LA PAZ, MEXICO--As the final checkered flag dropped early Saturday morning for the last of an all-time SCORE record 234 official finishers in the 39th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, it was obvious that another incredible and colorful chapter had been added to the legacy of this popular desert race down the majestic Baja California, Mexico, peninsula.
In an impressive display of power and poise, American Honda motorcycle teammates Steve Hengeveld, Mike Childress and Quinn Cody, along with the Andy McMillin/Robby Gordon duo, posted the overall motorcycle and 4-wheel victories early Friday to lead the field. The finish line on the outskirts of La Paz closed quietly at 8:03 a.m. Saturday, just after the Honda Ridgeline driven by Gavin Skilton (42 hours, 51, minutes, 25 seconds) became the last of the SCORE record finishers, ending the 43-hour time limit each starter had to complete the journey.
The granddaddy of all desert races, the flagship event of the world's foremost desert racing series was a rugged peninsula odyssey of 1,047.81 miles from Ensenada in Baja California to La Paz, in Baja California Sur. It was the 32nd time the race started in Ensenada, and 17th time it finished in La Paz.
The race-record 431 starters from 38 U.S. States and 12 countries, represented the largest field in the history of the desert classic. They competed in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. The race was the season finale of the six-race 2006 SCORE Desert Series, the world's foremost desert racing series.
Mexico tourism officials estimated record crowds of over 300,000 spread out along the course from Ensenada down both sides of the Baja California peninsula to La Paz.
This year's Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour NBC Sports special for the third consecutive year, airing at 2:30 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, Dec. 10 on the NBC Television Network. It will also air on a delayed basis outside of the U.S. on ESPN International.
One of the many highlights of the second and third day of the grueling race was the record-setting motorcycle run by Ana Cody, 38, of Camarillo, Calif., Cody became the first female rider to the event's history to ride solo to the finish line, covering the course on her Honda XR650R in 33 hours, 35 minutes and 40 seconds, receiving the traditional finishline handshake from SCORE President Sal Fish and a rousing round of applause of several thousand spectators on hand at the time. She was actually one of 16 successful solo riders out of 37 that started the race to earn the Sal Fish SCORE IronRider Awards.