Just One Bite…
How a pandemic can turn a quick testing session into a soul lifting experience by Andrea Tomba.
I feel like I a kid who sets his eyes on a Dairy Queen Banana Split for his first time ever. You are
having trouble taking it all in with your eyes, and your
hands are shaking, you are forcing back some drool as you are already feeling the soft, velvety, sweetened whipped cream caress your lips as your tongue gets the
shock of the first frozen hit of rich ice cream just before biting into the mushy yet tasty fruit… As the lady behind the bar is serving it for you, you’re already
tasting it, indulging in it and feeling it in your mind, time and time again, until the moment when she finally leans over, just a little too provocatively, handing you
your enormous dish of sin… And now, you know, that
you are going to try to wait… just a little bit longer…
diving even deeper into this ecstasy of expectancy, holding back as long as you can, trying to hold back dipping in your spoon just a little bit prematurely with all your might… as you try to replay the pleasure just a little longer before the reality that you are actually doing this hits you like an ice cold wave crossed with a hwarm, delicious embrace…
The shakes, the emotion, the anticipation, the visualization, as you are about to dive into this whirlwind of feelings and emotions that will bring your mind, body and soul to new heights… even if just for a moment. But its effect, its experience, its flavor, its being, will stick with you forever!
Covid-19 has kept me away from people in general since the beginning of March, however, more impacting than that, our race experience trips with BFGoodrich and Wide Open were cancelled due to the same reason since middle of February. When you are accustomed to spending a week or two a month in a race car, either racing, testing or guiding, over two months without getting into 5-point harness of a race car, it’s a killer! Anybody who says that off road racing isn’t an addiction… is just somebody who has his next hit lined up! Now, going cold turkey, just like that, with no real warning, warm up or preparation, is, quite simply, a bitch! Would you believe that there aren’t even any help groups for this? Sure, you long for the thrill that appeases your need for speed, the having to be ready for the unexpected but most of all, I think that it is that for hours on end, you are paying 100% attention in the section of trail that is in front of you and everything else that is or could happen around you.
There is no space for outside thoughts, hesitation or mind wandering. You focus. You concentrate. You anticipate. But most of all, you smile. F*-K, do you smile! Even, as strange as it may seem, without any real S&M fetish addiction, your body misses the hours of constant pounding on your spine and bones as you float ( somewhat…) through the whoops, what I am sure is really correcting all your ills, acting as natural chiropractor.
Maybe that is why we love off road so much… it isn’t a sport, it isn’t an addiction… it’s therapy! And no one can blame you for buying better means for you to improve your therapy, right?
Ok, so I went off on a bit of a tangent… ok, so we have been in quarantine… where was I?
Oh, yes, of course… eyes about to pop out of your head, saliva drooling down your chin, heart jumping out of your chest as the young, long blonde hair server whose blouse just popped another button reaches over the bar to hand you your Banana split….
After over two months, Pio, Kawa and Layo of No Limits Baja Race Prep, whom have been working on modifying the Paradise Motorsports for the last couple
of months, can’t bare it anymore and we escape to test the truck, at a closed track that gets very little use near La Paz. We keep fingers crossed as we have to go through one military stop and one police stop in the 4 miles from our shop to the track, praying that we don’t get the trucks confiscated due to the quarantine. I say trucks because we are social distancing with only two people per truck with masks and all…
The JIMCO that we are testing was built for the Bad Apple team (RIP) and it had some issues that needed to be addressed when we tested it just before the Baja 1000 2019, where the Paradise team got third place in TT Legend.
The steering was addressed by changing the camber and caster, the suspension was changed to give it an additional 4 inches of travel in the rear and the sequential transmission shifter rods were replaced. The front bumpers and fiberglass were modified to fit the new Vision X lights, a set of 8.7” ADV’s, a set of 6.7” ADV LED’s placed on the outside to also help with peripheral vision whilst the center hosts a 30” Race Shocker. If you haven’t seen these new lights made by our friends at Vision X, you have to check them out. The name Shocker says it all doesn’t it? Always an industry leader, this bar does not disappoint whatsoever, as it provides amazing light and scope, but also an amber light. On the roof, they recommended a light that proved their worth in the recent KOH, a 50” Unite Series bar.
We finally get to the short course, drop the TT from the trailer, and just seeing the dirt, seeing tracks and ruts, putting on a helmet, it all seems like such a blessing. That excitement as you are strapped into your SPARCO seat, and as you press the starter switch and the engine comes to life, breathing its fire into your soul, before settling into its calming, southing, sweet tune that seems like a lullaby… We finally take off, and it only takes a few seconds before my first exclamation of joy comes across the intercom to Pio.
The shifter feels like butter, like a shifter of your favorite dirt bike, effortless and smooth, the sequential transmission giving you a much greater sense of control and driving than the usual Turbo 400, in my humble opinion. The track is rough, as a track that hasn’t been used for a few years and has been through some storms and hurricanes… However, I cannot wipe the smile off my face as the truck effortlessly swallows the ruts and attacks the corners. The steering is precise, the shifting doesn’t need a thought for it to happen and the suspension is impressive. Doesn’t even feel as though it is the same truck as 6 months ago. Even the engine feels stronger and more aggressive as a result, even though we have not touched it. We limit ourselves to a short session, a shakedown, just to make sure that there aren’t any bad surprises and pack up to get the truck and crew back to the shop, to conform with the current restrictions.
Only a day has gone by, however I still can’t stop thinking about it. To get a taste once again of what fills our lives with excitement and fun.. it almost feels like the first time… again! With the current worldwide situation, it also really drums home how much we love off road and how it has little to do with the speed or the vehicles but the camaraderie, the friendships, the brotherhood and the effort which is necessary for every one to commit in order to succeed.
I can’t thank Mayo Flores and Paradise Motorsports enough for their faith in us and allowing us to make some changes and prep their truck. Special thanks to Pio, Kawa and 3R fabrication for their magic. A huge shout out to Joe Biro of Vision X for the amazing light set up. Now, we just need all the powers at be to put on some races, even if starts, finishes and contingencies be carried out without crowds, in the desert. But for our health and sanity… Let’s Race!
