I just watched that show also, loved it! I was rooting for Team Necessary all the way. 4 hours late, incredible. And 32 seconds between 1st and 2nd in a 1000 mile off-road race, Incredible!

No RL experiences to share, but if you ever wanted to experience it as a contestant, running the Baja 1000 is one of the last great races an average joe can pick up and enter. Meet the basic requirements for safety and the class you choose to enter and you're good-to-go. The $500k supertrucks that the established corporate teams run are out of the question, but get yourself a good dirt bike or ATV and you're basically set.

Running the 1000 miles by yourself would be insanely dangerous, though. Easily solved with an equally-deranged friend who'll be your waystop teammate. Add a wife or some family members as a "pit crew" that tracks your progress while cruising ahead in a van and you've got the basic setup to run the Baja 1000 with minimal costs.