Locals Help Kawasaki To First Baja 500 Win Since 1996

The Baja 500 is a long and grueling race - so much so that gas stops are set up in the middle of the desert to help riders refuel. The Kawasaki team pulled off a memorable victory in the race even after one of their riders missed a gas stop - thanks to the help of some friendly locals.

Mexico's Baja Peninsula plays host to the race every June, and it's been quite some time since Kawasaki won, according to Cycle News. Team Green hadn't notched a win in the Baja 500 since 1996, but they came through with assistance from a few honorary members.

Robby Bell missed the gas stop and was in danger of running out of fuel when he came across two locals who offered to give him some gas. That allowed Bell to keep going and get to the relay point, where he passed things off to David Pearson.

"I found two [people] that had some [gas] and they were more than happy to give me enough gas to get to pit two," Bell told the news source. "I would really like to thank them. It is pretty awesome that out in the middle of nowhere, two guys would have some gas and give it to me. They kept us in the race, though we lost about four or five minutes from that, but it kept us in the race."