"Happiest Rally On Earth", Goes Bad. Numerous DNF's and Grand Marshal 'Ironman' Mark McMillin, run over by Jimmy Smith, who keeps on racing after hitting McMillin and breaking the race champions collar bone

Motorcyclist Jimmy Stocker Killed! 

  NEW UPDATE!
  May 14, 2013

Event Sponsor wants motos DQ'd!:

Jeff Furrier "Farkus", off-road parts (non-moto) business owner (upr in arizona) and 'pissed-off four-wheeler' thinks its time to start DQ'ing the 'misbehaving' Motos:

 As for the motos: "If you’re riding in the center of a graded road, or an inconsistent line of front of a car, you’re going to piss off the car guy. If you’re that guy, I want GoPro footage to get you DQ’d. If you’re the guy stopped on course reading his road book, I want you DQ’d as well."

  Just get the hell out of the way of the four-wheel racers!, Right 'Farkus'?!

 There were so many incidents in this event: "'The sanctioner' gave Buddy (h)is 1:20 back that he spent with the fallen rider, so he won his class. It was the second time he stopped to help during the race. The first time was a rolled truck that he was concerned the occupants wouldn’t be able to get out."

 Sounds like this event needs more emergency and rescue people out on the course!


UPDATED May 11, 2013

Another Racer Comments: "The suburban was part of LAMEco's chase crew. Our rider Patrick Ditson stopped & talked to Jimmy about 5 miles before the accident. Jimmy told Patrick that he would shadow him in. Patrick said that he seemed pretty tired. Jimmy followed Patrick for awhile but then Patrick lost him. Patrick is pretty fast & I would imagine that Jimmy couldn't keep up with him. The ground in front of the vado was washed out & it was a pretty good hump to get over it. I can easily understand why he didn't get over it. It was totally inexcusable that the rock crawler buggy was that close. He had plenty of room to go around. Danny didn't mention that Bud Feldkamp was with him. He was worried about Buddy Jr. Buddy was the Doctor that had come up on the accident and had tried to save Jimmy. When Danny said he got there in 10 minutes he wasn't kidding. Jimmy(the suburban) has some pretty trick suspension. However Danny needs to learn to listen. When Bud Feldkamp suggests that you're running trophy truck speeds you need to slow down." 

And Another: " I was witness to the scene where jimmy passed. I arrived 24 minafter CPR had been started by physician on scene. Im also a physician and after assessing jimmy we decided to stop CPR. Jimmy was gone at this point. I see death in my business with regularity, but, this was different.

The section jimmy died on was a very slow, very rocky, and dangerous. It was also 7 miles from the end of a long day. There is NO excuse for that buggy being that close to anything at that point; be it other car or a bike. The driver that hit jimmy will live with that fact for his life.

I won't race anymore. It's not worth it to me. I've nothing to prove and too much to loose. That's me though. I've ridden a couple SCORE events and was turned off by the intensity. I tried the rally hoping it would be different. Unfortunatly the series is evolving and the intensity is just below the surface. One of the high dollar guys even had chopper!?"

May 8 UPDATED

And another: "Last year, Walker Evans was rumored to have buzzed a bike unsafely while on course, nerfed the pace truck and during my only interaction, sent his support crew of two raptors and a trailer up the course the wrong way while the race was hot. That's just an example, but instead of not inviting him back, he's (now) one of the featured drivers.

Also, how about a breathalyzer at every course in and out? You think the second half of the day no one has crushed a few tecate?"
 

UPDATED May 7: 

"My colleague Andy Devercelly finished in his families 67 Manx. I spoke with him this morning.
He was teamed up with Mark Mcmillin. Mark flew home after day 2 because he was hit by another 4 wheel vehicle. He required surgery on his shoulder but will be ok.
Andy told me he saw 8-10 4 wheel vehicles severely wadded up in various locations and conditions.
What is with the extreme levels and speed this "RALLY"  has turned into?
I am deeply saddened to here the circumstance of this tragedy.
Preventable no doubt."

