Pre-Running Reports BAJA 1000 2016 KING of BAJA

The KING of BAJA 1000 2016 Pre-Runs!
Gary Newsome, Annual Compiler


Notes from the Pre-Running Public! Keep sending to BajaRacingNews@LIVE.com

*We are Baja 1000 Course map version 12, uploading onto BajaRacingNews.com today!

*Our final Pre-Run Reviews...Compared to last years 2015 B1000 pre-running:

Land use problems are now the norm for Rogers SCORE. Because of the last several years race events shorting land owners money and promised follow-ups, ranch owners have had enough. No Mas. No more SCORE racing on their lands.

Down nearer to San Quintin, the problem is really bad. Even well established local racers aren't allowed onto the old roads for pre-runs. The ranchers are pissed.

Here's a report from last year: "A rancher put up a fence just before RM 470 and wouldn't let us through. Couldn't even bribe him with cash. We went left out to the highway and jumped back on at the BFGoodrich pit at RM 478ish. Did that section to the next speed zone and went back to do it again and the same ranchers were there closing that fence off as well! SCORE needs to do something about this ASAP."

Now the situation is far worse. The course now avoids tons of good routes, all now untouchable, from Norman screwing the pooch.

*So Hwy. 3 from the Mike's Sky Rancho junction to San Matias Pass will have TWO-WAY race traffic (plus the public) now, that someone thought the Summit is too difficult for the race machines! More opportunities to kill spectators and general public! What is the average number of deaths per Baja 1000?


* A Trophy Truck racer sees the course much differently than a bike racer, who sees it differently than a Class 11 racer and so on and so forth. A race car that relies on GPS doesn't really need that many course markings. But a bike racer would be lost without them. I have raced a bike on course that I never pre-ran in the dark. It is a bit nerve racking when there are intersections with no arrows to show where to go. Following the tracks is the only option at that point. Near El Alamo or Tres Hermanos I remember a bad dip, or wash crossing that is kind of blind, that wasn't marked for my first race the Baja 2000. It caused my pre-running partner to crash and we then put some ribbons in the bushes to mark it. 

At later races I have seen it marked heavily by SCORE which is good. My point is, that the guy that was marking for the 2000 just didn't feel the need to mark it, and others later did. 

*Just went down this last weekend and chased dad down the pacific side. He said uruapan wasn't too bad, fog sat there all Day but he flew down the coast. Water crossing at Race Mile 170 had been filled in. Made it to el Rosario and headed back home. Nothing noteworthy it Sounds like except mama Espinozas has been running out of crab and lobster. Course is just as poorly marked on both sides of the course. Take my Stella money and put up more arrows. They are forcing us to drive via gps which is a recipe for problems. 

*Just got back home tonight from 2 successful weekends of Baja 1000 prerunning. I am a former racer and now chaser, since 1991, and offer the following, because I feel there is a very REAL and legitimate safety concern for both racers and chasers in this unusual Baja 1000. 

Both Mex Highway 1 and Highway 3 will have both racers (albeit at 60 MPH) and chasers, going in both directions, with many having the irrefutable-estupidio concept of "get-there-i-tis." Get-there-itis is for morons. If you plan early, but plan for getting there late, you'll be just fine.

Hwy 1 has many local farming communities, and the resultant minibus traffic, that are actually unaware there is a race going on. Nothing new, Score has done this before. How about those newbie teams? Hwy 3 will be totally in darkness. Scary stuff here. Hope to God your chasers have their discipline together. 

My recommendations: -Local media advertise a race is upcoming, and then executing. Have Score CEO Roger Norman and Race Director Jose G recognize the SAFETY concern and make a announcement. And NOT at the night-before racers meeting. 

Racing Teams-Each race team should plan for an addtional truck/asset to meet your intent, without your asset "racing" to its destination. If it looks even close, don't do it. -Have each race team emphasize the importance of SAFETY within their race teams, and understand what's unusual about this race on Hwy 1 and Hwy 3.

Editors Note: The racing community talking about safety? Sevez, you're ten years too late.

   

*Constant changes to the course over the last week! Trying to keep track of what is "current" is a nightmare, Thanks to BajaRacingNews.com!

The mile markers on the KML files (google earth) do not match the notes. (Now normal for SCORE) They seem to hardly be in sync at any time. According to the notes currently on file, no crossover, just head-on traffic.

*I preran the San Matias section today. The Score GPS Ver 2 10-20 (GPX) is correct. The course is marked correctly. The course does not "crossover." Eastbound (aka outbound): -The course comes out off the Mike's Sky Ranch road at RM 590 and turns right on Hwy 3 for SZ 10. -SZ 10 continues on Hwy 3 to the traditional San Matias Wash crossing and veers right in the wash at RM 599. End SZ 10. 

