Paraplegic Races UTV at Baja 1000 [Video]

Lucas Cooney
by Lucas Cooney

Kane Fraser, a paraplegic, decided to take on the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in a Polaris RZR XP 900.

“This was our first Baja 1000, our first time racing, and for me my first time racing in any sport ever,” says Fraser.

A first timer’s experience at Baja is hardly ever smooth and Fraser did run into a few issues. His team would add over 100 miles to their total mileage after a wrong turn, and in turn would add hundreds of followers as they headed towards their ceremonial finish at 2am Sunday morning, 36 hours after the start Friday afternoon.

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“We wanted to finish, we didn’t care, nothing would stop us. We kept going and did finish! We were a little bug eyed, but we finished,” says Heino Seibert from Spectra Power Sports, Fraser’s co-driver.

“We were super naive, but we learned a lot along the way, and got laughed at a lot which was fun,” says Fraser. “In the eleven months prior to the race, a lot of people helped 1802 work towards the goal, even up to the day before in Ensenada when we were working on the RZR. Without all the help from these people the team would have been less prepared and may not have completed the race. I would just like to thank everyone on the team for the contributions, it took all of us to make this happen!”

The number one goal was of the team was to raise money for the Man in Motion, Rick Hansen Foundation. Rick Hansen was a Canadian who rode across 34 countries in 26 months to raise awareness and funding for people with disabilities.

“I decided that in honor of his 25th anniversary and the fact that we are from the same hometown that we should support him,” says Fraser. “Our target fundraising effort for the Rick Hansen Foundation is $25,000, a thousand dollars for each year. This is a far cry from what he is doing and has done, but we want to do it.”

More information and donations can be sent at www.Baja1000Fundraiser.com.

Lucas Cooney
Lucas Cooney

I have been working exclusively in digital media since 1997. I started out with TSN.ca, spending nearly nine years creating and editing content on Canada's leading sports website. I left to join VerticalScope, Inc., one of the world's largest online publishers, to start a number of powersports publications. While at VerticalScope, I've helped create and oversee content for a wide variety of different publications, including ATV.com, Off-Road.com, ArcheryTalk.com, Tractor.com, RVGuide.com, and many more.

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