Dust to Glory Page #9

and had to ride on it

for 40 miles to get a spare.

Still, he forged ahead, mile after mile.

Eleven hours straight

at that kind of pace...

physically, yeah, it's tough,

but more so mentally.

'Cause you don't wanna make a mistake,

especially at night, you know.

They might find you the next day.

So it just... really,

mentally just wears you down.

- Is that...

- That's him, that's him!

Reaching the halfway point of the race,

Mouse is greeted by Jetboat and crew,

plus Andy and Neil Grider

who waited to see how he was doing.

Hey, you're okay.

You're fine.

I got a flat coming off the beach.

I had to ride for 40-something miles

till I got up to Catavena,

and then I scrounged a wheel

off some dudes.

I'm having a little bit of problems

with my hands, Greg.

Yeah.

They're really like this.

They're locked up, man.

Fresh gloves and goggles

if you want 'em.

Yeah, I need a fresh...

You're not far back.

Eight came through here not long ago.

Who?

Eight, and 449 just passed

a minute ago.

- They did?

- Yeah. A minute ago.

I'll get 'em back.

Hey, I lost like 45 minutes.

I was third overall, back...

gonna pass the guy.

Started what, 16th?

Or something like that.

And I was gonna pass the four...

or third overall.

- I was...

- You'll get 'em in the woods.

- You'll get 'em in the woods.

- I'll get 'em in the woods.

But I'm feelin' it.

You're doing

a huge accomplishment.

Take... keep yourself hydrated

and take it easy.

You're doing great.

I was in third, Neil, almost.

I know. That's okay.

You're doing fine.

- Then that flat, dude.

- You'll get it back.

He's right up there.

Don't worry.

- It's only half over.

- I know.

Mouse remembers

something important to tell Andy.

I had to ride for 40-something miles

till I got up to Catavena,

and then I scrounged a wheel

off some dudes.

I'll get 'em back.

Hey, I lost like 45 minutes.

I was third overall, back...

gonna pass the guy.

He's telling you a story.

He was a click out of delirious.

Bike's running, he's telling you a story.

It was great.

"Wait, I got four more seconds.

I have a great story.

You're gonna love this one."

The pit crews are the backbone

of the Baja 1000...

guys like Jetboat.

I was on Indy Car teams

for years... Arceiro's.

At Indy, changing a tire close to the wall

with a car coming in at 120,

your adrenaline's pumping

for about 15 seconds,

and then it leaves, you're done.

This race,

just all the planning and preparation

and wondering where Mouse is at,

your adrenaline's pumping

for about 24 hours.

And it's just the most amazing high

that you can ever be on in your life.

While Jetboat chases Mouse,

others wait for their racers.

These are the pit crews

of the big-money unlimited classes.

Their surroundings are

like a gearhead Xanadu,

and they live like firemen,

ready whenever for whatever.

We may drive by and just wave

and say, "Hey, thanks for being here."

But if we need something, they're there.

You could not be a mechanic

workin' full-time in the racing business

if you didn't love it.

And they just... you know,

it's almost an addiction.

You're coming down here, the truck's

only gonna be here for like 40 seconds.

- Done, and we're done.

- No, we're packing up.

You gotta find something to do.

Drove all this way,

you gotta do something.

Idle hands

can be the devil's playthings.

Oh, my God!

The pit crews are forced

to amuse themselves for hours on end.

As night falls, a full 25%

of the field has dropped out,

and many pit crews' jobs

are just beginning.

But for Jimmy Roberts,

his day is over.

He's gotten his team back

into the top ten.

Get off.

Your work is done.

Good job, bro.

Greg, my dad crashed.

Greg Tracy would take over the bike,

and take it the next 300 miles

into the night.

It's only half over.

And Greg's a hell of a night rider.

If my dad's there,

I'm sure he'll take it in at the end,

but if he's not,

he's gonna have to ride it in.

- Good job, man.

- Yeah.

- Good job, brother.

- Thanks, man.

Give me your helmet.

Jetboat and crew are headed

back to Ensenada with one obstacle.

The first 15 miles of their trek back

was on a live course.

They were going 50 miles a hour

headed north,

While coming at them were trophy trucks

at 140 miles a hour.

And their lights are so bright,

you can't see.

And those roads are so tight that

you literally have to just close your eyes.

Jesus.

And it's like a spaceship passing

on the road.

Around dusk, the first automobile

in the race, Alan Pflueger,

pulled into the pits.

His front end was coming off.

They tried welding everything to it...

wrenches, golf clubs,

whatever it would take.

Forty-five long minutes later,

after being passed by five different cars,

Pflueger's day had turned for the worst.

But the Hawaiian kept an even keel

and remained positive.

Down the road,

Robby Gordon pulled into his pits

like a tornado

pulling into a trailer park.

His crew looked ready

to run screaming into the night,

but Robby's not the kind of guy

to stand back and whine at people.

He jumps right in there,

busting his knuckles

and shouting at the top of his lungs.

It's the kind of insane intensity

you can't help but admire.

Off went Robby raging into the night,

playing the beast

to the beauty of the all-woman team.

They'd been in first place in their class

until their transmission failed,

leaving them stranded in the pits,

looking far too clean, too cute,

and too composed.

When do you guys think

you'll be pulling back into Ensenada?

As the night progresses,

things just get weirder.

The crowds don't dwindle but increase.

They come in droves.

The later it gets,

the more people show up.

It's 4:
30 in the morning.

We're off in the middle...

We're nowhere near any road,

and people are out there, you know,

with their coolers, their little barbecue,

a little fire going,

cheering you on all night long.

Since elementary school,

our families took us there.

So it's very, very important for us

that people still are waiting for us.

We have a lot of good reactions,

like the Jeep... they make like bets.

Is it gonna make it?

Is it not gonna make it?

And once we get there,

they start like celebrating and stuff,

and they really pump you up,

you keep going.

The Volkswagen is painfully far behind,

Which for them is right on schedule.

Meanwhile,

at the other end of the race,

Mouse, amazingly,

was still going strong.

Scott Dunlavey was now

in charge of his pits,

and he brought with him racing legend

Eddie Mulder to surprise Mouse.

Just trying to keep him focused,

you know.

He was very tired at that point.

Got some food in him,

and got some liquids in him.

And, you know,

he's complaining about his hands.

We were third overall,

and I got a flat out on the beach.

I've been trying to gather those guys

back up for a while, man.

I was pretty bummed out,

'cause first of all, 40 miles on a rear flat.

Push it to third overall, man.

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