Dirt Bike Racer Live-Streams Entire Baja 1000 to Mom Using Duct-Taped Starlink

Dirt bike racer Ben Hundter completed the grueling Baja 1000 while maintaining a continuous live stream to his mother using a Starlink Mini satellite dish duct-taped to his helmet.

The setup, which included an iPhone strapped to his chest and a heavy-duty Jackery battery mounted on his Sherco motorcycle, enabled Hundter to complete the challenging 1,000-mile race in 31 hours and 30 minutes while keeping his promise to his concerned mother.

The unique arrangement stemmed from a heartfelt family agreement. Hundter, who has Type 1 diabetes, faced initial resistance from his mother about participating in the demanding race.

“I wanted to race the Baja so bad, but my mom wouldn’t let me because I have type 1 diabetes,” Hundter explained. “She said the only way I could race it is if I was live streaming to her the whole time.”

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The video caught the attention of Elon Musk himself, who responded to a viral video of Hundter’s setup with a simple but approving “cool” on his social media platform X. Hundter jokingly credited his DIY Starlink mounting solution as a collaboration with Musk.

The Starlink Mini proved to be an ideal choice for the unusual task, offering low power consumption, minimal weight, and reliable high-speed internet connectivity throughout the race.

Ben, accompanied by his brother David, managed to maintain the live stream throughout their journey across the challenging terrain.

However, the story took an unfortunate turn when the brothers encountered a road closure during the race.

Their decision to take an “illegal line” through the peninsula resulted in a 17-hour penalty and ultimately led to their disqualification from the official race results, as reported by Jalopnik.

Despite the technical disqualification, the Hundter brothers’ innovative use of technology and determination to complete the race while keeping their promise has captured the imagination of motorsport enthusiasts and tech followers alike.