TMW - 3-8-2013 at 04:44 PM
MARCH 8, 2013: With a record number of entrants already pre-entered for its cornerstone event, the National Off Road Racing Association (NORRA) today
announced that it was adding a new Charity Poker Run to its highly popular, vintage-themed General Tire NORRA Mexican 1000 trans-peninsula Baja
adventure. Open to anyone with an off-road worthy truck, buggy, Jeep, ATV, UTV or motorcycle, the new Charity Poker Run will share dates, routes and
overnight stops with this year’s fourth annual General Tire NORRA Mexican 1000, which is scheduled for April 27 – May 1.
The Charity Poker Run was established to accommodate the ever-increasing interest of off-road and adventure hobbyists wanting to experience the annual
four-day run from Mexicali to San Jose Del Cabo for themselves. A non-timed and non-competitive event, the NORRA General Time Mexican 1000 Charity
Poker Run will consist of a large percentage of the event’s entry fee going towards a single charity donation pool. Charity Run entrants will play a
collective game of seven-card poker, collecting cards at various stops along the 1,100-plus mile route. Additional poker hands are available to
entrants for an added contribution to the Charity Poker Run’s donation pool. As an incentive to help stranded rally racers, Charity Poker run
contestants can also earn an additional card by towing a vehicle to the day’s finish line or to an awaiting chase crew at the conclusion of a time
stage.
The entrant with the best hand at the finish in San Jose Del Cabo will receive an official NORRA winner’s trophy, as well as having 50% of the final
charity pool amount being donated in his or her name to the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) located in Reno, Nevada. The remaining 50% will
be donated in the winner’s name to a legitimate charity of their choice.
With just 10 weeks to go before April’s green flag in Mexicali, nearly 120 confirmed entries have been received by NORRA – a new event record.
Affectionately known as “The Happiest Race on Earth”, the Mexican 1000’s rally format consists of special stages (unlimited speed timed stages in the
dirt) linked together by controlled speed liaison / transit sections (highway). Unlike the often harsh and deeply rutted race courses that are now a
desert off-road racing staple, NORRA focuses on utilizing fun, fast and more forgiving roads that favor older and current limited-travel machinery.
“The team at NORRA has been discussing the concept of adding a way for non-racing off-road enthusiasts to be part of our annual General Tire Mexican
1000 for several years now,” explained NORRA President Mike Pearlman. “The idea of adding another charity component to our annual rally made the most
sense, especially since half of the winning donation pool is going to the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, which my father Ed Pearlman founded back
in 1973. This Charity Poker Run is the perfect addition to our event and is absolutely in keeping with the special spirit that the Mexican 1000 Rally
represents.”