you folks don't pay
no attention to me.
287
00:34:36,465 --> 00:34:37,553
Y'all come.
288
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:43,081
You hear?
289
00:34:51,741 --> 00:34:53,569
The swamp buggy people
290
00:34:53,700 --> 00:34:56,964
hid the pitfalls of air race underwater.
291
00:34:57,095 --> 00:34:59,532
There's no such modesty
here at riverside raceway
292
00:34:59,662 --> 00:35:01,403
on the edge of the California desert.
293
00:35:03,188 --> 00:35:05,712
This motocross circuit is designed to turn
294
00:35:05,842 --> 00:35:09,759
$10,000 or $12,000 worth
of racing car into instant junk.
295
00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:25,340
Today, there are 40,000
spectators at this event,
296
00:35:25,471 --> 00:35:30,302
which tried to jam the perils and rigors
of a 100-mile desert race into 1.7 miles.
297
00:37:43,173 --> 00:37:45,088
The winner today was Rick Mears
298
00:37:45,219 --> 00:37:48,048
but this is one race
where survival pays off.
299
00:37:48,178 --> 00:37:52,270
Anything goes for jeeps, dune buggies.
300
00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:56,448
It's self-destruction
carried into a high art.
301
00:37:56,578 --> 00:38:00,016
If you can finish, you made
it to a very select group.
302
00:38:10,505 --> 00:38:12,072
Park City, Utah,
303
00:38:12,202 --> 00:38:15,641
home of Utah's Skyline Snow Rally,
304
00:38:15,771 --> 00:38:19,862
a fierce competition putting man
and machine against the side of this hill.
305
00:38:38,838 --> 00:38:40,753
Here's where it happens.
306
00:38:40,883 --> 00:38:44,670
310 feet high on a 58-degree incline.
307
00:38:49,370 --> 00:38:51,677
A large number of people
turned out today.
308
00:38:54,723 --> 00:38:57,335
Drawn primarily by their
interests in the scientific
309
00:38:57,465 --> 00:38:59,902
and engineering ramifications
of this event.
310
00:39:01,251 --> 00:39:03,341
The hill started as a ski jump,
311
00:39:03,471 --> 00:39:05,952
when too many ski jumpers
dropped dead,
312
00:39:06,082 --> 00:39:08,346
the Park City people had
to find another use for it.
313
00:39:28,366 --> 00:39:31,847
In ski country, no hill ever goes to waste.
314
00:39:31,978 --> 00:39:34,241
And today, certainly not this one.
315
00:40:12,279 --> 00:40:14,063
In the years of the Skyline Rally,
316
00:40:14,194 --> 00:40:16,762
no one has ever made it to the top.
317
00:40:16,892 --> 00:40:18,807
But a lot of them sure try.
318
00:40:25,727 --> 00:40:26,728
All right.
319
00:40:30,036 --> 00:40:31,230
- Up the hill.
- Let's have some heat.
320
00:40:31,254 --> 00:40:32,254
Surprising.
321
00:40:33,692 --> 00:40:34,736
All the way.
322
00:40:53,625 --> 00:40:54,669
You got it, Billy!
323
00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:55,800
Good shot.
324
00:40:58,630 --> 00:41:00,849
You know what? You
can't tell where you're at.
325
00:41:00,980 --> 00:41:02,938
Almost there, you had it, man,
326
00:41:03,069 --> 00:41:04,909
but all you can see
is snow every time it hits.
327
00:41:05,027 --> 00:41:06,396
I would just like to get that hill,
328
00:41:06,420 --> 00:41:08,030
I would love to go over.
329
00:41:17,997 --> 00:41:20,478
Help me make it to the top
330
00:41:23,176 --> 00:41:25,787
Help me make it to the top
331
00:41:37,799 --> 00:41:40,541
Going up, me and you
332
00:41:40,672 --> 00:41:43,196
Spread it out You better give me room
333
00:41:43,326 --> 00:41:46,721
'Cause I'm fuming, zooming
Going crazy out of control
334
00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:51,160
Well, I've ridden all this way
335
00:41:51,291 --> 00:41:53,946
For all my friends To be able to say
336
00:41:54,076 --> 00:41:57,515
I saw him reach the top But I had to walk
337
00:41:59,865 --> 00:42:02,650
Help me make it to the top
338
00:42:05,305 --> 00:42:07,699
Help me make it to the top
339
00:42:42,255 --> 00:42:44,649
You still have to go!
340
00:42:44,779 --> 00:42:47,782
The race comes down to a
contest between two brothers:
341
00:42:47,913 --> 00:42:50,176
Mike Brown and Randy Brown.
342
00:42:50,306 --> 00:42:52,570
As far as we're concerned ,
we won the class
343
00:42:52,700 --> 00:42:54,963
because it was light for, to begin with.
