BajaNomad

Baja 1000 07'

Gadget - 9-16-2007 at 06:29 PM

Course change on southern half below San Javier through San Luis Gonzaga to the road crossing at Santa Rita. Looks like it will follow the usual route to the west of the hiway and north of Cuidad Insurgentes and down the coast to El Conejo. I know just a few who are elated at not having to negotiate the silt on the east side of Mexico 1. My guess is the valley is full of water from Henrietta and will be just to the point of un-negotiable slop by race time if there isn't any more rain through there.
We were considering trying to enlist Ken and some of his mud bogger Jeep buddies he must know to help get us through there after the storm tracked the way it did.
All's well!!!

TMW - 9-17-2007 at 05:27 PM

Thanks for the update. I pulled the Cabo 500 race map off their site. They claim it's the same course as the 1000 for the southern section.

[Edited on 9-18-2007 by TW]

CABO+500+2007+Loreto+to+Cabo+Map.jpg - 37kB

TMW - 9-17-2007 at 05:58 PM

Well I should have looked at the SCORE web site first. They have the proposed race course up. www.score-international.com

TMW - 9-17-2007 at 06:07 PM

Looks like a new section near El Rosario. Lots of hwy from Guayauil to the Chapala turn off to Coco's. Looks like they run the new section near hwy 1 south toward Loreto that was first used last year. I just wish they could reduce some of that hwy section thru Catavina, but with a 60mph limit it may not be too bad. Still like to see more dirt. Distance is only 1296 miles, not much more than a normal run to La Paz.

David K - 9-17-2007 at 08:45 PM

Poor La Paz... ignored! The Baja 2000 wiggled up through La Paz then back south to finish at Cabo... Perhaps with the hurricane damage, they will avoid the area and stay along the coast, as shown.

For the history buffs... The race was originally called the Mexican 1000 and organized by NORRA (National Off Road Racing Association).

The first race was in 1967 and started in Tijuana... with a parade of racers to Ensenada for a re-start for actual racing... finish was in La Paz. The course was 'Hwy. 1' which was paved only to Colonet area. In San Ignacio, the race did leave the normal transpeninsular highway and follow the coast to La Purisima area.

From 1968 to 1971 the race started in Ensenada and finished in La Paz...

In 1972, the start was moved to Mexicali and ran down Hwy. 5 to 'The Polls' (Crucero La Trinidad), near where Hwy. 3 is today, then turned west and went across to Hwy. 1 just south of San Vicente or they could go through Mike's Sky Rancho and San Telmo.

In 1973, Mexico took NORRA out of the Baja racing business and created their own 'Baja Sports Committee' (BSC). They ran the renamed 'Baja Mil' race from Ensenada to San Felipe and south through L.A. Bay, El Arco and on to La Paz. It was a financial disaster with racers not getting paid their winnings, just a set of Samsonite luggage... To get racers to come back to Baja, the finishers were paid later.

There was NO 1000 RACE in 1974 (the only year with no 1000). After BSC's failure, Mickey Thompson was invited to bring his new SCORE organization to Baja... and Mickey had a very successful 400 mile race in July of 1974 called the Baja Internacional.... The name 'Baja 500' was reserved by copyright, so future Score 400-500 mile races were called 'Baja Internacional' officially, but called 'Baja 500' by nearly everyone... At some point, Score was allowed to officially call it the Baja 500... and ran it in June.

The first SCORE Baja 1000 was in November, 1975 and was an 800+ mile loop starting and finishing in Ensenada... going just south of Punta Prieta. Classes 6, 7 and 11 were allowed to avoid the Pacific coast rough road and run Highway 1 from Guayaquil to El Crucero.

1976 to 1978 Score kept the 1000 in the northern part of Baja and called it the Baja 1000 Km., as it was closer to 600 miles long than 1000.

In 1979, SCORE ran the 1000 to La Paz, the first time since 1973... via San Felipe, L.A. Bay, etc.

Since 1979 (the year I was in the race), Score has alternated between long run races to La Paz and loop races in the north... a couple times starting or finishing in Mexicali.

TMW - 9-18-2007 at 07:17 AM

I think the really big loser in this is San Felipe. With rumors about SCORE having a multi-year deal with Ensenada for the 250 race, San Felipe isn't getting any race traffic for a long time. Good for the race course over there but bad for the town.

