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It is hard to put into words how to describe prerunning in Baja, from the history to the scenery it is a place where legends are made. Making it even harder this year is the fact that this is the 50th running of the SCORE [2] Baja 1000 and it is a point to point race, versus the more common loop race course, starting in Ensenada and finishing in La Paz; 1,134 miles in total.
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Coco's Corner, one of the most iconic spots in all of Baja, along with some toilet art.
Prerunning Baja is fun, challenging, beautiful, emotional, grueling, romantic, and most importantly very vital if you’re going to have any chance of finishing as the course is brutal this year. Teams serious about winning prerun the course over and over again in the weeks leading up to the race.
[5]Bryan Lyttle, Armin’s co-driver discussing the importance of detailed notes.
For this year’s assault on Baja, Titan Fuel Tanks [6] has teamed up with a team made up of some of the most legendary names in off-road racing, Geiser Brothers [7] and the RPM Offroad Racing [8] team. This team is made up of some of the best drivers in the sport like Justin Matney, Apdaly Lopez, Clyde Stacy, and Eduardo Laguna who have four Trophy Trucks racing this year including one driven by European rally, raid and off-road legend Armin Schwarz.
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Imagine running through here at 80 plus miles per hour; This is why prerunning is important, making notes of any dangers, where to put the truck, and what to get ready for.
Prerunning can be more difficult in a point to point race especially with the distance of this year’s race. In the end, teams will have done the course multiple times, taking notes to help find the perfect line.
[11]The lake bed, this is where horsepower is king. Miles and miles of flat, smooth, and straight running. Most racers will top out in their gear right away while leaving it pinned to the floor. Most teams won’t last to see the other side of the lake bed because of how brutal the course is.
While Titan Fuel Tanks does not make tanks for race trucks they do make tanks for every popular truck being used to chase and they have tanks, their SideKick [12] and Trail Trekker [13] that are applicable to gasoline-powered prerunners. RPM Offroad and Schwarz’s company, Off Road Warehouse [14] both sell the tanks which makes it obvious why they have all teamed up together.
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Maybe not ideal for everyone, but imagine an off-road version of Uber where this shows up and runs you to Loreto for only $60 (left). When you play hard, things break, it’s good to have friends and fans Stateside as well as in Mexico (right).
Business thrives when companies share the same goals and passion and there is no shortage of passion within this group. With only a couple of days before the race the alarm clock goes off early there is still plenty to of homework to do. Crack open a can of Rockstar, eat a granola bar, and a banana, it’s time to hit it the desert.
Stay tuned for more updates from the Titan Fuel Tanks, Geiser Brothers, and RPM Offroad Racing team at this years Baja 1000!
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