Radar Tires Wins Baja 1000
– Radar Tires sweeps 2014 SCORE International Mexican races
– Bronson Motorsports wins both 2014 SCORE International Baja 500 and Baja 1000
– Bronson Motorsports earns fourth podium of 2014
La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico – Nov. 14, 2014 – After 28 hours and 1,275 miles, the Radar Tiressponsored
Bronson Motorsports Class 10 buggy team won the 47th Annual Tecate SCORE International Baja 1000. The team took the lead in the first eight hours of the race and lead for the majority of the event. Radar Tires and the Bronson Motorsports team crossed the finish line approximately an hour before its first Class 10 competitor.
Mike Johnson, Mike Majesky and Brent Fletcher co-drove the No. 1031 Radar Tires Class 10 Buggy, to victory on Friday afternoon. This victory marks the second win for the team this year. Johnson and Majesky won the 2014 SCORE International Baja 500 in June. The duo finished second at the Imperial Valley 250 and Desert Challenge races. While on Radar Tires, Cody Robinson and Roberto Romo of Robinson/Romo Racing won the San Felipe 250.
In its first two seasons of long-course off-road racing, Radar Tires has competed in 10 events, earned five wins (four SCORE International, one Mojave Off Road Racing Enthusiast) and 10 podium finishes.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the Class 10 win at the SCORE International Baja 1000,” said Scott Rhodes, vice president of sales, Omni United, the parent company of Radar Tires. “We’ve had great success in our long-course off-road program. Mike Johnson and his Bronson Motorsports team have shown that our Radar Tires can withstand the desert terrain and win races. We’re very proud of the team today. We’re very proud of the team today. This is the longest endurance desert race in North America and the drivers proved they are running on some of the strongest tires – the Radar Renegade R5 tires.”
Majesky started the race from the 10th position of the 24 entrant Class 10 field. His official start time was Thursday, November 13, at 1:30 p.m., in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Before exiting Ensenada, he passed one Class 10 buggy and that began his charge to the front. By race mile 100, Majesky was running third on course.
At race mile 160, crew chief John Hoffman called for a pit stop and a splash of fuel. Majesky was running second on course heading into the pit stop. He was also the first of the Class 10 buggies to pit. A quick 24.62 seconds later and an additional five gallons of fuel, Majesky returned to the course in third.
Majesky pitted again at race mile 195. The 90-second pit stop included two rear Radar Renegade R5 tires and fuel. He was running third in class and emerged from the roadside pits in fourth place.
The next time the team saw Majeksky was for a visual check at race mile 216. He was physically third in class and less than two minutes behind the class leader.
At race mile 250, near San Quintin, it was the start of the sandy beach-like section of the circuit – one of Majesky’s favorite parts of the course. It was during the beach section, Makesky found his way to the front of Class 10.
Majeksy maintained and increased his lead until pitting at race mile 405. The scheduled pit stop lasted five minutes and included a driver change to Brent Fletcher, fuel and two rear Radar Renegade tires.
At the start of Fletcher’s stint, the Bronson Motorsports team estimated the team had a 19-minute lead on the next closest Class 10 competitor.
The team next spotted the buggy at race mile 470 and Fletcher was still running first. Fletcher stopped for a splash of fuel at race mile 564. Most of Fletcher’s course terrain up to this point was ever-changing with silt, rocks, beach and plains.
Fletcher completed his stint at race mile 737. The scheduled stop included two rear Radar Renegade tires, fuel and driver change to Mike Johnson. Based on team calculations, at this point of the race the No. 1031 Radar Tires Buggy had a 40-minute lead on the next Class 10 competitor.
Near race mile 800, the left rear wheel came loose and flew off the race car out of Johnson’s sight. In an ‘only in the Baja 1000 moment’ the incident happened near three race spectators who helped mount the spare, find the rogue wheel assembly and re-attach the tire to the back of the buggy.
Johnson pitted for fuel at race mile 915. Team estimation placed Johnson in first place with a one hour lead.
At race mile marker 1022, Johnson went through a big mud hole and emerged with a flat rear tire. Johnson changed the tire, again with the help of some local race fans, and returned to the race course. Immediately the other rear tire went flat likely from the same mud hole. During the two tire changes, Bronson Motorsports team calculations reduced the one hour lead to 30 minutes.
Johnson pitted at race mile 1088 for fuel and two new rear tires. He would pit for fuel and tires once more.
Johnson crossed the finish line in La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico, at approximately 5:15 p.m. on Friday.
