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Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula
Baja California Peninsula

The Baja California peninsula, in English the Lower California peninsula is a peninsula in western Mexico. It extends some 1250 km from Mexicali, Baja California, in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, in the south, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California ....
 in the fall. The event includes various types of vehicle classes such as small and large bore motorcycles, stock VW
Volkswagen

Volkswagen Passenger Cars, also known as VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany and is the original as well as the largest brand by sales volume within the Volkswagen Group....
, production vehicles, buggies, trucks
Trucks

Trucks may refer to:*The plural of truck*The ground billiards game otherwise known as troco or lawn billiards*The Trucks, a band*Trucks , a band...
, and custom fabricated race vehicles. The course has remained relatively the same over the years with the majority of events being either a point to point race from Ensenada to La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur

La Paz is the capital city of the Mexico States of Mexico of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2005 census population of 189,176 persons, but it can be considered that it roughly reaches 200,000 persons because of its surrounding towns like "el Centenario", "el Zacatal" and "San Pedro"....
, or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada.






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Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula
Baja California Peninsula

The Baja California peninsula, in English the Lower California peninsula is a peninsula in western Mexico. It extends some 1250 km from Mexicali, Baja California, in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, in the south, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California ....
 in the fall. The event includes various types of vehicle classes such as small and large bore motorcycles, stock VW
Volkswagen

Volkswagen Passenger Cars, also known as VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany and is the original as well as the largest brand by sales volume within the Volkswagen Group....
, production vehicles, buggies, trucks
Trucks

Trucks may refer to:*The plural of truck*The ground billiards game otherwise known as troco or lawn billiards*The Trucks, a band*Trucks , a band...
, and custom fabricated race vehicles. The course has remained relatively the same over the years with the majority of events being either a point to point race from Ensenada to La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur

La Paz is the capital city of the Mexico States of Mexico of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2005 census population of 189,176 persons, but it can be considered that it roughly reaches 200,000 persons because of its surrounding towns like "el Centenario", "el Zacatal" and "San Pedro"....
, or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada. The name of the event is misleading as the mileage varies for the type of event (loop or point to point) and has represented Kilometers in the past.

The first official race started in Tijuana
Tijuana

Tijuana , is the largest city of the Mexican state of Baja California, situated on the United States?Mexico border adjacent to its sister city of San Diego, California....
, Baja California
Baja California

Baja California is the northernmost States of Mexico of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California....
, on October 31 1967 and was named the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally. The course length that year was and ended in La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur

La Paz is the capital city of the Mexico States of Mexico of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2005 census population of 189,176 persons, but it can be considered that it roughly reaches 200,000 persons because of its surrounding towns like "el Centenario", "el Zacatal" and "San Pedro"....
, Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur

Baja California Sur The state is known for its natural riches and tourism. The Vizca?no Desert and small coastal lakes San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre in the north are protected by the federal government....
, with the overall winning time of 27 hours
Hours

Hours may refer to:* The plural of the unit of time, hour* an expression of time using the 24-hour clock system *Horae, Greek deities* Hours, Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques, one of many communes in France, in the Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques d?partement...
 38 minutes
Minutes

Minutes also known as protocols, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing . They often give an overview of the structure of the meeting, starting with a list of those present, a statement of the various issues before the participants, and each of their responses thereto....
 (27:38) set by Vic Wilson and Ted Mangels while driving a Meyers Manx
Meyers Manx

The Meyers Manx dune buggy was designed by Californian engineer, artist, and surfer Bruce Meyers. It was built by his company between 1964 and 1971....
 buggy
Dune buggy

File:Beach buggy 1.jpgFile:Presdunebuggy.jpgA dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes or beaches....
.

