Baja
250 2011- March 11-13th.
Since 2007, when the Baja 250 drew
a record 374 entries, the event has taken a beating.
In 2008, due to some financial hijinx, the race
relocated to Ensenada, attracting just 247 competitors.
The following year saw the race back in San Felipe
with even less entries - 227. The economic recession
was at its height and the 'war on drugs' had generated
a tide of bad press about traveling in Mexico. In
2010, despite the press and economy, the number
of competitors in the Baja 250 edge upward to 255,
still dramatically lower than the numbers of its
heydays. This year, 2011, seems to have a large
spectator turnout, although the number of entries
is only 218. A lot of ingredients go into making
a successful race. Enthusiasms rise and fall like
the stock markets. Perhaps when things are economically
depressed, the need for entertainment rises accordingly.
The town is a hive of activity this year. Restaurants,
hotels and stores are doing business at a level
that was not approached during last year's Baja
250. The Mexican government is pushing to make the
facts about the war on cartels more accessible and
accurate. Most places in Mexico are safe for tourists.
This year's Baja 250 is a good indicator.
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Baja 250, 2010
Top 20 Unofficial San Felipe BAJA
250 times:
1. Armin – 101 – 4:20:57 / 57.02mph
2. Jesse Jones 76 – 04:02
3. Robby Gordon 1 – 12:43
4. Dan McMillin 106 – 14:55
5. Colton Udall 3x – 18:02
6. Rand Wilson 100 – 18:36
7. Robby Bell 2x – 22:07
8. Chet Huffman 40 – 25:06
9. Robbie Pierce 30 – 25:41
10. Dan Martin 104 – 25:45
11. BJ Aldwin 97 – 28:06
12. Eric Chase 118 – 28:08
13. Cody Parkhouse 111 – 29:58
14. Andy McMillin 31 – 32:27
15. Juan Lopez 801 – 36:39
16. Ed Stout 13 – 36:53
17. Rob Mc20 – 38:48
18. Will Staats 42 – 39:12
19. Ryan Penhall 5x – 43:43
20. Paul Keller 149 – 49:48
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March 12,
2008
Extra security will be provided for the
racers this year to ensure the bad experiences of last
year's 250 aren't repeated here in San Felipe.
Sal Fish is in town, painting raced markers,
etc. Very busy. Strangely, the town doesn't seem to be
nearly as hectic as in previous years
For more news, visit http://www.bajaracingnews.com
CLICK HERE
for Sandra Bullock Baja 250 photos.
March 12,
2008
Sal Fish of SCORE released an open letter
to announce the course for this year's Baja 250.
OPEN LETTER
TO RACING COMMUNITY:
February 15, 2008
I just returned from finalizing
the official race course for March’s 22nd Annual
Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, and I am pleased to inform
you that we have 232 miles of what the sunny side of Baja
is all about---moguls, more moguls, sand, silt, canyons,
washes, rocks, and a few graded roads!
The race starts at the
famed San Felipe Arches and proceeds northwest towards
the Zoo Road. San Felipe’s new delegate, Hazael
Sierra Castillo, is blading the area approaching the Zoo
Road Crossing, which will make it a safer approach than
in the past. The area will be fenced and patrolled so
that the spectators can watch the action but not put themselves
in way of the action. From the Zoo Road Crossing, we will
proceed North towards Three Poles, then west into the
wash paralleling Highway 3 passing Borrego to the most
westerly point, San Matias Pass. At San Matias Pass, we
will head back east paralleling the north end of Diablo
Dry Lake and hook up to our traditionally high-speed road
and silt beds to the Intersection at Morelia Junction.
At the Junction, we head south on the graded road to the
top of Matomi Wash, then turn South East into Matomi Wash
(what a beautiful canyon---the rains have covered many
of the rocks where flowers are blooming). We will turn
North out of Matomi, approximately 12 miles west of the
Puertecitos Road, hooking up to Azufre Pass. At Azufre
Pass, we turn left (west) following the wash to the Arroyo
Parral, and then turn right (north) into the wash. Then,
turn right again at Huatamote Wash (which we have mistakenly
called Chanate Wash in the past) and follow the wash in
a north-easterly direction towards the back of the San
Felipe Airport and onto the Finish Line adjacent to the
Tecate Building at the south end of the Arches.
