Print
E-mail
Comment
Rsenal racing team makes Baja 1000 debut
  
|
By Benn Farrell
Rsenal racing was more than ready by the time the flag dropped at the team’s first appearance at the world-renowned Baja 1000.
Based out of Larkspur with team members coming from all over the western United States, Team Rsenal took its Grand Prix Motorsport-prepared 2008 Yamaha WR-450 to the 16th starting position of the 2009 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 motocross race Nov. 19-22 in Ensenada, Baja, California and Mexico.
The Baja 1000 course this year starts and finishes in Ensenada, Mexico, and covers 672.85 miles; 19.57 of those miles have a maximum race speed limit of 60 miles per hour. The remaining 654.38 miles can be at full throttle, depending upon course conditions. The 16th position put Rsenal the first slot among Sportsmen Motorcycles, starting just behind the Pro Rides, which were expected to set the pace.
Rsenal Racing was formed approximately one year ago with a team of hand-selected individuals who resided throughout the mid-west. One of which is Chuck Shortt, a Colorado resident, who was elected captain of the team and one of its riders. Short kicked off the Baja 1000 race as Rsenal’s first rider. The next two riders for the team were Jim Kuykendall of Dallas and Dale Branson of Park City, Utah.
Shortt has been racing motorcycles since he was 19 years old. Racing in the Baja 1000 has been a long-time dream of his, and he credits the crew and support of Rsenal to making it come true.
“Each of the team members have donated endless amounts of time because they wanted to,” Shortt said. “They had a dream as well. I see this team going all the way to the top in whatever venue of racing we do.”
Short’s wife, Liz Shortt, serves as the team’s secretary and organizes the team’s radio and phone communications and GPS. She said being a part of the team during its preparations for racing in Ensenada and sharing her husband’s dream has been a fantastic experience.
“I’m fairly new to motorcycle racing, or any kind of racing, but have fallen in love with the sport,” Liz Shortt said.
Branson learned to ride after receiving his first tricycle from his parents, much to his parents’ amusement. He eventually started riding and racing motorcycles at various dirt tracks and spent a number of years in desert racing in Arizona.
“Chuck is pretty good at coming up with adventures, so when he called me to race Baja, I was immediately in,” Branson said. “He has put together an excellent team with very complementary skills.”
Kuykendall’s racing credits begin with the Enduro race schedule in Quito, Ecuador from 1980-81. From 1992-1998 he rode a Honda XR600 during the La Paz, Bolivia Motorcycle Federation Enduro-Rally race schedule with consistent podium finishes. He served as the president of La Paz Motorcycle Federation in 1994.
In 1996, Kuykendall raced to the summit of the 17,000-foot Chacaltaya Glacier for a first-place finish and had a Desafio en el Rio first place finish on a Kawasaki KXR650. He was later third place in the National Enduro Championship in Sucre, Bolivia, in 1997.
Kuykendall is no stranger to endurance sports on foot as well. He participated in the 2006 Dallas Marathon, the 2007 San Antonio Marathon, where he finished among the top 10 percent, and the 2009 Houston Marathon, where he finished among the top 6 percent and booked a qualifying time for the 2009 Boston Marathon.
Among other members of the support team for Rsenal Racing are crew chief Ryan Kwak and logistics manager Dave Mikelson, both of Colorado. Kawk is a chassis specialist employed by Grand Prix Motorsports. He said he lives for anything with two wheels that needs a grip twisted. He has been captivated by the Baja 1000 race since he was little.
“I thought to myself that I would be an idiot if I passed up this opportunity,” Kwak said of joining the team’s venture to the legendary race.
Mikelson’s job as logistics manager has been to find a way to get the team trailer to Mexico. It was easy to find Mikelson for the team, since his son is married to Short’s daughter. He immediately volunteered when Short brought up the idea of racing the Baja 1000.
Also in the support team is Mark Nelson, of Washington, who has aided the organization with lodging arrangements, Jack Nichols as the team’s software engineer and Ray C. Wheeler, of California, who helms the team’s marketing needs.