From 1967 to 1972 the race
Racing

A race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time....
 was organized by the National Off Road Racing Association (NORRA). In 1973, Baja California governor
Governor of Baja California

The Governor of Baja California represents the executive branch of the government of the state of Baja California, Mexico, per the state's constitution....
 Milton Castellanos handed over sanctioning of the event to a non-profit Mexican corporation
Corporation

A corporation is a legal entity separate from the persons that form it. It is a legal entity owned by individual stockholders. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate ....
 called Baja Sports Committee (BSC). BSC renamed the event to Baja Mil (Baja 1000) and scheduled the race to run on the original dates chosen by NORRA. Though NORRA held a competing event in the United States that same weekend, BSC successfully ran the race from Ensenada to La Paz like the years prior. Unaware of the challenges, BSC found promoting Baja races more difficult than anticipated. Instead of giving up the race, the Mexican government requested help from Short Course Off-Road Enterprises (SCORE)
SCORE International

SCORE International is an off-road sanctioning body in the sport of desert Offroad racing and is famous for its flagship event, the Baja 1000. SCORE races are held in United States and Mexico....
 in hosting and promoting future Baja races. Through negotiations with Mickey Thompson
Mickey Thompson

Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson was an United States off-road racing legend. He won many championships as a racer, and later formed sanctioning bodies SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group ....
 and his SCORE organization, the Government agreed to give exclusive rights to SCORE to hold Baja races and also reluctantly allowed SCORE to cancel the event for 1974. SCORE hired Sal Fish
Sal Fish

Sal Fish is CEO/President of SCORE International, the leading sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing.The SCORE race series include the Baja 1000, Baja 500, San Felipe 250, Primm 300, Laughlin Desert Challenge and Las Vegas Terrible's Cup....
 as president and took control of the Baja 1000 from that year on with the Baja 1000 race resuming under new control in 1975.

Prelude to the event


1962: The first timed run

When Jack McCormack and Walt Fulton of American Honda
Honda

is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan.The company manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, scooter , robots, jet aircrafts and jet engines, all-terrain vehicle, water craft, electrical generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and aeronautical and other mobile technologies....
 decided to hold a long distance run to prove the reliability of Honda's new CL72 Scrambler, they approached well known off-road dirt biker and local Honda dealer Bud Ekins
Bud Ekins

Bud Ekins was one of the foremost stuntmen of his generation. Born in Hollywood, California, he is known to most as the actor who jumped the fence on a disguised Triumph TR6 Trophy 650cc motorcycle in The Great Escape , and who drove the Ford Mustang 390 GT in Bullitt....
 for suggestions. Bud suggested the Tijuana to La Paz route (Federal Highway 1
Mexican Federal Highway 1

Mexican Federal Highway No. 1 follows the length of the Baja California Peninsula from Cabo San Lucas , at the southern end to Tijuana in the north....
) which was of rocks, sand washes, dry lake beds, cattle crossing, mountain passes, and paved road. Bud Ekins declined to perform the run because of Triumph motorcycle
Triumph Motorcycles

Triumph Engineering Co Ltd was a United Kingdom motorcycle manufacturer, originally based in Coventry. A new company, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd based in Hinckley took over the name rights after the collapse of the company in the 1980s and is now one of the world's leading motorcycle manufacturers....
 ties, however, Dave Ekins
Dave Ekins

Dave Ekins is an USA off-road racing pioneer having set the first Tijuana to La Paz, Baja California Sur timed run in under 40 hours aboard a Honda CL72 Scrambler in 1962....
 (Bud's brother) and Billy Robertson Jr. agreed to perform the trip for American Honda. After pre-running the peninsula
Baja California Peninsula

The Baja California peninsula, in English the Lower California peninsula is a peninsula in western Mexico. It extends some 1250 km from Mexicali, Baja California, in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, in the south, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California ....
 in Fulton's Cessna 180
Cessna 180

