car

Celebrating Team 603’s stellar performance at the finish line of the NORRA Baja offroad race with their supporters (top row, from left) Rocco Minervino, Lena Petell, racer Mike Petell, Mary-Kate Daley and racer Chuck Sutton; and bottom row (from left) Ben Croce, Henry Minervino, Tim Froand, Matt Perimian, Jay Edwards, Jess Edwards and Jim Bird. (COURTESY PHOTO)

CONWAY — Local off-road racers Chuck Sutton and Mike Petell are back from another successful 1,000-mile-plus desert dash down the length of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, having completed their fourth running of the National Off Road Racing Association’s Baja (formerly the Baja 1000) May 2-7.

Driving a modified 2025 CanAm Maverick R, Sutton and Petell, racing as No. 603 in honor of the Granite State, came in seventh in their class and eighth overall for UTVs (out of 60 racers) in a competition that attracts some of the best off-road racers in the world.

garmin

This Garmin map shows the route Team 603 took down the length of the Baja from Ensenada to San Jose del Cabo over the course of the six-day, 1,400-mile NORRA's Baja race. (COURTESY PHOTO)

croce

From left: Chase crew Tim Froand, Ben Croce and Matt Perimian are seen on Day 2 of the race. (BENC CROCE PHOTO)

pitstop

The chase crew refuels Team 603 at a pitstop on Day 2 of the race. (DRONE SHOT)

arm

The red A-arm is shown after inspection at a pit stop to be missing a bolt (center). (BEN CROCE VIDEO SCREENSHOT)

map

Mike Petell (left) looks on as Chuck Sutton (right) gets directions from a local. For the first three days of the race, Team 603’s GPS system, which would have given them details about the course and obstacles, was not working. (BEN CROCE PHOTO)

bird

Tim Froand, Jim Bird, Jay Edwards and Jess Edwards are seen with Team 603’s Car 63 at the end of the race. It was the first NORRAs Baja for Bird and Edwards, but they hope it won’t be the last. After the race Edwards said,”Who says rookies can’t have fun.” (BEN CROCE PHOTO)

petell

Mike Petell shakes hands with race owner Mike Perlman after completing the race while Lena Petell looks on. (BEN CROCE PHOTO)

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.