Menzies, Sutherland three-peat as tragedy overshadows Mexican 1000

The 2024 edition of NORRA’s Mexican 1000 was marred by the deaths of competitors Brent Yeadon and Johnny Kaiser, casting a shadow over Steve Menzies and Matt Sutherland‘s overall victories.

Yeadon, the co-driver for Larry Trim‘s 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee (Vintage Short Wheelbase 4×4, driven by Curt Leduc to a Stock Mini class win at the 1993 Baja 1000), suffered a fatal heart attack during the opening stage; although he pulled over to receive medical attention, he died shortly after. The creative director for Visual Metals outside of racing, Yeadon was 61 years old. Trim immediately withdrew from the race.

Kaiser lost his life during the penultimate day when the #507 Jake’s 5U Vintage Class 5 buggy (with Rick Paquette) rolled over. Due to the dust kicked up, the #86 Raceco Vintage Open Buggy led by Jay Culbertson was unable to avoid impact. The accident, along with a nearby teacher’s strike, caused a lengthy delay for cars in the area such that NORRA removed the timed section from the final results.

One of the top fabricators in off-road racing, Kaiser built trucks and buggies and even those in between—known as truggies—for a litany of customers including Robbie Pierce and Robby Gordon. He was responsible for many of Gordon’s vehicles including his Trophy Truck, Dakar Rally Hummer, and Stadium Super Truck. After finishing the race twenty-fourth in the Evolution Pro Turbo UTV class, Gordon said he had “very, very mixed feelings” in the wake of Kaiser’s passing.

“That took a lot out of the success we’ve had with SPEED UTV,” he continued. “It’s a major setback. That’s one of my best friends. I have no idea how many all-nighters he did in the shop to make the cars faster. Very good guy, very creative, and definitely going to be missed by us.”

The tragedies cast a damper over an otherwise dramatic race. Menzies and his son, reigning Baja 1000 and SCORE International champion Bryce Menzies, battled with the latter’s SCORE rival Larry Roeseler for the overall win in the Pro Cars category. Both teams, racing Trophy Trucks, were separated by less than ten minutes entering the sixth and final day before Menzies pulled away for the victory. The Menzies family has won the 1000 overall every year since 2022.

“To do this three times in a row is unreal,” said Bryce. “This is all about just having fun with my dad, coming down here, enjoying it. It was cool to bring Oren (Anderson, co-driver) down this time. What a day. My dad started out, did awesome, and he hates the tight, twisty stuff. Coming into Cabo, I was like, ‘Come on, dude, you got to finish,’ but he wanted me to finish. Had an awesome run. The guys did an awesome job on prepping the truck. We stayed over 1,300 miles to get down here to Cabo so what a day, what a run.

“It’s pretty special. Being able to switch roles and watch him have a smile on his face and just really enjoy it, it’s what it’s all about. We’ve been doing this for seventeen years as a profession of racing full time. This race has got to be one of my favourite races all year. Come down, just enjoy it, have fun, get to see every part of Baja that’s so beautiful. We love it and can’t wait for next year.”

On the bike side, Sutherland also enjoyed his third win in a row on a KTM 450 Rally; the bike is one of the premier models in rally raid, which NORRA events are loosely styled after. The bike course was designed by Dakar Rally veteran and motorcycle race director Jimmy Lewis, and the fourth day even featured a marathon stage that forbade riders from outside assistance like what is seen in rallies. While Sutherland has never raced the Dakar, he is an Africa Eco Race alumnus and won both the Sonora Rally’s Malle Moto class and the 1000 in consecutive weeks in 2023.

Sutherland beat Alexander Smith by forty-eight minutes. Smith was riding on Ducati’s new DesertX Rally bike, which is partly inspired by their Dakar-tribute DesertX albeit with more enduro and motocross flavours. His Ducati team-mate Steve Kamrad was disqualified for going in the wrong direction during the second day and crashing with Matthew Glade.

Rob MacCachren, another SCORE legend, finished runner-up in Evolution Heavy Metal in his NORRA début. He raced a Jimco pre-runner truck from his SCORE team Fastball Racing, led by boss Bobby Patton. Ford’s Brad Lovell won the class to mark the second straight week a Bronco claimed a North American desert victory of some kind after Vaughn Gittin Jr. in Best In The Desert.