Mike Johnson
“Right out of the gate we had long pavement section. When I turned to go on to the road, which is a really fast road to go to San Juanico, I was doing about 104 mph and the left rear came off. It was wobbly going out and I thought it was an axle problem, but it was a loose wheel. So it went flying passed me out in the desert. I went flying into the desert, got out, put the spare on and drove found the original Radar Tire and wheel, threw it in the rack because I knew I may need it. If I left the wheel, I wouldn’t have any spares with me. Then I lost radio communication with the team until I got to race mile 914. The wheel issue warped the lug nut hole in and rim. I cut the speed down a little and keep the buggy as straight as possible and the weight off the rear. The tire held on to the rim. Twice it tried to come off, but I put it against the sand to knock back on again.
“Then we had the two flats coming out of the mud hole, so it was a rough couple of hours. “The Radar Tires were so good. I had too much grip in the front tire. It was grabbing the front so hard, it was throwing the rear up and over the berm. I had to change my driving style. There’s a lot of sand out there. The deep sand roots were so big and that car is so small that it just swallows you up. You have to rail them or go around them to keep momentum.
“Being at the finish line first is nice. This Baja 1000 has owed me one for a long time. This couldn’t have been done without the entire effort of the team. To do what we just did today, the sponsors and the team worked and everyone was flawless. John Hoffman and the whole gang, the guys that come down to help us in this event, is extraordinary. Mike and Brent did an amazing job and their two stints were flawless and mine was full of issues.”
Mike Majesky
“The start went well, I got one guy right off the bat, at top speed at 115 on the pavement before we left town. There was a fair bit of dust, so I just kind of sitting in others’ dust for a while. There were a couple of us battling for position in Ojos (approximately race mile 40) to Highway 3. We were back and forth switching positions. It was unbelievable. Silt, dust, hills – you couldn’t even see each other. It was absolutely nuts.
“By the time we got to the beach, I saw the race leader pull over in the sand. The whole time along the coast, I was passing Class 1 cars and slow Trophy Trucks. We knew the section and was hauling through it. We were really good at pre-running that section. I think the locals were even jumping out of the way.
“My favorite part of my stint was being in clean air about 260 miles into the race and then it was on! The dust just takes the life out of you. You have to concentrate so much just to see five feet in front of you and you have to keep going because the other cars are going. It was painful to drive when you can’t see where you are going.
“I turned the car over to Fletcher in great shape. The Radar Tires were perfect through the entire run. I’m thrilled to bring home the Baja 1000 win for Mike, the team and Radar Tires. This is huge for us and I’m finally glad we were able to conquer this race.”
Brent Fletcher
“That was a good stint. I kept the lead and it was trying. The section that we pre-ran the last 10 days was far worse than it was earlier in the week. This last section that I came through was unbelievable. I had no idea it looked that way. The buggy hung in there really good.
“The Radar Tires pulled me through all that silt. The trenches were huge too. The belly of the buggy was resting on the center. The Radar Tires were churning me through the silt and sand. “I’m really stoked on that. Every time I got into something, I just hit it and I’d get through it. I felt really confident after getting through that silt. It was twice was long as we thought it would be. The rock garden was twice as big. The ruts in the sand were twice as deep. I had to tip-toe it to the end because I wanted to get to Mike for the driver change. I was surprised that I didn’t get a flat because of the rocks out there and the speed. The Radar Tires held in there and I was impressed.
“I loved running through the wash and conquering it. That was the best part. When you get in the wash, there isn’t a line. It is wide open. Everybody wants to get through there faster so all the Trophy Trucks and Class 1s are all over the place. They cut multiple lines creating more water and it is marshy. If you stop, you’re stuck. I kept the buggy dancing through there and using the course markers and nailing that part – that was cool.
“I’m so glad I was able to be part of this team to win Mike, Bronson and Radar Tires this race. These guys have worked so hard to get here. I did my part and it got these guys the win they deserve.”
About Omni United
Omni United (S) Pte. Ltd is a tire designer, manufacturer and distributor. The company offers a complete range of consumer and commercial tires marketed under the brand names: Radar Tires, Patriot Tires, American Tourer, Tecnica, Agora, Corsa and RoadLux. Singapore headquartered Omni United was founded in 2003 by entrepreneur G.S. Sareen. As a reliable business partner with innovative products, unparalleled customer service and logistics solutions, Omni United has a global footprint and is selling products in more than 50 countries. Omni United’s flagship brand Radar Tires has been manufactured Carbon Neutral since 2013. Further information on Omni United is available by calling 1-855-906-6646, by emailing info@omni-united.com and online at www.omni-united.com.
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