With 511 entries, the largest-ever 2007 Baja 500 would prove to be one of the most challenging races to any rider. The 16 Pro ATV entries began leaving the starting line around 6:30am. A new system of a random draw for the riders made the defending Temecula 1a winners of last year push even harder to win. The top two teams, Temecula Motorsports 1a and American Honda’s 3a, especially felt the bone crushing pain that Baja racing can inflict.

Danny Prather comming into the Finish line with a lead of 16 minutes.

The random draw placed Wayne Matlock (Honda 3a) second off the starting line in the pro ATV division, whereas Mike Cafro (Temecula 1a) started eighth. These two teams had a battle going from the start all the way to the finish line.

Temecula Motorsports

Temecula Motorsports 1a team riders included California’s Danny Prather of Ramona, Mike Cafro of Carlsbad, Levi Marana from Hemet, Marc Spaeth from Warner, and Dana Creech who shared a dealer-prepped Honda TRX450R.

Danny is greeted by team mates and knows that the Temecula Motorsports Team has won the Baja.

With five Baja 500 wins and 12 years of racing there, Mike Cafro knew that this would be another challenging race. Three weeks prior to the race, Mike was practicing with the team and sprained his right wrist. Yet Mike was still ready to start. Only five miles in, Mike hit a rock in the dust and broke his left wrist. He continued to ride the next 25 miles to race mile 35. There was only a five minute gap from third to first when Mike passed off the quad to Danny Prather. Danny then rode the next 80 miles into the Valle de Trinidad moving into second place. Dana Creech rode the area passing though Mike’s Sky Ranch to race mile 186. A rider change at race mile 186, Marc Spaeth took over. He maneuvered though the rough terrain until he also hit a rock in the dust, crashed and broke his wrist. This second accident put the team behind by eight minutes. From race mile 286, Levi Marana rode along the coast and passed the injured Team Honda 3a rider for the lead near Erendira. Once Levi passed him, he gained approximately 16 minutes on the way up to the last rider change at race mile 398. Danny got back on the ATV and rode into the finish at the Ensenada Softball Stadium. The Temecula Motorsports Team was there to greet Danny, in hand was a case of Dos Equis beer waiting to celebrate and spray all over the team. They finished in 10:09:07, winning the class with an average 41.79mph.

Temecula Motorsports Team gathers after their victory with beers in hand.

Team Honda

The American Honda Team (3a) riders were Wayne Matlock of El Cajon, CA; Chad Prull of Laveen, AZ., and Wes Miller who shared the factory Honda TRX450R.

Wayne Matlock at the finish line	Wayne comes in second but knows that the American Honda Team put their best effort into the race.

Wayne Matlock 3a, Best in the Desert and Hare and Hound Champion, started second off the line. Matlock rode the first 35 miles in the race dust-free with a five minute lead ahead of the other teams. Wes Miller took over and rode to race mile 110 at Valle de Trinidad. When Wes got into the pits he was behind the leader by two minutes. Chad Prull left the Honda pit and gained eight minutes on his way though the rough terrain of Mike’s Sky Ranch to race mile 258. The last leg of Valle de Trinidad was rode by Wayne to race mile 281 at the road crossing. Wes took over the lead and raced across the coast with a ten minute advantage up to San Thomas. Then things got ugly. Wes Miller took a wrong line in the dust and careened off a cliff in Erendira, suffering a broken leg. Spectators who witnessed this event put him back on the quad. Wes reached down to straighten his leg to place it on the peg. He rode the next 38 miles bent over and shifting with his left hand! When he arrived in Santo Tomas, his team mates had to assist him off the quad. By that time they were second and behind by 16 minutes. Wayne raced the last 80 miles to finish second with a time of 10:24:26.

Post-Race Interviews

Off-Road.com: What were the biggest changes made and how did they help overall?
Chad Prull (Honda 3a): We didn’t make any new changes, we were organized as a team as always.

Off-Road.com: What was the biggest challenge for your team?
Chad Prull (Honda 3a): The biggest challenge was when Wes Miller crashed. We had a 10 minute lead and then this horrible accident happened. It is an unfortunate circumstance and now Wes has lots of healing ahead of him.
Wayne Matlock (Honda 3a): The biggest challenge for our team is overcoming our bad luck down in Baja. The last four races in Baja we have had the lead until bad luck struck.

Off-Road.com: What are the future plans for the Baja 1000 as compared to last year?
Wayne Matlock (Honda 3a): For the Baja 1000, we will come back stronger and smarter.
Chad Prull (Honda 3a): No plans of changing, Chad Prull and Wayne Matlock are the only Honda factory riders. Wes was part of the team for this race only. Yet will need a few more riders.
Mike Cafro (Temecula 1a): “Looking similar for the 1000. It is a long race with greater distances. We hope to take all three races like last year, it is this years goal.”

Off-Road.com closing statements
Danny Prather (Temecula 1a): “In Baja you must finish to finish 1st.”
Mike Cafro (Temecula 1a): “We hope to take all three races like last year, it is this year’s goal.”

Competitor Comments

Honda 3a rider Wayne Matlock “First off, without sponsors, we definitely could not be doing what we are doing today. My largest sponsor is American Honda. Their ATVs are by far the best ATVs that I have ever ridden. Their pit support down in Baja is known to be the best pit support there is. Precision Concepts handles all the race prep, engine building, and, of course, tuning the suspension. Alba Action Sports has been with us since we started racing. They provide exhaust systems, prepping ATVs for prerunning, and all kinds’ of misc. parts. Elka suspension, Roll Design, AC racing, IMS, IMS-Roll, Maxxis tires, Laegar axles, Moose gear, Douglas Wheels, Tire Balls, DID chains, Quadtech, Works Connection, and Hinson racing. Without all of their help and support we would not be nearly as competitive as we are today.”

Honda 3a rider Chad Prull “I would like to thank Honda for providing, by far, the superior quad to race in Baja. By the results, you will see Honda is the dominant manufacturer on the race course. I would like to thank Bruce Ogilvie and Johnny Campbell for proving me as a racer with great race support and sponsorship. The Honda Pit Crews are all volunteers, they are all eager to help with any mechanical problems or with anything else a rider needs. We couldn’t be successful without them. Eric and Bob at Precision Concepts do a fantastic job with building our bikes. Alba Action Sports provides great support all year long, Elka shocks let us ride at high speeds with confidence, Roll Design/IMS builds the best A-arms and other after market parts with strength and precision, Maxxis tires provides consistent, aggressive traction. Tireballs allows to race at higher speeds with no flats, Honda Oils keeps our motor and transmission lubricated to Honda specs. Moose provides sleek and comfortable gear that I can trust, AC provides extra strength skid plates.”

Danny just getting in the finish as the first quad.

Temecula Motorsports 1a rider Danny Prather “The sponsors and with the help of my teammates work together to make it all happen. Alba Shocks help us to test the settings. Roll Designs for all of the new designs on all of the bikes. Tire Balls has been with us for four years and we were the first desert racing team. The key in Baja is to have the least amount of problems. Changing flats is not one of them and we only change tires since they are bald. Temecula Motorsports for helping out, they provide us with eight bikes so we are able to practice with the same bike as we race in Baja.”