The snail and the cheetah

To go to El Triple, Baja California, Mexico one first takes the main highway out of La Paz going north.
A narrow asphalt road that goes all the way to Tijuana and the USA.

After 60 kilometers is a dirt road going west towards the Pacific Ocean.
And to "ejidos": agricultural settlements started by the Mexican Government.

The dirt roads in Mexico are maintained by the Government.
Once in a while they send in a "grader": a wheeled machine that levels the road.
Very necessary because the cars driving the dirt road make it as a washboard.
The road surface gets uneven.
It is like a pattern of waves.
The car goes up and down and up and down.

There are two ways to drive on a washboard dirt road.
Either go high speed.
Or drive as a snail.

When driving high speed, the tires of the car stay up in the air the fraction of a second between two tops of the washboard.
In order to do this the car must be light.
And the driver needs courage: if at high speed on a washboard road suddenly there is a pothole, the car can break its shock absorbers or even its axle.

A heavy truck like the Fuso Szulc has to negotiate a washboard road at the speed of a snail.
Making it an exhausting experience because the truck goes up and down for hours.
Resulting in the body swinging forwards and backwards causing most of all neck pains.
Meanwhile, it requires to maintain absolutely the discipline to remain no matter what at low speed to avoid the whole vehicle will fall apart of heavy vibrations and movements.

These days, for a long time, the Government grader has not appeared to eliminate the washboards.
The road therefore is very, very bad.
It takes over two hours for the Fuso Szulc to get from the main asphalt road to the location of El Triple.

These very bad dirt roads are paradise though for other people.
The ones that are into dirt road racing.
They build specially designed cars to take the dirt roads of Baja California at the highest speed possible.



There is even an annual race called the "Baja 1000" with participants even from the USA.
A big event.
From November 19 to 22.



Especially on saturdays and sundays it is therefore possible to meet on the dirt roads one of those high speed cars training for the next race.
Like yesterday.
The return trip from La Paz to El Triple was on a saturday.
Going from the south to the north while the racing cars are driving from the north to the south.

Hence, it was always imagined if a racing car was met, it would be a dangerous situation.
They would not only go at high speed, but they would also probably have a one plan agenda: everybody out of the way to make the fastest time.
While the Fuso Szulc is big and heavy and can't go easily off the road to let a speed maniac pass by.

But fortunately, in the 30 years that the Baja dirt roads have been used, never a racing car has been met.
Until yesterday.

One was coming at ultra high speed.
A blue monster.
With lights on and a huge dust cloud behind.
Then an amazing thing happened.
As soon as the driver saw the Fuso Szulc, he put his foot on the brakes.
And moved his car almost immediately to the side.
High up into the sandy banks between the cactuses.
To allow the slowly moving Fuso Szulc to calmly continue its voyage.

Passing the racing car manual expressions of gratitude were expressed to the courteous driver.

When after a few minutes another racing car came into view.
Who also moved immediately to the side.

Like the next one.

It was speculated then this was probably a policy.
An agreement among the racers that when testing and training to allow priority to the regular users of the dirt road.

Fantastic.