WIDE OPEN CABO SAN LUCAS RACING EXPERIENCE
Think you've got to have zillions of dollars and corporate sponsors to scream down a dirt road near Cabo in a real high-speed race vehicle? Think again. The good folks at Wide Open Baja are making this dream a reality for anyone with a passion for offroading and a few pesos in their pocket.
Wide Open Baja is the brain child of Todd Clement who has been expanding the company year by year since 1996 to let race fans get a real taste of what it's like to run the Baja 1000.
Four main options are available for wanna-be-racers. For those who just want to try out a race car 'appetizer run' Wide Open Baja offers a very fun off road track of varied terrain with twists, turns, bumps, jumps and high speed sand washes. This all takes place at Wide Open's 1,500 acre ranch in the Baja desert.
For those with a bigger passion to experience Baja, Wide Open offers 2 different four day tours on some of the same roads that are part of the actual Baja 1000 race. These adventures start in two different Baja locations: Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas.
And for the true race fanatic, Wide Open Baja offers a 7 day tour down the Baja Peninsula that is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.
We think you'll agree that this is as much fun as you can have with your clothes on!
What is it like to get strapped into an actual Chenowth Magnum race car and put the pedal to the metal? Just ask Carlos Fiesta, who had the opportunity to do just that at Wide Open's huge track on the coast one half hour north of Cabo San Lucas.
The first thing you realize is that this is the real deal, Lucille, not some go-kart on a risk-free course. After a thorough briefing about driving techniques, the cars, the course and a few other important variables, you are fitted snugly with a very serious helmet.
Once the helmet is secure there are the seat belts. These are no ordinary seat belts. You are strapped into the vehicle seven ways from Sunday to make sure you and the vehicle become one driving entity. Ready to rock and roll? Almost.
It's only prudent that the first lap or two be at a moderated pace, one that lets you get a feel for the car, the road surfaces and the course itself. Actually you wouldn't want to take the first lap without this 'head's up' because you would be freaking out the whole way, not knowing what to expect.
Once off and running on your own, you begin to realize that these vehicles were indeed built to handle every road condition that comes their way. Huge banked turns, wide open straight-aways, washboard runs followed by fast turns...nothing seems too much for these spectacular race cars.
At the end of your run, Wide Open Baja offers photographs of you and yours 'in action' on the track. These pictures are awesome and are sure to bring you years of pleasure sitting on your desk at the office or on the wall in your family room.
There is only one thing that is predictable after a run with Wide Open Baja. Every person that gets out of the car says the same thing after they take off theipr helmet...."That's the most fun I've ever had!!!"
For more information on this once-in-a-lifetime experience, drop by the excellent web site of WIDE OPEN CABO.