344
00:42:55,094 --> 00:42:57,575
There seems to be
some sort of disagreement.
345
00:42:57,705 --> 00:42:59,315
Yeah, he's run the same engine.
346
00:42:59,446 --> 00:43:01,448
The machine weighs
under 1000 pounds,
347
00:43:01,579 --> 00:43:04,582
I'm way 1140. It just
doesn't qualify for the class.
348
00:43:04,712 --> 00:43:07,497
My brother drove the same rail,
in the same class last year.
349
00:43:07,628 --> 00:43:10,196
Now he's protesting me for
driving it because I beat him.
350
00:43:10,326 --> 00:43:13,155
We got a little family feud
between brothers.
351
00:43:13,286 --> 00:43:15,593
Now he's got to run against
me, now I can't handle losing.
352
00:43:17,420 --> 00:43:19,877
You gotta be a good loser as long
as you've been winner, it's tough.
353
00:43:19,901 --> 00:43:22,338
I know what it weighs.
354
00:43:22,948 --> 00:43:24,906
Where's your weight slip, bigmouth?
355
00:43:25,037 --> 00:43:26,623
I'm about to have fun
and not even worry.
356
00:43:26,647 --> 00:43:28,327
If they want to protest, let them protest.
357
00:43:29,519 --> 00:43:31,434
To settle this family feud,
358
00:43:31,565 --> 00:43:34,133
the brothers each get
one more run at the hill.
359
00:43:37,658 --> 00:43:38,790
Mike goes first.
360
00:43:52,151 --> 00:43:53,587
Now it's Randy's turn.
361
00:44:05,338 --> 00:44:08,254
The family will be fighting
this one up for another year.
362
00:44:08,384 --> 00:44:10,691
Until the next Skyline Snow Rally.
363
00:44:14,086 --> 00:44:17,655
Ever since I first moved into the
world of dirt and off-road racing,
364
00:44:17,785 --> 00:44:19,613
I began to hear a few names.
365
00:44:19,744 --> 00:44:22,050
Races like the Parker,
366
00:44:22,181 --> 00:44:25,967
the Mint 400 and always, the Baja 1000.
367
00:44:26,098 --> 00:44:28,143
And when you hear about the Baja,
368
00:44:28,274 --> 00:44:30,406
you also hear the name Parnelli Jones.
369
00:44:32,670 --> 00:44:35,368
I think it was time I looked
into the family's race shop
370
00:44:35,498 --> 00:44:39,546
where Parnelli Jones builds
his famous Formula 1 race cars,
371
00:44:39,677 --> 00:44:44,116
stock racers, Indy cars
and off-road racers.
372
00:44:44,246 --> 00:44:46,945
But when I was there, Parnelli
and his chief mechanic, Dick Russell,
373
00:44:47,075 --> 00:44:49,556
were looking to the Mint 400.
374
00:44:49,687 --> 00:44:53,560
And, beyond that, the Baja.
375
00:44:53,691 --> 00:44:56,781
We build a lot of cars.
And we've built Indianapolis cars
376
00:44:56,911 --> 00:44:59,958
and we've course built our
off-road cars and stuff like that.
377
00:45:00,088 --> 00:45:05,050
And as far as I'm concerned,
building cars is like having a baby.
378
00:45:05,180 --> 00:45:08,923
Working on this special Chevy
Blazer, they struggle to increase
379
00:45:09,054 --> 00:45:12,361
independent axle travel
from eight inches to eighteen.
380
00:45:12,492 --> 00:45:15,930
That'll let the Blazer maintain
higher speeds over rougher courses
381
00:45:16,061 --> 00:45:18,106
without bottoming out.
382
00:45:18,237 --> 00:45:22,502
The car is very much
a personality, so to speak.
383
00:45:22,632 --> 00:45:28,813
It is enjoyable, building and putting
your own ideas into these cars.
384
00:45:28,943 --> 00:45:32,381
Every nut, every bolt in
the Blazer has been refined
385
00:45:32,512 --> 00:45:37,299
to make it stronger, lighter, fasters, to
meet the challenge of the Nevada desert.
386
00:45:37,430 --> 00:45:39,867
And after that, the Baja.
387
00:45:47,570 --> 00:45:50,530
But first, Las Vegas and the Mint 400.
388
00:46:05,371 --> 00:46:08,091
Three months straight, today has
been turned into an off-road version
389
00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:11,594
of Indy's Gasoline Alley, with
cars from all over the country
390
00:46:11,725 --> 00:46:14,162
moving in for technical inspection.
391
00:46:14,293 --> 00:46:16,733
Equipment and accessory
manufacturers set up on Fremont Street
392
00:46:16,861 --> 00:46:19,646
to display their product.