The Cessna 180 is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional landing gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 in aviation and 1981 in aviation....
, they began the journey to La Paz just after midnight on March 22, 1962. While being followed by two journalists in an airplane and using telegraph offices at the Mexican border and in La Paz, Dave Ekins recorded the first official timed run in 39 hours 56 minutes (39:56) with a total distance of . The event received coverage in the Globe
The Globe (tabloid)

Globe is a supermarket tabloid published in North America. It was founded in 1954 in Montreal, Canada as Midnight by Joe Azaria and John Vader and became the chief competitor to the National Enquirer during the 1960s....
, Argosy
Argosy (magazine)

Argosy was an United States pulp magazine, published by Frank Munsey. It is generally considered to be the first American pulp magazine.The magazine began as a general information periodical entitled The Golden Argosy, targeted at the "boys adventure" market....
, and Cycle World magazines, earning awe and respect for Honda and the Baja run. The Globe and Argosy accounts also included close encounters with death and other dangers which Ekins claims were "colorful additions".

Four wheels vs two

Wanting to beat the existing motorcycle record and to help fuel sales of the Meyers Manx
Meyers Manx

The Meyers Manx dune buggy was designed by Californian engineer, artist, and surfer Bruce Meyers. It was built by his company between 1964 and 1971....
, Bruce Meyers used his original prototype buggy called "Old Red" for an attempt at breaking the record set by Ekins. After pre-running a course south to La Paz, Ted Mangels and Bruce Meyers started the record breaking attempt back to Tijuana from La Paz at 10:00pm on April 19, 1967. With journalist from Road & Track magazine following the two to witness the attempt, the final official time was 34:45 beating Ekins run by more than 5 hours. Upon returning back to the United States, the journalist documenting the run sent out press kits with photographs and a news release with the headline "Buggy Beats Bike in Baja." to hundreds of magazines and newspapers. Soon, more stories of adventure, close calls, and broken speed records flooded media coverage around the world. Following the event, Bruce Meyers and his Meyers Manx became an overnight sensation and the competition between four wheels and motorcycles for the fastest Baja run began.

In the following months, more attempts at breaking the record would continue. One of the attempts included a multiple vehicle run organized by Ed Pearlman (Mexican 1000 founder) that ended in an official four-wheel drive record being recorded but with the overall time falling short of the record set by Meyers. On July 4, 1967, an American Motors
American Motors

American Motors Corporation was an United States automobile company formed on January 14, 1954 by the merger of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and the Hudson Motor Car Company....
 Rambler American
Rambler American

The Rambler American was an automobile manufactured by the American Motors Corporation between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC's forerunner Nash Motors second generation Rambler compact that was sold under the Nash and Hudson Motors marques from 1954 and 1955....
 sedan would leave Tijuana at 9:00am to successfully break the record set by Meyers with an overall time of 31 hours.

History

As the timed runs recorded via telegraph became popular, a need for an organized event to compete for the quickest Baja run was starting to grab the attention of other competitors. Once Ed Pearlman caught word of Meyers run, Ed convinced Dick Cepek
Dick Cepek

Dick Cepek was an American Off-road Motorsports Hall of Famer. He is known for starting a 4x4 offroad tire and parts supplier in 1963. Dick Cepek Tires was one of the first off-road enterprises....
, Cluade Dozier, Ed Orr, Drino Miller and journalist John Lawlor to give a run to La Paz a try. In June 1967, Ed Pearlman and group left Tijuana and immediately ran into mechanical troubles. This trip provided much downtime for Ed Pearlman to brainstorm the idea of the National Off-road Racing Association (NORRA). After Pete Condos and Perlman put up the funds to incorporate NORRA, the group announced an official recognition of the previous record setters and created classes that related to the type of vehicle used to break the record. During the later part of summer, NORRA named the event the "Mexican 1000 Rally" and announced the first official race from Tijuana to La Paz was to be held on November 1, 1967.

