Great Bend Post
Dec 01, 2023

Great Bend's Birzer part of winning team at BAJA 1000

Posted Dec 01, 2023 10:00 PM
Great Bend's Jerod Birzer was part of the 43i team that recently won its class in the famed BAJA 1000 race in Mexico.
Great Bend's Jerod Birzer was part of the 43i team that recently won its class in the famed BAJA 1000 race in Mexico.

By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post

The National Football League's Big Game is scheduled for Feb. 11 next year. Off-road racers competed in their Super Bowl of sorts earlier this month in Mexico. Great Bend's Jerod Birzer has made the trip south several times for the BAJA 1000. This time, he was part of the 43i Institute team that won the Pro Stock UTV class.

"I've been five or six times," Birzer said. "We've been really close before. We've gotten second, we've gotten third, but this is the first time we've won our class. We didn't win the whole thing but we won our class."

The race takes place each November on Mexico's Baja Peninsula. This year, the race was from La Paz to Ensenada, over some 1,300 race miles, for the first time in 56 years. Birzer traveled more than 1,000 miles of road surrounding the course, while the actual race course was strewn with large rocks, dirt, and silt. Birzer was part of the 43i team in memory of Ken Block. The 43i Institute was created to carry on Block's legacy. Block was one of the co-founders of DC Shoes and a noted racer, skateboarder, rally car driver, and snowboarder. His wife, Lucy, and daughter, Lia, both of Utah, drove the Can-Am Maverick R in the race, alongside Rodrigo Ampudia, and Terry Madden, a Barton County native who now lives in California.

Lucy and Lia Block, wife and daughter of the late Kent Block, were among the team's drivers for the 1,300-mile race.
Lucy and Lia Block, wife and daughter of the late Kent Block, were among the team's drivers for the 1,300-mile race.

"A long time ago, I was just hanging out with some friends and we decided to start off-road racing," Birzer said. "Being at the races, we've developed relationships with other racers. That's just how it works, word of mouth and being at several different races at different times."

For his part on the pit crew, Birzer stayed up for the better part of 42 straight hours with naps when possible, while the car spent approximately 30 hours on the course. "You have to basically chase the car and be ahead of it when it comes into pit, and be set up and ready to fuel the car, work on the car, and anything the drivers may need," he said.

The BAJA 1000 began in 1967 and has taken place every year since except 1974. The race features hundreds of participants in various classes including trucks, UTVs, and motorbikes. The trophy truck division can feature vehicles worth more than a million dollars.

Birzer is looking forward to the 2024 race season. His plans are to attend the King of the Hammers in California, the Mint 400 in Las Vegas, and any other great off-road races that come up throughout the year.