Off-roading at 100 mph around Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, Alexander Rossi white-knuckled a Honda Ridgeline through the darkness and fog. It appears to be a case of insanity, especially for a driver who has previously had two close calls in his two prior attempts in the Baja 100.
Rossi finished second in his 2018 debut in the famed off-road adventure despite nearly colliding with an SUV. Rossi misjudged a 90-degree turn the next year and rolled his pickup into a ditch.
Last week, he was out in the dark, relying on a navigator and a GPS device to help him over bumps and jumps while avoiding onlookers camped along the route. Rossi’s clear night-driving visor was useless at daylight, so he raced the remaining 80 kilometers with one hand shading his eyes from the light.
Rossi’s crew won their class by more than three hours in a race that lasted more than 23 hours and covered 1,226 kilometers between Ensenada and La Paz.
“You know, I crashed in 2019 and rolled off a cliff, so that was my big incentive.” It was a huge success. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Rossi said, “It was a big fear for my navigator and my co-driver, and it shook us up a little bit.”
“I didn’t want to go out on that kind of note, to end my stay at Baja.” “It was critical that I get back on the horse.”
Rossi’s victory in the Baja gave him two victories in 2021. Rossi began the year as part of the Rolex 24 at Daytona winning sports car squad and ended it with a class win in one of the world’s most renowned off-road races, which he described as “the most dangerous thing you can do in racing.”
Rossi, the 2016 winner of the Indianapolis 500’s 100th edition, now owns trophies from three of North America’s most iconic races. He was part of the Wayne Taylor Racing sports car team that lost the IMSA championship a week before Baja in a race that came down to the final turn of a 10-hour race.
Rossi finished the season on a high note as he enters the last year of his current Andretti Autosport IndyCar contract. Andretti veterans Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe were replaced by Romain Grosjean and rookie Devlin De Francesco ahead of 2022, and Rossi stated his No. 27 squad is actively hiring because he’s already lost three mechanics this offseason and may lose a fourth.
Rossi has a 37-race losing streak in IndyCar dating back to 2019. However, he believes he was on par with teammate Colton Herta at the end of the season, having won three races, including the final two.
His objectives for 2022 are unmistakable.
Rossi stated, “I want to generate results so that a contract year is valuable.” “Right now, if you finish 10th in the championship, contract year is kind of irrelevant.” Nothing matters until you start delivering results and establishing your worth.”
Rossi is 30 years old in a series that is rapidly aging, and he finished 10th in the standings this year, never challenging for the championship. He only led two laps and finished on the podium once, and his ninth-place finish the previous year wasn’t any better.
This year, he was able to reach victory lane thanks to his extracurricular racing, which is still valuable cash.
“I think people understand, ‘Oh yeah, you haven’t forgotten how to drive,’ which is a good thing,” Rossi added. “It also helps you stay relevant because if you have a bad year and then go silent for five to six months, people won’t remember you for anything other than having a bad year.”
He’s weary following back-to-back endurance races and is focusing solely on IndyCar at the moment. Rossi intends to return to the Rolex in January, but will not compete in any of IMSA’s four endurance races because IndyCar races in Texas the same weekend that the sports cars compete in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. Andretti needs to improve on ovals, according to Rossi, and Texas is too vital to travel back and forth for both races.
Michael Andretti has exclusive rights to negotiate with Rossi for a set amount of time, but he has refused to specify the deadline. He intends to look into the free agent market.
“I just spoke with Michael, and everything right now revolves around Andretti Autosport,” Rossi stated. “However, I’m not going to commit to anything until I speak with others.” I’m not sure where any of that comes from. It’s possible that people are unconcerned with the fact that it’s a contract year.”
That may be the case with Andretti, who allowed development driver Kyle Kirkwood go after winning the Indy Lights title because he didn’t have a vacant IndyCar seat. Kirkwood instead signed a one-year deal with A.J. Foyt Racing, and the departure of Rossi might be Kirkwood’s first opportunity at Andretti.
Rossi recognizes the importance of being strong right away when the season kicks out in February in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“In IndyCar, you’re only as good as your last race, and my last race was sixth.” “That’s not good,” Rossi expressed his displeasure. “We have to go into St. Pete, no ifs, ands, or buts; we just have to execute.” All of the elements are in place, and Colton and I should be in contention at the end of the year, every year, but we haven’t been.
“However, it’s ridiculous that a team that puts in that much effort and has the talent from an engineering and driver side is even in the running for the championship.” From anyone’s perspective, that’s simply not acceptable.”
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