NZV8 — February 2018

(^136) themotorhood.com
Special FeatureThe Baja 1000 Experience
S
tickers, take plenty of stickers!”
That was the advice given to me by
New Zealand off-road-racing driver
Glen Turvey when he heard that I
was off to Mexico for the 50th running of the
SCORE Baja 1000 — the grandaddy of desert-
racing events. Having been there himself, he
said that the stickers would be worth more than
cash — not just for the young kids but also for the
police and army personnel who man the various
checkpoints down the peninsula. It would prove to
be good advice.
Rolling the clock back to the late ’70s, I was in a
picture theatre in Lower Hutt to see some movie
that I don’t recall; the trailer was a short movie that
would start my bucket list before I knew I had one.
It featured some mad guys racing dirt bikes, VWs,
and beach buggies down the Baja peninsula. They
were taking part in the SCORE Baja 1000. I didn’t
have clue where Baja was, but I wanted see it first-
hand and be a part of that event.
My first exposure to New Zealand’s version
of the event was the Taupo 1000 in 2011. It
brought back the emotions and the memories of
watching that movie back in the ’70s. Since then,
I have been photographing and documenting
New Zealand off-road racing. Following this year’s
Polaris NZ1000, the 2016 Off Road Association of
New Zealand (ORANZ) Champion, Mike Fraser, told
me that he was off to the SCORE Baja 1000. He
was going with Futura Trailers’ Glen Reid, who was
providing one of his innovative tilt trailers to Kiwi
expat Rhys Millen for his Polaris RZR race team’s
defence of its 2016 Baja title. As well as providing
the trailer, Mike and Glen would be joining the
team as race support. Mike said that there was
a spare seat and I should get myself over there.
Obviously, I didn’t need to be asked twice.
Four weeks later, I was boarding the plane to
Los Angeles to meet up with Glen, Mike, and
Central Muscle Cars racer Paul Urquhart to realize
the 40-year bucket-list dream.
Picking up the rental in San Diego — a Ford
Expedition 4x4, with the Futura Trailer hooked on
— we headed south across the US–Mexico border
down the Pacific Coast side of the peninsula to
Rhys Millen Racing’s base just north of the race
start in Ensenada.
The team was out pre-running a section of the
race course, so we headed down to the race HQ
and start in downtown Ensenada to get our first
taste of the event. With our rental all covered in
our ‘sponsors’ stickers, we fitted right in with all the
other team-support and chase trucks. First stop
MIKE PEFFERS HAD DREAMED OF THE BAJA 1000 FOR FOUR DECADES. THIS YEAR
HE MADE IT, ALONG WITH A BUNCH OF EQUALLY DEVOTED FELLOW KIWIS
WORDS AND PHOTOS: MIKE PEFFERS