Photo
Gallery | Video
Clip (32 MB) Come along for the
ride as we follow DP racing from amateur beginnings to their 2003 SCORE
Baja 1000, class 21 (250 pro) motorcycle win and series championship. Having spent some
time with this interesting team, let's get to know them before diving into
their accomplishments. Retired US Navy
officer Steve "Seve" Bourgeois heads up the team with
leadership, discipline and organization. His military background is
present as every contingency is planned for. Teamwork is also key to the
success of this unique team but there seems to be more. I asked Seve to
comment on this...
208
miles into the race and a mere 600 to go! |
"Every member
of this race team gives 110 percent. Prepping the bike, getting competent
volunteers for pitting and chasing, looking out for each other. We all
ride together recreationally and we do not go out and seek 'ringers' to
help us win. I run a fairly disciplined team: we plan our race, and then
race our plan. Each racer and chaser gets a comprehensive Race book for
each race with every nauseating detail. I generate a 'Plan of Action and
Milestones' for every suspense event for a race. We have several planning
meetings. We all critique pre-runs and help each other out. There is no
ego-attitude within any of our people. We've had a couple of people race
with us over the past 2 years that feel that don't need to contribute to
any of the pre-race prep or do it to put their name in lights - they no
longer race with us." Rider of record for
DP is Joe Desrosiers AKA "Joe Hauler" (www.joehauler.com)
Joe has been the mainstay of the team since it's inception in 2001 with
his natural leadership ability. He has a vibrant, extroverted attitude,
disposition and outstanding leadership qualities, leading by example.
Joe's also a very innovative mechanic that can fix the bike during the
race and a regular Baja explorer. Veteran Baja riders "Los Ancianos"
are known for hiding their trails in Baja but Joe finds those
"hidden" trails. Joe's also a very fast rider that will always
ride the longest and hardest sections of a race. Andy Specht was one
of the original DP racers as well and was pursuing his life long dream of
winning a pro SCORE championship. Andy died while training for the Baja
1000 just weeks before the big race. Having rode with Andy the week before
his horrible crash I can attest to his honorable character. The 24 year
old racer will be missed, Race in Peace brother, Vaya con dios amigo. Mark "Big
Tickets" Daniels CHP motorcycle officer by day and former Class 30
champ. Mark is the seasoned racer on the team at 50 years old. Mark has
raced every Baja 1000 since 1985 with the exception of 1989 when he broke
an ankle pre-running the week before the race. Julian Guerra,
regular Baja Iron man, is as tough as nails. This kid took one for the
team and didn't complain about it. While racing the 1000 this year he was
impaled with a 1/4-inch diameter tree branch in his right arm. In fact,
the Mexican nurse the following day was a bit squeamish as she inserted
her index finger to the second knuckle into the wound. After a few
stitches, all was good. Now that you know a
bit about the heart and soul of DP racing let's take a look at the ups and
downs of racing that's made DP the team to beat in 2004. 2000
San Felipe 250- 3rd (Sportsman)
Baja 500- 1st (Sportsman)
Baja 1000- 7th (Open Pro) After learning it
was nearly impossible to beat Team Honda in open pro (Class 22) DP racing
set their sights on class 21 (pro 250). 2001 on a WR250F
Baja 500- while in 1st with 90 miles to go a catastrophic wheel failure
took them out of the race (DNF).
Vegas-to-Reno- 2nd in 4-stroke Pro 2002
Mixed success - too many after-market changes to the WR, finished 4th in
both the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 Re-grouping for 2003
DP racing used the knowledge learned in 2002 to keep the race bike close
to stock with enough improvements to win. 2003 had the team racing a 2003
YZ 250. San Felipe 250- 1st
Baja 500- 1st
Baja Mex 300 1st in 250 Expert. Baja Mex is a Best in the Desert race and
DP racing didn't want to pass up the opportunity to race in Baja,
fine-tuning for the Baja 1000. 
DP
Racing winning the Baja 1000 with an average speed of 41.582 MPH |
Tied for the 2003
Pro 250 championship it all came down to the Baja 1000 to see who would be
awarded the 100X plate in 2004. The DP crew still grieving over their
fallen teammate had emotions running 5th gear tapped with a difficult task
ahead of them. Just completing the 808-mile course was going to be hard as
it was deemed "The Toughest Course Ever." Two hundred and
seventy-one racers started the Baja 1000 with only 153 finishing within
the 32-hour time limit. As the green flag
dropped Julian was at the controls and little did he know that some 70
miles into the race he was going to crash hard. After the crash, it was
relayed via satellite phone that the Cibie headlight was demolished. This
created a problem for the team, as the powerful E-line stator would
probably toast the regulator and rectifier, spare parts the team didn't
have. A Sat phone call to Baja Designs for assistance was made. Baja
Designs confirmed that a problem was about to occur if the stator was not
disconnected. Race Mile pit 205 is
where the stator would have to be disconnected. Problem is, the 2nd place
bike was only minutes behind. As the crew went to work the pressure was
on! Removing the gas tank and disconnecting the stator then pitting the
motorcycle, Joe was on his way in 3-4 minutes! The Baja.net regulars Joe
(Rider of record), Homey, Desert Bull, Brother Bob and Jr Syko did a fine
job keeping the 101X bike out in front. While in the middle
of nowhere racing hard Joe saw a sign on the side of the racecourse "
1 4-Andy GO 101X!" This choked the veteran racer up but he put his
head down forging ahead with Andy as his co-pilot. As darkness was
approaching the DP race bike roared into the pit at race mile 305. Joe,
Mark Daniels, Mark Lohrbach and Usmar went to work reconnecting the stator
and mounted a HID light sending the bike off in the lead. Seve said after
the race, "everyone knew exactly what had to be done to hook
everything back up again. Gotta love satellite comms between chase trucks
and pits - saved our butts and everyone was prepared." 
The
Coca Cola girls make the win that much sweeter! |
Now in pitch-black
darkness lit by 2 HID lights Mark was headed toward the finish line with
his teammates awaiting his arrival. At 19:25:52 the headlight from the DP
racing 101X Yamaha broke the darkness. The little Yamaha that could, did.
DP racing had completed what they set out to do, win the 2003 Baja 1000
pro 250 class securing the SCORE desert series championship. Before the awards
banquet the following day of the race a celebration of the championship in
Andy's memory was held at Baja Mama's. Minnow, another member of the
Baja.net family hosted the happy yet somber event. If you didn't leave
full on Lobster you didn't attend. The defending (class
21) champion Zeller (100x) had problems with his lights but as his
co-rider Eric told Joe Hauler, "You guys soundly beat us in the first
12 hours of daylight. We just couldn't catch up with you." Besides
talent on the racers' part, Tom Maggard did a fine job building the DP
race bike. DP Racing would like
to that their sponsors and those that helped them to this victory: Michelin (tires and
bib mousse's)
76 Racing fuels
Spectro (oil)
Graphic MX.
Mag 7 Pit
www.baja.net
Tim Morton's Baja Bound and Chris Steward's Trail Boss Tours See you out there
somewhere,
Mike Hobbs
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