Vehicles

Although motorcyclists participate and are often the overall winners, many competitors drive modified or stock 4-wheel vehicles such as cars, trucks, ATVs
All-terrain vehicle

An all-terrain vehicle is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control....
 and dune buggies. Race teams consist of factory supported groups that build custom fabricated vehicles and provide chase vehicles via helicopter, to the much smaller and less glamorized sportsman teams competing in an all-stock vehicle with no chase vehicle support at all. Stock Volkswagen Type One Beetles
Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Type 1 is an economy car produced by the Germany auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. The car was originally known as K?fer, the German language word for "beetle," from which the popular English nickname originates....
 are modified for use in off road terrain, known as Baja Bug
Baja Bug

The term Baja Bug generally refers to an original Volkswagen Beetle modified to operate off-road , although other versions of air-cooled Volkswagens are sometimes modified as well....
s, have been a common sight throughout the event duration, but the factory-supported all-spaceframe Trophy Truck
Trophy Truck

Trophy Trucks are the largest and fastest class of off-road racing vehicles which are designed and built to resemble modern pickup trucks. Although any truck that meets the safety standards can race the trophy truck class, they, for the most part, feature long suspension travel suspensions and high power motors....
 entries are the most visible.

In contrast to the current factory EX supported modern race vehicles that overall the car and truck classes, Erik Carlsson
Erik Carlsson

Erik Carlsson, aka "Carlsson p? taket" , was born March 5, 1929 in Trollh?ttan, Sweden and was a rally racing driver for Saab automobile....
 drove a basically stock front wheel drive Saab 96
Saab 96

The Saab 96 is an automobile made by Saab Automobile. It was introduced in 1960 and was produced until January 1980, a run of 20 years. Like the Saab 93 it replaced, the 96 was a development from the old Saab 92 chassis and, on account of its improvements and modernisation, it opened new markets for the company....
 V4, finishing third in 1969 and fifth in 1970.

Baja course


  • Point to point: A point to point race is one that starts and ends in two different locations. The start is traditionally held in Ensenada but has been held in Tijuana and Mexicali
    Mexicali

    Mexicali is the capital of the States of Mexico of Baja California. Mexicali is also the seat of the Mexicali . Founded on March 14, 1903, Mexicali is situated on the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to Calexico, California and is the northernmost city in Latin America, located at ....
     as well. The course length varies for a point to point but is often over a and ends in La Paz.


  • Loop race: A loop race is one that starts and finishes in the same location. Traditionally the race starts and ends in Ensenada but has started/finished in Mexicalli as well. The course length averages .


Sabotage and booby-traps

Each year there are reports of spectators sabotaging
Sabotage

Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy, oppressor or employer through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction....
 or booby-trapping the course by digging holes, blocking river flow, or burying obstacles. Racers are warned to beware of large crowds of spectators in remote parts of the course since it may indicate hidden traps or obstacle changes. Many of the booby traps are not created to intentionally injure the contestants but are created by the local spectators as jumps or obstacles for spectator entertainment. The haphazardly-designed jumps, created by the spectators, are very dangerous as the contestants may inadvertently enter the booby-trap at unsafe speeds, resulting in damage to the vehicles or injuries to competitors or spectators. Awareness of booby traps and course alterations are often part of race-day strategy and convey an advantage to the best prepared teams — nonetheless given the danger the traps pose, it is customary for competitors to quickly communicate course hazards to other competitors through on-board radio communications and radio relay.

Overall winners

  • Year - Racer(s) (Vehicle) time
  • 1967 - Mangels, Vic Wilson (Meyers Manx VW) 27:38
  • 1968 - Larry Berquist, Gary Preston (Honda
    Honda

    is a multinational corporation headquartered in Japan.The company manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, scooter , robots, jet aircrafts and jet engines, all-terrain vehicle, water craft, electrical generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and aeronautical and other mobile technologies....
    ) 20:38
  • 1969 - Rod Hall
    Rod Hall (racer)