I really believe you are
going to enjoy this course! It includes everything that
makes SCORE desert racing so challenging and fun. My trip
took me through Tijuana, Ensenada, San Felipe, and Mexicali.
I can personally report that there is a noticeable increase
in security along the roads. My compliments to the new
government for their conscientious effort in addressing
the situation.
Hopefully, this letter
will tweak your “BajaMotion” and you will
join me on the sunny side of the peninsula.
On another note, please
bear with us as we have been experiencing some unique
problems with our website. Although we have been working
feverishly to resolve the issues; unfortunately, they
have gotten the best of us. We are working on a new, more
informative, updated site. Sorry for the inconvenience
but, for now, all information will be on the Homepage
in text format. Do not use the individual photo Race Event
text icons at the top of the home page.
Sincerely, Sal Fish
You can download a pdf course
map HERE.
The rules and schedule are HERE.
According to the buzz on baja.net
and race-dezert forums, the enrollment numbers are down
this year for the Baja 250. Severl racers mention the
unfortunate attack on Chris
Hall and his family last Novemeber as the reason for
not returning. Others cite the rise in Baja of crime in
general. Last year's race (2007) had a record 374 entries.
Reports of this year's number is 248.
UPDATED ENTRY LIST February 29, 2008 - 15:35:01 2008
TECATE SCORE SAN FELIPE 250
UPDATED 02/29/08 TOTAL-248
* Denotes Point Champion
SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS: 21
2 Pete Sohren
*1 Mark Post
97 B.J. Baldwin
16 Cameron Steele
38 Garron Cadiente
4 Gus Vildosola, Jr.
33 Chad Ragland
96 Bobby Baldwin
51 Kory Scheeler
7 Scott Steinberger
12 Brian Collins
84 Nick Vanderwey
55 Luis Wallace
85 Todd Wyllie
35 Robbie Pierce
54 Jesse James
8 Roger Norman
22 Damen Jefferies
39 Ron Whitton
32 Juan C. Ibarra
42 Will Staats, Jr.
CLASS 1: 19
*100 Billy Gasper
101 Dale Lenk
102 Brian Hudson
103 Brian Parkhouse
104 Armin Schwarz
105 John Harrah
106 Eric Chase
107 B.J. Richardson
108 Chuck Dempsey
109 Jeff Farris
110 Luis Ramirez, Jr.
111 Pat Dean
112 Paul Keller
113 Josh Rigsby
114 Dale Ebberts
115 Enrique Bujanda
116 Robert Ross
117 Alex Almarez
149 Craig Bouman-1st RS
CLASS 1/2-1600 27
1601 Brent Parkhouse
1602 Cory Boyer
1603 Jorge Sanchez
1604 Hiram Duran
1605 Cody Robinson
1606 Luis Martinez
1607 Pancho Garcia
1608 Victor Barreda
1609 Arturo Velazco
1610 Ramiro Escobedo
*1600 Dave Caspino
1612 Ricardo Cons
1613 Edgar Avalos E.
1614 Armando Avila
1615 Kyle Conlon
1616 Alex Navarrete
1617 Blaise Jackson
1618 Adrian Soto
1619 Edgar Alvarez, Jr.
1642 Steven Eugenio-8th RS
1643 Ray Files-7th RS
1644 Carlos Montalvan-6th RS
1645 Adam Pfankuch-5th RS
1646 Eliseo Garcia-4th RS
1647 Arnoldo Gutierrez, Jr.-3rd RS
