The N.O.R.R.A. Mexican 1000...........in Black & White.

I recently connected with a few friends I met at the 2011 N.O.R.R.A. Mexican 1000,and while going through the images from that event,I came across quite a number that I never published,so I got nostalgic and decided to put them up.

This years event will be held from April 28th through May 2nd,2012.If you feel up to the challenge,here's the page to figure out which category you fit in,and here's your registration form........your welcome.

Unfortunately,I won't be able to make this years event,as by the end of April,my bike will already be on a ship en route to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for the start of the sidecar conversion and my Round the World trip.Pity,I really loved last years event,and made some great friends as well.I even stripped the bike down by taking off the panniers and excess equipment and ran one of the off-road stages,Day 1 Special Stage 3,a 210 mile stage from San Felipe to Bahia de Los Angeles ,60 miles of which were off-road,starting a few clicks south of Puertecitos to Coco's Corner,then another 12 miles to paved road.That was the stage I crashed twice,got rescued by the Canadians with some tools to bolt some stuff back on that fell off about 45 miles back,and the stage I met the The 10 Jose's.

Bob Land and the crew,who really helped me out a lot last year.I'll miss seeing them this year for sure.

The 10 Jose's,who broke down on Special Stage 3.

Loreto,start of Day 3,Stage 1.

Anyone who's done Baja knows exactly where this is.

And yea,Coco is still there.

I couldn't leave Coco's without getting my tank signed.

So,go rent you an RV and head to Mexicali for April 27th,and drive the 1000 miles over 3 days down the Baja peninsula to La Paz and follow the original desert race that started the whole Baja Desert Racing events that followed.Go find Mike Pearlman and say hi from Murph.

Murph.

So Now Where To?......

...has been asked of me lately,but having been caught up in Fl with all that goes along with moving me Mum,it's actually been a very cathartic time,and still is.Cleaning out "stuff" just gets you so much more space....
NORRA and Baja still are ever present as I still find many images that have still not been published.....

The 16th century Mission Church in San Ignacio.

More time in this little town would have been preferred.

The mission was founded in 1728 by the Jesuit missionary Juan Bautista de Luyando,and was constructed by the Dominican missionary Juan Gomez in 1786.

My late uncle John,one of two of my fathers brothers,was a Jesuit priest in Argentina for many years from an early age,15 I believe,for when the Jesuits came to Ireland to recruit for missionaries for South America in the twenties,abject poverty and a brutal life on the farm there gave him no other choice but to follow that vocation.

The Mission San Ignacio was abandoned in 1840,but today stands largely in it's original condition thanks to a 1976 restoration,and is used by the local community for masses,weddings,funerals and daily worship.

The church's elaborate facade,with it's engraved stone plaques and plaster ornamentation make it one of Baja's most impressive mission churches.

And speaking of NORRA,whilst having a conversation with Mike Pearlman on KCBQ Talk Radio last Sunday and again on Tuesday,I was informed by Mike that I now have an official NORRA photog badge,so thanks Mike for that.
He also sent me some images of his Dads(Ed)original 1961 column shift FJ 40,which was brought down to Ensenada in Baja California to the famous HorsePower Ranch.
In fact,it's probably THE first V-8 conversion of a Land Cruiser.
I'll have them up next week with a helluva story from Mike also.

Another announcement I would like to share with you is still in the beginning stages of getting a flight plan on paper,but through my friend Mandy Miller,who is the race director for the events,I have been selected to be one of three photographers for the three Sept 11th 10yr anniversary events that Team Red,White and Blue are doing this year.
One is in NYC,the second in Washington DC,and the third run is in Shanksville PA,which is the event that I will be photographing.The run also coincides with the dedication of a new Memorial there.
For this I feel honored to be a part of something historic.
In the coming weeks I will be setting a route on here for all to see,as I intend to try to organize a "Ride Along" for those motorcyclists who wish to join me as I travel from Wendover UT to Shanksville PA.I will be posting more on my Facebook page as it develops.






Murph

The 2011 NORRA Mexican 1000...............images Pt II.

Casa Diaz,early morning and the start of Day 2.

 A little later,Sea of Cortez heading south on Mex 1.

Only(!!)2 Special Stages on day 2,but a total of 300 off-road miles.Bob Land had warned me of the Special Stages(125 miles and 175 miles respectively) the night before,asking if my intention was to run them.He said Day 1 was nothing compared to the Day 2 Stages and he strongly advised against me running it.Since I live on my bike full time as opposed to having it as a weekend warrior,I opted to take his advice and the Hwy all the way to Loreto.This was the day that did the damage to Bobs Jeep,so I think I made the right choice.I do appreciate Bob and the crew looking out for me though,thanks fellas.

So I had to go back out of Bay of LA ,head north and west to pick up Mex 1 to go south to Guerrero Negro,then to San Ignacio,down through Santa Rosalia to Mulege,and from there it was a straight run down to Loreto for the end of Day 2.

Bay of LA,line up for the start of Day 2.

Bob Lands 38 Jeep off the start line in Bay of LA,Day 2.

An '89 Honda CR.I like the extra fuel cells on the front.

Tito Tinoco  and Melissa Eickhoff Smith in the #61 Bronco.

This is........oh never mind,it's on the door.

#29 "The Lost Boys" '73 AMC Hornet.

Michele Martineau,extraordinary woman...........really.

Thank you for all your help and support through the event Michele,and thanks for a place to stay in La Paz.

BFI Racing"s '71 Chebby Suburban.

Waiting for the start of Day 2,Bay of LA.

A lot of guys got the crap kicked out of them and their vehicles,so the parking lot of the back of La Mission,the NORRA HQ and Hotel of choice for most of the racers,was a hive of activity,including but not limited to Bob Lands Jeep and crew who worked until after midnight to get the Jeep ready for Day 3.

#14,Syko,blew a power steering pump after Special Stage 1.

"The top just blew right off the damn thing" he said.They could only thread 3 bolts back in,hence the bar across two of the holes.

Day 2,just like Bob Land warned me,was taking casualties 'n dropping 'em like flies.

Day 2 was a constant battle of repairs.

The Canadians....eh?.They got me out of a bind here,thanks fellas.

All in all,Day 2 saw a lot of exhausted drivers and riders in Loreto,but a night of repairs was needed for most to continue on to Day 3.

'Till then...

Murph