    File:Rodhall.JPGRod Hall is an off-road racer. He was inducted in the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005. He has spent his entire adult life around four-wheel-drive vehicles....
    , Larry Minor (Ford Bronco
    Ford Bronco

    The Ford Bronco was a sport-utility vehicle produced from 1966 through 1996, with five distinct generations.It was initially introduced as a competitor for the Jeep CJ#CJ-5 and International Harvester Scout....
    ) 20:48
  • 1970 - Drino Miller, Vic Wilson (Miller VW) 16:07
  • 1971 - Parnelli Jones
    Parnelli Jones

    Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indianapolis 500 Indy 500 in a turbine car....
    , Bill Stroppe (Ford Bronco) 14:59
  • 1972 - Parnelli Jones, Bill Stroppe (Ford Bronco) 16:50
  • 1973 - Bobby Ferro, Johnny Johnson (VW Buggy) 16:50
  • 1974 - No race
  • 1975 - Al Baker, Gene Cannady (Honda) 18:23
  • 1976 - Larry Roeseler, Mitch Mayes (Husqvarna
    Husqvarna Motorcycles

    Husqvarna Motorcycles, a subsidiary of BMW, is a company manufacturing motocross, enduro and supermoto motorcycles. The company began producing motorcycles in 1903 at Huskvarna, Sweden as a branch of the Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag armament firm which had supplied the Swedish army with rifles since 1689....
    ) 11:30
  • 1977 - B. Wallingsford, Scott Harden (Husqvarna) 14:37
  • 1978 - Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Jack Johnson (Husqvarna) 10:23
  • 1979 - Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Jack Johnson (Husqvarna) 19:48
  • 1980 - Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Jack Johnson (Yamaha
    Yamaha Motor Company

    , a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company , is part of the Yamaha Corporation. After expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized vehicles on July 1, 1955....
    ) 12:45
  • 1981 - Scot Harden, B. Wallingsford (Husqvarna) 17:14
  • 1982 - Al Baker, Jack Johnson (Honda) 17:25
  • 1983 - Dan Smith, Dan Ashcraft (Husqvarna) 14:48
  • 1984 - Chuck Miller, Randy Morales (Honda) 14:34
  • 1985 - Randy Morales, Derrick Paiemant (Honda) 17:44
  • 1986 - Bruce Ogilvie, Chuck Miller (Honda) 18:05
  • 1987 - Dan Ashcraft (Honda) 12:02
  • 1988 - Paul Krause, Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Danny LaPorte
    Danny LaPorte

    Danny LaPorte was one of the top American motocross racers in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the first American to win a 250cc motocross world championship....
     (Kawasaki) 11:33
  • 1989 - Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Danny LaPorte
    Danny LaPorte

    Danny LaPorte was one of the top American motocross racers in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the first American to win a 250cc motocross world championship....
    , Ted Hunnicutt Jr. (Kawasaki) 17:53
  • 1990 - Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Danny LaPorte
    Danny LaPorte

    Danny LaPorte was one of the top American motocross racers in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the first American to win a 250cc motocross world championship....
    , Ted Hunnicutt Jr. (Kawasaki) 11:11
  • 1991 - Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Ted Hunnicutt Jr., Marty Smith
    Marty Smith

    Marty Smith is a former professional motocross motorcycle racer. He won three American Motorcycle Association National Motocross championships, all aboard Hondas, and was runner-up twice....
     (Kawasaki) 13:35
  • 1992 - Danny Hamel, Garth Sweetland, Paul Ostbo (Kawasaki) 16:50
  • 1993 - Ivan Stewart
    Ivan Stewart