The eastbound course stays in the dirt on the south side of Hwy 3 until Villa del Sol graded road, where it turns right. Westbound (aka inbound): -The course comes out of Borrego at RM 700 at Hwy 3/KM 179 and turns right. SZ 11. -Continue west on Hwy 3 to traditional San Matias Wash crossing and veer right in the wash at RM 719. End SZ 11. -Continue up wash and come out on Hwy 3 at RM 725, in front of the loncherias. SZ 12. SZ 12 ends at Goat Trail.

*Just got back from doing Race Mile (RM)520 to the finish in a 1600. One of the worst marked courses I've ran down there. Double down arrows in way too many normal places, no down arrows in full speed wash outs. Either/ors not marked at all. Half of the markers were wrong ways along the gps marked course. (Normal for the SCORE events these days!)

*RM Mikes turn” SZ10 60 mph and “SZ 10 ends” zone near RM 595 at the supposed crossover. And on the westbound track “SZ11 60mph” starts at Borrego near RM701 Then “SZ11 ends” near RM 718 just before Mikes. The track is marked westbound in the dirt north of the Hwy. The westbound track enters the San Matias wash at the usual place at the bottom of the pass. I just drove the highway and saw the signs. The marking disagrees with the GPS. Then notice there is no SZ ENDS where the track heads toward Diablo. 

These changes mean they are in the dirt along the highway. That agrees with the end of “SZ10” near the supposed crossover. When I drove the hwy I did not see marking in the dirt And at RM726 I find “SZ12 60mph” where they start driving on the Hwy. And both tracks are on the highway from Mikes to RM726.

West bound SZ12 ends at the Goat trail. Guess what - the marking does not agree with the GPS track!

*Two spots were impassible coming into Urapan. Have no idea why they would mark the course right infant of an area that was clearly impassible and that no one could get through. Getting into Urapan is going to be very interesting with all the silty hills after you come out of Mike's, outbound crosses over the inbound and parallel's the Hwy and down the wash and crosses.

Inbound again to get into the wash on the other side. Rm 720 is pinned to the Highway. RM 600 is in the wash.

*Racer access from Hwy1 at Colonet into rm141'ish, lots of space, should be a good spot to set up pits. When you're bored go back out to Hwy1 and catch them before the Hwy at 505'ish. I don't know if I'd want to sleep there though. Or you could also go S on Hwy1 to 498'ish and see what's happening in front of the bus stop. 

It'll be daylight for bikes but dark for trucks, should be entertaining. And I'd say almost certain we'll set up a Speed Mex Pit there on race night for the motorcycles just showing up. 


*The course slows down after RM 300. Lots of silt changes to rocky sections. Many parts haven't been run by SCORE. The rocky sections are similar to the summit.

*The 'course marking guys' must have been following the old track instead of the new road. The 'old' track is full of big holes and the land owning rancher has fenced it off. The south side (NJ side) is the same as always and the NE side is easy now. There is even an either or that avoids a specific steep place. I watched a sand rail drive up that steep place, but most of the guys I was with took the option. I hear two marking rigs (UTV's) had broken parts, a RZR that had a broken tie rod. From the NE, a plain old daily driver Tacoma, with no big tires, drove it easy!

*RM 590 to Ojos Negros Notes. Why plan on running the summit now changing it? We get the feeling that Roger is not in charge and the Ensenada 'new owners' are in charge of setting the course. GPS file at RM 772 shows the course in black, but markings went to the right in red. Many wasted this past weekend figuring out where the course will EVENTUALLY go.

Pre-Running Notes form the Baja 1000 2016 KING of BAJA

 *The summit section should be left alone, too bad if the lower classes can't make it. Race Mile 110 to RM 505, there are several sections between RM 270 through 410 that are equally as rough as the summit, in reverse! All these course changes make pre-running twice as diffucult.

*Course slows down quite a bit after RM 300 to lots of silt then onto technical rocky sections. Some new trails that haven't been run before. Around 300 starts some good silt beds and once those are done some gnarly rocky sections that were similar to the summit. Finished at RM 410 today. Getting a late start after some repairs from the backside of summit last night.  

Going to be some course changes (no more reverse summit challenges) so that means lots more marking to redo a couple hundred miles. The idiots at Score International are working to fix their problems now! 

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*Yesterday was the gnarliest hill climb I've ever done and especially at night. Going up the summit backwards at night was a challenge with 2' shear faces. Driving it like a 2wd keeping momentum going 15-20 mph up the summit Backwards! 

Silt beds were also pretty intense from previous races with good ravines on both sides. We broke a tie rod in the worst spot possible right at top of the summit. Luckily we got an assist and took our tie rod down the summit and came back with it welded up ready to get down the front side of summit. 

A couple other TT racers were unable to make it up the summit backwards in there high-powered 2wd prerunners.


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