NORRA Flips the Script on Day Two of Racing

The incredible variety found in Baja was on display as NORRA swapped courses on the second full day of competition. The Bikes and Meyers Manx Safari Expedition ran along the coast on day one; the cars in the mountains. Day two they swapped. Both groups got some rain on day one, but clear skies on day two.

This changed the whole complexion of the race for the 4 wheeled competitors. Day one was dust free with wet and sometimes muddy conditions. Day two was dry, dusty and full of rocks and sand; more of what everyone expects in a desert race. It was like night and day. There was no downside to starting in the back of the pack on day one. With the rain there was no dust anywhere. On day two, track position became critical. Getting stuck in the dust slows a driver down and the limited vision creates potential disaster if you stray off course or miss a turn. There were plenty of rocks as well as steep cliffs and deep washouts on the edge of the southern course. The roads were much faster which added to the peril.

On day one, everyone expected the UTVs to keep up with the big unlimited vehicles because the course was tight and technical. Nobody thought they could stay in front on day two with the roads opening up and the many long stretches where the big cars and trucks could use their horsepower advantage. Not only did the UTVs keep up, but they gave them a run for their money. The top UTV racers showed their skills and the capabilities of their vehicles by taking five spots in the top ten including second through fifth overall. Jeff Terzo finished fifth overall. He was bumped into the Evolution Unlimited Buggy class, along with his teammate Andrew Whitehead because they ran dual shocks on the rear, but they were racing CanAm Maverick Rs. I think they still count as UTVs. The results added fuel to the fire as to which types of vehicles are better for racing in Baja. Technology is always changing. That’s what makes NORRA racing so popular. No other sanctioning body has as many classes for vehicles that represent every era of off road racing history.

UTVs might have put on an impressive display, but Craig McCarthy took the top prize in his 1Nine Industries Unlimited Truck. After six special stages of racing he managed to keep a 3 minute 30 second gap over the rest of the field in the varied and highly challenging conditions. His team put together a race effort that was unbeatable. “What an incredible ride,” says Craig McCarthy. “It was 100% fun-fueled competition! After years of dedication and hard work, the team has finally clinched the overall win. Three years in the making, and we did it! On behalf of the entire crew, a huge thank you to NORRA for hosting such an epic event. Eliseo laid down an amazing course that kept us on our toes the whole way. I have massive appreciation to our team. Kevin Murphy (Murph), YT Motorsports Sean, Luke Kenny, Jimmy, Ruben & Claudia, Vicky & Mia; They all crushed it! And of course, thank you to our awesome sponsors: Bitchin Sauce and VMC. We couldn’t have done it without your support!”

Thomas Purcell was second place overall. He was first to the finish line at the final stage, but could not make up enough time to beat McCarthy in overall elapsed time. Not to worry, he still takes home trophies and 10k in prize money for first place in the Evolution Pro UTV class. “We started second and put a little time on the VMC trophy truck down the coast and through Erendira.” said Thomas Purcell. “Heading to the second special, the VMC TT never showed up to the start putting us 1st on the road which was a little nerve racking knowing that it was a fast section to which we would have a significant top speed disadvantage. We were able to stay out front through Colonet and into the final stage. We knew we had the speed to stay out front on the final stage since we had already run it earlier in the day. We held a conservative pace knowing we had a decent amount of time on the next closest UTV. The last stage was new and the fact that we were first on the road made it a lot of fun. After leaving the coast we quickly got into the speed zones next to the farms which had meant that the critical race sections were done. At that point we received word that we were first UTV which we were pumped about! I was extremely pleased with this new UTV and was happy to be able to produce a good result for the car builders ID Designs and the Triple Deuce Motorsports team.” Apparently, the guys at ID Designs noticed something in the data from day one. Thomas was not getting full throttle on day one when he pushed on the pedal. Good thing they fixed it for day two!

Third place overall and the winner of the Evolution Production Turbo UTV class was PJ Jones. He had a good battle with Robby Gordon for a while. Robby finished third place in class and tenth place overall. After an intense back and forth battle out front in the Turbo UTV class, pole sitter Kaden Wells was second; only three seconds behind PJ! We talked about Jeff Terzo finishing in fifth overall in his CanAm. He won the Evolution Unlimited Buggy class over his teammate Andrew Whitehead who was second in class and Grant Ingram who finished third in his RMR Jackal.

