Baja 1000 racer shot!!

[Original_MudButt]

Details still sketchy......

From http://www.sintesistv.info/ and translated through babelfish....

Writing by Writing Synthesis TV. 03/11/2008
Stevens Marc, a North American runner of automobiles off road of Low competition 1000, was hurt in Cove, the zone of Valley of the Trinidad to the south of the municipality. They stabilized the paramedical ones it to 2 of afternoon since apparently he has a wound by bullet impact, but was transferred to a hospital of Tijuana to 4 of afternoon, reason why the runner is and the authorities in search of the aggressors stable.

From http://bajasafari.blogspot.com/

UPDATED! Nov. 3, 2008, 4:00 AM

Baja Racing News.com has learned today that the victim shot in Baja Mexico, pre-running the Baja 1000 course, was shot by a criminal defending drugs, not a 'rancher' as first reported.

Witnesses have expressed their stories saying, "it was clear that the shooter WAS NOT a rancher. I believe that Dan, Steve and I rode up on a drug farm. If you read the article you will notice that the gate was covered with branches to almost make it "blend in" with the surroundings. Also the shooter was dressed in clothes that seemed to "blend in" as well. Once at the highway, I gave directions to the Police and the Military to where the bike was and neither agency went looking for it. I wonder why? For those who have never had a gun pointed at your head, let me say that is terrifying. It was scary to know that the guy your looking at from 100 feet away has already shot one of your friends."

Don't count on any justice in this case. The Attorney General in Baja California is well known for being staunchly anti-American.

The victim is still in critical condition in a hospital in Tijuana, "the bullet hit his liver, stomach, upper colon and the doctors removed his spleen". "He's lost alot of blood", "he is in ICU".

 

[tgregg]

After 35 years racing in Baja I no longer go into Northern Baja at all, it just keeps getting worse. Very sad.

 

[ECKSJAY]

I scratched my first-ever trip down there this year for that reason. Only way I'd go down is if a few of my buddies went along and we were heavily armed.

 

[Original_MudButt]

Update.....

http://www.dirtnewz.com/dr-pressreleases/2008/11-2008/score-11-3-08.shtml



Dirt Bike Moto Rider Steve Martz SHOT by Mexican Rancher near Jamau, Baja California

Ensenada, Baja California — (November 2, 2008) 4:45PM UPDATE: The rider and shooting victim has been identified as Steve Martz, who finished the 2007 SCORE Baja 1000 in 5th position in Class 22, Open Pro Motorcycles. Martz was riding with teammate/driver of record, Dan Walsh along with Aaron Cooper near Mike's Sky Rancho on Saturday on a leisurely motorcycle ride in Northern Baja.

Sometime in the middle of the night, their chase crew driving a pickup truck left for Mexicali seemingly abandoning the three riders at Mikes Sky Rancho. Chris Haines Motorcycle Tours also spent the night at Mikes Sky Rancho and agreed to tote the riders gear bags to Ensenada while the three riders "slabbed" it up Hwy 3 towards Ensenada.

The riders ventured into the dirt towards Jamau headed north and came across a fenceline covered in brush where they stopped. While Steve Martz and Dan Walsh were stopped at the fence line a shot rang out fired from a Mexican man a mere 75 feet away.

Martz was struck in the sternum by what was described to DIRTnewz as a small caliber bullet. With Martz on the ground, Walsh scrambled for cover. Aaron Cooper arrived and thought that Martz and Walsh were joking around when in fact Martz had been shot in the chest. Walsh attempted to start Martz' moto kicking it some 30-40 times but it wouldn't start. They abandoned Martz' bike and put Martz on the back of Walsh' motorcycle and headed for Highway 3. Enroute they discovered that the shooting victim Martz could not hold on the back of Walsh while riding and Walsh gave up his bike and let Martz ride solo to the highway where he rode into a group of Mexican Military personnel who helped Martz with emergency first aid and transported him to Valle Trinidad Medical Clinic.

Desert Assassin's Trophy Truck driver, Cameron Steele and his wife, Heidi Steele, were prerunning near Borrego when they decided to head to Ojos and prerun RM 40-120. While traveling through Valle Trinidad one of the Desert Assassin's crew members saw Dan Walsh in the back of a military Hummer and Cameron and his crew went to investigate what was going on.

Afterwards when approaching Mexicali in his chase vehicles, Cam Steele told DIRTnewz over the phone the story that unfolded.

