James Owen has won the 2023 Iron Butt Rally. This is his 3rd Iron Butt Rally win and he recorded the second highest mileage ever ridden during the rally. James rode his 2022 BMW R1250RT 14,138 miles in 11 days and collected 151,821 points. He previously won the rally in 2009 and 2017. James is the only two-time winner and is now the only three-time winner of the IBR. James…
As of 9:05am local time, one hour and 5 minutes into the penalty points, all riders were either checked in here at the Marriott in Pittsburgh or accounted for if not going to be able to finish in time. We will have more details and finish results later, along with all the great photos from Tobie. Until then, here are a few photos of arrivals and scoring from my phone….
What would the IBR be without a BMW final drive failure on Day 11? Sjef Vanderaa’s 2014 R1200GSA BMW has apparently suffered a final drive failure in NC on the way to the finish. Reportedly, the Ashville BMW dealer doesn’t have parts and told him he just needed to truck it home to Canada. WTH? Forward progress halted x2: Reef AsSadiq’s Indian Challenger apparently has a clutch problem and lost forward…
Bob Higdon is a former IBR scribe and the most entertaining writer I have known. In the forward to Ron Ayres 1997 book, Against the Wind, Bob attempts to answer a difficult question: Why do we ride the Iron Butt Rally? The following is an excerpt from what Bob wrote to answer that question: “The answer could be, in this most sublimely solitary of sports, ironically a question of companionship….
In addition to the daily reports which focus on the riders and rally, we are publishing “appetizers” and “out-takes” and “soup to nuts” during the rally, as time allows. Hopefully, these additional items on the information buffet reveal some of the behind-the-scenes happenings that don’t make it into the daily reports. Whether stories of hilarity within the staff, background info, historical perspective, exceptional volunteer efforts, or perhaps unforeseen “opportunities”, we…
The Marriott in Pittsburgh is enveloped this morning, not in fog, but smoke from the Canadian wildfires. While not as bad as the smoke in Missoula, Montana in 2013, the current smoke maps show red and purple ratings for this area. The fires are north of the Great Lakes, so the riders will not have active fires to ride through to get to the finish like the ’13 riders did….
The following updates are being relayed based on information drifting in from various sources. The information may or may not be entirely accurate, but we are posting the best information currently available to the rally staff. If it proves to be less than 100% accurate, hopefully it at least allows for some speculation… Lionel Ramos hit a huge pothole on I-80 west of Rock Springs in Wyoming. The front rim…
Your scribe is posting a few words here in hopes of assisting folks who do not know much about what is really involved in riding 1000 miles a day for 11 days while routing on the fly and collecting bonuses in remote or high traffic locations. It is understandable that not many people on this planet would understand, because less than 650 people have ever completed the Iron Butt Rally. Our…
There have been comments online regarding the significant placement changes posted at the end of Leg 2. A significant factor in the placement changes was the Santa Monica Pier (CASM) bonus worth 16,431 points. Building a route around that bonus was apparently the key to moving up on Leg 2. Riders who found a way to collect that bonus, by riding a generally southwestern route, in a clockwise direction to…
Breakfast was served at 3:45am and the rider meeting started at 4:00am on Sunday morning. Jeff has served up 34 pages of deliciousness for the riders to consider. Who will suffer from biting off to much, or over eating, or indigestion? Who will be satisfied with a safe choice and who will take the spicy adventure? Who will order the best dish and be ready for the dessert awaiting them…