2025 NORRA 1000

2025 NORRA 1000

Often called “The Happiest Race on Earth,” the NORRA Mexican 1000 is a legendary off-road rally that spans the Baja Peninsula. First run in 1967, it laid the foundation for desert racing as we know it. The race welcomes everything from vintage and classic race cars to modern UTVs and trucks.

The 2025 NORRA Mexican 1000 ran from April 24–May 2. It begins with registration and tech inspection in Ensenada, then covers roughly 1,400 miles over six days, finishing in San José del Cabo. The event has a mix of rugged terrain, coastal beauty, and high mountain passes.

Each night, racers gather in different towns across Baja, trading stories, repairing their vehicles and sharing in the adventure. The NORRA Mexican 1000 is as much about camaraderie and Baja’s magic as it is about racing—and that’s what keeps people coming back.

The NORRA Mexican 1000 is never just a race. It’s a proving ground, a reunion of like-minded people, a relentless teacher, and for many of us it feels like home. This year marked another unforgettable run down the Baja Peninsula, and once again, Class 11 reminded everyone that spirit and grit can get you to the finish line… even when the car seems unrepairable.

We brought down two Class 11s, 1115 and 1199. Both backed by an incredible support team that was up for the challenge. Here’s how the week unfolded:

Drive it until the wheels fall off:

Day 1 Norra 1000 Recap:

Smooth run for 1115. The car had one small fuel pump wiring issue that was quickly resolved. Cole thought he was getting redemption in San Felipe since two years ago he got stuck with his brother Reed until 2 a.m. digging out the car over and over again… but San Felipe had other plans. With 20 miles left to the finish and making good time, the driver-side spindle snapped at a road crossing (luckily right by the chase trucks).The whole wheel, tire, and drum went flying down the road. Luckily the wheel and 1115 didnt hit anyone since the car lost all brakes and couldn't steer well. With the team close it was quickly fixed and sent back on course.

1199 had a good start but had a fouled spark plug issue early on at Rancho Nelson. They got to the end of the section, but the gate was closed; they then had to wait for a rancher to open the gate. They had a quick run for the rest of the day until 3 miles out, when they experienced a transmission shifting issue, but were able to limp it to the finish.

Drive it until the fenders fall off:

Day 2 NORRA 1000 Recap:

1199 still had unknown transmission gremlins at the start of Day 2 in San Felipe. Unfortunately, they had to load the car on a trailer right after the starting line and haul it to Stage 2 in order to replace the transmission and still be able to run Stages 2 and 3 of the day. The transmission was swapped in a Pemex gas station parking lot, and then Pat and Tom jumped in the car to finish the day. After the mechanical issue, they had a very smooth final section through the beautiful, Dr. Seuss-like landscape into Bahia de Los Angeles.

1115 was piloted by Baja local legend Hector Flores and Seth Watts. They had a fast start until reaching the furthest point from support all day, where they broke a bolt that holds the steering box to the front beam. After two hours of chase trying to reach them, they were able to hike around and find another competitor who was also stuck—and happened to have a small electric grinder. That allowed them to notch the remaining piece of the broken bolt, remove it with a screw driver, and get a replacement in. They continued on course but had missed the closing time for Stage 1, so they quickly drove to Stage 2 to finish the day.

Our chase crews were able to spot Hector a couple of times off the highway during Stages 2 and 3, and he was definitely in a hurry... After a quick run through the final two stages, Hector and Seth made it to the finish line and said… “Where’d the fenders go…?”

Great day navigating everything that Baja throws at you.

Drive it until the coil melts:

Day 3 NORRA 1000 Recap:

Another great day, traveling from Bahia de Los Angeles to the stunning oasis of San Ignacio.

Both cars had a strong start, quickly climbing through the mountains along the coast of the Sea of Cortez. 1199 had a quick stop to replace some fouled spark plugs, then continued on until one of the top shock nuts came loose and stripped. A quick trailside fix with some vise grips and zip ties got them moving again, and at the only fuel stop of the day in Vizcaíno, they used the welder to make the repair a bit more permanent (vise grips still in use). They had a great final stage until the last four miles, where a wrong turn led them into a boulder-filled riverbed—basically a rock crawling section. They narrowly escaped, but not without bending a spindle. Still, they made the finish.

Nevin and Cole piloted 1115 and had a clean start until they caught a whiff of something hot. All gauges and warning lights looked normal, but then the alternator/charging light flashed on—and Nevin shut it down instantly. They popped the engine lid to find the spare coil bracket had snapped off and the coil had lodged itself between the crankshaft pulley and the engine tin. What remained was a melted mess of belt, plastic, and aluminum dust from the chewed-up pulley. After a quick alternator belt swap, they were back on the road and making great time all the way to Vizcaíno. Sawyer jumped in with Nevin for the final section, and they had a solid run—managing to avoid getting stuck in the deep silt beds that caught others—bringing them into San Ignacio.

