Pre-running opens Oct. 26 on rugged 799.1-mile course in Baja California;
Start/Finish adjacent to Ensenada’s Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
for iconic season-finale of four-race SCORE World Desert Championship
As the collective eyes of the motorsports world continue to shift to Ensenada, Mexico, early entries for November’s iconic internationally-televised season-ending 52nd SCORE Baja 1000, the ‘Granddaddy of All Desert Races’, have come from 18 U.S. States and seven countries.
The final round of the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship will start and finish in the heart of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico with race-week festivities and the race itself being held Nov. 19-24. The SCORE Baja 1000 is at the pinnacle of motorsports as the most iconic, oldest, prestigious, toughest and longest continuously held desert race in the world.
RACER REGISTRATION
Online racer registration continues at www.SCORE-International.com under Race Info on the SCORE Baja 1000 page. Questions should be directed to SCORE Registration and Membership Director Audreonna Garcia at 775. 852.8907.
52nd SCORE BAJA 1000
Many of the world’s best desert racers will be in action at this year’s massive SCORE Baja 1000. The race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on ABC TV’s World of X Games programming.
Ensenada, “The Off-Road Capital of the World” is a coastal city on the Bahia de Todos Santos area of the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of the U.S. border at San Diego.
Over 250 vehicles are expected at the start line with racers from over 30 U.S. States and as many as 20 countries anticipated. Long-time SCORE sponsor BFGoodrich Tires has also posted a US$40,000 contingency bonus for the overall 4-wheel winner to help commemorate the renewal of this legendary SCORE race.
This year’s SCORE Baja 1000 will be a loop race of 799.1 miles in the northern state of Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula.
It will start for the 45th time and finish for the 26th time in Ensenada and the race is annually the finale of the four-race SCORE World Desert Championship, which has been held exclusively for the past four years in Baja California.
The race and its festivities will be held primarily in and around the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada and the start and finish of the legendary race will be adjacent to the Riviera.
With a total time limit of 34 hours in the elapsed-time race, the motorcycle and quad classes will start at 3 a.m. (PT) on Friday, Nov. 22 and the car, truck and UTV classes will follow with their start on at 10:30 a.m. (PT). While the fastest vehicles are expected to cover the course in approximately 16 hours, all vehicles will have 34 hours from the time each starts to become an official finisher.
STATES, COUNTRIES
Included in the first 43 official entries of the more than 250 anticipated for this year’s renewal of the world’s most iconic desert race are racers from 18 U.S. States and seven countries.
U.S. States represented in the field of competitors to date are from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Besides the United States and host Mexico, countries represented to date in the total entry field are from Canada, Italy, Japan, Norway and Spain.
PRE-RUNNING
Pre-running on the official race course will open on Saturday, Oct. 26. After the two-way section out to the Ojos Negros area, the course will run in a counter-clockwise direction down to along the Pacific Ocean and around near San Felipe before heading back up through Laguna Salada, La Rumorosa, the Pine Forest and back to Ojos Negros and the finish in Ensenada.
Pre-running will start at race-mile 33.22 and finish at rm765.9.
This year’s course map is available on the SCORE website under race info on the SCORE Baja 1000 page at www.SCORE-International.com.
OH, WHAT A COURSE!
As it has for over four and one-half decades, SCORE has put together another memorable race course for the 52nd anniversary, this one a loop race, with all of the foreboding, unforgiving terrain and inspiring beauty that the northern state of the majestic Baja California peninsula has to offer.
SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva has designed and finalized this year’s race course of 799.1 miles. The course will have three physical checkpoints and 267 virtual checkpoints along the way to the finish line. There will also be 16 speed zones for a total of 85.28 race miles.
Starting and finishing in the heart of Ensenada adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, the course travels East to Ojos Negros and then runs counter-clockwise in a weaving route around both the West and then the East side of the northern part of the peninsula.
The course will run in a counter-clockwise direction after the two-way section to the Ojos Negros area and down along the Pacific Ocean through Uruapan, Santo Tomas, Erendira, Santo Domingo Wash and San Quintin.
From there it will travel Northeast going by Rancho El Coyote, across and around Mike’s Sky Rancho, down by Simpson’s Ranch. The route then continues up to a speed zone on Highway 3 before going down over Laguna Del Diablo through Morelia Junction down and back up past San Felipe before heading back up through Laguna Salada, up La Rumorosa, through El Condor, over the Pine Forest, then down to Agua Dulce and back to Ojos Negros and the finish on the two-way section back into Ensenada.
The course will include going through two of Baja California’s infamous washes on the east side of the course—Matomi Wash and Amarillas Wash.
The three physical checkpoints will be located starting with Checkpoint 1 which will be near Vicente Guerrero (race mile 224.25), Checkpoint 2 will be at the El Chinero Highway 3 Road Crossing (rm535.94) and Checkpoint 3 will be in the El Condor area (rm 701.2).
Because of two extremely challenging areas on the course, Class 11 (stock VW sedans), Vintage Classes and all Sportsman classes will be run a reduced course of 699.94 total miles.
PRE-GREEN
The 52nd SCORE Baja 1000 race and race week festivities will cover Nov. 19-24.
Pre-race festivities include two days of Contingency and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway (Wednesday, Nov. 20 and Thursday, Nov. 21) on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Contingency will run each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and pre-race tech will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. On Wednesday (Nov. 20), Contingency will be held for all motorcycles, quads and UTV classes along with several car/truck classes. On Thursday (Nov. 21), Contingency will be held for the balance of the car and truck classes including the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, unlimited Class 1, Trophy Truck Spec and Class 10.
The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will be held on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at 7 p.m. PT at the Hotel Lucerna Ensenada.
Racer registration will be held in the Red Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in Ensenada. Racer registration will be held from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday (Nov. 19), and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT on both Wednesday (Nov. 20) and Thursday (Nov. 21).
Media registration will be held in the Red Room as well at the Riviera from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday (Nov. 19), and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT on both Wednesday (Nov. 20) and Thursday (Nov. 21)
The BFGoodrich Tires/Baja California Secretary of Tourism SCORE Media Center will be open on Friday (Nov. 22) starting at 2:30 a.m. PT through the close of the race course. It will also be open on Sunday (Nov. 23) from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. PT. The SCORE Media Center will have WiFi available as well as live streaming from the start/finish line and live tracking of the vehicles in the race
SCORE sponsor Monster Energy will host the Monster Energy Papas y Beer SCORE Street Party on Avenida Ruiz in downtown Ensenada from 6 p.m. to midnight PT on Thursday, Nov. 21.
POST GREEN
As the celebration continues Friday (Nov. 22) night to all day and evening on Friday and Saturday until shortly after midnight on Sunday (Nov. 23) while official finishers cross the line and tales and epic accomplishments are added to the legacy of the event.
The post-race awards fiesta will be held at the Hotel Lucerna Ensenada starting at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday (Nov. 23).
SCOREscope
2019 REMAINING SCHEDULE
52nd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.19-24, Ensenada, Mexico
2020 SCHEDULE
Here is the four-race 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the fifth consecutive year all races will be held in Baja California, Mexico:
34th SCORE San Felipe 250, March 25-29, San Felipe, Mexico
52nd SCORE Baja 500, June 3-7, Ensenada, Mexico
2nd SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 16-20, Ensenada, Mexico
53rd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.16-21, Ensenada, Baja California to La Paz, Baja California Sur
Source SCORE official press release / Photo SCORE International
