There’s no denying the speed that desert-racing specialists like Garrett Poucher have. But when it comes to rally raid-style navigation competition like the 2017 Baja Rally by Rally Comp, the successful rider must also possess other attributes, including the ability to decipher a road book while at speed and think clearly despite mental fatigue.
It’s a process that favors experience, which is something that Mike Johnson has. In fact, he translated his enthusiasm for the sport into something tangible—the Rally Comp navigation device which has made a big impact—and while he might not have as much pure speed as, say, Poucher, Johnson is rarely fazed when it comes to the intricacies of navigation.
So, the 2017 Baja Rally, Presented by Rally Comp, provided an interesting contrast between the two riders and their styles with Johnson jumping out to an early lead, which he kept through the first two days. Starting and finishing in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, the race featured a prologue south of town.
But Poucher learns quickly and changed the way he marked his road book so he paid closer attention to waypoints and where speed zones started.
“The first day, [speed that overwhelmed my navigation abilities] actually cost me about 30 minutes in penalties, unfortunately, and that put a LOT of pressure on me for the rest of the rally, not only frustration-wise, but it put a lot of time between me and [Johnson],” Poucher said. “I knew I could get these guys in the rough stuff, so I tried to keep that to my advantage and push as hard as I could through the rough stuff but on the navigation stuff, really just slow down, take my time, make sure that I made my turns.”
Poucher added that his desert racer mentality kicked in during the 2017 Baja Rally.
“[When you crash or make a mistake], you start pushing hard again,” Poucher said. “You really have to turn that back down and start to track your time so you don’t continue to make mistakes. It was difficult, to say the least.”
By the third day, Poucher had managed to erase the deficit and assume the lead, which he extended on the fourth day’s stage, to clock a final overall time of 16 hours, 21 minutes and 17 seconds which Johnson came in at 16:28:05. Both rode lightly modified versions of the Honda CRF450Xs they race in SCORE events, Johnson’s bike more like his pre-runner with its extra-large fuel tank as well as navigation tower.
Mexico’s Patrick Reyes—who helps organize the Coast to Coast Rally on mainland Mexico—finished third in the 2017 Baja Rally, posting a time of 16:52:18 aboard his KTM 450 Rally Replica.
After spending previous editions working the race, Poncho Alonzo entered this one and won Rally 1 Rookie at the 2017 Baja Rally, finishing fourth bike overall in 16:54:24. Rally 1 winner Devon Mahon clocked 18:05:34 for seventh motorcycle overall while Wes VanNieuwenhuise impressed all while herding his KTM 950 to the Adventure Bike victory in 19:36:42.
Ironically, though, it was Steve Hengeveld adding a third overall triumph to his résumé by taking first overall vehicle in 15:42:46, thanks to a blistering final stage that saw him some 57 minutes faster than even Poucher—and he accomplished that in his first try in the UTV class in a remarkably stock machine.
For more information on the Baja Rally visit www.bajarallymoto.com.
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