Last week’s Baja Rally 2.0 marked another safe and successful sojourn for rally racing in Mexico.
The 2014 Baja Rally 2.0 is being hailed as massive success and another step forward toward a strong future for the event, according to race organizers
Mexico’s first and only navigation rally for motorcycles arrived back to Ensenada last Sunday afternoon after four days of liaison and timed special tests that saw the 900-mile route travel the Baja Sur as far south as the southern border of the Valle del Los Cirios. This year’s event drew 100 entrants.
Dakar Rally entrant Scott Bright rode his Rally Management Services KTM claimed the overall Baja Rally 2.0 win and the Rally Pro class win after battling Baja racing standouts Andy Grider, Steve Hengeveld Nino Rojas and Chilly White. Bright finished with a total time of 13 hours, 36 minutes and 17 seconds. First time rally racer Charles Jirsa took the top spot in Rally 1 class and earned the “Rookie of the Rally” honors. Jirsa completed the rally in 15 hours, 1 minute and 17 seconds to claim sixth overall.
“Mission accomplished and hats off to our team and hosts as well as the riders and their teams,” Baja Rally 2.0 organizer Scotty Breauxman said. “We had a few bumps along the way but succeeded in keeping riders and crews safe via our own safety and communications systems. Combining our Moto-Medic teams with satellite and radio communications monitored by Track Leaders and SPOT technology allowed us to break new ground in keeping our participants and their crews safe. Everyone was well fed and our engineering teams provided the power and light necessary in the desert.”
Breauxman went on to state that one of the benefits to the Baja Rally is that it is more environmentally friendly than traditional “off-road” racing.
“The Federal, State and Municipal authorities have endorsed Baja Rally across the board for our light footprint and they recognize a big future in using this event as a tool to promote eco-adventure tourism throughout Mexico,” Breauxman said. “We owe a lot of thanks to the Federal Tourism Board for their direct support.”
An example of the Baja Rally concept of combining motorsports with “eco-tourism” is teaching culture and history by routing overnight stops into the general route.
“We hosted over 100 people with a fully functioning community in the middle of the desert at Coco’s Corner,” Breauxman said. “If you go there now you won’t find a single sign that we were there except for the big smile on Coco’s face. (Coco is the iconic hermit who lives in the a small corner of the Baja desert as a double amputee and has hosted many adventure travelers and off-roaders. His story was popularized by the Dana Brown documentary off-road race film “Dust To Glory”). At the end of the day, our team has worked directly with all levels of the Mexican government in full cooperation with officials to develop this project for the benefit of Baja California’s people. The state needs a boost in promoting eco-tourism, and it’s our goal to teach and show participants that Baja California is a secure and safe place to visit and explore.”
For more information on the Baja Rally, visit www.bajarallymoto.com.
2014 Baja Rally 2.0
Baja California, Mexico
Final Results: September 28, 2014
Overall
1. Scott Bright-KTM*
2. Carlos Gracia-KTM
3. Steve Hengeveld-Hon
4. Mike Johnson-Hon
5. Chilly White-KTM
6. Charles Jirsa-KTM**
7. Phil Bowman-KTM
8. Iain Glynn-Suz
9. Gerardo Rojas-Hon
10. Sergio Lopez-KTM
*Rally Pro class winner
**Rally 1 class winner
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