Johnson, Majesky return as Radar Tires co-drivers for Baja 1000

Mike Johnson, owner of Bronson Motorsports, enlisted Mike Majesky as his co-driver in the No. 1031 Radar Tires Buggy for next month’s 46th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 and the season finale.
 
The last time Johnson and Majesky co-drove the Radar Tires-sponsored buggy was at the SCORE Baja 250 in March, where they earned a Class 10 Unlimited third-place finish. Johnson raced solo during the Baja 500 in May and earned Radar Tires’ first long course, off-road racing win. As a result of the two podium finishes this season, Johnson heads into next month’s endurance race with the class points lead.
 
Johnson took a break from the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) midway through this season. He’s been resting and recovering from neck nerve and disc issues.  In addition to competing in SCORE and LOORRS, Johnson, also works as a Hollywood stunt driver.
 
“Mike and I are really excited to get in the Radar Tires buggy and race – plain and simple,” said Johnson. “We’ve both been out of town and on filming locations since shortly after the 500. I’ve missed being in our Radar Tires truck in LOORRS and the 500 seems so long ago, so this makes our desire to race that much greater.  I’m not a sit around kind of guy, so I am really itching to get back into the buggy again and the sooner the better!
 
“My neck is getting stronger every day, and staying off of it was the best decision I have made in a long time,” continued Johnson. “Being a racer that hasn’t been able to race or work on bigger stunts is just rough. My life is behind the wheel of a race truck, buggy and stunt vehicle. I’ve been lucky to have been able to do a lot of fun driving stunts throughout my career all over the world, but there’s nothing quite like racing in Baja, especially the Baja 1000.”

Johnson and Majesky are scheduled to start the No.1031 Radar Tires Racing Buggy from the fourth position of the 16-entrant class in an Alumicraft chassis, Class 10 buggy with special non-DOT size 33X10.50R15 Radar Renegade R5 race tires.

“The course is interesting this year and has some great complexities to it, but that’s what I like about the 1000,” Johnson said. “You have to be on for nearly 1,000 miles and after powering my way through the 500 without a co-driver, I’m glad Mike is with me for this race. He is probably more excited than me, especially since he missed the 500. He’s ready to win the class championship with me and for Radar Tires.”
 
Similar to Johnson, Majesky is in the Hollywood action filming business. Familiar with winning with Radar Tires, Johnson and Majesky were the overall winners at the season opening Mojave Off-Road Racing Enthusiasts (M.O.R.E.) New Years 200 race in Barstow, Calif.
 
“I think we have prepared a great race strategy, but we are still tweaking it and that probably will continue right up until race day,” said Majesky. “Once you start the pre-event runs, you tend to shift things around to give you every opportunity to win. We have a good starting position but I think that’s not going to be as big of deal in this long race. We are both confident in the vehicle and especially the tires.”
 
The 46th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 will take place on Nov. 13-17, and is being touted as one of the toughest courses in series history. The 900-plus mile event starts in Ensenada, treks southeast through the Baja California peninsula in the Baja Norte state from Ensenada on the Pacific Ocean, then over to San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez. It also travels south through Coco’s Corner, kisses the Pacific Ocean near Punta Blanco, vectors north into the mountains again through Mike’s Sky Ranch, before finally returning in Ensenada.
 
Radar Tires chose off-road motorsports to showcase the Renegade R5 M/T tire, which features open blocks for mud dispersion, deep tread blocks and reinforced shoulders. This tread pattern and rigorous construction is ideal for the surfaces encountered on short course tracks such as Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., and Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz. as well as the open desert of Baja California in the legendary SCORE Baja 1000, the most iconic of all off-road races.