The 49th running of the SCORE Baja 1000 was held November 18 with 270 competitors planning to finish the 854-mile course. The race started in Ensenada running east to Ojos Negros, then back to the Pacific Coast and south to El Rosario. After a big loop in the desert, racers headed back up the Pacific Coast, then east toward the Sea of Cortez. Once on the east side of the peninsula, the course headed back toward the checkers in Ensenada. Only 142 racers eventually saw the finish.
Brad carefully applies COPS branding to the new ES-Motorsports-built Class 1 car.Zak Langley with co-driver Josh Valco piloted the COPS Racing Trophy Truck #50 off the line in Ensenada. Rick Johnson assumed driving duties for the second half of the race, bringing the car home.Passing Race Mile 30, Trophy Truck #11 would ultimately win the 49th running of the Baja 1000 becoming a three-peat for Rob MacCachran with an elapsed time of 17 hours and 13 minutes.Morgan Langley drove the new COPS Racing Class 1 car to a third place finish. It was the car’s first race and ran nearly flawless.This ice cream vendor used the race course to reach a spectator area, darting between Trophy Trucks.John Langley and Mike Howell in the COPS Racing #250 Trophy Truck Spec.Spectating a desert race is dirty business; these guys didn’t bother to roll up the windows.A few miles down course from here, the #250 made a hard impact with a ditch ending its dash to the finish.A single car, non-race-related accident occurred on Highway 3 near Valle T. The Tacoma rolled many times, taking out a fence line and several small trees, seriously injuring the two occupants. Police and an ambulance arrived after about 20 minutes.The COPS Trophy Truck and Class 1 stopped to take on fuel at Race Mile 593/710. Dirty driving lights required cleaning, but nothing else was needed during the stop.Fueling towers and gravity help keep pit times to a minimum during this 2 a.m. pit stop. Once the car left the pit, it would complete a big loop in the desert and return for fuel in about two hours.A bonus photo taken inside Johann Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada (est. 1892) of “the guy with the camera.”
