SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A3
LOCAL
BAJA
Although Cole Hauter
grew up in La Grande and
graduated from high school
Continued from A1
in Kennewick, Washington,
As Hauter zooms from the he considers Baker City as
“defi nitely home.”
base of a knob to its summit
He moved here in 2016.
and beyond in a handful of
But Hauter said Virtue
seconds he seems to be, if not
defying gravity and other im- Flat has been his favorite
riding spot since the fi rst time
mutable physical laws, then
he twisted the throttle on
at least giving them a good
that old Honda.
stretch.
(Which he still owns; it’s in
Although there is no
his basement.)
obvious pattern to Hauter’s
Virtue Flat, which packs
progress, he is riding on this
more than 30 miles of routes,
gusty evening of Nov. 4 for a
and 71 named trails in its
particular purpose.
5,000 or so acres, is an ideal
Practice.
place to hone skills on a mo-
In two weeks he’ll be
torcycle, Hauter said.
speeding through similar
“It’s got a little bit of ev-
topography, at speeds up to
erything,” he said. “There are
120 mph, more than 1,000
high speed areas, technical
miles away.
On the morning of Nov. 18 gullies. It’s also free to ride,
you just gas up and go.”
Hauter, a 25-year-old Baker
Virtue Flat is convenient,
City resident, will jump onto
too, being just seven miles or
a motorcycle very much like
so east of Baker City.
this one and start racing
Hauter credits his hun-
south through the desert of
dreds of hours of riding at
Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.
He’ll be part of a seven-rid- Virtue Flat for preparing him
er team competing in the 54th for the culmination of his
dream with the invitation to
Baja 1000 — the ultimate
competition in off-road racing. ride in the Baja 1000.
“It’s why I’m where I’m at
And in that instant when
he starts rolling, Hauter will today,” he said.
fulfi ll a goal that dates back
two decades, to when he was a A shocking phone call
boy whose head wouldn’t have
The invitation came from
reached the handlebars of his Dan Mastrude, a former
current Yamaha.
Baker City resident who put
together Team Cactus War-
“It’s something I’ve been
dreaming of since I was fi ve,” riors to compete in the Baja
1000.
Hauter said.
Hauter, who recently
Back then Hauter rode a
fi nished his fourth year com-
comparatively tame Honda
peting in a circuit of motor-
70.
cycle desert races in Idaho, is
But even on that modest
machine his abilities were ap- acquainted with Mastrude.
About a month or so ago,
parent, said Cole’s dad, Mark
Hauter got a phone call from
Hauter.
Mastrude.
“He was out jumping it,”
Mastrude needed a rider
Mark said.
for his Baja 1000 team.
Mark and Cole’s mom,
He offered the spot to
Kristin, also live in Baker
Hauter.
City.
Hauter’s reaction — “Oh
Mark Hauter has joined
Cole for this evening’s practice my God.”
“He surprised the heck
ride at Virtue Flat, the area
out of me,” Hauter said of
between Highway 86 and
Ruckles Creek Road that was Mastrude.
Hauter, who fi nished
set up by the Bureau of Land
sixth out of 250 racers in
Management.
this year’s race series, said
Mark records his son’s
times around routes he’s been he thinks Mastrude was im-
pressed by his consistency.
riding for years.
The offer to join the Baja
Mark, who is an experi-
1000 team, Hauter said, “lets
enced motorcycle rider him-
me know I’m doing some-
self, recalls the fi rst time his
precocious son raced past him thing right on the bike.”
Since he took that call
during a ride at Virtue Flat.
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Cole Hauter, a motorcycle racer from Baker City, at
Virtue Flat on Thursday, Nov. 4. Hauter will compete
as part of a racing team from Idaho in the 54th-annual
Baja 1000 race on the Baja Peninsula on Nov. 18.
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
Cole Hauter, left, and his dad, Mark Hauter, at Virtue Flat
on Thursday, Nov. 4.

— Cole Hauter, 25, talking about competing
in this year’s Baja 1000 off-road race
from Mastrude, Hauter has
been focusing on preparing
for this greatest test in off-
road racing.
Despite its name, the Baja
1000 usually isn’t exactly
1,000 miles. This year’s route
down the peninsula covers
1,200 miles.
Hauter said he’ll ride the
second stage for his team,
covering about 200 miles and
starting around daybreak
on Nov. 18. Although the
Team Cactus Warriors has
seven riders, there’s only one
motorcycle — each rider will
hand it off to the next after
completing his stage.
“It’s one of the most ex-
hilarating but also one of the
most dangerous events out
there,” Hauter said.
The Baja 1000 course
is largely in isolated areas
where emergency help might
be hours away.
Riders have to cope not
only with the punishing
terrain but with the possibil-
ity of encountering livestock,
wild animals and even local
residents driving on parts of
the route.
All while riding at speeds
that frequently will top 100
mph.
“At those speeds you have
to be so focused,” Hauter said.
“That’s part of the adven-
ture.”
To prepare, Hauter bought
the Yamaha YZ450FX, the
same model his team will
ride in the Baja 1000.
He said Tom Chandler of
Baker City, a master me-
chanic who owns Tom Chan-
dler Motor Cross (TCMX),
prepared his new motorcycle.
Hauter’s other sponsors
are Barley Brown’s, Premier
Cole Hauter/Contributed Photo
Tom Chandler of Baker City is Cole Hauter’s motorcycle
mechanic.
Auto Body, Les Schwab,
prise, FXR, EKS Goggles, Ya-
Outlaw Motorsports in Enter- maha and the Team Cactus
Warriors.
Hauter loves his new
Yamaha.
He said he trimmed 30
seconds from his fastest time
around a seven-mile circuit at
Virtue Flat the fi rst time out.
Hauter, who works as a
rafting guide in Hells Canyon
during the summer and also
remodels homes, left Baker
City on Thursday, Nov. 11 for
Mexico. He and his team will
“pre run” the Baja 1000 route
— traveling it to get a sense
for the particular challenges
they’ll face.
And then he’ll wait for
that moment when the stage
one rider arrives, hops off and
turns over the motorcycle to
Hauter.
He’ll be ready.
Hauter said he played
many sports and participated
in lots of other hobbies while
growing up.
But the bond he formed
with that old Honda 70 never
diminished.
“I always end up back on
my dirt bike,” he said.
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CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Cole Hauter races along a curving trail at Virtue Flat on
Thursday, Nov. 4.
ETERNALS
Jay & Kristin Wilson, Owners
2036 Main Street, Baker City
541-523-6284 • ccb#219615
(PG-13)
Friday
4:20, 7:30
Sat & Sun 1:10, 4:20, 7:30
Mon-Thurs 7:10
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GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (PG-13)
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
Cole Hauter at Virtue Flat. Hauter, of Baker City, credits his hundreds of hours of
riding at the site east of Baker City with honing his motorcycle skills.
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