BajaNomad

NORRA GPS and Maps are up on site

TMW - 5-6-2014 at 11:03 AM

http://www.norra.com/racer_alerts.php

vgabndo - 5-6-2014 at 12:55 PM

I want to drive over Saturday to a point between El Arco and Vizcaino camp the night and watch the bikes go by on Sunday. Any suggestions along that section of a great spot to spectate? Would I likely have more fun if I just go to El Arco and hang at the Mag7 pits? I'll be driving my big Dodge diesel (aired down), with my quad. I also can't download the way points, would I be better off to go to El Arco then follow the markers WITH the flow than catching the course at Vizcaino and trying to back-track? Thanks in advance, this will be my first time since 1972 to see a Baja race!

[Edited on 5-6-2014 by vgabndo]

Pacifico - 5-6-2014 at 01:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vgabndo
I want to drive over Saturday to a point between El Arco and Vizcaino camp the night and watch the bikes go by on Sunday. Any suggestions along that section of a great spot to spectate? Would I likely have more fun if I just go to El Arco and hang at the Mag7 pits? I'll be driving my big Dodge diesel (aired down), with my quad. I also can't download the way points, would I be better off to go to El Arco then follow the markers WITH the flow than catching the course at Vizcaino and trying to back-track? Thanks in advance, this will be my first time since 1972 to see a Baja race!

[Edited on 5-6-2014 by vgabndo]


It depends if you want to be alone or around a bunch of people... Hanging around the pits in El Arco might be fun! There are a couple spots between El Arco and Vizcaino that would be good, but I'm not sure EXACTLY where the course is running through there. I've gone through there a couple times and there is a neat hill that would be a cool vantage point. Is your truck 4WD?

David K - 5-6-2014 at 02:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by TW
http://www.norra.com/racer_alerts.php


Thanks Tom... a different route for bikes in some section is interesting? Like why are the cars going to L.A. Bay from Santa Rosalillita and the bikes stay on the Pacific side to Villa Jesus Maria... both course return together at El Arco?

Looks like a lot of work for NORRA personal?

If Score under Roger Norman fails, it is nice that NORRA is back with a twist on how the race is run.

Some history:

NORRA created the 1000 and 500 races in the late 1960's and were booted out by the Mexican officials after the 1973 Baja 500 was run (Parnelli Jones won), and replaced by Mexico's own Baja Sports Committee (BSC) for the 1973 Baja 1000 and 1974 500... both failures and the end of BSC. The reason was Mexico thought their BSC could do it and channel money to the children of Baja. After the race, the money disappeared... even the racers who won didn't get their prize money in La Paz.

Mickey Thompson and his new Score International was invited to run a trial race in July 1974 'The Baja Internacional' and it was a huge success... Score has run the Baja races ever since. The only year there was no 1000 was in '74 as Score did not have enough time to organize it after Mexico rewarded them with a contract to run races. Poor NORRA was out of the picture but retained rights to the name 'Baja 500' for many years, during which time Score called their shorter race 'The Baja Internacional'. NORRA had called the long race the Mexican 1000, so when BSC renamed it the Baja 1000, that was not a conflict with NORRA's ownership of the name.

willardguy - 5-6-2014 at 02:39 PM

you do understand the cars and bikes run a day apart?

vgabndo - 5-6-2014 at 03:01 PM

Thanks Pacifico, yes the Dodge is 4x4 and so is my quad. I'd like to find a really challenging section with some view into the distance, but I'm not willing to bounce that beast 20 miles over the washboards to get it. And, now that I think of it, it'll be late afternoon by the time they get to Viscaino. Maybe El Arco is the way to go, but still a lot of fast straight washboard access.

David K - 5-6-2014 at 03:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
you do understand the cars and bikes run a day apart?


I am saying they are running on different sides of the peninsula and mountain range. Norra must have enough help to have people on the two courses, unless you think they can pack up and re set up in a few hours at a different place?

TMW - 5-7-2014 at 10:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by vgabndo
I want to drive over Saturday to a point between El Arco and Vizcaino camp the night and watch the bikes go by on Sunday. Any suggestions along that section of a great spot to spectate? Would I likely have more fun if I just go to El Arco and hang at the Mag7 pits? I'll be driving my big Dodge diesel (aired down), with my quad. I also can't download the way points, would I be better off to go to El Arco then follow the markers WITH the flow than catching the course at Vizcaino and trying to back-track? Thanks in advance, this will be my first time since 1972 to see a Baja race!

[Edited on 5-6-2014 by vgabndo]


First up NORRA does not mark any of the course. There are no arrows or ribbons. A map with course notes is given to the racers. Many will rely on their GPS.

As others have said hanging near the Mag 7 pit ain't bad. You'll see some bikes pitting for gas or maybe in for repairs etc.

I have not been on the road from Jesus Maria to El Arco nor the one out of El Arco to where it meets the jct. of the main route to Vizcaino but there are hills before and after El Arco, RM275-RM285, which makes for some good places for viewing.

vgabndo - 5-7-2014 at 08:03 PM

TW, where did you find that route map, did I miss it on the NORRA site? Thanks for the info.

TMW - 5-8-2014 at 10:50 AM

On the home page at the top it says GPS and updated course maps now available. If you click on Mexican 1000 Racers Alerts it takes you to the GPS page. I down loaded the Garmin GPS file then converted it to a google earth file with http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/

vgabndo - 5-8-2014 at 05:53 PM

OK, thanks...I am hung up trying to download the gps points. I don't seem to have a program that will open that file so I can take it to the link you suggest. I don't have any Garmin programs on my computer.

[Edited on 5-9-2014 by vgabndo]

TMW - 5-8-2014 at 07:15 PM

You don't need any garmin programs. Just download the garmin file and when you go to gpsvisualizer it will have you up load the file to it and then it converts it.

vgabndo - 5-8-2014 at 11:22 PM

Got it. Lots of five mile and one ten mile straight in the area easiest for me to access. I think I'll go for the 90° corner at M298. M290 at the top and M310 where the course meets HW1 north of Vizcaino in this image.

whistler - 5-9-2014 at 12:36 PM

Daniel Spalinger drove out from New Hampshire for the rally.Brought his 4 banger Nissan Frontier.He is in san Diego now.

David K - 5-11-2014 at 12:30 AM

David K - 5-12-2014 at 07:20 PM

If anyone would like to see the map for today's or the next two day's sections, posted here, let me know.