UPDATED

From Local News Report: Loreto, B.C.S.- Personnel from the Loreto headquarters reported that at 6PM on April 29, 2013, [a person from the sanctioning body of the race]redacted reported that at kilometer 16 from the entrance to the Loreto-Mulege part of the Transpeninsular at 59.2 kilometers, on a local road that leads to San Isidro, BCS, there was an automobile accident with a dead foreigner. The police immediately went to the location along with agents from the Public Minister, as well as investigative services personnel to verify the report. There they observed a blue Chevrolet Suburban 1500, with Arizona plates AVV3852 and inside was a lifeless body. The agents ordered the body taken to the coroner where the cause of death was determined to be acute anemia, secondary to a ruptured right femoral artery, and fractured femur, according to the medical report.

Later a person named Michael Daniel Drotor IV, 35-years old, from South Carolina and a motorcycle mechanic, was interviewed at the location of the accident. He said he was a friend of the deceased, whose name is Jimmy Stocker, 42-years old, and originally from Idaho, living at 7751 W. Wright Street, Rathdrum, Idaho.

Regarding the accident, he said that at approximately 3PM, as he was following his team in the race, [the witness] saw there was an accident between a 4400 Class, 2007 Off Road vehicle and a motorcycle, and the deceased was seriously injured. He started to render first aid, taking him to the Transpeninsular Highway as there was no cell phone signal in the area. When he arrived at the highway, Stocker was dead. He added that the driver of the vehicle, named Jasón Todd Shipman, 49, originally from Missouri, remained waiting to help the deceased.""

SOURCES UPDATE:

This Report From Teammate Ken:

""Jimmy stopped on course (reason unknown) and there was a buggy right behind him and he couldn't stop. The buggy hit (Jimmy) and broke his femur and dislocated his hip. Buddy Feldcamp (who is a surgeon) was the first on scene. Jimmy died in Buddy's arms peacefully.


Jimmy pitted for our 2010 and 2011 Baja 1000 teams. I camped with he and his family at Pete's camp. He was a genuine stand up guy who would give you the shirt off his back, his last drink of water and try to find you more. He loved life to it's fullest.... he was a jokester and would make anyone laugh. Jimmy was very mechanically inclined and could improvise with the best of them.

In 2011 he helped our 2x team by pitting and chasing for Ken Wortman. When our main race lights showed up at the wrong location, Jimmy strapped the race lights to his chest with a tie down and rode 40 miles on a stock 450x headlight to get our best light to the next pit so that his rider would have the best light for his section.""




ORIGINAL REPORTING: Seven miles short of Loreto, Baja South Mexico, Jimmy Stocker was hit and killed by a Trophy Truck in the Mexican 1000. Stocker, reportedly was taking a breather alongside the race course, after suffering injuries earlier in the event. The Trophy Truck, struck and killed the moto competitor on Wednesday, April 29th. The wasted NORRA event has been shattered this year by numerous disasters. 

The driver who struck the victim, was held by the police until 2:30 AM local time, Tuesday morning, then released. 

Reports in to Baja Racing News LIVE! are confirming the victim was not on his bike and was on the side of the course, possibly resting. Late yesterday, Wednesday, May 1, indicated the truck driver who hit the victim has been (DQ'ed) disqualified, by the sanctioner, from the event. 

Services for the victim are scheduled in Idaho on May 11.

UPDATE! Thursday, May 2 
 Rally Grand Marshall Run-Over, broken collar bone, sent to San Diego Hospital

 PICS UPLOADED OF THE MACADU DAMAGE!
 SEE BELOW>

Tuesday, April 30:

McMillin Macadu DNF

McMillin Team: "we were not able to continue with Macadu after 6 miles leaving Loreto today, breaking another shock. We had some front end damage from the accident around Laguna Salada but I guess that's racing??? LOL A Vintage Rally, Ha!" 


The 'Grand Marshal' of the rally, Mark McMillin, was in hospital in San Diego!>>> Mark quoted this morning as saying, "No problem, I might still make the Post Party!"

