Hillcrest dad tackles Baja 1000

HILLCREST motorbiker, Martin Camp has the need for speed and showed the world his potential when he competed in and won the Baja 1000 endurance relay race.

The father of three said he grew up riding bikes in and around the Valley of 1000 Hills, but only started racing competitively when he was 16 years old. “I then worked in the UK for seven years and competed in various enduro races and won a British championship. I then moved to, and worked in, Saudi Arabia for 10 years and started taking part in desert racing,” said Martin.

With many championship titles under his belt, it was only a matter of time before he was invited to take part in the auspicious, and internationally renowned, 46th Baja race in Mexico. “The event covers 1000 miles and it is just one bike and five riders in one team against 79 other similar teams. I was nervous as I had never participated in a team event before. To prepare, I trained every morning, three to four days a week, doing a 40km ride before work. On weekends I would do 500km in Hluhluwi,” said Martin.

In the Baja 1000 endurance relay each rider is given a certain section of the course to complete, and Martin said he was given the longest and toughest section of the course to complete. “I was riding high up in the mountains, through a riverbed and back into the mountains again all at night. When I was given the bike the front rider had a seven minute lead on my team. When I reached the riverbed it was about 7pm at night and the 2 000 or so spectators had lit fires along the water’s edge and it was a magnificent sight to behold,” said Martin.

In an attempt to make up for lost time, Martin was travelling at speeds of up to 160km per hour over the rough terrain and when he caught up to the leader of the pack the halogen light had to be turned off. “The fine dust clouds and the light made it incredibly difficult to see, so I relied heavily on my smaller, secondary light and my GPS for navigation. It was dangerous as you had no idea what was ahead of you or if you would go flying off the route and down a rock face,” said Martin.

He caught up and passed the lead rider and gave his team a 20 minute lead in the race. As the only South African rider competing this year, Martin said taking part in the event was his highlight and his team winning in their category was the cherry on the cake. “It was definitely the highlight of my racing career and I thank my family for their continuous support and my sponsors for everything they have done for me,” said Martin.