Only three riders were time barred at the end of the penalty window, others having already called to say they were not going to be able to make it.
As reported, Wendy Crockett on an '05 Yamaha FJR1300 won the rally. Wendy previously came in 3rd in the past. As a personal acquaintance to Wendy, having known her and her family for years, I can say she has worked toward this goal for a long time and is a very happy woman right now. I'm sure her husband Mike is bouncing off the walls at their home, sadly unable to attend with their awesome 4 year old daughter.
BMW breakdowns were numerous, Final Drive, fuel and other issues. (Another K1600 lost the FD on the day after the rally, heading home.) Tidbit of the day, more FJRs finished the rally than started, with two riders changing from other brands to loaner FJRs to finish the rally.
We lost Chris Purney's S10 to a two vehicle accident, but he made it in with the loaned FJR before the DNF cut off. That's his story to tell.
The two up couple from Britain on the S10 that had the wheel and tire issues not only finished, but finished well! They put in a monster leg and they were pretty tired when they got in, but they persevered and made an excellent showing.
By any standard, the IBR is not an easy ride. By the standard of past IBRs, this was a tough IBR. Bonus locations did not have exact waypoints, you got a Lat/Lon that was within 100 miles and written directions to follow from there to the actual bonus location. This both defeated the computer program methods of routing to the exact bonus locations, and forced riders to read, read and re-read the bonus descriptions to figure out where they had to go, how to get there, what was involved, (dirt roads, long hikes, etc), and gave a wider margin for making errors that would cost riders time and often points at the scoring table.
Even the seasoned riders that have won various rallies were making mistakes that cost them positions on the finisher roster. Wendy made mistakes, but fewer of them, while riding harder, and after coming up with a winning plan to ride. I've been involved with the IBR since '05 and never have I seen riders coming in at the end like this time. This IBR challenged every rider at every level and nearly all of them spent a large portion of their riding on slow, scenic, twisty roads, often miles into a bonus and with only one way back out before getting to larger roads. As in the pre-2011 IBRs, dirt roads were available more and riders were shown beautiful places that they may never have gone to on their own to see. All of these riders will remember this as a stand out year, wether it was their first IBR or their 7th IBR.
Many are already long gone from the parking lot as I type this. Riders stayed up as late as 1am or more, but by 4 am they were leaving the parking lot heading for home. Many will be back at work on Monday, having used the last two weeks as vacation time. I can only imagine the smile on their faces when some un-knowing co-worker asks "So, where did you go on your vacation?" Everywhere. Coast to coast, border to border and beyond. The same riders saw Alaska and the Gaspe peninsula as well as far Southern US locations. Smoke from wild fires in BC & California, flooding that closed bridges across the Mississippi river, the headwaters of the Columbia and Mississippi rivers and all the way to the ocean along those rivers.
Jeff Earls and his wife spent the last two years creating this rally and have every reason to be proud of the results. It will be remembered as one of the more Epic IBRs in the history of the IBR as well as the first year a woman rider won. Before too long, Wendy's name will be carved in the winner's rock out along the border of the Black Rock Desert outside Gerlack, NV at the IBA Circle of Honor.
More info will be posted on the IBA site in the coming days, along with the full rally pack, as I understand.