    Ivan "Ironman" Stewart is an off road racing driver....
     (Toyota) 13:29
  • 1994 - Danny Hamel, Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
    , Ty Davis (Kawasaki) 10:20
  • 1995 - Paul Krause, Ty Davis, Ted Hunnicutt Jr. (Kawasaki) 19:31
  • 1996 - Paul Krause, Ty Davis, Greg Zitterkopf (Kawasaki) 14:11
  • 1997 - Johnny Campbell, Tim Staab, Greg Bringle (Honda) 13:19
  • 1998 - Johnny Campbell, Jimmy Lewis (Honda) 18:58
  • 1999 - Johnny Campbell, Tim Staab (Honda) 14:15
  • *2000 - Johnny Campbell, Tim Staab, Craig Smith, Steve Hengeveld (Honda) 30:54
  • 2001 - Johnny Campbell, Tim Staab (Honda) 13:51
  • 2002 - Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell, Andy Grider (Honda) 16:17
  • 2003 - Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell (Honda) 15:39
  • 2004 - Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell, Kendall Norman (Honda) 15:57
  • 2005 - Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell, Mike Childress (Honda) 14:20
  • 2006 - Steve Hengeveld, Mike Childress, Quinn Cody (Honda) 18:17
  • 2007 - Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell, Robby Bell, Kendall Norman (Honda) 24:15
  • 2008 - Robby Bell, Kendall Norman, Johnny Campbell (Honda) 12:29
*Officially the race was called the Baja 2000 (1726 miles) for the year 2000.

Notable competitors


  • Steve Appleton
    Steve Appleton

    Steve Appleton is the CEO of Micron Technology, based in Boise, Idaho.He was a nationally ranked tennis player while studying at Boise State University....
    , President/CEO Micron Technology
    Micron Technology

    Micron Technology is a Multinational corporation based in Boise, Idaho, Idaho, USA, best known for producing many forms of semiconductor devices....
  • Ron Bishop
    Ron Bishop

    Ron Bishop is an off-road motorcycle racer from the United States. Bishop is best known for his participation in the Baja 1000, where he holds the distinction of being the only racer to have competed in every Baja 1000 on a motorcycle....
    , Only motorcycle racer to compete in every Baja 1000
  • Erik Carlsson
    Erik Carlsson

    Erik Carlsson, aka "Carlsson p? taket" , was born March 5, 1929 in Trollh?ttan, Sweden and was a rally racing driver for Saab automobile....
  • Anna Jo Cody - First Female to complete the baja 1000 solo.
  • Patrick Dempsey
    Patrick Dempsey

    Patrick Galen Dempsey is an actor.Who first became prominent in Hollywood during the late 1980s. He is also known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr....
  • Walker Evans
    Walker Evans (racer)

    Roger Walker Evans is an Off-road Motorsports Hall of Famer . He was also a driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Walker Evans is nicknamed "the Legend"....
  • James Garner
    James Garner

    James Garner is an United States film and television actor.He has starred in several television program spanning a career of more than five decades....
  • John Johnson
    John Johnson

    John Johnson may refer to:Artists and entertainers*John Johnson , English lutenist and composer*John Johnson , trombonist and percussionist with Simply Red...
  • Jimmie Johnson
    Jimmie Johnson

    Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is a current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver who drives the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Impala Super Sport co-owned by Rick Hendrick and his teammate Jeff Gordon and operated by Hendrick Motorsports....
  • Rod Hall
    Rod Hall (racer)

    File:Rodhall.JPGRod Hall is an off-road racer. He was inducted in the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005. He has spent his entire adult life around four-wheel-drive vehicles....
     - Most class wins in history
  • Parnelli Jones
    Parnelli Jones

    Rufus Parnell "Parnelli" Jones , is a retired American racing driver and racecar owner. He is most remembered for his 1963 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indianapolis 500 Indy 500 in a turbine car....
  • Beccy Gordon
    Beccy Gordon

    Beccy Gordon is an United States off-road racing racer, pit-reporter, and Model ....
     - sister of Robby
  • Bob Gordon - father of Robby and Beccy and off road legend
  • Robby Gordon
    Robby Gordon

