Go South! Ensenada to San Quintín

Day 1 Recap

The rally opened with 189.6 miles of special stages and 55.1 miles of transit—244.7 miles of epic Baja scenery and fierce competition from Ensenada to San Quintín.

Jeff Terzo set the pace with an opening-stage win, but PJ Jones answered with victories on the next two stages. Entering the third stage 2 minutes, 16 seconds behind Terzo, Jones fought back to take the provisional lead by just 18 seconds. His combined stage time of 4:14:32 edged Terzo’s 4:14:50.

For Grand Marshal Bob Howle, the day delivered fast racing and a few setbacks.

“It was an awesome day, right up until we couldn’t see because the sun was going down. We have a leak in our fuel cell, so we smelled gas the whole time we were racing. But all in all, it was a fast, fun course, a little rough and challenging, but good.”

A loose Stella antenna also left Howle relying on his GPS for part of the day. At the finish, his priorities were simple: “Time to go eat, change some tires, and put gas in the car.”

At the Old Mill, competitors gathered for dinner, trading stories from the same roads where they had battled hours earlier. For Robby Gordon, that gathering captured the spirit of NORRA.

“This is something different than most races. It’s really an appreciation for coming and playing with us and being part of it, and it’s been part of the NORRA tradition since the beginning,” Gordon said.

“You saw all the competitors, they raced today, and then they were eating next to each other. If they had a gnarly battle, they were talking about it and having fun. That’s something I want to bring into Legacy as well: really bringing everybody together.”

Gordon also thanked the people behind the evening: “Great food, great company, and a cool little boutique hotel we really enjoy down here in Baja. Thanks to Javier for letting us take over, and to my partner, Eliseo Garcia, another great event, buddy. Good job.”

Tomorrow, the rally turns north, starting at the Old Mill in San Quintín and finishing at Estero Beach in Ensenada. Cars will stage at 8:00 a.m. and take the start at 8:30 a.m., facing three special stages totaling 189.4 miles, plus 39.9 miles of transit—a 229.3-mile run back to Ensenada.

With just 18 seconds separating Jones and Terzo in the provisional standings, the fight is far from over. Fans following from home can watch live on NORRA’s official YouTube channel or follow the coverage links at NORRA.com.

Media photos are available here: https://tinyurl.com/exrvwrhx