Baja 500

The SCORE Baja 500 is an off-road race that takes place in Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. The course has remained relatively the same over the years with the majority of events being a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada. Race course mileage varies and is usually slightly under 500 miles. The 2018 round will be the 50th SCORE Baja 500 will be raced on 2nd of June 2018 starting in Ensenada, Mexico.

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Overshadowed by tragedy - Baja 500 1999. In 30 years of Baja 500 off-road races, no one has driven like Ivan Stewart. The Ironman has won 11 times overall, seven times in the last nine years. A day after his 54th birthday, Stewart won by driving solo in his Tundra Racing Toyota V-8 Trophy-Truck for 447 miles over a rugged desert course in the northern part of Baja California. Then he said it will be his last 500.

An accident barely two miles off the starting line in Ensenada killed a Mexican spectator and severely injured Stewart's son, Craig. Eight others, among them Craig's wife, Sherrie, were also injured when Jason Baldwin lost control of his pickup truck at a highway crossing and flew into the crowd alongside the course.

"I don't blame Jason," Stewart said. "He was just driving aggressively, the way a racer should. But I am concerned over how fast our vehicles are going and how crowded conditions have become in Baja. I would like to turn this tragedy into a positive.”

"When I first started racing in Baja, we were running 80 [mph] tops, except maybe Parnelli [Jones] could hit 100 in his big Bronco. Now, it's commonplace for cars and trucks to go 100, and we get up to 130 in our truck. And we race over 500 miles with no fences, barriers or protection for spectators or residents.”

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2017 Baja 500 Robby Gordon race recap - Robby Gordon has had a few issues only 16 miles from the finish. 

https://plus.google.com/+Baja500

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Baja 500 start position drawings 2011 race

Rising Southern Nevada desert racing star Bryce Menzies along with Dan Martin, Shane Esposito and Roberto Ruiz all drew pole positions in their respective divisions during Saturday’s computerized drawing for starting positions in the upcoming 43rd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race. The draw was held at the SCORE headquarters in Los Angeles. Round 3 of the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series will feature over 250 entries, competing in 28 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held 2.-5. June 2011 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. This race is traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule, and most the world’s best desert racers are expected to be in action at this year’s 43rd anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the original desert race produced by SCORE on July 26, 1974. With late entries accepted up to race morning, entries are expected from 25 U.S. States, and 10 countries. The green flag will drop for the race at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 4) for the motorcycle and ATV classes in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, followed by the car and truck classes three hours after the last ATV at approximately 10 a.m. The elapsed-time race will start and finish in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in the heart of Ensenada, leaving and returning into the city through the spectator-laden Arroyo Wash.

Las Vegas Menzies, 23, winner of this year’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in January, received the first starting position for 4-wheel vehicles in the No. 70 Menzies Motorsports Ford F-150. In just his fourth SCORE race, this is also the first time in his budding career that he has drawn the coveted starting position in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800-horsepower unlimited production trucks. Information leading up to the 2011 off-Road race @ Tecate Baja 500 - Racecast, live syndication at Puro Baja 500 Edition 2011 Race entries,as of 24th April 2011 here...

