Hello all, Looking forward to the race next week and was wondering how it's decided when the course will run the entire peninsula or when it will start and end in Ensenada? Do they alternate yearly?
Peninsula run. Course map here: http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/showthread.php/107303-Score-Official-Course-Map-for-2012-Baja-1000
Thanks. Really though I wanted to know if there's a pattern to when it's a peninsula run or not? Is it a peninsula run every other year?
Well, sorta. It also has to do with special years and $. Going a few years back... 83 Ensenada-Ensenada - multiple loops far north 84 Ensenada-I dont remember 85 Ensenada-Ensenada far south loop 86 one way Ensenada - LaPaz 87 Ensenada-Ensenada 88 Ensenada-Ensenada 89 one way El Alamo - LaPaz 90 Ojos-Ojos 91 Ensenada-Ensenada 92 one way Ensenada - LaPaz 93 Mexicalli-Mexicalli 94 Mexicalli-Mexicalli 95 one way Tijuana - LaPaz '96 - Ensenada-Ensenada 97 Ensenada-Ensenada 98 one way Ensenada - LaPaz 99 Ensenada-Ensenada - multiple north loops 00 one way Ensenada - Cabo 01 Ensenada-Ensenada 02 one way Ensenada - LaPaz 03 Ensenada-Ensenada - far south loop 04 one way Ensenada - LaPaz 05 Ensenada-Ensenada 06 one way Ensenada - LaPaz 07 one way Ensenada - Cabo 08 Ensenada-Ensenada 09 Ensenada-Ensenada 10 one way Ensenada - LaPaz 11 Ensenada-Ensenada '12 - one way Ensenada-LaPaz '13 - Northern loop
Very interesting. Thanks for the info. I'm considering doing it solo when I'm 40. That'd be in 5 years, 2017. Somehow I really like the mystique of the peninsula run and I was trying to see if it'd be that year in 2017. It does hit right for the on again, off again model. Also, it'd be the 50 anniversary of the race too. And it would seem that they'd want to make it a peninsula run on that anniversary. But stranger things have happened.
It used to be that every 4th year was a peninsula run, like the Olympics. The runs all the way down were considered too expensive for most privateers to afford, so most years were loops in Baja Norte (with leeway on the length being just over 1000 km some years as opposed to 1000 miles). Then in 2000 Sal wanted to do something special with the non-normal year and the 2000 miler. The participation has supported a peninsula run every other year since. The cost of support for a peninsula run has not gone down and the effort to adequately pre-run all the way down has not diminished, and participation has remained high regardless of the hardship to smaller teams. So as long as participants are willing to enter the longer races... enjoy.
The great thing about this is you were there at every one.. I dont think I have ever done anything that many years in a row.. How is the prep going ?
Last year, I saw a few solo riders. It was a loop race. Some were looking really beat towards the end, and it wasn't the 1000 mile race. Be careful on on endeavor.
Oh yeah. I haven't decided for sure. That's why I'm giving myself 5 years to work things out and decide if it's too crazy, even for me.
5 years? Baja might be all paved by then! Someone asked in a different thread about max time for these races a couple months ago... Last 4 times it's finished in La Paz: Average race miles = 1035 Average hours allowed to finish = 42 Call it 25 mph minimum to finish I don't know if they've said the max time for this year but it looks like 45
Hi.... I will be near La Paz around Nov 17/18, the last pit stop, No 18 is north of La Paz... anyone have any idea of when some of the racers would be coming through there? Thanks, CW
On Nov 17th & 18th the leaders will be at home sleeping. The race starts on Thursday and they will finish early Friday morning. On Saturday and Sunday those who don't fly home will be making their way back north.
