Hundreds of racing drivers and thousands of motorsport fans will meet in Mexico in November for the 50th Baja 1000, one of the most demanding and toughest races in the world. And as always, this year's event will once again feature "Baja Bugs", modified Volkswagen Beetles, as well as Spartan race cars with Beetle chassis that have proven their endurance across all deserts in Mexico and the USA for five decades.
Born out of the dune buggy and off-road culture of Southern California in the 1960s, the SCORE Baja 1000 has made a name for itself in motorsports for the scope of the challenge, both in terms of distance and terrain. In 2017, the race course will be approximately 1200 miles long, starting in Ensenada and finishing in La Paz, and is the final round of the 2017 SCORE World Desert Championship. This is the 43rd time the legendary race has started in Ensenada and the 21st time it has finished in La Paz. Drivers and navigators encounter rocks, steep canyons, corrugated iron tracks and blinding dust and sand pits, which become particularly dangerous at night during the race.
The first race, then known as the Mexican 1000, took place on October 31, 1967 between Tijuana and La Paz. Of the 68 vehicles that started the first race, only 31 completed the 950-mile route. The winning drivers crossed the finish line in 27 hours and 38 minutes. There was no certified course, just five checkpoints at which the teams had to stop. How they navigated the dirt roads and trails between the checkpoints was up to them. While motorcycles led much of the race, victory went to Vic Wilson and Ted Mangels, who drove a Bruce Meyers-built Meyers Manx desert buggy on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis.
The Meyers Manx was the first such vehicle to attempt this tough race, and with it Meyers sparked the rise of the Baja Bug, a Beetle modified for the harsh environment of desert racing. The modern SCORE Baja 1000 still runs several VW classes, including one for air-cooled Beetle cars with production engines. Other organizations, such as the Mojave Off-Road Racing Enthusiasts in California, also race these Volkswagens. One such Class 11 vehicle, built by Desert Dingo Racing, was acquired by Volkswagen of America as part of its Heritage Collection of historically significant VW models.
Volkswagen celebrates the enthusiasts like Bruce Meyers who put the Baja race through its paces for 50 years. It is important to note that Volkswagen was not at all pleased with Meyers' activities at the time. The enthusiasm only came later. It's nice that the Buggy is now seen as part of the company's own "heritage".
