Best Motorsports Event In The World To Come To La Paz This November

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Last Updated 2 years ago

What is billed as “The Best Motorsports Event in the World” is coming to La Paz in November. According to data from local tourist officials, the SCORE Baja 100 Race surpasses the Dakar rally, Formula 1, and even the world-famous Indianapolis 500.

What is the SCORE Baja 1000

The SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road motorsport race held annually in Baja California.

The 56th edition will take place this November 13 to 18, starting in La Paz in the South and ending in Ensenada in the North. It is a point-to-point race that will cover approximately 1,100 miles.

According to officials with SCORE International, this is the first time the race will start in La Paz and conclude in Ensenada as a reverse peninsula race. Los Cabos has been the end of the SCORE Baja 1000 race both in 2000 and 2007.

It is part of the SCORE World Desert Championship circuit of four total races, which includes races in San Felipe and Ensenada as well. The World Desert Championship starts on March 29, with the final leg starting in La Paz on November 16.

More than 1,000 teams are expected to register for the SCORE World Desert Championship, and more than one million race fans are anticipated.

The event also will provide extensive media exposure for the entire region. About 1,000 credentialed national and international media coverage are expected to cover the event and share their experiences with potential visitors all over the world.

Major event sponsors are BF Goodrich tires and 4WheelParts.

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What Types of Vehicles Race

Competitors from six different continents are expected to arrive for what many consider the most prestigious motorsports event in the world.

A wide variety of desert vehicles participate in the race. The different types of racing classes for the SCORE Baja 1000 include Baja Bugs, Buggies, Dirt Bikes, ATVs, Truggys, Side-by-Sides, and even Trophy Trucks.

A unique element of the SCORE Baja 1000 race is all of the different classes of vehicles actually take to the same course at the same time.

Luke and Dan McMillin of El Cajon, Calif. were at the top of the overall finish results from last year’s race. They raced a SCORE Trophy Truck and finished the race with a total time of less than 17 hours. There were 276 entries in the SCORE Baja 1000 last year.

Who Has Participated in the Race

Racers in the SCORE Baja 1000 are essentially a who’s who of motorsport racing over the years.

There are a number of names that are well-known to racing fans in the United States, such as Brendan Gaughan, Roger Mears, Jimmie Johnson, and Mickey Thompson.

There have also been some well-known American actors that have participated in the SCORE Baja 1000, including Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.

Even Matteo Bocelli, son of world-famous singer Andrea Bocelli, participated in the SCORE World Desert Championship in 2017, finishing No. 28 overall in one of the races.

What Does it Mean For Los Cabos Regional Tourism

Local tourism officials view the annual SCORE Baja 1000 race as a key anchor event on the tourism calendar to not only bring a large number of visitors to the region but also to provide global exposure about the entire Baja California Sur area.

The SCORE Baja 1000 attracts a different segment of visitors to the region than the traditional tourist that is looking for beaches, dining, shopping, and sportfishing. The establishment of La Paz, and the entire Baja California Sur region, as a premier sports destination helped to diversify the economic tourism base of the area.

Last year, the race accounted for a fiscal impact of more than $46.5 million dollars. That does not include the value of promoting the entire Baja California Sur region to potential visitors and future race attendees around the world.