393
00:46:19,777 --> 00:46:23,345
The new racing car owner can get
himself quite a collection of decals.
394
00:46:24,564 --> 00:46:26,672
- Hey, give me a UNI sticker to put it right there.
- Oh, sure, man.
395
00:46:26,696 --> 00:46:28,350
Look at that decal.
396
00:46:28,481 --> 00:46:30,526
I'll tell you what, you know,
you're just slick.
397
00:46:30,657 --> 00:46:32,057
Well, good luck to you in the race.
398
00:46:33,486 --> 00:46:36,010
- Hey, Dennis, how are you?
- Hey!
399
00:46:36,141 --> 00:46:39,013
Oh, I see you switched to Pennzoil.
400
00:46:39,144 --> 00:46:42,016
Well, no, that was my
co-driver. At the last race he...
401
00:46:42,147 --> 00:46:44,584
Look, if you've got those big
decals? We can cover that up.
402
00:46:44,714 --> 00:46:46,499
But have you got a couple of cases?
403
00:46:46,629 --> 00:46:48,433
- A couple of cases?
- Yeah, it's been burning a lot of oil.
404
00:46:48,457 --> 00:46:50,068
Oh, yeah, I got a couple decals
405
00:46:50,198 --> 00:46:51,798
that will cover that decal up real good.
406
00:46:51,852 --> 00:46:53,854
That's good. Thank you, Dennis.
407
00:46:53,985 --> 00:46:54,985
You're welcome, Phil.
408
00:46:57,423 --> 00:46:59,468
Phil, I see you're ready for racing, I see,
409
00:46:59,599 --> 00:47:02,186
but with the wrong spark plugs.
Let's get these Champions in this thing.
410
00:47:02,210 --> 00:47:04,145
I've been thinking about
Champion, Arnold, you know,
411
00:47:04,169 --> 00:47:06,432
and if I can get some for my tow car...
412
00:47:07,737 --> 00:47:09,914
I think I can just put those
decals on here, you know?
413
00:47:10,044 --> 00:47:11,872
I need a few boxes for my tow car.
414
00:47:12,003 --> 00:47:13,763
Let's get these on first
and I'll get some pugs for you.
415
00:47:13,787 --> 00:47:15,136
I'll get them right in here.
416
00:47:15,267 --> 00:47:16,703
And then, we'll fix up your truck.
417
00:47:16,834 --> 00:47:18,674
- It's gonna look great, Arnold.
- Good enough.
418
00:47:22,883 --> 00:47:25,755
But most, everybody
else is here for racing.
419
00:47:25,886 --> 00:47:27,540
To get ready for the Baja.
420
00:47:46,298 --> 00:47:48,561
There were big names.
421
00:47:48,691 --> 00:47:51,694
Parnelli Jones, ready to
take his crack at the desert,
422
00:47:51,825 --> 00:47:53,958
to see if this Blazer is ready for the Baja.
423
00:48:03,619 --> 00:48:06,274
It's 400 miles of rugged desert,
424
00:48:06,405 --> 00:48:08,363
sagebrush and hard rock.
425
00:48:20,114 --> 00:48:23,726
Parnelli's new axle travel
holds up, the Blazer hits 130 mph
426
00:48:23,857 --> 00:48:24,857
and doesn't bottom out.
427
00:49:11,035 --> 00:49:13,124
Parnelli never did like to use his horn.
428
00:49:55,253 --> 00:49:57,255
Other racers are ready
to go on the course.
429
00:49:59,561 --> 00:50:02,129
The team of Rick Mears
and Doc Sauers.
430
00:50:02,260 --> 00:50:03,348
That's a big one.
431
00:50:31,158 --> 00:50:33,856
Malcolm Smith,
the motorcycle champion,
432
00:50:33,987 --> 00:50:35,815
is moving in on the four-wheelers
433
00:50:57,837 --> 00:51:01,841
Malcolm and his partner, Bud Feldkamp
are already thinking past the Mint
434
00:51:01,971 --> 00:51:03,364
to the Baja 1000.
435
00:51:06,193 --> 00:51:10,719
Hollywood stunt driver, Bobby
Ferro in his sand master dune buggy.
436
00:51:10,850 --> 00:51:14,245
There are seven checkpoints
along the course
437
00:51:14,375 --> 00:51:18,031
and every racer knows
he's going to make pit stops.
438
00:51:35,309 --> 00:51:37,355
Hello, boss.
439
00:51:37,485 --> 00:51:39,357
Walker Evans is the other half
440
00:51:39,487 --> 00:51:40,923
of the Parnelli Jones' racing team.
441
00:52:29,668 --> 00:52:31,757
When the dust settles again
in the Nevada desert,
442
00:52:31,887 --> 00:52:33,498
there's a new winner: Bobby Ferro.
