4/26/2025
NORRA’s Baja Mexican 1000 is underway. The 1400 mile rally down the Baja Peninsula got started on April 24th in Ensenada, Baja Mexico with two days of contingency and Bilstein technical inspection. Along with Bilstein, Speed UTV, Meyers Manx, Ford Performance and The Fab School have all helped to bring you NORRA’s Baja Mexican 1000 rally. Day one of contingency was filled with teams who could not wait to get the epic event underway. In addition to being some of the first teams to be cleared to race, it freed them up to enjoy all the events planned for day two of contingency. Friday was filled with registration for teams, Media and Meyers Manx Safari Expedition Participants. The Safari Expedition is open to street legal vehicles. It’s not a timed competition, but instead a guided tour of Baja the travels south with the rally. They take the start every morning, view racing out on the course and also experience scenic treasures and culinary delights along the way.
Always a crowd favorite during contingency is Mack Johnson’s Classic Car Round-up. On display are significant vehicles that helped to establish the sport of off road racing. Some are accompanied by their equally iconic drivers who are there to meet with fans and sign autographs. NORRA’s Baja has classes based on every era of off road racing. It’s incredible to see how tough the pioneers of the sport were in the basic vehicles of the day and how far technology has progressed to today’s high tech machines. The Pioneer era runs from 1967, when NORRA held the first sanctioned off road race in Baja, to 1975. This year’s event has several teams competing. Vehicles racing include Meyers Manx, custom buggies like the 1968 Funco Wampuskitty and 1973 Sandmaster Panzer raced by Chad Smith and his three daughters Kaycee, Lindey and Leah and trucks Like Boyd Jayne’s 68 Ford Bronco and Alex and Lily Earle’s 1969 Jeep Commando. It’s a thrill to watch these Pioneer era vehicles still racing in Baja.
In addition to four wheeled vehicles of all types, NORRA’s Baja has incredible motorcycle only courses designed by moto Race Director Jimmy Lewis. Lewis, who is a Dakar veteran and Off Road Motorsports Hall of Famer, draws upon his decades of Baja racing and exploring to provide the most rewarding Baja rally experience on the peninsula. The incredible routes and challenges of road book navigation make the moto classes super competitive and usually come down to the final stage of racing to determine the overall winner in San Jose Del Cabo. The world will be watching them grind it out to the very end again this year.
UTV’s and class 10 cars are allowed through inspection first on the 25th because they qualify for starting positions later that afternoon. Max Gordon has been hard to beat during qualifying on the short course track at Rancho Nelson. Max’s record setting time of 2 minutes 27 seconds set at last year’s NORRA 500 is still the time to beat. This year’s UTV pole sitter when racing commences on Saturday morning the 26th will be Nick Mcphee who ran a 02:31.44 in his Polaris Pro R. Max Gordon was second fastest in his Speed UTV Bandit with a time of 02:31.51 and Hap Kellogg’s 02:31.81 earned him the third spot in his Fab School Pro R. The UTV field is stacked with talented drivers. Speed is crucial, but being consistently fast is the key. The teams have a long way to go before anyone can even begin to speculate on who the winners might be.
After a long day of fun and excitement all that was left were the respective driver’s meetings for Motos, Safari and four wheeled competitors and the BILSTEIN Mexican 1000 Welcome Fiesta. The following morning things get serious as teams head out on the first stages of the rally. Motos will head to El Rosario and the four wheeled competitors will race to San Felipe for their overnight stay. They will stay in a different town each night for the next six days of competition as they make their way down the peninsula. Each day is a new set of challenges and unique experiences in the best that Baja has to offer.
NORRA’s rally format provides the rush of competition, but also allows participants to relax each evening in a unique location in Baja. The spectacular backdrops, challenging terrain and distinctive Baja culture provide the greatest Baja racing adventure. After experiencing the Mexican 1000 just once, you too will be hooked. Everything you need to know about the Mexican 1000 and NORRA 500 can be found at www.norra.com. Go to the site and find out for yourself why NORRA has exploded in popularity. Also watch live NORRA TV coverage every day from 8am to 5pm on NORRA’s facebook or YouTube. Don’t miss out on the fun, competition and incredible challenges that only NORRA’s Baja can deliver.
