Round 2 of the SCORE International racing Baja 500 2017
The Road to the Baja 1000 is well on its way and now with SCORE announcing the official route for the second round of their offroad racing series we are excited to see where this year's race is taking us.
Excerpt of Recent Press Release from Dominic Clark, SCORE Media Director:
SCORE International previews 2017 Baja 500 course
ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico — The race will feature a course, being finalized by SCORE CEO/President Roger Norman along with Race Director Jose A. Grijalva, of approximately 515 miles. It will run in a counter-clockwise direction. The first and last 19.5 miles will be shared course outbound and inbound.
Starting and finishing once again in the heart of Ensenada in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, it will quickly leave the pavement and head up the spectator-friendly Ensenada Arroyo for two miles as it heads out
of town.
The historic race course is another memorable example of all that Mexico’s Baja California has to offer, including high-speed dirt trails, sandy, rocky and silty natural terrain, majestic Baja washes and canyons, stretches
along the seashore with elevations from sea level to over 3,000 feet. The course will be another jewel reflecting the stark beauty of Baja California.
This year’s course will have five physical checkpoints—North of Johnson’s Ranch, Morelia Junction, North of San Felipe on Highway 5, Nuevo Junction and El Mezcal before Ojos Negros.
This course is different than last year’s course. Last year it had much more desert, it went up the Summit and this year it goes to the coast.
Reflecting on the course, Grijalva commented, “This course is tough and very technical, more rain damage than other years and it's long with over 465 miles on the dirt, leaving less than 48 miles on pavement. The course from Jaramillo to San Telmo Road and up to Rancho Coyote has not been raced for many years and will be new to many racers. There is also a new trail we will race on after the Goat Trail that has never been raced on before.”
Other towns and landmarks the course goes through or near are Ensenada Arroyo, Piedras Gordas, Ojos Negros, Uruapan, Santo Tomás, Erendira, Johnson's Ranch, Colonet, Jaramillo, Hacienda Sinaloa on San Telmo Rd., Rancho El Coyote, Mike's Sky Rancho, San Matias, the Diablo Dry Lake bed,San Felipe, Valle de Trinidad, The Goat Trail, Nuevo Junction and Santa Catarina.
Baja 500 start draw is May 18. This challenging race course will cover nearly 512 miles; Qualifying on May 31 for Round 2 of four race 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship;
More info at http://score-international.com/raceinfo/2017-baja-500/
