ATRacing October 2007 Newsletter
ATRacing October 2007 Newsletter
Current Championship Standing:

With one race left for the season, even with all the mechanical problems that the team has suffered, ATRacing is currently placed 3rd in Class 8 Open, and joint 4th place in Class 6.

We will be participating in the last race of the season in Class 8 to finalize the points standing.

Baja California South close of Off Road Championship:

Well, as a very short resume, the end of the 2007 Championship has been building up quite a lot of controversy. Originally set for the beginning of September from Loreto to Cabo, was an excellent idea to allow Baja 1000 racers the opportunity to use the race as a high speed pre-run for the southern part of the SCORE race. However, ProBaja & U-Pro have attempted to unite for a big year end race and compromises where needed. So together they changed the date to the 12th of October.

However, SCORE was not very happy with the idea of having a local race a month prior to the Baja 1000, and the Secretary of State's tourism office vetoed the race, which has now been postponed to the 8 & 9th of December.

Now it seems that as it follows the Baja 1000, the organizers are having problems getting permission from all the land owners to run the racer over the original route, so again it seems that this will be changed to run from La Paz to Cabo san Lucas.

(are you keeping up with me?)

It is a shame that all the excellent efforts of the southern Baja race organizers seem to have been clouded somewhat by this chain of events.

Races here are better then in most parts of the world and draw lots of fans and driven on great race courses. The organizers do a great job but desperately need and want more international coverage and to do this they of course need a stronger presence from more international racers. However, the organizers need to understand the importance of respecting race schedules and routes, as it is costly, and sometimes impossible for racers to change their bookings or travel plans.

I recently received an interesting letter about the above changes with some interesting points of views, which I would like to share with you below.

In any case, we look forward to seeing you at the end of the Championship.

What's planned for 2008?


Well, we are very eagerly looking forward to what looks like will be a fun and exciting forthcoming season.

Firstly, there is talk that the race organizers will bury their hatchets, and that they will join forces next season. As each organizer was counting with about 100 vehicles per race, to combine both will once again see the strength of the southern Baja racing. There are lots of new, big time vehicles which have been built or bought, and this years Terribles Cup was definite proof that the local race talent is a force to be reckoned with, as Jeffries and Ross battle and beat the big boys.

As far as ATRacing, we are firstly to put the mechanical nightmare that we had this season behind us, and start with a stronger and better Explorer next season. We are also in talks with a new national sponsor for the team. However, one of the most exciting news is that ATRacing is growing, in several different ways.

First of all, a new driver is joining us and together, Dr Bert Tjeenk & Andrea Tomba will join forces to fight for the 2008 Championship. Dr Tjeenk is Dutch, currently living in Mexico City, and having become addicted to speed and racing through international yacht racing, he now is planning to put his racing skills to use in the dirt.

Secondly, to be better prepared, ATRacing also purchased the past Class 6 Champion FORD BRONCO, built by Fili Diaz, which can also race in both Class 6 and Class 8, giving the team flexibility to participate in either Class, depending on what the organizers propose for the coming season.

Thirdly, ATRacing has also purchased a 4x4 Class 7 Ranger, built by DIMAS, who is Perry Mc Neil's fabricator. This vehicle will be used for testing and pre-running, but the team is also contemplating using it in some national events in Sinaloa, Sonora & Nayarit, depending on the National Championship future plans.

So keep a look out for news on the site www.atoff-road.com, as we will be posting information about next season schedule and plans as soon as we receive them, and hope to see more of you down here racing soon!

The 40th Anniversary of the Baja 1000:

The 11th of November will see the first festivities of the 40th Anniversary of the Baja 1000, with racer & media registration taking place in Hotel San Nicolas in Ensenada.

The already huge entry list reads like a list of the Off Road all stars, and the longer, almost 1,300 mile race will prove to be very tough to beat, never mind the competition.

The course runs through Loreto, then across the mountain past the Mission of San Javier over to Bahia Magdalena, and then follows the Pacific to Todos Santos, where the route then crosses the Naranjos mountains to the finish line in Cabo San Lucas.

The La Paz locals weren't thrilled that the race by-passes La Paz this year, the usual and original finish, but there are various places like Los Innocentes or Todos Santos which will be great places to watch the racers come by.

The start itself in Ensenada is on the 13th November and full schedule and map can be found on www.score-international.com

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