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Baja 500 pre-running

With the release of the official course map, GPS files and course notes this week, pre-race activity increases significantly starting Friday when the world’s best desert racers officially begin their pre-running and course logistics activities for next month’s 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the second-oldest desert race in the world. Round 3 of the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, will feature nearly 300 entries, competing in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held June 3-6 in Ensenada, Mexico. Traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule, over 100,000 spectators are expected to enjoy the world’s best desert racers in action at this year’s 42nd anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the original desert race produced by SCORE on July 26, 1974. With late entries accepted up to race morning, entries are expected from 26 U.S. States from Hawaii to Connecticut, and along with the additional countries of Mexico, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Japan. The green flag will drop for the race at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 5) for the motorcycle and ATV classes in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, followed by the car and truck classes three hours after the last ATV at approximately 10 a.m. The elapsed-time race will start and finish in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in the heart of Ensenada, leaving and returning into the city through the spectator-laden Arroyo Wash. The talented field of veteran desert racers heading to Baja includes 15 defending class winners out of the 25 Pro classes that had finishers in last year’s race, including last year’s overall 4-wheel vehicle winners Kory Halopoff/Harley Letner of Orange, Calif. (unlimited Class 1) and SCORE Trophy-Truck champion Rick D. Johnson/Brian Sallee, of Barstow, Calif. The rugged course 438.81-mile course is a very similar to the last two years, although it is about eight miles longer and the terrain has changed significantly due to torrential rains that impacted both sides of the race course on the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez and in the middle in the summit section. The course, which runs in a clockwise direction, resembles a deflating balloon, winding east to Ojos Negros, down to near San Felipe, back West to the Pacific Ocean below San Vicente and back north east through Santo Tomas on the way back to Ojos Negros and then Ensenada. “Without all of the immense and considerable help we have received from Ensenada Mayor Pablo Lopez in terms of rapid support, personnel and heavy equipment to repair significant rain damage on much of the course, we would be significantly challenged to finalize a course for this year’s race,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President since soon after it was founded in 1974. “We just can’t thank Mayor Lopez and all of his people enough for all they have done to support SCORE and our SCORE Baja races.” The only pre-running that will be allowed on the first 35.18 miles of the course will be outbound only and only on Thursday and Friday, June 3 and 4. No inbound pre-running on the last 35.18 miles of the course will be allowed. Pre-running of the rest of the course will start and finish in the Ojos Negros area. The four official race checkpoints, where all vehicles are required to make a quick stop, will be located at race mile 84.03 (Santa Catarina), rm196.17 (Borrego), rm 307.30 (Pacific Ocean) and rm397.53 (Rancho San Antonio). The course will also have a number of virtual checkpoints. All vehicles are also required to run International Rally Consultants tracking devices and live vehicle tracking will be available during the race at www.racetheworld.net. The featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800-horsepower, unlimited production trucks has a SCORE-record 42 entries in this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500. Prominent Southern California industrialist and desert racer Ed Stout, who finished third in season points last year in his marquee class and earned a SCORE Toyota Milestone Award, received the first starting positions for 4-wheel vehicles in his No. 31 Stout Industries Chevy Silverado. While late entries will be accepted up to race morning, as of today, the Pro 4-Wheel vehicles classes with the most entries are: SCORE Trophy-Truck (42), Class 1 (23). Class 1-2/1600 (13) and SCORE Lite (11). Leading the Pro Motorcycle classes in entries so far are Class 22 (13) and Class 30 (10). Class 24 leads the Pro ATV classes with 15 entries to date. Among the Sportsman classes, SPT Motorcycles over 250cc has 24 entries and there are also 10 SPT ATVs to date. Besides the Halopoff/Letner and Johnson/Sallee teams, other defending Pro class champions in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 entered this year to date are: Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5, VW Baja Bug); Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger); Mike Lawrence, Sunset Beach, Calif. (Class 10, Lothringer-VW); Brent Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif./Brian Burgess, Riverside, Calif. (SCORE Lite, Moulton-VW); Eric Solorzano, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 11, VW Sedan), Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz., (Stock Full, Lexus LX570); Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas/Rex Cameron, Albuquerque, N.M. (Class 30, Honda CRF450X); Eizaburo Karasawa, Japan (Class 50, Honda CRF450X); Nick Nelson, Tehachapi, Calif./Brandon Brown, Eumantilla, Ore. (Class 25, Suzuki LTR450); Craig Christy, Burbank, Calif. (Class 24, Honda TRX450R) and Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo. (Class 26, Arctic Cat). This popular SCORE early summer race began in 1969 under the auspices of the old NORRA organization and SCORE began its enduring run with it on July 26, 1974. This year will be the 37th anniversary of the first SCORE race in Baja. For the third straight year and just the third time in the 42-year history of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race, the colorful pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and Contingency, the start and finish line will all be located in the heart of Ensenada, Mexico on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. It will be the second time in race history that both the pre-race activities and the finish will be held on this historic boulevard. The SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 4 on Blvd Costero. Racer registration will again be held in the Grand Ballroom of the San Nicolas Hotel. Registration hours will be from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 3 and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday June 4. The awards celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Hotel on Sunday, June 6 at 11 a.m.

SCORE Press release

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SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards

Following the second of five races in the 2010 SCORE Desert Series, 25 of SCORE’s toughest drivers remain in the hunt to earn 2010 SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards. Leading the way are five racers in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division along with six in Class 1-2/1600 for 1600cc VW-powered open-wheelers and five racers in SCORE Lite. The five SCORE Trophy-Truck drivers who have completed every race mile so far this season are: Andy McMillin, National City, Calif. (Ford F-150), Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (Ford F-150), Kory Scheeler, Las Vegas (Ford F-150), Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (Ford F-150) and Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix (Chevy Silverado). Nearly entries are expected to compete in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in the upcoming 42nd Tecate SCORE Baja 500. Round 3 of the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series will be held June 3-6 in Ensenada, Mexico. Pre-running on the 440-mile course will officially begin on next Saturday, May 22. Toyota is presenting these prestigious awards to the world’s toughest desert racers for the 25th consecutive year. The Toyota Milestone awards will go to those pro car and truck drivers who finish every required mile in the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series. “Toyota is proud to honor the world’s best desert racing drivers,” said Les Unger, national motorsports manager at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “For a quarter of a century, Toyota has had the privilege of presenting the SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards to the toughest racers on the planet.” Racers from at least 26 U.S. States, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan and Mexico have entered in this year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500. The loop race will start and finish on Boulevard Costero in front of the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center adjacent to the Bahia de Todos Santos in the heart of Ensenada. Over 150,000 spectators are expected to line the race route which covers much of the northern part of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. On Saturday, June 5, Motorcycles and ATVs will start first in the elapsed-time race at 6 a.m. followed by the cars and trucks at 10 a.m.