"One of my guys said Dan was in the back of a military Hummer and I thought that was strange so we headed into Trinidad to see what was up. We found Walsh and Martz at the medical clinic in Trinidad and helped them with the process of a Med-A-Vac. The chopper finally arrived from Tijuana and it was so small I first thought this could not be the chopper. The pilot jumped out and began refueling the chopper with a 15 gallon gas container he brought with him inside the chopper. While he was syphoning the Jet A fuel, the medical paramedic was strapping in Martz on a backboard, but his legs from the knees down were hanging out the chopper. We wrapped up his legs with a blanket and heavy on the duct tape and they strapped him down with some straps similar to motorcycle straps and then the paramedic was kneeling above Martz as they flew away. It was truly incredible but it got the job done. Last I heard from Oscar Ramos, the SCORE Attorney, was that Martz was in surgery in Tijuana."

Walsh and Cooper were being transported individually by Cam Steele's chase crews, one to Ensenada and the other to Tecate with the Desert Assassins scheduled to cross the border before 10pm Sunday evening.

Ensenada, Baja California — (November 2, 2008) DIRTnewz has just learned that an off road motorcycle rider was shot near Jamau, some 40 miles from the nearest portion of this year's SCORE Tecate Baja 1000 race course. Riders in the group contacted SCORE racer, Cameron Steele, who was in Baja supporting his wife in her prerun activities.

Jamau is located north of Valle Trinidad and East of the Hwy 3 in the foothills of the Sierra De Juarez mountains, the location of the famed Mini Summit. The 2008 SCORE Baja 500 race course traveled through the outskirts of Jamul this past June.

Members from the Cameron Steele group contacted several different helicopter companies requesting a lifeflight for the victim to a trauma care facility. After several hours the Mexican Med-A-Vac helicopter was able to clear the stormy weather conditions and fly to the location.

SCORE Press Relations Coordinator Dominic Clark told DIRTnewz.com that the victim was not a participant of this year's SCORE Baja 1000.

SCORE's staff was working with the group to provide important resources that SCORE is well-known for. This weekend just happens to be the opening weekend of three weeks of prerunning for the biggest off road race in the world, the SCORE Baja 1000. SCORE Attorney Oscar Ramos was at the Tijuana hospital coordinating with various agencies involved in this incident. SCORE routinely has assisted the off road community in Mexico when situations of this nature has occurred in the past.

DIRTnewz.com discovered that a Mexican Med-A-Vac Huey helicopter picked up the victim from near Valle Trinidad at 2:10 p.m. PST and landed at a Tijuana hospital at 2:45 p.m. where the victim was being treated for a gunshot wound. The victim's mother and wife had arrived to the hospital shortly after 3:00 p.m. and were at the side of the victim.

Cameron Steele has been in Baja since Thursday, October 30, providing support to his wife's SCORE Class 7 team while they prerun for the upcoming Baja 1000. Steele is also racing in the SCORE Trophy Truck class and has reported from Baja minutes ago that they were merely assisting in this situation and the rider was not prerunning on the race course when this shooting occurred.

DIRTnewz will provide further details as they are available.

 

[Original_MudButt]

Update....

SCORE officials are speculating it was a hunting accident????

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/03/news/LT-Mexico-US-Motorcyclist-Shot.php

TIJUANA, Mexico: A California motorcycle racer has been shot in northern Mexico and is recovering at a hospital in this border city, a lawyer helping the family said Monday.

Steve Martz was shot in the abdomen Sunday morning while riding with friends outside the town of Valle de Trinidad in Baja California. He was in stable condition at a Tijuana hospital on Monday.

Oscar Ramos, a lawyer helping Martz, said the San Diego-area man was probably shot mistakenly by a hunter.

"He believes this was a completely unfortunate accident," Ramos said.

Ramos represents SCORE International, an off-road racing organization that will hold its annual Baja 1,000 race Nov. 19-23.

Martz was part of a team that finished fifth in last year's race in Class 22 of the open pro motorcycles event. But he was not registered to race this year and was simply riding with friends Sunday, about 16 miles from the race's official course, Ramos said.

Organizers say 355 racers on motorcycles, ATVs, cars and trucks are registered for this year's Baja 1,000 on a 630-mile course through the desert. The race starts and ends in the Pacific port of Ensenada.

Participants started doing practice runs on the course over the weekend.

 

[Original_MudButt]

Update.....

http://bajasafari.blogspot.com/

The victim is back in the United States and in better condition. Baja Racing News.com is awaiting some direct quotes and information to fill in this story. Most importantly, what can be made good, hopefully has been accomplished.