Our friends at WestX1000 are south of the border to cover the Sonora Rally. Stay tuned for daily updates. 
Begin Press Release: 

Day 2, SS1: Short and Sweet
The Rally?s First Stage Left a Bitter Taste for Some
A big part of rally raid is fluidity. Being flexible, changing directions in a flash and dealing with unwelcome surprises as they try to turn the race upside-down. When the French hieroglyphs meant to guide you through a khaki indistinguishable ocean of sand start to transform into an even more alien code. Seemingly impossible to navigate at times, especially when the digital bits don?t seem to match the analog. It?s up to the talented, the experienced and, so often, the lucky to take mayhem and make it work in their favor. All in all, the day brought bright blue skies, beautiful terrain, smooth rhythms and modest waves of dunes. A short liaison out of San Luis Rio Colorado led teams to fast gravel ranch roads and straight into a modest mountain range of sand. For the Pros, this was their opportunity to build up a pace and make quick of the first 40 kilometers. Everything buttoned up clean, with no more than two penalties incurred by the whole group ? one in Bikes and one in UTVs. However, the former led to an unfortunate DNF for a Kawasaki rider premiering his rally efforts here in Sonora.

Hare & Hound elite athlete Jason Aubright [#28] had a tougher time than most. Making great time, with hardly any hiccups, Aubright climbed the steep, loose sand faces up ...