BAJA 1000

In 1962, Bud Ekins, a Hollywood stuntman and motorcycle racer was approached by American Honda for a suggested route to test the durability of their new CL72 Scrambler. Bud’s idea was to do a timed 950 mile run from Tijuana to La Paz which was indeed going to be a serious challenge for both the bike and rider. Bud’s brother agreed to do the ride along with Bill Robertson Jr. The solution for authentication was for the riders to send telegrams at the start in Tijuana and the finish in La Paz.

From the very beginning a logistical nightmare presented itself, that of fuel availability. The last Pemex station was in Ensenada, with nothing else until La Paz. The riders strapped a one gallon plastic can inside a cargo bag mounted on top of the motorcycle’s fuel tank. The rest of the planned fuel stops came from an airplane chasing the guys, and landing every 80 miles.

As these racing events have evolved through the years, so have the types of vehicles and classes that participate. While the initial Mexican 1000 only had a handful of vehicle types, a modern day SCORE race will host close to 40 classes based upon vehicle type, skill level and age. The vehicles range from the relatively inexpensive motorcycles and quads all the way up to the unlimited trophy truck and class 1 vehicles that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to build. In between there are classes for buggies, Jeeps, UTV’s and Baja Bugs and many more.

ARRE has invited a 3 time winner of the BAJA 1000 to explain the history of the race, the tactical goals, logistics and problems  to deal with along the way. Share with our visitors some interesting tips on how to encounter, locate and resolve possible risks along off-road trips in Baja.