willardguy - 11-3-2012 at 10:03 AM
whoever the insiders are????
The Insiders Report from Loreto, Baja South: The municipal government of Loreto began Thursday to provide the means for repair of the road that will
run the 2012 BAJA 1000, desert off-road race.
Announced by the Secretary General (like a City Manager in the states) of the Loreto Municipal government, Flavio hired/licensed Davis Higuera. The
hiring is meant to keep the roads open and get permits ready for land owners to carry out the BAJA 1000 off-road event. The race, is an obligation of
the Loreto government and State government, which was acquired upon signing the agreement with the state government and the group Score International.
The Loreto official said that the local government is functioning with the support of local entrepreneurs who made available some of its
machinery, it began repairs after severe damage caused by the rains of Hurricane "Paul ".
Just months ago, Loreto was bankrupt. The local government in tatters, after the ruling PRD party stole all the goverments money and was proven to be
linked to drug cartels. The same can be said of the state government. The "Narco Governor", who sheltered the most wanted drug criminals of Mexico,
was ousted and the former government charged by state legal authorities with financial crimes.
In one of the previous BAJA 1000 events, the former Loreto mayor stole the 'reconstruction' money delivered from SCORE to repair ejido lands damaged
by the previous race. During the 2007 BAJA 1000 preparations, SCORE was barred from using ejido lands south of Loreto, because the repairs were never
accomplished. That's why this years course goes along the coast and not inland over ejido lands, south of Loreto. SCORE is barred from arranging its
courses without the approval of the ejido lands.
Davis Higuera said, as it pertains to the municipality of Loreto, are about 120 kilometers of which are part of the route of this years, BAJA 1000.
Critical in this section are 37 miles from Loreto to San Javier, which WAS paved until the hurricane. The rest is of the course is 'dirt' and the most
damaged by the torrential rains of a few weeks ago. Yet, he said, the instructions of the Mayor, Jorge Alberto Aviles Perez, are to comply with the
commitment of the present local and state governments and can contribute to the development of this off-road event that generates significant money
from tourism service providers and also provides the opportunity for Loreto to be promoted, worldwide.
In just days, the event will run through Loreto. Heavily damaged course routing was ignored by SCORE course markers, who proved how silly many desert
off-road racing know-it-alls there are, 'helping' the race organizer.
Pictures and videos of the yahoos getting mired in quicksand and mud have reflected badly on the Americans who put on the event. Rather than working
with the Loreto locals, the Americans ran headlong with their GPS guided overkill trucks, right into the muck and mire created by the rains of the
last three months. More than 26 inches of rain, just in Baja South.
The Americans ran out of the basic of course marking ribbon! They did not have 'Official' course markers and they ignored miles of unreachable
sections of race course access roads and large swaths of the official race course.
Now, with SCORE announcing course changes and the local government 'sending in the heavy dozers', the public is beginning to understand the true
nature of these races in Mexico. Firstly, they are not sanctioned by a racing organization. SCORE is an Entertainment company, much like the WWE.
Secondly, the actual courses are made by the state government, according to approvals by the local land owners. "Designing" these courses are a
fallacy, its more of an negotiation, rather than a work of art.
Lastly, the course through Loreto will be graded in spots. The course has been rerouted because of storm damage, however, the entire section west of
the coast route south of Scorpion Bay is a promotional piece for the state, formerly federal effort, to launch Loreto as a world class tourist
destination. Problem is the federal corporation built to develop and promote Loreto died a few years ago, in the midst of the collapse of the
world-wide economy.
BAJA SOUTH TOURISM FAIL. Airline seats have left Loreto long ago. Today, seats are leaving the capital of Baja South, La Paz. Alaska Airlines
announced this week all its flights to La Paz are ending in April 2013.
The culture of Mexico, embracing discord and drug sales, collapsed the last governments and effectively destroyed the trust of international travel to
Mexico. Investors and travelers alike. The collapse of the recent economies didn't help either.
Baja is desperate to recover. Many small towns, off the beaten path, Route 1, have not been resupplied since the storms and many other communities are
lucky to have running water, electricity and a decent roadway. The same conditions from the mid-sixties, when the BAJA 1000 originated.
tiotomasbcs - 11-3-2012 at 10:39 AM
Very interesting, esp the theft of monies to be used for the Baja 1000! Reminds me of what happened with the Bisbee in Cabo. Good for the Ejidos!
