A Champion On And Off The Track!
This past weekend at the 33rd San Felipe 250 in San Felipe, Baja California, Hammond Meredith and his awesome high tech trophy truck crossed the finish line in first place in his class. Over the past couple of years of off-road racing, Hammond has placed in the top 10 in his class in most of his races. These great finishes included several memorable Baja 1000 events – especially the grueling 50th that covered the length of the Baja peninsula. Hammond is already a great racer, and “legendary” is out there for the taking in the future – if that is what he truly wants. However, there is more to Hammond than meets the eye – in fact, so much more!
Sports-wise, besides his exploits on the Baja off-road racing circuit, Hammond is an accomplished marksman, horseman, ice climber, scuba diver and stand up paddleboarder – just to name a few of his sporting interests. In fact, he holds a Guinness World Record for stand up paddleboarding a section of the Florida coastline. Like the legendary Lou Gehrig, Hammond has also participated in sporting events at less than optimal. In fact, in the Baja 1000 2018, Hammond drove several segments with a fractured and dislocated collarbone!
Professionally, Hammond is a trained and highly respected culinary chef that has owned restaurants in Japan and France. I believe he still has one in Florida. He is multi-lingual and loves learning a new language. In the past, this included mastering the very difficult Japanese language. Hammond is also a writer and has shared his expertise and experiences in a number of great stories and articles over the years.
What drives Hammond is his love for others. As a philanthropist, he is genuinely interested in the needs of veterans and their challenges in making a successful and healthy transition from active duty to civilian life. In fact, this is so important to him that he started Sabot Foundation with his close friend and entertainment entrepreneur Jon Krashna. “The Sabot Foundation assists veterans, especially combat veterans to help them redefine their transition back into civilian life and improve their quality of life in a variety of areas related to alternative holistic programs to reduce the effects of PTSD/TBI/CTE, as well as guidance to education and training leading to rewarding careers.” (To learn more, please visit http://sabotgroup.com/sabot-foundation/.)
In small and great ways, Hammond’s assistance has changed lives for the better. In fact, I met him when he treated a number of veterans, some of them disabled, to a memorable trip to the Baja. During their stay, when Hammond saw that our restaurant staff was overwhelmed, he even pitched in and helped us out. This simple act impressed me no end. In many ways, Hammond is like a catalyst. For one thing, people who interact with this humble visionary are more excited about making a difference in their own sphere of influence. I’d also like to think that those who rub elbows with Hammond on a regular basis are better people because of it.
In conclusion, I want to share a few great quotes about what it means to be a true champion:
“I don’t believe a champion is the biggest, baddest, meanest dude in the world. I think the champion is like a warrior; it’s like the head knight or lead samurai: humble men of integrity, respect, and honor that treat people kindly.” Jon Jones
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” Muhammad Ali
At the end of the day, I am just proud to call this great champion in life my friend. By the way Hammond, congratulations on your San Felipe 250 win!
Until next time!
Anthony Cota
We Express! Magazine 