History in the Making: Los Cabos Hosts the 59th Baja 1000 Start and Finish

For the first time in the race's nearly six-decade history, the Granddaddy of All Off-Road Races will run entirely through Baja California Sur, starting and ending in Los Cabos this November.

A Landmark Change to an Iconic Race

The SCORE Baja 1000 has run in some form since 1967, making it one of the longest-running and most storied off-road races on the planet. Over nearly six decades it has sent competitors through some of the most brutal and beautiful terrain imaginable: cactus flats, mountain passes, silty river crossings, and beaches where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez fight for the same narrow strip of land. In all that time, the race has started from Ensenada or points north and driven south. This November, that changes.

SCORE International confirmed that the BFGoodrich Tires 59th SCORE Baja 1000, running November 9-15, 2026, will set its start line and its finish line in Los Cabos, the first occasion in the event's history that this has happened. It is also the first time the race has been staged entirely within the southern state of Baja California Sur, a distinct peninsula from the northern Baja California where every previous edition was launched. For competitors who have run the event before, even many times over, the course will be genuinely new terrain.

The decision follows years of SCORE building its relationship with Mexican government entities and local municipalities that host and support the races. All four 2026 championship events are held on the Baja peninsula, continuing a run that now extends to 11 consecutive years of Mexico hosting the entire SCORE calendar.

What the New Route Means for Competitors

Baja California Sur offers a different character than the northern Baja terrain long-time racers know. The peninsula narrows significantly as it moves south, concentrating course options and creating a racing environment that blends desert crossings with coastal terrain in ways the northern routes do not. Mountains rising sharply from both coasts, remote dirt tracks through agricultural valleys, and stretches of shoreline along both the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez are all features of the landscape that teams will need to account for in their course notes.

The choice of Los Cabos as the host city also has practical implications for teams and spectators. Los Cabos has an international airport with direct service from major US cities, a meaningful logistical advantage for teams managing large equipment hauls, crew travel, and sponsor guests. For fans who want to follow the race in person, it creates a base of operations that is more accessible than some of the remote northern Baja start locations the event has used historically.

SCORE has not yet released the specific course route, which follows standard practice in the months leading up to the event. Teams serious about pre-running and building course notes will want to stay close to official SCORE communications as the November start approaches. In southern Baja, course knowledge earned on the ground will matter more than database notes from previous years.

The Full 2026 SCORE Championship Picture

The Baja 1000 is the centerpiece of a four-race championship that SCORE runs annually across the Baja peninsula. The 2026 season opened in March with the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250, a roughly 250-mile race staged from San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez coast of northern Baja. June brought the BFGoodrich Tires 58th SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada, covering approximately 500 miles. September hosts the 7th SCORE Baja 400, also based in Ensenada, before the championship concludes at Los Cabos in November.

Championship points across all four races determine the SCORE World Desert Champion in each class, and the Baja 1000 carries disproportionate weight in the final standings. Finishing the 1000 is itself a significant achievement in any season. Winning it outright, especially with a class championship on the line, is the kind of result that defines careers and sponsor relationships for years. A new course routing through genuinely unfamiliar terrain adds a wild card to the November finale that no points leader can afford to ignore.

Whether you are tracking the scoring from home, planning a spectator trip to Los Cabos for race week, or just following the season because the sport is worth following, the 59th Baja 1000 is shaping up to be one of the more historically significant editions of a race that already has more history than most sports events combined. Stay on the dirt with Live On Dirt as the SCORE season moves through the fall and the Los Cabos course becomes clearer.

• San Felipe 250: March 25-29, San Felipe, northern Baja California
• Baja 500: June 3-7, Ensenada, Baja California
• Baja 400: September 9-13, Ensenada, Baja California
• 59th Baja 1000: November 9-15, Los Cabos (southern Baja, first time in event history)
• All 2026 SCORE events held exclusively on the Baja California peninsula
• 11th consecutive year Mexico hosts the complete SCORE championship calendar

5 Reasons the 2026 Baja 1000 Will Be One for the Record Books

A new host city, unexplored course terrain, and a full championship on the line. Here is why November in Los Cabos is already circled on every serious off-road calendar.

1. New terrain for virtually every competitor: Even veterans with multiple Baja 1000 finishes have never raced this specific course. The route through Baja California Sur is genuinely new ground, flattening the experience advantage and opening the door for upsets.
2. Los Cabos is the most accessible SCORE venue in the championship: Direct international flights and an established tourism infrastructure make Los Cabos easier to reach than any other host city on the 2026 SCORE calendar, lowering the barrier for teams and fans flying in from the western US.
3. The championship points race comes down to November: With three races complete by the time the Baja 1000 starts, class championships will often hinge on who crosses the Los Cabos finish line and who does not. High stakes produce high intensity in the final countdown.
4. Southern Baja terrain is a genuine wildcard: Baja California Sur is narrower, more mountainous near both coasts, and blends Pacific and Sea of Cortez shoreline terrain that northern Baja routes do not include. Pre-running will be critical and fresh course notes will carry a premium.
5. SCORE's 53rd anniversary adds historical weight: Running the championship's signature event in a new format and a new location during the organization's 53rd anniversary year gives the 2026 Baja 1000 an extra layer of significance that the racing community will feel from qualifying through the finish line.

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