Bad for Loreto & tourist dollars! I can only imagine the damage the rains brought in the mountain areas. The paved road to San Javier? I will
have to wait for my 1st visit. Who are the Insiders Report publishers? Oh Well. Tio
David K - 11-3-2012 at 11:30 AM
Wow... who wrote that piece? Doesn't know much about SCORE... but sounds like he has other inside information that does sound legit...?
TMW - 11-3-2012 at 04:22 PM
Probably Mike Overcast had something to do with it.
David K - 11-3-2012 at 05:24 PM
Oh please let's not go there. 
willardguy - 11-3-2012 at 05:44 PM
done!
David K - 11-3-2012 at 05:46 PM
LOL... did you see that you tube of MO at the Mint 400? Funny!
Sweetwater - 11-4-2012 at 11:40 AM
So........the road from Loreto to San Javier that WAS paved is being regraded......and from San Javier to Mex 1 is washed out.......?
I seriously wondered about that route........I've used it twice, once in each direction on motos and I considered it a gem!
[Edited on 11-4-2012 by Sweetwater]
TMW - 11-4-2012 at 12:09 PM
Here is a run with Cameron Steele.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWPJFe-MHY0&list=UUg1uYO3...
Pre-runner reports I've seen say it OK from San Javier to hwy 53.
David K - 11-4-2012 at 12:40 PM
The paved road to San Javier was a great ride in 2009... It was paved about half of the 22 mile distance... almost to the top. Last report it was
about 5 miles or less from reaching the mission.
I can imagine rock slides from the hurricane and the road where it crosses the arroyo being blown out, but not all the highway totally washed away...
Hook - 11-4-2012 at 01:10 PM
Is SCORE a sanctioning body or is it a privately held, for-profit company? Or both, I guess?
How does SCORE finance the race(s)?
Dues to be a member?
Entry fees?
Corporate sponsorships?
Corporate memberships?
Is that it or is there more?
David K - 11-4-2012 at 01:16 PM
Hook, I would say pretty much all of the avove. It has been some time since I was a member and driver so I will look forward to modern racers to add
their facts.
Sweetwater - 11-4-2012 at 02:33 PM
After spending some time on the SCORE site, I'm really wondering about the course. Their own map seems to indicate that they didn't mark sections of
the course between San Ignacio and San Juanico as well as between San Javier and Mex53. I've got one friend who's going to try a solo B1k on his moto
and it's looking like there isn't much info as to what he's in for...
http://www.score-baja-1000.com/2012-baja1000-map
[Edited on 11-5-2012 by Sweetwater]
Hook - 11-5-2012 at 11:31 AM
Sweetwater, are you sure that is the official SCORE website?
David K - 11-5-2012 at 11:33 AM
No it is not... http://www.score-international.com is
David K - 11-5-2012 at 11:35 AM
See the new route near Loerto... running the highway!:
http://www.score-international.com/races/1141/45th_TECATE_SC...
[Edited on 11-5-2012 by David K]
LancairDriver - 11-5-2012 at 01:25 PM
For some more fun, the winners of the 1000 need to race in this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxHzwWndtvk
TMW - 11-5-2012 at 01:46 PM
SCORE has teams that mark the course using GPS as their reference. On the SCORE web site if you click on the Baja 1000 race it has all the info to the
right side. You can download the map for Google Earth as well as a printed version and the course notes.
Sweetwater if your friend has not or will not be pre-running the course or is not familiar with the course he is going to have problems. If he has
never raced with 4 wheelers he needs to be extremely careful, probably best to stop and wait once the TT and CL-1 cars catch him.
Hook it is my understanding that in addition to what you listed the major cities and state governments also pay SCORE. How much I don't know but I
heard that Baja Sur gave SCORE $300,000 to bring the race to La Paz in 2010. The racers pay $150 land use fee which is used to pay the land owners.
They also pay an airplane relay fee $125 which is for Weathermans cost.
willardguy - 11-5-2012 at 05:49 PM
a tidbit from paul about paul.
RACE COURSE CLOSED AROUND LORETO
SCORE Official Paul Fish today said the course through the Loreto area is still not cleared. For now the course takes the Highway around the area, and
it may stay that way for the race. Local officials are still promising to clear the course for the race, but we will see as this is a big task.
Unfortunate to have to add more highway miles to the race but there are still over 1000 miles of dirt in this race and it is going to be very
challenging as always. There are so many washouts on the course that could end your race at any moment - this is going to be an advantage to those who
prerun and map out the dangers and then the navigators are going to have to stay focused on that little TV in front of them - harder on the single
seaters for sure.