    Robert W. Gordon is an American racing driver who currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, owning his #7 Toyota Camry, sponsored by Jim Beam, and also owning his #55 Jim Beam/Camping World ride which competes part-time in the Nationwide Series, he has also raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Champ Car, the Indy Racing...
  • Roberto Guerrero
    Roberto Guerrero

    Roberto Jos? Guerrero Isaza is a former racing driver from Colombia. He participated in 29 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on January 23, 1982....
  • Jesse G. James
    Jesse G. James

    Jesse Gregory James is an United States television personality and CEO of West Coast Choppers, a manufacturer of custom-made motorcycles. James is the host of Motorcycle Mania and the former series Monster Garage on the Discovery Channel....
  • Rick Johnson
    Rick Johnson (motocross)

    Rick Johnson was one of the winningest American Motorcyclist Association motocross and Supercross Motorcycle sport of all-time. During the 1980s, he won seven List of AMA Motocross Champions....
  • Danny LaPorte
    Danny LaPorte

    Danny LaPorte was one of the top American motocross racers in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the first American to win a 250cc motocross world championship....
  • Hiro Matsushita
    Hiro Matsushita

    , is a former driver in the Champ Car series. He is the grandson of Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.; as a result, he has always carried Panasonic sponsorship....
  • Corky McMillin
    Corky McMillin

    Macey L. ?Corky? McMillin Jr. was a well-known off-road desert racer, philanthropist and land developer....
  • Steve McQueen
    Steve McQueen

    Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Counterculture of the 1960s, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s....
  • Chad McQueen
    Chad McQueen

    Chad McQueen , son of actor Steve McQueen and actress Neile Adams, is an United States actor, film producer and racecar driver...
  • Roger Mears
    Roger Mears

    Roger Mears , is a former off-road driver who also drove in the United States Automobile Club and Champ Car Championship Car series. He raced in the 1978-1984 seasons, with 31 combined career starts, and started in the 1982 and 1983 Indianapolis 500....
  • Rod Millen
    Rod Millen

    Rod Millen is a rally racing competitor and vehicle designer. He has raced in numerous genres of motorsport, including rally racing, off-road racing, hillclimbing, and drifting....
  • Scott Morris
    Scott Morris

    Scott Morris is a former American mixed martial artist.Morris listed Ninjutsu as his fighting style, representing Robert Bussey Warrior International at UFC 2 in 1994....
  • Gunnar Nilsson
    Gunnar Nilsson

    Gunnar Nilsson was a well known and talented Sweden racing driver. He won the 1975 British Formula Three Championship.Nilsson entered 32 Formula One Grand Prix motor racing races, qualifying for all of them....
  • Patrick Norton
    Patrick Norton

    Patrick Norton is most commonly known as the former co-host and managing editor of The Screen Savers, an interactive television program on TechTV geared toward the technology enthusiast....
  • Travis Pastrana
    Travis Pastrana

    Travis Alan Pastrana is a motorsports competitor who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, Freestyle Motocross, and rallying....
  • Larry Ragland
    Larry Ragland

    Larry Ragland is a professional offroad racing competitor and 5 time SCORE International Baja 1000 Trophy Truck overall winner. "Lightning" Larry Ragland is the second most winning driver in desert racing's history and a trophy truck expert ....
     - several trophy truck class wins
  • J.N. Roberts
    J.N. Roberts

    J.N. Roberts was a legendary off road motorcycle racer from Southern California. In the 1960s and 1970s he was the top desert racer on two wheels in the United States....
  • Larry Roeseler
    Larry Roeseler

    Larry Roeseler is a professional offroad racing competitor and twelve-time SCORE International Baja 1000 overall winner . He has spent the past 25 years racing in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The Desert as a motorcycle and Trophy Truck racer....
  • Armin Schwarz
    Armin Schwarz

    Armin Schwarz is a Germany-born Rallying driver born in Neustadt an der Aisch in Franken on 16th July, 1963. He won one World Rally Championship event in 1991 World Rally Championship season and was the 1996 European Rally Championship champion....
  • Jim Smith
  • Malcolm Smith
    Malcolm Smith (motorcyclist)

