SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1528094
BFG PITS Racer Support In The Baja Desert By Dan Sanchez In the early days of SCORE Baja racing, racers and teams faced multiple logistical problems such as refueling, reaching vehicles if they broke-down, and the increased cost to make these things happen. With more teams entering SCORE races, BFGoodrich Tires saw an opportunity to provide assistance, and developed a Pit Program that started in 1982 and continues to be an integral part of SCORE races for more than 40 years. Over the decades, the BFG Pits have become an integral part of the race for many SCORE racers, who couldn’t afford to run their own pit crew. “It was a way for BFG to support its racers and differentiate themselves from other tire brands,” says Nate Hunt, Off-Road Racing Program Manager at Jackson Marketing Group (JMG). “It also allows us to talk directly to racers and get their feedback on tire performance, and helps develop relationships with our partners and customers.” BFG’s Bob Bower originally started BFGoodrich’s off-road pit program, and after its initial success, recruited one of the company’s truck drivers, Frank DeAngelo, for assistance. The two began to make the program work, establishing a network of pit support using anything and anyone they could get. Eventually, their long-lasting contributions to the sport led Bower and DeAngelo to be inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. “In those days, we found that we could help a lot of people for the same amount of budget, so it grew and helped BFG not just market tires, but also support off-road racing and to continue our history,” said Hunt. “Today, the evolution of the BFG Pit Program continues to provide high-quality service, but some things have evolved along with the various classes of vehicles.” PIT SERVICES The BFGoodrich Tires Pits offer some of the same services they have done throughout their history in off-road racing, including fueling, tire changes, repairs, and many full mechanical needs. “We have everything from fabricators to mechanics on duty and most of them are extremely experienced in making repairs in the desert,” says Hunt. :”One of the major changes in the BFG Pits, however, is that while we still refuel many vehicles ranging from Trophy Trucks to UTV’s, many of the bigger professional teams have started using the pressurized fueling systems. With the amount of different fuels and cars that we deal with, it’s not feasible to have a pressurized system for all the teams. However, we do offer our pit area as space for teams to set up their pressurized systems and have the resources of our pit space, people, and equipment if anything else is needed.” “The BFG Pits, also include incorporating environmentally friendly fuel mats and increased safety protection for the crew who are refueling. “We want to make sure everyone is safe and our fuelers have fireproof suits, gloves, helmets, and full fire protection,” says Hunt. While top-level pro teams may not use BFG’s full pit services, many privateers, and teams on a budget still sign-up and take full advantage of what they have to offer. Two of the most important services are the BFG Map Book and BFG Relay. The map book is a fully-bound notebook that features all GPS files for any SCORE racecourse and includes access roads, highway sections to the course, race notes, and mileage. “The BFG Map Book gives racers and especially chase teams all the info they would want to know in one bound book. We create our maps showing the racecourse, adjacent highways, and access roads, along with our BFG Relay sites,” says Hunt. The BFG Relay is another advantage of using the BFG Pits. “We set up multiple sites that cover the racecourse along with the Weatherman, and we do our separate relay,” says Hunt. “This is our effort to provide another layer of safety for racers, no matter what tires they are running. Teams can find out where their drivers are or contact our relay team if they want to get a message to them. We call out every passing time and when racers pass through our pits. We keep the data, split times and it helps along with the live tracking systems to provide a physical view of what’s happening on the course, so they are not reliant on automation.” MASS OF VOLUNTEERS To make a pit program like this one so successful for more than 40-years, Hunt says that it takes a large group of talented volunteers. “These are hardcore enthusiasts who love the BFG brand and support off-road racing,” he says. “Races like the SCORE Baja 500 and SCORE Baja 1000 are the most recognized in motorsports. It drives people to want to be a part of it. Some have been on our crews for 20 years to be a part of the reputation BFG pits has and being a part of the race.” The BFG Pits have also given people an opportunity to experience SCORE races for the first time, and it often leads people back. “In one instance, BFG brought some tire dealers from Ireland. They were a part of the pits and experienced a SCORE race. Ever since then, these tire dealers fly themselves from Ireland to Baja and come every year to be a part of the BFG Pits.” Being a part of the BFG Pits takes dozens of volunteers. “For a race like the SCORE Baja 500, we usually have about three pits,” says Hunt. “For the San Felipe 250 we have one or two, for the SCORE Baja 400 about two pits, and for the SCORE Baja 1000, it’s about six pits on a loop race, and eight or nine for a point-to-point race.” In addition to mechanics and fabricators, the BFG Pits also have EMTs and other medical professionals. “Many of them are firemen from San Diego,” adds Hunt. “All our pits have these people and services.” MANAGING IT ALL As one can imagine, it can be difficult to manage everything across a wide expanse of Baja desert. Getting fuel, tires, tools, volunteers along the course is one thing, but there’s also food, water, sleeping accommodations, Starlink Service, and more to think about. “It’s difficult to manage 200 people at a time,” says Hunt. “But it’s worth it, as so many people work hard, and BFG invests so much money for this invaluable work that goes on.” Most of the people in the BFG Pit crews are volunteers, but each has experienced team captains who are continually committed to providing the highest level of support and promote safety. This extends to having a greater concern for the environment. After any race, crews conduct post-race clean-up, to leave the desert in a better condition than when they found it. According to Hunt, crews scour the areas around the pits to pick up trash and properly discard fluids so they maintain a sustainable landscape and encourage locals to allow them to use their backyard and continue racing in Mexico. As SCORE continues through its next decade of Baja racing, it salutes the BFG Pits for their partnership with SCORE, but most importantly their unrelenting support for racers and the off-road motorsports community.