443
00:52:36,588 --> 00:52:39,243
But the others will have their
crack at him again at the Baja 1000.
444
00:52:43,508 --> 00:52:46,598
I had a couple of places I
wanted to see before I hit the Baja.
445
00:53:00,481 --> 00:53:02,309
For one, Terre Haute, Indiana,
446
00:53:02,440 --> 00:53:05,399
and the national Tractor Pull contest.
447
00:53:05,530 --> 00:53:07,836
With over a million dollars
in prize money every year,
448
00:53:07,967 --> 00:53:09,647
when they aren't plowing, they're pulling.
449
00:53:14,060 --> 00:53:17,629
Everybody knows
a tractor is for off-road work.
450
00:53:17,759 --> 00:53:20,153
But if anyone thinks that
these farmers in the Midwest
451
00:53:20,284 --> 00:53:23,417
can't be competitive
with those big rigs of theirs,
452
00:53:23,548 --> 00:53:25,593
they got to talk to Janice Hoffer here.
453
00:53:25,724 --> 00:53:27,465
You bet they are, Mr. Gordon.
454
00:53:27,595 --> 00:53:29,356
Terre Haute is just one
of the number of competitions
455
00:53:29,380 --> 00:53:31,077
we go to every year.
456
00:53:31,208 --> 00:53:33,208
They're not gonna race
around the course, are they?
457
00:53:33,297 --> 00:53:35,821
Oh, hardly. The idea is
to see who can pull
458
00:53:35,951 --> 00:53:37,475
a predetermined weight the farthest.
459
00:53:41,870 --> 00:53:44,960
Big ideas to get
the most traction they can.
460
00:53:45,091 --> 00:53:48,529
Some farmers have ballast to get up
to the last ounce of allowable weight
461
00:54:10,377 --> 00:54:12,249
Here's how it works.
462
00:54:12,379 --> 00:54:14,512
A sled is attached
to the rear of the tractor.
463
00:54:20,169 --> 00:54:24,870
Then, when the tractor starts up,
an artificial weight of 5,000 pounds
464
00:54:25,000 --> 00:54:28,700
is mechanically transported in
the rear of the sled to the front,
465
00:54:28,830 --> 00:54:32,399
at full transfer. This builds up to
a dead weight of 50,000 pounds.
466
00:54:38,623 --> 00:54:40,233
Some poor man
467
00:54:40,364 --> 00:54:42,888
just burned $15,000
worth of tractor engine.
468
00:54:51,157 --> 00:54:54,160
These machines don't look
like any tractors I've ever seen.
469
00:54:54,291 --> 00:54:57,946
Oh, you're right. A lot of
invention goes into these tractors.
470
00:54:58,077 --> 00:55:01,298
Some people put thousands and
thousands of dollars into their machines.
471
00:55:04,910 --> 00:55:07,478
We don't have too much in this
because it came out of a junkyard.
472
00:55:07,608 --> 00:55:09,610
And we did all the work.
473
00:55:09,741 --> 00:55:13,005
I take a lot of the guys
take them somewhere.
474
00:55:13,135 --> 00:55:17,052
And some other guys spend $10,000
just to get their engines working.
475
00:55:23,450 --> 00:55:26,497
Oh, here's a friend of my dad's
who built his tractor for under $300.
476
00:55:43,601 --> 00:55:46,560
This guy may have built a $300 tractor,
477
00:55:46,691 --> 00:55:49,998
but those tires, they
got to be $1,000 a throw.
478
00:55:58,833 --> 00:56:00,313
That's it!
479
00:56:00,444 --> 00:56:03,969
We took off and went about 30-40 foot.
480
00:56:04,099 --> 00:56:09,366
And... if you run lean on fuel,
481
00:56:09,496 --> 00:56:13,587
it sets the fuel up the intake and boom.
482
00:56:58,458 --> 00:57:01,026
You'll see all kind of propulsion today.
483
00:57:01,156 --> 00:57:05,378
Diesels, dune buggy engines, even
blown engines that burn nitromethane
484
00:57:05,509 --> 00:57:07,641
to develop up to 2,000 horsepower.
485
00:57:10,992 --> 00:57:15,649
Recognize that? It's a jet that
turns out 10,000 horsepower.
486
00:57:24,092 --> 00:57:27,792
Terre Haute is just one of the
many stops in the tractor pull circuit
487
00:57:27,922 --> 00:57:29,576
from Connecticut to Colorado.
488
00:57:29,707 --> 00:57:31,926
From Ontario to Florida.
489
00:57:32,057 --> 00:57:34,233
Today, it's this man with the trophy.
490
00:57:34,363 --> 00:57:36,453
Tomorrow? Well,
491
00:57:36,583 --> 00:57:39,107
tomorrow is another day
and another fairground.
