Baja 1000: Everything You Need To Know

November 11, 2022November 21, 2023 JM Logan 0 Comments Desert Racing, Off Road Racing, SCORE, SCORE Baja 1000

Few off-road races in the world hold as much weight and prestige as the iconic SCORE Baja 1000. Even if you have just a passing interest in off-roading, sports or endurance racing, you’ve no doubt heard of a few events: Dakar, KoH — and the Baja 1000.

For those unfamiliar, it’s like a Grand Slam of tennis, a Major of golf or a Triple Crown of horse racing. But while the Preakness or Belmont Stakes takes just under two minutes to complete, the Granddaddy of All Desert Races often takes 20 hours to finish, giving it the below title.

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.

So, yea, it’s a pretty big deal.

This year’s Baja 1000 festivities run November 15 – November 20, with official race day happening on Friday, November 18. With 2022 marking the 55th anniversary of the grueling desert race, we thought it might be time to offer folks a little historical primer on what makes this event such a jewel on the off-road calendar.

History

The race’s roots can be traced back to 1962 and the Ekins brothers from Los Angeles. American Honda approached Bud Ekins, a stuntman and motorcycle rider, to get route ideas to test the chops of the brand’s new CL72 Scrambler.

Early Toyota Trophy Truck competing in a Baja race — Early Toyota Trophy Truck driven by legendary Baja racer Ivan “Ironman” Stewart.

Little did all parties know, the 950-mile Tijuana to La Paz route that he suggested would still be a mainstay all these years later.

In these initial runs, gas wasn’t all that prevalent. So, in addition to persuading ranchos along the path to part with fuel, the brothers had a plane follow them and assist in refueling.

They encountered more issues in the form of poor weather, darkness and unfamiliarity with the terrain and route, eventually reaching their destination in La Paz just minutes shy of 40 hours.

Seeing this accomplishment, Ed Pearlman began the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) and ran the first official Baja 1000 race in 1967. As the race grew, Mickey Thompson and his SCORE racing organization took the Baja 1000 into the fold and has continued to run it to present day.

2022 Baja 1000 Course

Ninety miles south of San Diego lies Ensenada, Baja California—The Cinderella of the Pacific. (To Neil Diamond fans, that city may sound familiar.) This picturesque Pacific port has often been the starting (48 of 55 races) and finishing (28 of those 48) location of the Baja 1000.

After last year’s course, which had racers finishing all the way down at the tip of Baja California in La Paz, this year will return to the Northern Baja loop. The course spans 828.25 miles with 3 physical full-stop checkpoints and 285 virtual checkpoints. The course also has 18 speed zones for a total of 70.6 race miles.

As always, the Baja 1000 will be the finale of the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship.

Notable Teams/Entrants

Plenty of major names in the world of off-road racing will test their mettle in the legendary Baja 1000 this year. Below are some heavy-hitters sure to leave an impression on the grueling terrain.

Luke McMillin, who won the season-opening San Felipe 250, is renewing his partnership with this year’s Baja 500 winner and off-road icon, Rob MacCachren. Normally, the two are Trophy Truck rivals, but joined forces last year and won the Baja 1000. They’ll try to hold onto that title – and they have a good season behind them as motivation.

Also rekindling their 2021 partnership are Andy McMillin (Luke’s cousin) and back-to-back KOH king Bryce Menzies. The two were favored to win last year’s Baja 1000, but their vehicle died during the race. Menzies has never won a Baja 1000, but did secure victory during this past Baja 400. McMillin has five 1000 wins to his name but has had a crap season so far, making this an interesting team to watch for 2022.

Other notable Trophy Truck partnerships include 2010 Baja 1000 winner Tavo Vildósola and 2019 winner Alan Ampudia, as well as 2017 Baja 1000 winner Apdaly Lopez and up-and-comer Broc Dickerson.

Additional buzzy participants:

Larry ‘Mr. Baja’ Roeseler, who has a race-record 14 overall victories in this race, including 10 on a motorcycle
Businessman Rolf Helland and teammate Rick Johnson of Norseman Racing
3-time Pro Moto 40 winner Jano Monoya and legendary motorcycle champion Francisco Septien
Estero Beach Resort owner, long-time government official, and two-time SCORE season class points champion Gerardo Novelo
Prolific third generation team Wilson Motorsports, headed by Brad Wilson and Kyle Quinn—two of the top 6 in this year’s Baja 500
UTV World Champion and defending SCORE overall point champion Phil Blurton and teammate Beau Judge

SCORE has reported 213 total entries for the 2022 Baja 1000, representing 32 U.S. States, U.S. Territory Puerto Rico and 14 countries.

Ford Raptor Ranger set to compete in the 2022 SCORE Baja 1000 — On Nov. 1, Ford announced that a Next-Generation Ranger Raptor will be its latest off-roading vehicle to tackle the SCORE Baja 1000. The Ranger Raptor will be racing on a low-carbon biofuel, demonstrating the potential of these fuels in the most demanding environments. | *SCORE*

Event Schedule

Dates: November 15-20, 2022

Registration/On-Site Check-in begins November 15, with Tech/Contingency Days taking place November 16 and 17. The race officially begins on Friday, November 18 and runs through the following day. Baja 1000 Awards occur on November 20.

The SCORE Baja 1000 will be an elapsed-time race with staggered starts as the green flag on Friday, Nov. 18 will drop first for the motorcycles and quads at 2:30 a.m. (PT) and 9:15 a.m. (PT) for the cars, trucks and UTVs. While the fastest vehicles are expected to finish in around 17 hours, all vehicles will have a 36-hour time limit to become official finishers in the iconic race. – SCORE

Where To Watch the 2022 Baja 1000

For the fourth year in a row, the 2022 SCORE Baja 1000 will air on the ESPN networks—this year as specials in the World of X-Games on ESPN2. It’s come full circle, as ABC was the first to air the Baja 100 back in 1967/1968. The station revived it in the ‘80s as well, after a lengthy hiatus. As owners of ESPN, ABC is sure to feature some of that classic footage during this year’s broadcast.

In addition to North America, fans of desert racing from Latin America, Europe, Asia and South America will be treated to international airings and broadcasts. Overall, the Baja will air in nearly 25 different dirt-craving countries.

Meet Motive Gear

Whether you yourself have aspirations of entering the Baja 1000, or just want to squeeze the most performance and longevity out of your vehicle, upgrading and maintaining your drivetrain goes a long way toward your car’s overall capability. One brand continues to dominate the category and can be found on the workbench of hardcore enthusiasts, as well as the winners circle in the NHRA, IHRA, NMRA, NMCA, SODA, SCORE, BITD, Ultra-4 and NASCAR.

That brand is Motive Gear.

While known for its ring & pinion gearsets and differential bearings, Motive Gear offers so much more – whether you’re an average Joe, or Joey Logano. The company’s lineup includes transmission parts, transfer case necessities and replacement axle shafts – a must for serious off roaders.

Motive Gear parts go through rigorous research and development to ensure the proper fit, performance and longevity, and the state-of-the-art facilities make sure tolerances and quality are paramount. That’s why the brand is the number one choice for racers and distributors worldwide.

Whether you’re wrenching on your ride yourself or handing it over to a trusted mechanic, the professionals demand Motive Gear products – and so should you.