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Baja 500 Round 3 of the five-race 2010

Prominent Southern California industrialist and desert racer Ed Stout along with Daniel McMillin, Kyle Abney and Craig Christy all drew pole positions in their respective classes during Saturday’s live drawing for starting positions for the upcoming 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race. The drawing was held during a charity fund-and-supply-raising event held at the new MasterCraft Safety plant in Santee, Calif. Round 3 of the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, will feature nearly 300 entries, competing in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs, will be held June 3-6 in Ensenada, Mexico. Traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule, over 100,000 spectators are expected to enjoy the world’s best desert racers in action at this year’s 42nd anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the original desert race produced by SCORE on July 26, 1974. With late entries accepted up to race morning, entries are expected from 25 U.S. States, and 10 countries. The green flag will drop for the race at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 5) for the motorcycle and ATV classes in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500, followed by the car and truck classes three hours after the last ATV at approximately 10 a.m. The elapsed-time race will start and finish in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in the heart of Ensenada, leaving and returning into the city through the spectator-laden Arroyo Wash. Stout, of Irvine, Calif., finished third in season points last year in the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck and earned a SCORE Toyota Milestone Award, received the first starting position for 4-wheel vehicles in his No. 13 Stout Industries Chevy Silverado. It is the first time in his short career that he has drawn the coveted starting position in the class for high-tech, 800-horsepower unlimited production trucks. In Saturday’s drawing there were a SCORE-record 39 SCORE Trophy-Trucks had officially entered. Third generation desert racer Daniel McMillin, 22, El Cajon, Calif., will start first in the unlimited Class 1. He is currently leading Class 1 in points and is fourth in overall points in just his first season in the class in a McMillin Racing Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car. Abney, 38, Albuquerque, N.M., will lead the motorcycles and his team into the Baja desert on a Honda CRF450X in Class 22 for open motorcycles. Christy, 35, Burbank, Calif., is leading a four-rider Class 25 ATV on a Honda TRX700X. While late entries will be accepted up to race morning, as of the Start draw, the Pro 4-Wheel vehicles classes with the most entries are: SCORE Trophy-Truck (39), Class 1 (24), Class 1-2/1600 (11) and SCORE Lite (10). Leading the Motorcycle classes in entries so far are Class 22 (12) and Class 30 (9) and Class 40 (8). Class 24 leads the ATV classes with eight entries to date. Among the Sportsman classes, SPT Motorcycles over 250cc has 14 entries. With an organized effort to give back something tangible back to the people of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, last Saturday’s ‘live’ drawing for start positions took on a whole new meaning for SCORE International. Held at the new MasterCraft Safety facility in Santee, Calif., the event was hosted by Robbie Pierce’s MasterCraft Racing and Sal Fish and the day also included a charity raffle and a ‘Tacos for Charity’ stand for a Baja children’s cancer foundation, emergency donations for survivors of the recent earthquake in Baja Calif., several SCORE race vehicles on display, racer appearances, music and vendor displays from several of the leading companies in the industry. The SCORE live drawing event at MasterCraft also included a raffle for the Castro-Limon Cancer Foundation which provides treatment for children stricken with the disease. Proceeds from the Locos Mocos and Baja Pits group ‘Tacos for Charity’ sales will also go to benefit the Foundation. In a special gesture for the Mexicali Earthquake relief program, MasterCraft CEO Robbie Pierce, who is also a prominent SCORE Trophy-Truck racer, is matching the total of the funds raised for the foundation from the Locos Mocos and Baja Pits Taco stand to give to the earthquake victims. Several thousand dollars was raised for both charitable projects and the final figures are expected to be released this week. Donations of supplies and/or cash will also be accepted until May 1 at the SCORE office at 23961 Craftsman Road, Unit A, in Calabasas, Calif. Information is available to calling the SCORE office at 818.225.8402. In addition to season point class point championships, drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also racing to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 25th consecutive year, a total of 23 drivers remain eligible after Round 1 of the 2010 SCORE Desert Series. Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award. This year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 500 will also feature the special $10,000 MasterCraft Safety cash contingency bonus for qualified racers in the car and truck classes.

SCORE Press release