492
00:57:46,419 --> 00:57:49,901
For me, tomorrow was
Yakima, Washington,
493
00:57:50,031 --> 00:57:53,295
where the Yakima Ridge runners
hold their annual Jeep Rodeo.
494
00:57:58,953 --> 00:58:03,349
It's sort of like a private war.
495
00:58:03,480 --> 00:58:07,832
You know, Bob? You could probably
consume just as much beer without the race.
496
00:58:09,529 --> 00:58:13,141
But here in the northwest,
they go for strong motivation.
497
00:58:13,272 --> 00:58:17,145
They like to spice up that drinking
with a little organized mayhem.
498
00:58:17,276 --> 00:58:19,670
- I wouldn't say this is mayhem.
- Oh, you wouldn't?
499
00:58:19,800 --> 00:58:23,021
- That's not what I heard.
- Okay, it's not mayhem
500
00:58:23,151 --> 00:58:27,547
but it is the meanest, filthiest race
you can find on God's green earth.
501
00:58:27,678 --> 00:58:29,506
We race modified carts.
502
00:58:29,636 --> 00:58:32,770
You mean modified engines?
503
00:58:32,900 --> 00:58:35,033
Well, we play a little with the front ends,
504
00:58:35,163 --> 00:58:37,514
turn them into battering rams
to eliminate the competition.
505
00:58:39,951 --> 00:58:42,997
When the race starts, you want
all the protection you can get.
506
00:58:43,128 --> 00:58:45,347
Most of the course is underwater,
507
00:58:45,478 --> 00:58:47,741
except in the dry season,
when it's hip-deep in mud.
508
00:59:02,713 --> 00:59:05,716
When we remember, we run
four hits in each of four classes.
509
01:00:35,196 --> 01:00:37,721
You got to be alert and quick up there.
510
01:00:37,851 --> 01:00:40,171
If you ain't, you're gonna know
it pretty damn soon enough.
511
01:00:57,436 --> 01:01:00,395
Somebody oughta throw water on them.
512
01:01:27,248 --> 01:01:29,120
We adapt all the tricks in racing:
513
01:01:29,250 --> 01:01:31,992
Stirling Moss called this thing tailgating.
514
01:01:32,123 --> 01:01:33,472
We do it one better.
515
01:02:27,091 --> 01:02:30,877
The only real equipment you
need here is a strong stomach
516
01:02:31,008 --> 01:02:33,619
and a real deep streak of meanness.
517
01:02:33,750 --> 01:02:35,795
You know what I mean?
518
01:02:35,926 --> 01:02:37,754
Hey, come on up and show us.
519
01:02:40,974 --> 01:02:45,674
It's almost half a continent
from Yakima to Ensenada,
520
01:02:45,805 --> 01:02:48,416
and a whole world of attitudes.
521
01:02:53,073 --> 01:02:55,554
But this was the place
where I knew I had to be.
522
01:03:07,914 --> 01:03:10,047
By the time I got there, the impound area
523
01:03:10,177 --> 01:03:12,658
was filling up with over 500 vehicles
524
01:03:12,789 --> 01:03:16,618
ready for inspection before
they took off on what many think is
525
01:03:16,749 --> 01:03:20,144
the toughest off-road course in the world.
526
01:03:20,274 --> 01:03:24,931
The last few days, thousands of men
and women will be a part of this race
527
01:03:25,062 --> 01:03:28,500
and the vehicles around the
course have been pouring into town.
528
01:03:50,914 --> 01:03:54,439
You can't get everybody,
much less anybody,
529
01:03:54,569 --> 01:03:57,050
to agree just when
this race was first held.
530
01:03:57,181 --> 01:04:02,490
But it was in 1966-67
that of a bunch of the boys
531
01:04:02,621 --> 01:04:06,494
got gassed, decided to dare
each other to drive
532
01:04:06,625 --> 01:04:10,455
the length of Baja,
from Tijuana to La Paz.
533
01:04:10,585 --> 01:04:13,284
But progress caught up with the racers.
534
01:04:13,414 --> 01:04:16,243
The Mexican government
paved the road.
535
01:04:16,374 --> 01:04:20,987
Now, every year they have
to follow a different course.
536
01:04:22,380 --> 01:04:23,380
Now,
537
01:04:24,861 --> 01:04:27,907
Now, they start here
and they cut over here
538
01:04:28,038 --> 01:04:31,606
and come down through here,
through Mike's Sky Ranch,
539
01:04:31,737 --> 01:04:35,567
up through the mountains a
first time, down to San Felipe.
540
01:04:35,697 --> 01:04:39,963
And they cut straight up through
the desert, swing over here,
541
01:04:40,093 --> 01:04:43,270
come through the mountains a
second time before they come back.
542
01:04:45,664 --> 01:04:47,535
If they get back.
