Third fastest qualifier David Pearson also said that he enjoyed the qualifying, “Especially starting at night, with no wind, if you’re 12th or 15th—I think there are 20 riders in the class—so if you draw 20th, your race is already over. If someone draws first or second, in the dust they will put 20 minutes on you in 100 miles. I think it is really good.”
And qualifying also have Pearson’s THR Motorsports/Monster Energy Kawasaki team a chance to correct a flaw that might have eluded it until after the all-important race was underway.
“Our brakes kind of faded out about halfway through my lap,” Pearson said. “They started to get mushy, but I needed to keep using them, and they were gone for probably about three quarters of a mile. But it’s all good. We will get it fixed for the race and be ready to go.”
THR Kawasaki’s strategy may involve up to five riders. The plan calls for Pearson to start the race and run through Race Mile 200 before handing the bike off to Ricky Brabec from Race Mile 200 to 350. Bell will pass the bike to Taylor Robert, with Steve Hengeveld following the action in the team’s helicopter and on standby if he should be needed. Pearson said the team is very optimistic about its chances.
“I’m feeling good, and I really think we can pull it off,” Pearson said. “Of course Honda has a good team down here, and they have won it 15 years in a row. And (FMF/Bonanza plumbing) KTM has the factory behind them…and we’re buying our bikes, basically. We have a pretty low budget, but we have good sponsors behind us in THR, Monster Energy, Precision Concepts and Western Designs. We’re just the little guys down here trying to beat the teams with the big money. Our budget is probably a third of theirs, but we have always been there in the past, and I feel that we can really go out there and win the thing. We are always consistent. It should be good.”
Be sure to check out our full 2013 Baja 1000 coverage here.
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