Richie Brown's conquest leads him to the Baja 1000, ALONE!
Although the feat has been achieved in trucks, buggies and on bikes, nobody has ever done it on an ATV. Until now. Richie "Superman" Brown made a 2318 mile cross-country trek to Baja and back and into the history book as well as the first ATV rider to ever Ironman the Baja 1000. After departing Ensenada, he spent 39 hours aboard his 2006 Honda TRX450R for 1050 miles to be the first to successfully complete the arduous race on an ATV solo. We caught up with Brown and once he removed his cape had a short chat about his experience and why he did it.
First, let me tell you a little bit about Brown. He is a country boy, born and raised in remote Dahlonega, Georgia and has been involved in endurance racing for most of his life. Unless his quad is in the back of his truck, he doesn't venture far from here. He spends his days maintaining equipment at an automotive bearing manufacturer (there's a good chance you have some of his company's handy work in your driveway) just a few miles from his home. The rest of this Georgian's available hours are spent tooling around in his small shop preparing for the next event. Basically, Brown eats, sleeps and breathes ATV's. However, the Baja race would be like no other this small town Southerner had ever encountered but fortune was on his side as it was pretty obvious Lady Luck and the man above were along with him on this little endeavor.
ATVR: What inspired you to travel from a small town in the hills of Georgia clear across the country to tackle the world's most grueling off-road event alone?
RB: Dust to Glory! It was at the showing in Atlanta and I watched Mouse McCoy struggle to complete the Baja 1000 solo on a motorcycle. I found out this had never been accomplished on an ATV and from then on the thought continued to linger in the back of my mind.
ATVR: What type of modifications was made to your machine?
RB: Reliability and comfort were the key goals. With the help of GNCC Pro Santo Derisi, I stripped my TRX450 to the frame and began from there. Derisi outfitted the machine with his suspension components to keep me sailing smoothly across the Baja terrain and I left the motor work to Kent Ford at Racing Systems Inc. Ford flowed the head and worked his magic with the help of CV4 valves, springs and hoses. Lighting is a major issue, so I contacted Ricky Stator to keep the trail lit after the sun went down. I also enlisted the help of Maxxis Tires, IMS Products, Fasst Co. Flexx Bars, EFM auto clutch, Hiper Wheels, Lone Star Racing, Scott's Performance, HMF exhaust, Quad Tech and last but certainly not least my buddies at Adapt Racing.
ATVR: Did you do anything else special in preparation for the 1050 mile race down the peninsula?
RB: I bought stock in Loc-Tite. Just kidding, but I did coat every bolt before reinstalling them. I also drilled bolts and used safety wire to keep them from working loose. The rough course is enough to rattle your teeth out, and a single missing bolt could have left me stranded. I also gusseted the frame, as I hoped to keep it straight and in one piece.
ATVR: What type of physical challenges did you face?
RB: There was a lot of work to be done to be sure the machine could go the distance. This was my GNCC race quad and it had its fair share of use and abuse. It was all I had to work with, so I inspected every part and made the best of it. The weeks before the race were very stressful being that I was unsure of how my body and mind would react to this unusual treatment. I hoped the endless hours spent in the gym over the past year had prepared me, but there was no way to know for certain. I just tried not to think about it and kept wrenching.