543
01:04:50,277 --> 01:04:52,236
Now, the fun and games are over.
544
01:04:52,366 --> 01:04:54,542
You've driven the
course for the last time.
545
01:04:57,545 --> 01:05:00,548
There's nothing more you can do
to your machine in the impound area.
546
01:05:10,558 --> 01:05:14,345
By nightfall, there are
probably 20,000 people
547
01:05:14,475 --> 01:05:18,436
at the various checkpoints
spread over a 1000-mile course.
548
01:05:18,566 --> 01:05:21,613
It's a long hard day ahead.
549
01:05:24,094 --> 01:05:29,273
It's a time for contemplation,
for quiet, for rest.
550
01:05:33,451 --> 01:05:35,975
And if you're lucky, you can
get close enough to the bar
551
01:05:36,106 --> 01:05:38,456
and who songs for some
last-minute bench racing.
552
01:05:43,852 --> 01:05:46,159
6:00 a.m.
553
01:05:46,290 --> 01:05:50,555
The motorcycles take off
and the Baja is underway.
554
01:06:44,174 --> 01:06:46,176
Now, it's the cars turn.
555
01:06:57,578 --> 01:07:00,538
Bobby Ferro. His win at Las
Vegas makes him the man to beat.
556
01:07:04,759 --> 01:07:07,284
The team of Doc Sauers
and Rick Mears.
557
01:07:07,414 --> 01:07:10,287
Doc drives the first leg and
Rick will pick up halfway through.
558
01:07:16,771 --> 01:07:19,687
Mickey Thompson is driving
today with a broken back.
559
01:07:19,818 --> 01:07:23,213
A special air hose to his helmet
let's Mickey breathe filtered air.
560
01:07:30,742 --> 01:07:32,874
Parnelli Jones starts 45th.
561
01:07:40,534 --> 01:07:42,536
Walker Evans starts
right behind Parnelli.
562
01:07:45,844 --> 01:07:47,541
They leave in one-minute intervals.
563
01:09:25,335 --> 01:09:29,469
Part of the tradition of the
Baja is local participation.
564
01:09:29,600 --> 01:09:31,993
Here some Ensenada kids
add an extra bump to the course
565
01:09:32,124 --> 01:09:34,779
just beyond a blind right-hand corner.
566
01:09:34,909 --> 01:09:38,609
Parnelli knows the kids, he's
driven too many of these races.
567
01:09:38,739 --> 01:09:40,176
S o, he gives them a show.
568
01:11:17,142 --> 01:11:19,100
Around the course
are seven checkpoints.
569
01:11:19,231 --> 01:11:22,495
As a driver goes through these positions,
570
01:11:22,626 --> 01:11:25,106
his progress is radioed
to race headquarters.
571
01:11:25,237 --> 01:11:27,892
And the data fed into a special computer,
572
01:11:28,022 --> 01:11:30,938
so, they can figure a lapse time.
573
01:11:31,069 --> 01:11:33,332
He's a dog.
574
01:11:33,463 --> 01:11:35,943
- Fred, any news?
- Yeah?
575
01:11:36,074 --> 01:11:39,512
Yes, they're the hell down there.
God knows when they'll be here.
576
01:11:39,643 --> 01:11:43,951
The information comes down
the various checkpoints.
577
01:11:44,082 --> 01:11:48,913
Right now, we're at Tres
Hermanas, one of the last checkpoints.
578
01:11:49,043 --> 01:11:53,134
By the time the racing cars get
here, there will be fewer of them.
579
01:11:53,265 --> 01:11:56,312
All we can do is to listen
for names that we know.
580
01:11:57,878 --> 01:12:01,795
And wonder what it's really like out there
581
01:12:01,926 --> 01:12:04,189
under that hot baking desert sun.
582
01:12:09,150 --> 01:12:12,980
There's a lot of times out there in
a race where you say to yourself
583
01:12:13,111 --> 01:12:15,809
"What am I doing?
I have holes in my hip.
584
01:12:15,940 --> 01:12:19,813
I mean, this is not fun." But
when you're able to hit a stretch
585
01:12:19,944 --> 01:12:24,209
that doesn't have too many rocks
and you can swipe the car around
586
01:12:24,340 --> 01:12:27,691
and do a little driving or something,
then you get your thrill out of it.
587
01:12:38,223 --> 01:12:40,356
Another racer has his own ideas.
588
01:12:42,488 --> 01:12:44,621
Some guys will tell you
the worst is the sun.
589
01:12:44,751 --> 01:12:47,493
For my money, the damn dust.
590
01:12:47,624 --> 01:12:49,864
You just can't tell where you
are or what's ahead of you.
591
01:14:28,420 --> 01:14:31,684
You know, you head starts wondering.
