2017 NORRA Mexican 1000
Bio:
GoWesty is proud to have competed in the 2017 NORRA Mexican 1000 race in Baja California, Mexico. Our prize-winning 2WD 24 Hours of LeMons van has been transformed into a Baja-crushing 4WD Syncro for the ultimate test we've ever faced.
Check Out Our Build Videos!
PART 1:
PART 2:
PART 3:
PART 4:
PART 5:
Just for Fun Videos!
NORRA Mexican 1000 Teaser
GoWesty x Doghouse
Race Results!
Last December 2016, we won our class at our last 24 Hours of LeMons race in Sonoma. Then, just four months later, on Sunday, April 23rd of 2017, the same van—now converted to Syncro—lined up in Ensenada to compete in the 1250 mile NORRA Mexican 1000 rally.
They started us 190th out of 190 vehicle entries: dead last. Compared to all the other vehicles entered, our van looked a bit... well, unprepared. Indeed, there were some absolutely BEAUTIFULLY-prepared vehicles at the starting line that day. Nobody thought we would finish, let alone beat anybody to the finish. Clearly, they don’t know what a GoWesty-outfitted Syncro can do….
Not only did we finish, but we finished ahead of 63 vehicles that started, most of which did not finish at all. And the cherry on top: A class win!
Not bad for our first time… in a VW camper... that drove down to the rally start all the way from Los Osos, ran the event almost without a hitch, and THEN DROVE HOME!
We are very proud of this accomplishment!
Next challenge: reconfigure the van back for LeMons and try to win class B!
GoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooWesty!
A heart-felt THANK YOU to our sponsors:
Fox Racing Shocks: We took a full set of spare shocks—never took them out of the box!
Weddle Industries: We took an extra transaxle and front diff with 6.17 ring an pinions—not needed even after several dry-pavement burn outs!
Falken Tires: They donated the four tires on the van, plus 6 spares—these things are tougher than rocks. No flats! Not a single one! Incredible.
Peloquin Differentials: The torque biasing diffs worked great, almost never had to lock up the front or rear diff!
PRP Seats: Well, Beard Seats couldn't manage to follow through with their sponsorship obligation, but luckily PRP Seats jumped in and saved the day with a pair of seats and harnesses at the very last minute. Those guys were absolute life-savers!
Scangauge: The guys over at Linear Logistics had us well informed with their Scangauge product. At all times we had our engine vitals monitored and displayed right on the dash.
Doghouse Promotions: Provided the sweet threads we rocked all week long. Nice job, team!
Viking Off-Road: Thor over at Viking Off-Road provided all of our recovery gear, and we are very proud to say that we didn't need a single bit of it! You know Murphy's Law, though: If you don't have it, you're going to need it. Thanks, Viking!
Chillbo Baggins: When we had time to chill out, we chilled in ultimate comfort on our inflatable loungers. Coming soon to the GoWesty online catalog.
Vehicle:
Meet the Team Westafari van, or the LeMons van, as she's affectionately known around these parts. This 1986, 7-Passenger was originally a 2WD van that we transformed into a stripped out race van for the 24 Hours of LeMons races, winning Class C in 2016.
Inspired by the win, we set out to convert her to a 4WD Syncro for the NORRA Mexican 1000 in 2017. Still going strong after the grueling race, she ran it again in 2018 and is still going strong today.
