2009 Formula 1 Champion Jenson Button stranded for 17 hours in the Baja 1000

Jenson Button

Jenson Button has said he was left stranded in the Baja California Desert for 17 hours after he suffered a breakdown during the Baja 1000.

The 2009 Formula 1 World Champion has taken on a number of different racing roles since he retired from F1 and last weekend took on the famous Baja 1000 off-road endurance race with Rocket Motorsport.

But the race didn't go quite as planned following a differential failure which left Button and his co-driver Terry Madden stranded.

"We come away from the Baja 1000 with a story to tell, not the one we wanted but a great Baja story all the same," Button wrote on social media.

"Started well, passed five moving trucks and then another 7-8 broken or crashed. Found a really good rythym of looking after the truck when needed and hammering the fast flowing sections.

"At mile 235 my co-driver and I heard a really loud clatter and lost drive, we had broken the differential…strange as all temps were good and we looked after the truck but hey this happens.

"The problem was we had found the most remote place to breakdown which meant we spent the whole night and a total of 17 hours under the stars, the only people we saw were other racers asking us to wipe their dirty light bars clean!

"Fuelled by energy bars and a fire that needed constant help as all we could find was twigs, Terry and I could just enjoy the moment of peacefulness by telling stories which always ended with "it's Baja".

"A life experience but not the one I expected, but I’ll take it." MotorsportWeek