“This was my first NORRA race and I’d have to say I’m impressed,” wrote MacCachren. “The course was challenging at times and the days were long. I saw parts of Baja I hadn’t seen in my 30+ years of racing down here. We broke on day 3 and to know we could catch up and continue racing was such an interesting factor. Let alone being able to race in a truck with a windshield and A/C. Thank you to Bobby for the invite and opportunity. This has been something I have wanted to check off my list for a very long time.”

Desert great Larry Ragland topped the Historic Truck side in “Arnold”, a four-time Baja 1000 winner built by the late Jon Nelson. His main rival in the class, Mark Post‘s iconic Riviera Racing “Black Diamond” truck, was destroyed after crashing into the trailer of a chase truck that went on course and triggered a fire.

Gordon’s SPEED UTV was well represented as a NORRA partner, with fifteen Bandits and El Diablos entered including his son and 2023 NORRA 500 UTV winner Max Gordon. Max, who beat his father for the SST season-opening win at Long Beach a fortnight prior, topped UTV qualifying then placed twenty-seventh in class, reaching the finish without a left-front wheel. Brad Halco led the SPEED UTVs with a seventh.

Wayne Matlock was the top UTV overall, finishing seventh outright in his Polaris.

Raceco buggies enjoyed a 1–2 Vintage Car finish led by Randy Wilson with Jim Greenway three hours back. Greenway previously drove his buggy to the 1984 SCORE 2/1600 overall championship. Other unique faces among these vehicles included Bruno and Sergio Pinillos‘ 1977 Datsun 280Z, which they plan to restore for the Dakar Classic, Sean Barber‘s Scout Race Terra that rolled down a ravine in the final day but managed to reach the finish, Warfighter Made‘s Chenowth Light Strike Vehicle used by the United States military, and Alex Earle‘s 1967 Jeepster Commando that has since become a Hot Wheels diecast. Sonora Rally director Darren Skilton was a team member on Boyd Jaynes‘ Pioneer 4×4-winning Bronco.

Two classes, JeepSpeed 3700 and Recreational Vehicles, failed to see any finishers after the lone entrants in both were forced to retire. Tom Allen led the former in a 2020 Jeep Wrangler that bowed out after two days, while Segismundo Lucas Valdes‘ 1987 Volkswagen Vanagon exited with a mechanical the leg prior.

The Mexican 1000 marked the first race under NORRA’s new era categorisation, with Challenger vehicles now being those built between 1983 and 1992 (previously 1983 to 1988) whereas Vintage eligibility begins in 1993. The second and final race of 2024, the NORRA 500, is scheduled for 24–27.

Class winners

Bikes

Class	Overall Finish	Number	Competitor of Record	Vehicle	Time
50+	5	45	Eric Simensen	2023 KTM 450 XCF-W	29:02:50
60+	4	68	Larry Engwall	2024 Husqvarna 501W	26:39:27
Amateur Rally	3	909	Alex Ritz	2001 Honda XR650R	25:56:45
ATC/ATV	22	278	Lyle Tonelli	1986 Honda ATC 250R	48:34:06
Pro Rally	1	423	Matt Sutherland	2021 KTM 450 Rally	21:53:04
Vintage Motos	18	722	Steve Montana	1984 Honda XR 500R	43:54:55

