BajaRallyMoto.com announced today the first thirty-six entries to the 2016 BAJA RALLY taking place eight months from today and hosted by Grand Marshall Nico Saad of the San Nicolas Hotel & Casino in Ensenada, on October 10-15 2016.

In addition to the first nine countries represented in the fourth annual running of Baja CA’s first-ever navigation based, eco-adventure rally race for motorcycles and UTVs, thirteen of those entries have reserved spots aboard the Maersk Nienburg, the Hong Kong-flagged freight liner delivering a shipment of twenty rally racing motorcycles from Europe directly to the Port of Ensenada. This historic voyage is the first of its kind to import a container full of race vehicles to any such event in Baja CA.

History of Innovation

“Our city has a long history of pioneering off road racing over the past fifty years”, explained Saad, “So we are very pleased to host and welcome the next generation of international rally racers to Ensenada.” Said Saad, an Off Road Hall Motorsports of Fame inductee and regarded as the Godfather of off road racing in Baja CA has been the key figure in supporting and developing off road racing in this state dating back to its origins with the Mexican 1000 in 1967.

“Our BAJA RALLY continues to innovate and grow off-road motorsports here with a new style of rally racing that is being warmly welcomed by our citizens, land owners and government authorities,” Saad continued, “I have supported this event since before its first edition and am proud of our official team who have been working passionately for the past few years to bring an international eco-adventure tourism event to our town.”

Robust Entry Growth

Due to extensive international print media & video coverage that has attracted global attention to this state’s first ever “rally-raid” event, BAJA RALLY has broken another barrier with pre-season entries reaching the limit in the month of December last year.

More impressive is that half of the thirty-six current entries are comprised of returning racers who have competed in prior editions of the rally, including three time entrant and 2015 BAJA RALLY Champion Steve Hengeveld, who is considered a racing legend in this state. This is a measure of success to the organizers who seek to give the riders their best experience in any race on any continent.

BAJA RALLY President Alfonso “Poncho” Alonso said that the entry growth is better than hoped and this only encourages his team of course designers to work harder and better with land owners and authorities to open previously un-raced areas to this cleaner and more eco-conscious event.

“We were working the past 60 days and all the weekends making new routes and talking with owners to make another hard challenge for the pilots,” Poncho explains, “We are so blessed by the support of the community to have them involved directly with us as we make it better than before the BAJA RALLY for 2016.”

Among the 36 first entrants are riders coming from as far away as Australia, India, Kenya and Western Europe. Early registration numbers suggest as many as seventeen countries may be present at the start line and that as many as 60 riders will take the green flag from Ensenada on Tuesday morning October 11 at the San Nicolas Hotel & Casino. BajaRallyMoto.com