592
01:14:31,815 --> 01:14:34,252
You think "Am I on the course?"
593
01:14:34,382 --> 01:14:37,124
Did I miss a marker.
594
01:14:37,255 --> 01:14:40,295
And then, you see somebody broken
down and you know you're still on the race.
595
01:15:03,934 --> 01:15:06,980
The rush is when the guy comes
up behind and you can't see him
596
01:15:07,111 --> 01:15:09,200
or hear him and he comes
crossing into you.
597
01:15:09,330 --> 01:15:11,594
That will shake you up.
598
01:15:34,312 --> 01:15:39,665
We try to listen. It's early but already
we know the Baja is taking its toll.
599
01:15:45,323 --> 01:15:47,803
You wonder how many of them
will ever get here to use this gas.
600
01:15:55,551 --> 01:15:58,466
You want to know what you do if
your tire goes flat or you lose one?
601
01:15:58,597 --> 01:16:00,947
You got no choice. Three
wheels is better than two.
602
01:16:12,263 --> 01:16:14,004
Well, I'll tell you what they look like.
603
01:16:14,134 --> 01:16:16,223
About four hours into
the race, all those cars
604
01:16:16,354 --> 01:16:18,356
start looking like a bunch
of wounded insects.
605
01:16:38,898 --> 01:16:41,335
Oh, I must have been crazed.
I mean, well,
606
01:16:41,466 --> 01:16:44,512
I come around the corner and I
see my engine is on fire, right?
607
01:16:44,643 --> 01:16:48,255
Well, I get so wild, I forgot completely
608
01:16:48,386 --> 01:16:51,607
I bought this new fire extinguisher.
Thing set me back $300.
609
01:16:51,737 --> 01:16:54,457
And I'm out there, on my hands
and knees trying to blow out the fire.
610
01:18:07,639 --> 01:18:09,467
Watch it, watch it. Here.
611
01:18:22,219 --> 01:18:23,394
Okay.
612
01:18:23,524 --> 01:18:24,700
We need a carburetor.
613
01:18:29,835 --> 01:18:31,663
Report comes in from Mike's Sky Ranch
614
01:18:31,794 --> 01:18:34,100
Ferro is out in front and pushing hard,
615
01:18:34,231 --> 01:18:36,102
but Parnelli is closing on him fast
616
01:19:30,330 --> 01:19:32,376
You gotta look out
for each other out there.
617
01:19:32,506 --> 01:19:34,987
One mechanic, one look out.
618
01:19:35,118 --> 01:19:38,556
You can get yourself
wiped out in one big hurry.
619
01:19:38,686 --> 01:19:42,125
There are some guys
who just going nuts out there.
620
01:19:42,255 --> 01:19:43,866
The Baja really gets them.
621
01:19:52,004 --> 01:19:54,224
Well, I tell you, you gotta keep going.
622
01:19:54,354 --> 01:19:57,096
I caught a flat, had to
scrounge a spare from a guy.
623
01:19:57,227 --> 01:20:00,099
It was the wrong size, but it beats
sitting down on that mountain side.
624
01:20:23,166 --> 01:20:26,517
Every now and then, you see
something really shakes hit.
625
01:20:26,647 --> 01:20:28,824
Well, it helps to get back
where you ought to be.
626
01:20:38,877 --> 01:20:40,757
You really feel great
when you hit the dry lake.
627
01:20:40,879 --> 01:20:44,404
I mean you can cook 130-140, flat out.
628
01:20:49,932 --> 01:20:51,803
It was easy to figure.
629
01:20:51,934 --> 01:20:54,110
Guys like Bobby Ferro and Walker Evans
630
01:20:54,240 --> 01:20:56,199
were on the dry lake and making time.
631
01:23:15,816 --> 01:23:18,428
We get the word Parnelli's out.
632
01:23:18,558 --> 01:23:21,561
Then, word flashed along the course.
633
01:23:21,692 --> 01:23:24,477
Bobby Ferro crosses the
finish line with a new record.
634
01:23:43,670 --> 01:23:45,455
You had any trouble besides that?
635
01:23:48,806 --> 01:23:52,157
But in the Baja,
you race against the clock.
636
01:23:52,288 --> 01:23:54,638
Walker Evans still has
a chance to take it all.
637
01:24:00,513 --> 01:24:04,691
Walker is pushing all the way, but
it's not good enough by four minutes.
638
01:24:04,822 --> 01:24:07,825
Watch out! Come on!
639
01:24:11,089 --> 01:24:15,093
He settles for a second
overall, but first in his class.
640
01:24:18,183 --> 01:24:19,489
How is it going?
641
01:24:23,058 --> 01:24:24,929
A lot of people broken
down out there, Walker?
642
01:24:25,060 --> 01:24:27,062
Yeah, just cars everywhere.