Sixth overall and the winner in Historic Truck was Bob Briggs. He finally got all the bugs worked out of his recently restored Chevy race truck to take the victory. In seventh and eighth places overall were first and second place in 6100 truck class. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Josh Felix threw down for two days straight to take a well-deserved win in their Mason Truck. Zak Langley had a solid race as usual to take the second spot on the podium for the Cops Racing team. Third place in 6100 was last year’s overall winner Kyle Murray.

Day two on the northern course for the motorcycles, Michael Frederick maintained his position out front from day one to take the win. It was his second NORRA event. He commented on only having to make a slight shock adjustment and change the chain tensioner after racing the Mexican 1000 on his Kove 450. “I just love this bike,” said Michael. “We only had a little bit of rain both days. I learned at the 1000 to not follow previous tracks, trust the roadbooks. Being first on the road, I had to stop and open a lot of gates, but otherwise it was a great day of racing. We are coming home with some nice hardware. I have to thank my longtime mentor and crewman Bob Koch. Bob has been racing since 1969!”

NORRA has special permission to access many private properties during our events. That’s why the gates were closed. Long time relationships allow us these opportunities and big thanks are owed to the hospitality shown by the land owners.

Kevin Busch held second overall after day one, but had some setbacks on day two. He normally races with his Wife Michele on the back. For day two he rode solo. “It’s all good, I just ran into some of that Baja, show you what’s up Sh!t,” Kevin said with a laugh. “I had an amazing time. I think the minute Michele gets off the bike my brain shuts off.” Kevin and Michele finished fourth overall and first in the XR 650 roadbook class.

Second overall in the bikes was Robert Sjoberg who won the 60+ riders class ahead of Carlos Rocha who was third place overall. Both 60+ riders were on Husqvarna 501’s.

The Meyers Manx Baja Safari Expedition had an incredible event with three whole days spent in the dirt. They took in parts of the race in addition to seeing an incredible amount of Baja. The group made its first stop in Santa Verónica for brunch on day one, setting the tone for the days ahead. Day 2 was the Beach Loop. The day began just north of Santo Tomás. The route dropped through a canyon toward the coast, and light rain added a refreshing element to the early course. The group followed the coastal route south to Eréndira, with ocean views and rolling terrain. From there, the course turned inland through the wash to San Vicente for a mid-day lunch stop. Afterward, drivers tackled a southeast off-road loop, featuring off-camber trails and technical switchbacks before reconnecting with Highway 1. Continuing south past Punta Colonet, the group explored a new northbound section, recently added to the event route. The day wrapped with a drive north through the crossover trail to Valle de Trinidad, where everyone regrouped over tacos before heading to the finish line celebration at Horsepower Ranch.

On Day 3, The Mountain Loop began at Rancho Nelson, traveling through Ojos Negros and climbing north into the pine forest region. The prior day’s rain created ideal driving conditions; moist, tacky dirt and clear air under tall pines. One section remained flooded from storm runoff, with part of the road washed out, requiring a reroute and on-the-fly navigation to keep the convoy moving safely. After descending south, the group revisited Valle de Trinidad for another round of tacos before taking a new trail with rolling terrain, looping northwest back toward Highway 3 near Ojos. From there, the route continued west via a technical dirt section to Uruapan, a newly added course line featuring rocks, ruts, and tight turns that tested each vehicle’s capabilities. The final leg led to Coastal Highway 1 and then northbound to Estero Beach where the event concluded with a final celebration by the ocean.

This year’s NORRA 500 was simply amazing. Participants were treated to some incredible terrain and stiff competition. Congratulations to all who took on the challenge. Special thanks goes out to our partners Bilstein, Meyers Manx, Ford Performance, Speed UTV and the Fab School as well as our Grand Marshal Curt LeDuc for adding so much to the event. Thanks also to Mack Johnson for another great Vintage Classic Car Round-Up at contingency. The NORRA team did their normal magic, but we have to give a special shout out to Casey Pearlman, Natalie Crow and The Fab School for providing amazing trophies to those who received well-earned recognition. Thanks also to the Fotosol crew for getting the photos we used for the daily reports. Now it’s time to start planning for the 2026 Baja’s NORRA Mexican 1000!

NORRA created sanctioned off road racing in Baja back in 1967. Everything you need to know about NORRA’s Baja Mexican 1000 and the NORRA 500 can be found at www.norra.com. Go to the site and find out for yourself why NORRA has exploded in popularity. You can experience the same wonder and sense of achievement those early thrill seekers sought in the 1960’s today when you join NORRA in Baja. Don’t miss out on the competition and adventure.

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