    Malcolm Smith is an United States off-road racing legend.Smith's first raced in 1956 atop a 1949 Matchless 500cc motorcycle. Later, he was associated with Husqvarna Motorcycles motorcycles....
  • Marty Smith
    Marty Smith

    Marty Smith is a former professional motocross motorcycle racer. He won three American Motorcycle Association National Motocross championships, all aboard Hondas, and was runner-up twice....
  • Ivan Stewart
    Ivan Stewart

    Ivan "Ironman" Stewart is an off road racing driver....
  • Jim Wright
    Jim Wright

    James Claude Wright, Jr. , usually known as Jim Wright, is a former Democratic United States Congressman from Texas who served 34 years in the United States House of Representatives and was the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989....
     1989 factory jeep 1st place
  • Rat Sult - 2 Time X games gold winner, 2 time gravity games gold winner
  • Jugatsu Toi
    Jugatsu Toi

    is a Japan male writer especially related on travel, and visual television producer. His father was Shozo Toi, who was the first researcher on Chichibu Incident....
  • Mickey Thompson
    Mickey Thompson

    Marion Lee "Mickey" Thompson was an United States off-road racing legend. He won many championships as a racer, and later formed sanctioning bodies SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group ....
  • Frank "Scoop" Vessels


Current and past classes


Four-Wheel Vehicles

  • SCORE Trophy-Truck: Unlimited Production Trucks.
  • Class 1: Unlimited open-wheel single- or two-seaters.
  • Class 1/2-1600: open-wheel single- or two-seaters to 1600 cc.
  • Class 3: Short wheelbase 4X4.
  • Class 5: Unlimited Baja Bugs.
  • Class 5-1600: 1600 cc Baja Bugs.
  • Class 7: Open mini trucks.
  • Class 7S: Stock mini trucks.
  • Class 7SX: Modified mini trucks.
  • Class 8: Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks.
  • Class 9: Short wheelbase, open-wheel single- or two-seaters.
  • Class 10: open-wheel single or two-seaters to 1650 cc.
  • SCORE Lites: Limited open-wheel single-(1776cc) or two-seaters(1835cc).
  • Class 11: Stock VW Sedans.
  • Stock Full: Stock full-sized trucks.
  • Stock Mini: Stock mini trucks.
  • Pro Truck: Limited Production Trucks.
  • Baja Challenge: Limited, identical open-wheel Baja touring cars.


Motorcycles

  • Class 20: 125 cc or smaller two-stroke and 250 cc or smaller four-stroke motorcycles.
  • Class 21: 126 cc to 250 cc.
  • Class 22: 250 cc or more.
  • Class 30: Riders over 30 years old.
  • Class 40: Riders over 40 years old.
  • Class 50: Riders over 50 years old.
  • Class 60: Riders over 60 years old.


ATVs

  • Class 24: 250 cc or less.
  • Class 25: 251 cc or more.


See also

  • SCORE International
    SCORE International

    SCORE International is an off-road sanctioning body in the sport of desert Offroad racing and is famous for its flagship event, the Baja 1000. SCORE races are held in United States and Mexico....
  • Dust to Glory
    Dust to Glory

    Dust to Glory is a documentary about the famous Baja 1000 off-road race. Filming occurred throughout the 2003 event. The film is directed by Dana Brown of Step Into Liquid fame....
    , the documentary about the 2003 race
  • Baja 500 (from Ensenada, in June),
  • San Felipe 250 (from San Felipe, Baja California
    San Felipe, Baja California

    San Felipe is a town on the Gulf of California in the Mexican state of Baja California, 190 km south of the US-Mexico border and within the municipalities of Mexico of Mexicali ....
    , in February or March)
  • Mini-Baja


Additional reading

  • .


External links