1648 Juan Jose Gallo-2nd RS
1649 Josue Delgado A.-1st RS
CLASS 3: 2
301 Donald Moss
302 Alejandro Cancino E.
CLASS 5; 3
501 Kevin Carr
502 George Seeley
519 Carlos Albanez-1st RS
CLASS 5-1600: 11
551 Pedro Athie
552 Ernie Negrete
553 Gustavo Avina
554 Trevor Anderson
555 Tommy Craft
*550 Mario Reynoso
575 Saul B. Garcia-5th RS
576 Ernesto Arambula-4th RS
577 Jose Montoya E.-3rd RS
578 Enrique Zazueta, Jr.-2nd RS
579 Marcos Nunez-1st RS
CLASS 7: 4
*700 Dan Chamlee
701 Brandon Walsh
702 Sergio Torres
714 Rick Battey-1st RS
CLASS 7sx: 9
*740 Rich Severson
741 Alberto Iriarte
742 Heidi Steele
743 Noe Sierra
744 Kurt Youngs |
756 Gerardo Novelo
757 Carl Sosa-3rd RS
758 John Holmes-2nd RS
759 Ted Moncure-1st RS
CLASS 8: 5
801 Rodrigo Ampudia, Jr.
802 Noah Ostanik
803 Beny Canela
804 Juan C. Lopez H.
839 Dean Wayman-1st RS
CLASS 10: 5
1001 Mark Hutchins
1002 Brendan Fikes
1003 Mikey Lawrence
1004 Javier Buelna
1005 Rocky Merino
CLASS 11: 4
1101 Jim Graham
*1100 Ramon Fernandez-3rd RS
1148 Eric Solorzano-2nd RS
1149 John Ledyard-1st RS
SCORE LITES: 15
1201 Steve Mamer
1202 Victor A. Valdez
1203 Luis Barragan
1204 Bill Hernquist
*1200 Tom Watson
1206 Ricardo Malo
1207 Rick St.John
1208 Ty Godde W/D 2/26
1209 Gary Johnson
1210 Lee Banning
1211 Dave Callaway
1212 Michael Bennett
1213 Javier Buelna W/D 2/20
1214 Pedro Morquecho
1215 Tito Robles
1216 Mike Williams
1249 Bob Carr-1st RS
PROTRUCK: 1
233 Max Post
STOCK MINI: 2
761 Steve Kovach
*760 Rod Hall
SCOCK FULL: 5
861 Josh Hall
*860 John Griffin
863 Chad Hall
878 Kent Kroeker-2nd RS
879 Clyde Stacy-1st RS
SPT. BUGGY: 2
1401 George Jackson
*1400 Peter Lang
SPT. TRUCK: 2
*1500 Keith Growe
1501 Kyle Caso
1549 Nick Tonelli-1st RS
SPT. UTV: 3
*1800 Thomas Graves
1801 Jeff Serrano
1802 James Oliver
CLASS 20 4
151x Chad Black
152x Larry Perkins
153x Mario Acosta
179x Anna Cody
CLASS 21: 7
101x Mariano Escobar
102x Mike Crawford
103x Bernard Bohrer
104x Cody Wallis W/D 2/29
105x Edy Garcia
106x Robert Gustine
107x Cody Knight
149x Kenneth Lopez
CLASS 22: 13
*1x Robby Bell
2x Quinn Cody
3x Nick Saia
4x Luis J. Ramirez
5x Steve Hengeveld
6x Ralph Barrera
7x Ryan Penhall
8x Caleb Gosselaar
9x Cameron Corfman
10x Grant Steele
11x Cory Evenson
12x Shawn Dolmage
13x Cody Wallis |
CLASS 30: 8
301x Einar Myhrer
302x Rodrigo Basave
303x Mike Johnson
304x Kenneth Durr, Jr.
305x Chris Parker
*300x Jim O'Neal
307x Scott Myers
349x Ramon Meraz-1st RS
CLASS 40: 3
*400x Brett Helm
401x Stuart Goggins
402x Shawn Price
CLASS 50: 5
501x Kenny Hayden
502x Charles Marshall
503x Jamie De La Torre
*500x Jim O'Neal
505x Lyman Scherer
CLASS 60: 3
601x Paul Lussier
*600x Donald Lewis
619x William Rogers-1st RS
CLASS 24: 12
101a Rob Ransford
102a Jorge Valenzuela C.W/D 2/19
103a Francisco Servin
104a Benjamin Lopez
105a Carlos Mancillas
106a Craig Christy
107a Javier Beltran C.
