ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A documentary film called “63 Hours” had its premiere at Ide Volkswagen Friday night. Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter is featured in the film, and it recounts him and a team of racers going down the Baja California strip in The Baja 1000.
Baxter and the team, ‘Base Camp Off Road‘ tried twice in previous years to complete the race, in 2022, their team finished. Baxter had his son Kevin with him, as well as team captain/ driver Matthew Barnes.
Their team number was 585 —of course— some Rochester ‘area code pride’ there. Baxter told News 8 it’s just about being able to finish the race, all while up against million-dollar teams and monster trucks, enduring hot temperatures, vehicle breakdowns, and just about every obstacle you can imagine.
Baxter and his crew drove in a Volkswagen Bug, just a two-wheel drive (the car has been souped-up and worked on for a decade with all kinds of bells and whistles). Baxter said the challenges and all they endured made them stronger in the end.
“I’ve run multiple marathons, spent 22 years in the Army. This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. There was a point where I was 100 percent dehydrated, on our last sip of emergency water in the vehicle. There was another time where we were just totally out of fuel and no fuel to be found. And I strapped my son into the car and said ‘go for it, you’re the best driver we have,’ and we had enough fuel for four hours of driving, that gave us four hours to solve the problem and go find fuel, and get in front of them somehow. That’s what it’s all about: adapt and overcome,” said Baxter.
Barnes said this experience was all about seeking new challenges in life. “And the excitement and the adventure is what it comes down to. And the perseverance,” he said.
Pittsford native Ryan Green, who shot ‘”63 Hours” and financed it with his own funds, told News 8 he didn’t know much about the race, but decided to hop on board for the trek.
“So the name of the film is ’63 Hours’ and it’s 63 hours with no sleep, driving through Mexico in the day and dark… that was probably the toughest part,” said Green.
You can watch a trailer for the film here. Green is still working on making the full film available to the public and is submitting it to film festivals.
Saturday on News 8 we will have the full story on “63 Hours”– including more from the interviews with Baxter, Green, and Barnes.