For more information on Team Rsenal Racing, visit its Web site at www.rsenalracing.com. To follow results of the 2009 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, visit www.score-international.com. Results from the race were unavailable by press time.
Based out of Larkspur with team members coming from all over the western United States, Team Rsenal took its Grand Prix Motorsport-prepared 2008 Yamaha WR-450 to the 16th starting position of the 2009 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 motocross race Nov. 19-22 in Ensenada, Baja, California and Mexico.
The Baja 1000 course this year starts and finishes in Ensenada, Mexico, and covers 672.85 miles; 19.57 of those miles have a maximum race speed limit of 60 miles per hour. The remaining 654.38 miles can be at full throttle, depending upon course conditions. The 16th position put Rsenal the first slot among Sportsmen Motorcycles, starting just behind the Pro Rides, which were expected to set the pace.
Rsenal Racing was formed approximately one year ago with a team of hand-selected individuals who resided throughout the mid-west. One of which is Chuck Shortt, a Colorado resident, who was elected captain of the team and one of its riders. Short kicked off the Baja 1000 race as Rsenal’s first rider. The next two riders for the team were Jim Kuykendall of Dallas and Dale Branson of Park City, Utah.
Shortt has been racing motorcycles since he was 19 years old. Racing in the Baja 1000 has been a long-time dream of his, and he credits the crew and support of Rsenal to making it come true.
“Each of the team members have donated endless amounts of time because they wanted to,” Shortt said. “They had a dream as well. I see this team going all the way to the top in whatever venue of racing we do.”
Short’s wife, Liz Shortt, serves as the team’s secretary and organizes the team’s radio and phone communications and GPS. She said being a part of the team during its preparations for racing in Ensenada and sharing her husband’s dream has been a fantastic experience.
“I’m fairly new to motorcycle racing, or any kind of racing, but have fallen in love with the sport,” Liz Shortt said.
Branson learned to ride after receiving his first tricycle from his parents, much to his parents’ amusement. He eventually started riding and racing motorcycles at various dirt tracks and spent a number of years in desert racing in Arizona.
“Chuck is pretty good at coming up with adventures, so when he called me to race Baja, I was immediately in,” Branson said. “He has put together an excellent team with very complementary skills.”
Kuykendall’s racing credits begin with the Enduro race schedule in Quito, Ecuador from 1980-81. From 1992-1998 he rode a Honda XR600 during the La Paz, Bolivia Motorcycle Federation Enduro-Rally race schedule with consistent podium finishes. He served as the president of La Paz Motorcycle Federation in 1994.
In 1996, Kuykendall raced to the summit of the 17,000-foot Chacaltaya Glacier for a first-place finish and had a Desafio en el Rio first place finish on a Kawasaki KXR650. He was later third place in the National Enduro Championship in Sucre, Bolivia, in 1997.
Kuykendall is no stranger to endurance sports on foot as well. He participated in the 2006 Dallas Marathon, the 2007 San Antonio Marathon, where he finished among the top 10 percent, and the 2009 Houston Marathon, where he finished among the top 6 percent and booked a qualifying time for the 2009 Boston Marathon.
Among other members of the support team for Rsenal Racing are crew chief Ryan Kwak and logistics manager Dave Mikelson, both of Colorado. Kawk is a chassis specialist employed by Grand Prix Motorsports. He said he lives for anything with two wheels that needs a grip twisted. He has been captivated by the Baja 1000 race since he was little.
“I thought to myself that I would be an idiot if I passed up this opportunity,” Kwak said of joining the team’s venture to the legendary race.
Mikelson’s job as logistics manager has been to find a way to get the team trailer to Mexico. It was easy to find Mikelson for the team, since his son is married to Short’s daughter. He immediately volunteered when Short brought up the idea of racing the Baja 1000.
Also in the support team is Mark Nelson, of Washington, who has aided the organization with lodging arrangements, Jack Nichols as the team’s software engineer and Ray C. Wheeler, of California, who helms the team’s marketing needs.
For more information on Team Rsenal Racing, visit its Web site at www.rsenalracing.com. To follow results of the 2009 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, visit www.score-international.com. Results from the race were unavailable by press time.
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. |