Drive it until the shocks fall off:

Day 4 NORRA 1000 Recap:

A full day that took teams from the center of the peninsula to the Pacific side, and then back again to the Sea of Cortez. San Ignacio to Loreto.

It was a beautiful morning down by the beach heading toward San Juanico, followed by a steep climb over the rugged and unforgiving Sierra de la Giganta mountains.

1115, piloted once again by Seth Watts and Hector Flores, had trouble right out of the gate—a coil failed just three miles from the starting line. After a quick swap, they were back on course and making great pace. The rest of the day went mostly smoothly, with just a couple of brief stuck moments in the sand. Thankfully, some very kind competitors stopped to pull them out.

1199 had a strong start—so strong that our chase vehicles nearly didn’t make it in time for their mid-day pit stop. Just before arriving in San Juanico, they reported a broken front shock and a bent driver-side spindle. They limped the car to the pit location, where they worked with our support crew to replace the broken lower torsion arm and shock. From there, they were able to push on and made it to the finish just before it closed.

Another full day in beautiful Baja!

Drive it until the car falls off:

Day 5 NORRA 1000 Recap:

Day Five was the longest mileage day of the event. Starting in Loreto, the course climbed up to the beautiful mission town of San Javier, then crossed tight and rocky canyons to Insurgentes. From there, it wound down the center of the peninsula before turning back north/east and over the mountains toward the finish in Loreto.

1115 had a great start, but in one of the rocky sections the steering started to feel loose. Just one mile later, a ball joint failed and the car came to a skidding stop. Cole and Kevin tore into the front end, but then discovered they only had three of the four torsion arms in their spares—of course they were missing the one they needed. Fortunately, 1199 was only a few minutes behind on the start and was kind enough to stop and let 1115 borrow the missing arm. They got everything back together, but noticed the beam had also cracked—a welder would be needed at the next checkpoint. So they slowly limped the car the last 30 miles.

After dropping off the torsion arm, 1199 blew out another front shock and also had to limp to the end of the stage.

Both cars were quickly repaired on the side of Highway 1 and prepped for the remainder of the day.

1199 was on a mission to make up time and pushed hard into the night. They made great time on Stage 3, even navigating through fog in the final miles of the day.

1115 was keeping pace with 1199 after yet another coil issue forced them to stop for a few minutes at the start of Stage 3. The chase team was waiting for them at the end of the stage, where they finished and hopped on pavement. That’s when the message came in—one no one expected:

“No injuries, we’re fine. But the car is on its side in the ocean.”

Shocked, the team rushed two miles up course to find 1115 halfway submerged in water. A poorly marked corner had caused the car to overcorrect, hit a berm, spin, and roll down a 15-foot embankment—straight into the sea. Miraculously, both driver and co-driver were completely unharmed.

The team extracted the car… and it fired right back up.

Drive it until there is nothing left to fall off:

Day 6 NORRA 1000 Recap:

We did it! Another incredible year in Baja. Baja always teaches you something—and keeps you coming back for more. This year was no different. It took a huge effort from our amazing crew to get both cars to the finish line.

We were told by another Class 11 team during our first Baja race in 2018: “Class 11s always finish.” So when we extracted 1115 from the ocean and the engine fired right back up, we knew—we had to finish.

In La Paz, we pushed out the body damage just enough for the doors to open and close again. Most of the front end was replaced to get it rolling on its own. At 3:30 a.m., the police showed up to shut down repairs after receiving noise complaints. So we slept until sunrise… and got right back to it. Final touches were completed just in time to make the start line for our scheduled check-in.

1199 had a strong day, making great time. A small fuel system hiccup was quickly sorted out, and they were back on course.

1115 and 1199 rejoined for the final 10-mile wash before the finish—and dropped in together. Both cars pushed hard, chasing each other all the way in, even drifting the final corner side by side before crossing the last checkpoint at the finish line.

What a perfect ending to an amazing event. Our team overcame every obstacle Baja threw at us to make it here. Some of us thought it was over for 1115—but like we always say: Class 11s always finish.

That’s the spirit of Baja.

This race was never about being the fastest—it was about perseverance, grit, and refusing to give up. Our team faced everything Baja threw at us—broken parts, ocean recoveries, late-nights, and sunrise repairs.

Some think it is over for 1115. But it never is.

We had an awesome time at the awards ceremony—huge thanks to our incredible team for the long days, late nights, and hard work all week. And a big thank you to NORRA for putting on another unforgettable event. See you next year, Baja! We’re already gearing up for the next one… 🤿