Pro Cars

Class	Overall Finish	Number	Competitor of Record	Vehicle	Time
Evolution 6100	4	6188	Maxime Losier	2023 Brenthel 6100 Gen 3.5	18:16:18
Evolution Heavy Metal	15	8050	Brad Lovell	2023 Ford Bronco DR	19:59:14
Evolution Open UTV	29	179	Kyle Vestermark	2024 Can-Am Maverick R	21:51:47
Evolution Pre-Run Buggies	49	129	Alonso Sanchez	2020 Cheke Guevara Truggy	25:36:57
Evolution Pre-Run Trucks	41	1453	Clinton Pierce	1997 Ford Ranger	24:38:54
Evolution Rally Car	104	15	Matt Carricaburu	2008 M&TT Mid-Engine	43:00:39
Evolution Trophy Lite	47	6036	Bruce Anderson	2022 Trophy Lite	25:27:18
Evolution Ultra 4×4	32	4414	Jason Shipman	2013 Campbell Enterprises Buggy	22:34:39
Evolution Unlimited Buggy	3	165	Dave Mason Jr.	2020 Mason Class 1 Unlimited	17:41:12
Evolution Unlimited Truck	1	1	Steve Menzies	2021 Mason Motorsports Ford	16:56:21
Evolution Production Turbo UTV	22	108	Gilberto Rodriguez	2024 Can-Am Maverick R	20:46:2
Evolution 4-Seat UTV	71	184	Jeff Garnica	2019 Can-Am Maverick X3	30:49:36
Evolution Production Naturally Aspirated UTV	31	444	Seth Egge	2017 Yamaha YXZ100R SS	22:32:38
Evolution Pro 2000 UTV/Class 10	7	1871	Wayne Matlock	2024 Polaris RZR Pro R	18:37:46
Evolution Showroom Stock Late Model	66	725	Jamie Groves	2024 Ford Bronco 2.3L	28:54:42
Historic Buggy	65	156	Aaron Burruss	2000 Jimco Class 1	28:51:50
Historic Truck and Truggy	21	80	Larry Ragland	1995 Chevrolet 1500	20:41:53
Vintage 4-Cylinder Buggies	23	224	Brian Coats	1995 Mirage Class 1	20:53:17
Vintage 6-Cylinder Buggies	101	1509	Daron Rarden	1965/2016 Volkswagen Baja Bug	42:00:15
Vintage Class 1/2-1600	61	1635	Ruben Rodriguez	2021 Romo 12-1600	27:46:12
Vintage Class 12	92	516	Tino Santana		37:15:17
Vintage Class 5	25	521	Hap Kellogg	1957 Volkswagen Class 5 Unlimited	21:17:36
Vintage Open Buggies	60	1070	George Marsh	2002 Marsh Made Buggy	27:45:22
Vintage Open Trucks	36	303	Dave Sykes	1966 Ford Bronco	23:31:43

Classic Cars

Class	Number	Competitor of Record	Vehicle	Time
Challenger 4×4	13	David Orzolek	1989 Jeep YJ Islander	42:57:52
Challenger Buggy	138	Randy Wilson	1988 Raceco	20:29:43
Challenger Car	500	Tom Bird	1974 Porsche Challenger 914	25:34:15
Challenger Truck	759	Travis Dutemple	1987 Toyota Pickup	33:10:04
Evolution Class 7100	7127	Scott Phipps	1996 Ford Ranger	25:00:29
Evolution JeepSpeed 3700	N/A	No Finishers	N/A	DNF
Evolution Recreational Vehicle	N/A	No Finishers	N/A	DNF
Legend 4×4	35	Chris Greenwood	1972 Ford Bronco	27:13:04
Legend Buggy	1601	Jim Greenway	1980 Raceco 2/1600	23:36:30
Legend Car	504	Rich Minga	1981 Volkswagen 1962	40:22:48
Legend Truck	800	Dave Westhem	1979 GMC K15	41:51:33
Pioneer 4×4	26	Boyd Jaynes	1968 Ford Bronco	27:22:06
Pioneer Buggy	9	Jon Steinhilber	1965 Meyers Manx	29:41:42
Pioneer Truck	866	Chris Sullivan	1966 Ford F100	29:05:06
Vintage 4-Cylinder Truck	468	Jose Julio Santibañez	1986 Toyota 4Runner	51:58:42
Vintage 6-Cylinder Truck	1719	Chris Nissley	1989 Jeep Cherokee	28:19:48
Vintage Class 11	1131	Mario Rojas	1970 Volkswagen Beetle	24:36:35
Vintage Military Vehicle	22	Robert Blanton	1988 Chenowth DR3 Light Strike Vehicle	27:52:02
Vintage Open Production Car	719	Bruce Galien	1973 Volkswagen Type 181	43:24:36
Vintage Open Truck 4×4	702	Eli Yee	1993 Ford	26:02:12
Vintage Open Truck Rear Leafs	1403	Michael Tuba	1980 Ford F-150	25:11:55
Vintage Short Wheelbase 4×4	383	Steve McCrossan	1975 Ford Bronco	27:06:19
Vintage Stock Production Car	969	Sterifcan Ozcan	1993 Porsche 911	35:05:50