A magnificent race course through classic areas of Baja California, plus some new areas, is the challenge chosen by SCORE President Abelardo Grijalva for the 5th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing.
The official course map is now available for downloading at https://score-international.com/journal_v2.php?pagenum=24.
The third round of 2024 SCORE World Desert Championship, to be held in Ensenada, Baja California, Sept. 10-15.
SCORE will feature a 424.96-mile race course for the Pro Trucks and Cars, while the Pro Motorcycles and Quad classes will travel 434.52 miles; for all Sportsman Moto and Quad classes, their race track will be 393.91 miles, and the reduced course for Sportsman 4-wheel vehicles will be 384.35 miles.
Abelardo Grijalva, SCORE President and Race Director, along with Rodolfo Fernandez, SCORE Co-Race Director, have laid out a route that will be a real challenge for the more than 220 race teams, who will travel next month to “The Cinderella of the Pacific”, from countries Australia, Canada, France, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, New Zealand, the United States, and host Mexico.
The first motorcycle start will be at 4:15 a.m. on Saturday, September 14 at the Boulevard Costero. Trucks and Cars will receive the green flag on Boulevard Costero at 9 a.m.
All competitors will have a 16-hour time limit to finish the race, so the fastest car is expected to finish the race in 8 hours, while the first motorcycle should finish the desert adventure in 9 hours.
A COURSE WITH THE BEST OF BAJA
The race course will run counterclockwise, starting and finishing on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center.
From the start, the route will pass through Rancho Nelson, Rancho Cascabeles, and then cross the Highway 3at kilometer 33, to head towards Rancho Grijalva in Ojos Negros, and climb towards the mountains of the Uruapan ejido, then take federal Highway No. 1, at the height of the Acambaro market, for 6.56 miles of pavement at controlled speed, until reaching the Santo Tomás for an area of high speed roads, as well as the beach at Punta Cabras and the ejido Erendira.
The racers will have to enter the San Vicente wash, to continue to the Lopez Rayon ejido, Malibu Beach, Cerro Solo and the Johnson Ranch, to then go around the Punta Colonet ejido, returning by the highway to Llano Colorado, take the road to La Calentura, Los Llanitos, go to Valle de la Trinidad, go up to the Leandro Valle ejido and exit by the access road to the Mike Sky ranch.
Again, the race will go on part of the Federal Highway No. 2, to go up to the famous area of ‘The Goat Trail’, then following the route through the ejido Jamau, the ejido Santa Catarina and will take the new highway, at kilometer 78, for a short speed zone, until heading to kilometer 77, going into Cerro Colorado, the stream of El Mezcal, Ojos Negros and until arriving at the Rancho Nelson and back to Boulevard Costero in the heart on Ensenada.
For the motorcycles, the route will be separated from the cars by 9 miles, with enduro type roads, which will demand the maximum from the riders to try to cross the finish line and finish on Boulevard Costero.
The race course will have two physical checkpoints, No. 1 will be installed at Ejido 27 de Enero (race mile 196.45), and No. 2 on the access road to Mike's Ranch (race mile 287.51), as well as 307 visual checkpoints and a total of 12 controlled speed zones for a total of 43.59 miles.
BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE, will have two pits for teams registered with them, the first one before reaching Cerro Solo (mile 136.55) and the second one in San Matías (mile 288.25).
ENSENADA, THE HOME OF THE SCORE BAJA 400
Summer break for the 2024 SCORE World Desert Championship is over, as registration continues for in the 5th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing. Round 3 of the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization will be held Sept. 10-15 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, a colorful port city known as ‘The Off-Road Capital of the World’.
On Friday, Sept. 13, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on Ensenada's Boulevard Costero, the contingency row will take place, a totally family-friendly event with free admission to the public.
The awards celebration will be held on Sunday, Sept. 15 at the Cathedral Room of the Riviera del Pacifico Center at 11:30 a.m., an event that will be broadcast live on SCORE's different internet platforms and will be hosted by Rat Sult, the official voice of SCORE for the last nine years.
Source: Gabriel Garcia / Score International
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