108a Gary Gonzalez
109a Carlos Lopez W/D 2/25
110a J. Alonso Ruiz
111a Benjamin Godoy
112a Angel Martin
148a Luis Berumen-2nd RS
149a Abraham Romero L.-1st RS
CLASS 25: 12
*1a Danny Prather
2a Max Hernandez
3a Robert Tinder
4a Javier Robles
5a Reid Rutherford
6a Wayne Matlock
7a Taylor Stormberg
8a Jason Greenhaw
9a Alfonso Cota
10a Moshe Yosef
11a Ted French
12a Stefano Caputo
SPT. M/C UNDER: 13
201x Tibi Imbuzan
202x Trisha West
203x Sean Charsley W/D 2/26
204x Duane Dickinson
205x Brent McCoy
206x Andy Padulo W/D 2/20
207x Scott Anderson
208x Nick Imbuzan
209x Ivanhoe Ochoa
210x Fred Sobke
211x Mark Sasaki
212x Robert Tevis
213x Ron Wannagat
248x Ron Tolman-2nd RS
249x Victor Borg-1st RS
SPT. M/C OVER: 15
251x Baxter Gillespie
252x Randy Roy
253x David Rentfro
254x Bill Gilbert
255x Brent Deaton
256x Derek Miller
257x Brad Varcoe
258x Carlos Becerril
259x Craig Anstine
260x Brandt Anderson
261x Brett Bardsley
262x Andy Padulo
263x Ken Kosiorek
264x Jorge Carbajal
299x Greg Lepkowski-1st RS
SPT. ATV: 13
51a Gyorgy Kemenes
52a Roberto Ruiz
53a Luciano Felix
54a Tom Foubert
55a Mario Yorba
56a Daniel Montano
57a David Bravo
58a Joselito Muro
59a Eric Ibarra
60a Jorge Valenzuela C.
61a Rafael Garcia
62a Gustavo Ameca
63a Carlos Lopez
248 TOTAL
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Dec 10, 2007
BAJA 250 IS BACK
The high octane gearheads
who love having the Baja 250 in San Felipe can breathe
a sigh of relief. SCORE International announced the March
2008 race will be held here. After months of delicate
negotiations the event most identified with the town comes
back home. SCORE made a brief announcement on their site
today
SCORE IS PLEASED
TO ANNOUNCE THE MARCH RACE WILL BE HELD IN SAN FELIPE
SAN FELIPE 250 - MARCH 14 &15, 2008
Feb 28, 2007
The Baja 250 has moved to a new venue this
year. It will now run between Ensenada and Santo Tomas.
The change was due to irreconcilable differences between
the City of San Felipe and one of the San Felipe Ejido
land groups
Salt Fish, President of Score International,
said there will be over 350 entries and the race will
have international media coverage. Hotel occupancy is
epected to peak at around 90% during the race.
Oscar Ramos, the Mexican liason for SCORE,
held a surprise press conference and announced it was
because of differences between the ejido Plan Nacional
Agrario and Rancho El Dorado that the Baja 250 would be
relocated to Ensenada. Apparently there was a dispute
over some property and because of a recent incident involving
several arrests and the eviction of a number of protestors
who were occupying the property in question, other ejido
cooperatives were polarized into taking action. They decided
there would be no race, hoping this would apply pressure
on local authorities to take their land claims more seriously.
Score decided to move the race to Ensenada. (http://www.elvigia.net/noticias/?seccion=deportes&id=29150&como=)
Perhaps next year people will have matured
enough to place the good of the many ahead of a few private
agendas, but given the current climate of global intolerance
it doesn't seem likely.
To read more about the problems, CLICK
HERE.
For more info on the
relocation of the baja 250, check the links below.
SCORE
Site | Baja.Net
buzz | Racefan.com
March 10 ,
2006
The Baja 250 is the peninsula's version of the Calgary
Stampede, except the course is narrow, 240.34 miles long
and the bulls have 200 decible bellows and $3000 suspension.
The Baja 250 is in full swing this weekend. The Pre-Runs
have drawn a number of early arrivals and the desert is
pluming dust to the west. Freight trucks, tractor trailers
and 5th wheel trailers have been lumbering into town all
night, glazed by the sand of the evening's windstorm.
Parking in town has become an Easter Egg Hunt. The trophy
trucks will own the town for the next few days.
Tonight is the Baja 250 Technical Inspection.
The wind is presently bending flag poles above roofs of
local businesses as the Malecón becomes a sea of
activity. Tarps, shirts, blankets and twenty foot tall
inflated beer bottles are dancing to the music thundering
from the collection of phonebooth-sized speakers on the
stage beside the beach. Several puestas and pavillions
litter the sidewalks, displaying brand-name racing accessories
and lubricants. |