David K - 9-18-2007 at 08:27 AM

10-4, it would have been a smart move for the San Felipe business association to pay off that ejido dude who forced the 250 move to Ensenada at the last minute, last February!

In the meantime, CODE will continue to have races in the area... I guess because they pay the ejido directly and not a middleman/ agent...???

CODE just doesn't get the publicity that SCORE does.

Any more word on Sal's retirement rumors?

Gadget - 9-18-2007 at 10:21 PM

I think He'll call it quits after this years schedule. Nothing other than my opinion here though.

Edguero - 9-20-2007 at 09:39 AM

Click on proposed course.

http://www.score-international.com

Slowmad - 9-20-2007 at 01:56 PM

SPUTNIK: noun
Any of a series of Soviet satellites sent into Earth orbit, especially the first, launched October 4, 1957.

SPUTNIK: noun (alternative)
Any series of improvised devices bristling with rubber-shredding protuberances placed in road bed, particularly in protected ecological zones.

:lol:

Mango - 9-20-2007 at 04:03 PM

I'd like to check out the race this year. To me it looks like the course crosses south across Mex 3 for the last time around Colonia Lazaro Carenas then heads along Mex 3 until the turnoff for Mike's Sky Ranch.

I'd be coming from Mexicali/San Felipe. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to camp/watch the race around this area? Or should I be looking at a different area completely?

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

David K - 9-20-2007 at 07:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mango
I'd like to check out the race this year. To me it looks like the course crosses south across Mex 3 for the last time around Colonia Lazaro Carenas then heads along Mex 3 until the turnoff for Mike's Sky Ranch.

I'd be coming from Mexicali/San Felipe. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to camp/watch the race around this area? Or should I be looking at a different area completely?

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.


There are many places to camp along the road from Hwy. 3 to Mike's Sky Rancho... However, do keep in mind that racers will be coming through there for many hours and you cannot get back out to Hwy. 3 without risk of a head on collision... unless you go to the road from Valle de la Trinidad via Ejido Los Pocitos/ La Cieneguita and exit that way. It joins the Mike's road near the former airport for Mike's (what made it a 'sky ranch')... Mike refused to pay for a 24/7 gaurd at the runway to chase off potential drug runners, so the goverment ditched the airport. The ranch always got more off-road business than pilot business anyway!

Here's a road log from Mike's to Hwy. 3 off this web page: http://vivabaja.com/905

Part 2, Mike's Sky Rancho north to Hwy. 3

Mike's Sky Rancho: 0.0 miles, 0:00 hours (see above for other data)
Rancho El Conejo road: 5.1 mi., 0:21 hrs., 4,108', 31°09.94', 115°39.17'

La Cieneguita road northwest: 5.7 mi., 0:24 hrs., 4,115', 31°10.46', 115°39.30'

Rancho San Javier road: 8.3 mi., 0:30 hrs., 4,287', 31°11.70', 115°37.52'

Rancho San Antonio: 9.8 mi., 0:37 hrs., 3,956', 31°12.40', 115°36.72'

Road to west (Alberchigos): 13.3 mi., 0:48 hrs., 3,583', 31°15.16'. 115°36.00'

Rancho Picacho road south: 16.8 mi., 0:57 hrs., 3,438', 31°17.77', 115°35.06'

Highway 3 (just east of San Matias): 19.8 mi., 1:03 hrs., 3,143', 31°20.24', 115°34.39'

TMW - 9-21-2007 at 07:31 AM

A good place to watch the cars and trucks is to take the El Jamau turn off on hwy 3 at KM108. It's about 12 KM west of Valle la Trinidad. Go back about 2 miles where it meets the race course. Go left (this is the race course) about 100 yards is a dip in the course. When the cars come thru they get some big time air. At the 250 race in March the cars would come out of the dip with their wheels in the air rear wheels landing first. The trucks would also get air but not as spectacular as the rear engine cars. Just after they land there is a concrete crossing with 1 1/2 to 2 foot dropoffs on each side followed by an immediate left turn. Hit the concrete crossing wrong and it'll make for a bad day. We were chasing a MC so we didn't get there to watch until after the bikes went thru.

Mango - 9-21-2007 at 11:53 AM

Thanks for the advice David K and TW.

David K - 9-22-2007 at 08:31 AM

De nada... ;D:biggrin:

Rocketman - 10-3-2007 at 12:38 PM

Rocket to Gadget.......

Will you be Chasing # 67 or are you going to be at a stationary pit??