 Luke McMillin reports on his dad's incident & injuries, "The McMillin Macadu car is still moving after a couple hours of downtime today after an accident. Just to clear up the rumors, my dad, Mark, driving made a left hand turn when a pre runner race car missed the turn, drove over the side of the car, the pre runner tire went over the cars rear tire, over the side pod of the car, through Macadu's window net hit my dad in the shoulder and broke his collar bone. He's very soar but very luckily the broken collar bone is the worst of the damage. Mark is back in SD and he is OK, I just took him to the hospital, he's back at home tonight and will go back this week for surgery..... The pre runner that hit him, did not stop to see if they were ok..." "He will be ok, his collar bone needs some serious work in surgery but we're thankful that was all that happened, could have been a lot worse. Macadu is fixed and the crew is planning on finishing the race for my dad." "No need to call them out, my dad knows the other driver very well and im sure they'll be talking soon. There's no way that driver knew he actually made contact with the driver with his tire and continued on, but still it's the "Happiest race on earth" not the Baja 1000 and even then he ran over a little car.... Only intent of the 'talk' was to clear any rumors going up and down the peninsula and tell everyone that he is OK." 

Baja Racing News.com Mark McMillin Macadu Damage Broken Collar Bone, Jimmy Smith crashes into Grand Marshall IronMan Mark McMillin

Broken Shock mount included in the total damage done to the McMillin Macadu during the rally when Jimmy Smith drove over Mark McMillin and broke the IronMans collar bone, Mark McMillin is OK

In a phone call on Monday, after the event, Jimmy Smith called to apologize to Mark went further, "Jimmy Smith hit me and didn't stop." Later, Smith DNF'd and scurried back to the United States. 

Jimmy is lucky, 'Ironman' Mark McMillin, could make some real  hay over this, but, McMillin is taking all of it in stride, "The surgery I need only takes an hour, plate and screws".


 The Only Public acknowledgement of the unreal carnage from this years event is this puny puke from event mouthpiece Marty Fiolka:

"2013 Mexican 1000 Grand Marshal and five-time Baja overall champion Mark McMillin was also involved with an on-course accident with another four-wheel racer. The incident caused a broken collarbone to the popular McMillin, whose team kept driving his “Macadu” Chenowth-Porsche until front suspension failure ended their rally a day later. McMillin has undergone surgery and is recovering in his San Diego area home."

Michael Pearlman has been in hiding since the these events transpired.

MORE CARNAGE PICTURES LOADING NOW>>>

   

From Torchmates Press Release: About JT Taylor:  JT Taylor is the epitome of “been there, done that”. This weekend Torchmate Racing’s JT Taylor continues his world wide adventures starting the 2013 Rally.  JT Taylor will iron man the #313 in the new Ultra4 Class with co-drivers Doug Nagy, Scott Estrada and Ryan Scott taking on different sections.  “Since we ran last year in the Evolution 4×4 class and won, they called it a success and are allowing an Ultra4 class this year,” explained JT Taylor who will be running his 5^th straight Rally. Crashed Out for 2013, "Been There Done That!"

In another "rally" incident:

 John Volkman (#13) got punted off his Husaberg 10 miles north of San Juanico-

John Volkman Husaberg

"Punters" Prerunner

A 254lb bike gets punted by a 4500 LB pre-runner producing a minimum 600HP motor. This is clearly a recklessness display of unsafe behavior. But the organizer gives the minimum possible penalty and allows the vehicle and its drivers to continue in the rally?

Volkman and his team have followed protocol and filed a timely incident report.

"The Rules", 5. Behavior
5.1. Contact between vehicles including nerfing, bumping and pushing, intentional or accidental, is strictly prohibited in the rally and is subject to penalties from 4 hours up to disqualification and/or suspension.

So let's get this straight: "Punters" 4500 lb. (#462) " Alumi Craft Grande" powered by a 600HP REDLINE PERFOMANCE LS7 motor "nerfs" John Volkman off his Husaberg FE 570 from 5th gear to dirt and gets: 'Disqualified'.

Public calls on the "punter" to come clean, because he didn't stop and hasn't reached out to the victim, are now in progress. Baja Racing News.com will report>>>


Gary Newsome, Editor
BajaRacingNews.com