643
01:24:29,107 --> 01:24:31,457
Just about four miles or five
miles back, I missed a turn.
644
01:24:31,588 --> 01:24:33,372
I don't have a bit of brakes.
645
01:24:36,071 --> 01:24:38,595
My hero!
646
01:24:39,813 --> 01:24:41,076
- It's pretty hot, huh?
- Yeah.
647
01:24:41,206 --> 01:24:42,286
Thirty five years old, huh?
648
01:24:43,469 --> 01:24:45,384
Gave me a lot of trouble out there.
649
01:24:45,515 --> 01:24:47,821
Hi there, man!
650
01:24:49,693 --> 01:24:51,086
I told you I'd do it, didn't I?
651
01:24:51,216 --> 01:24:52,304
Didn't I tell you?
652
01:24:52,435 --> 01:24:53,435
- Pretty tired?
- Yes!
653
01:25:09,713 --> 01:25:12,672
There are a lot of guys
still out on the course.
654
01:25:12,803 --> 01:25:17,112
Still racing. Will be till
3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.
655
01:25:28,819 --> 01:25:31,474
When the sun goes down, it's...
656
01:25:31,604 --> 01:25:33,606
It's pretty easy to get lost down there.
657
01:25:33,737 --> 01:25:36,609
I know most guys are
just wandering around,
658
01:25:36,740 --> 01:25:39,046
half of them just looking for the course.
659
01:25:39,177 --> 01:25:40,483
It gets pretty hairy out there.
660
01:26:06,596 --> 01:26:08,878
Well, I tell you I don't like it
when it starts getting dark.
661
01:26:08,902 --> 01:26:10,861
Well, there I was, up in the hills.
662
01:26:10,991 --> 01:26:13,907
And it's dark, and it's cold
and I'm freezing.
663
01:26:14,038 --> 01:26:16,388
Jesus, it's murder in the dark.
664
01:26:16,519 --> 01:26:18,912
You're so tired, it's painful.
665
01:26:19,043 --> 01:26:21,915
Your eyes ache, your hands are
numb around the steering wheel.
666
01:26:22,046 --> 01:26:24,091
But you know you gotta keep going
667
01:26:24,222 --> 01:26:26,342
and if anybody ever asked me
why, I'll cold cock them.
668
01:26:31,360 --> 01:26:32,839
All right!
669
01:26:34,450 --> 01:26:35,973
That's Mickey!
670
01:26:36,103 --> 01:26:37,383
Who knows what happened to them.
671
01:26:49,987 --> 01:26:51,747
- I'm so proud of you!
- Thank you very much.
672
01:26:53,251 --> 01:26:54,339
- What?
- How does it feel?
673
01:26:54,470 --> 01:26:56,428
You have it all over with.
674
01:26:56,559 --> 01:26:58,691
Betcha.
675
01:26:59,823 --> 01:27:02,143
I've never been so glad to
get to a place in my whole life.
676
01:27:03,305 --> 01:27:05,785
- Hey, Darryl! You made it!
- Hey!
677
01:27:09,615 --> 01:27:10,834
- No top.
- Yeah.
678
01:27:25,675 --> 01:27:28,547
- How are you guys?
- I'm ahead everybody, I think.
679
01:27:34,379 --> 01:27:36,599
Oh, my God!
680
01:27:39,645 --> 01:27:42,561
You did it! You did it!
681
01:28:23,472 --> 01:28:24,951
Would you do it again?
682
01:28:25,082 --> 01:28:26,475
Oh, for sure.
683
01:28:32,872 --> 01:28:35,048
- Ora!
- Thank you!
684
01:28:35,179 --> 01:28:36,615
Gracias.
685
01:28:42,752 --> 01:28:45,537
- My face's dirty?
- Just a little.
686
01:28:45,668 --> 01:28:48,975
Well, this is a mudpack. I'm
going to be gorgeous tomorrow.
687
01:28:59,072 --> 01:29:03,338
You hang around the finish
line until dawn, the second day.
688
01:29:03,468 --> 01:29:06,645
If the driver of a team
hasn't made it home by then,
689
01:29:06,776 --> 01:29:08,473
you know another piece of machinery
690
01:29:08,604 --> 01:29:10,823
is gonna be a part
of the desert landscape.
691
01:29:15,741 --> 01:29:18,353
Most of these guys
will be back next year.
692
01:29:18,483 --> 01:29:21,834
And there'll be some other
fellows that try it for the first time.
693
01:29:21,965 --> 01:29:25,098
Whatever the course is, it's still a Baja.
694
01:29:25,229 --> 01:29:28,754
They'll be back, and I'll be back.
695
01:29:28,885 --> 01:29:31,540
Because this is my people.
696
01:29:31,670 --> 01:29:33,629
This is my world.
60458
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