(Agua Dulce, Calif.): Event organizers for the 7th annual NORRA Mexican 1000 will be the first to tell you – putting together the logistics for a five day motorcycle, four day car, truck and buggy, 1,300-plus mile romp through Mexico’s Baja peninsula is never easy. There are myriad of details to confirm, crews to assemble and a sombrero full of details to finalize.
As teams, racers and adventure seekers look forward to the final weeks of preparation before arriving in Ensenada, Baja, Mexico for the start of another chapter in “The Happiest Race on Earth,” today the National Off Road Racing Association (NORRA) released its official Event Schedule for its 2016 rally that will eventually find competitors enjoying the world-class beaches and sunshine of San Jose del Cabo at land’s end.
The new schedule features a revised format from last year’s Mexican 1000, with an emphasis on two specific items: enhancing the overall experience for NORRA competitors and insuring as much safety and rally support as possible.
Download the complete 2016 Mexican 1000 schedule here
NORRA has posted its detailed Mexican 1000 mileage and pits maps for its family of racers to download and use to refine their support strategies. The files contain four individual maps for both the Moto and Car categories – Vintage and Evolution classes (see below for direct links to the 2016 NORRA Mexican 1000 maps and a full course overview). As in previous years, each full days course will not be released until just before the rally starts.
After careful review of last year’s Mexican 1000 format, NORRA officials have rolled back many of the rally’s daily starting times to increase chances for two and four-wheeled competitors to all arrive at their respective overnight stops in the daylight hours.
The 2016 NORRA Mexican 1000 Schedule of Events kicks-off on Friday, April 22nd in the heart of Ensenada’s downtown Riviera Convention Center. NORRA will provide its participants with early four-wheel Registration, Moto Registration and Tech, Volocore tracker installation and a Rally/GPS Navigation training session (to be held at the San Nicholas Hotel just across the street). The Official Mexican 1000 Welcome Fiesta will round out the day on the patio within the center.
On Saturday, April 23rd downtown Ensenada and the Riviera Convention Center will be the place to be as NORRA has a full day of activity designed to spotlight its competitors and provide enthusiastic Mexican locals the chance to see racers and their machinery first hand. The “Bilstein Classic Car Round-Up” will display NORRA’s unique historic machinery from 10:00 until 1:00 pm when NORRA’s Motorcycle Category racers will take the green flag to start their adventure to El Rosario. All four-wheel vehicles will undergo safety and rules scrutiny via the “Bilstein Tech Inspection” before the mandatory Driver’s Meeting at 6PM where NORRA will review particulars like the hospitalities at its overnight stop in Bahia de Los Angeles and details of the huge Award’s Ceremony presented by South Point at the Grand Mayan Resort on the beach in San Jose del Cabo Wednesday evening, April 27th.