Even hotter and even more brutal than the San Felipe 250, the 2017 Baja 500 is fixing to be one of the greatest challenges yet for racers. This includes our sponsored rider, Juan Pirrunas Dominguez, but we're confident this man, his team, and their winning Honda TRX450R are prepped and ready to conquer.
We just wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't keep fans up to date on this incredible race and racer. So we reached out to Juan to learn more about his thoughts and plans going into the 2017 Baja 500. Here's what we learned.
This year’s Baja 500 is going to be a real challenge due to the very demanding course that SCORE International has put together. This year’s race course has all the obstacles that Baja has to offer. From running along the Pacific Ocean to pounding San Felipe whoops in 100+ degree weather. As always, Pirruñas Racing is preparing for the worst and expecting the unexpected.
I got the chance to get down there and pre run my section known as the “crossover” from race mile 170 to 240 this past weekend. This is one of the most critical sections of the course due to its remote areas that can leave you stranded for help overnight if you do not prepare for it. The course gets very rocky and technical going over the mountains coming into Rancho El Coyote at race mile 207. The course then heads up the mountains toward the famous “Mike’s Sky Rancho” for more rocky and technical terrain before it drops down to San Matias at race mile 240.
Our plan for this year’s Baja 500 is to navigate through all the obstacles with ease and conserve our Barker’s Exhaust powered Honda Trx450r for 515 miles. In order to win, you must first finish and the team with no issues will take the checkered flag. Not only will this 12+ hour off road race put a true test to man and machine, but will prove that we run the best products in off-road racing. There is no better test than conquering a Baja 500!
One of the biggest challenges Pirruñas Racing will face is racing through temperatures over 100 degrees. Not only will this put a toll on our race quad, but riders will have to make sure they are hydrated while pounding through the 4 feet deep whoops in San Felipe. SCORE is planning to set hydration stations where racers can stop and hydrate if needed without adding to our total race time. Overcoming this challenge will get us to finish line but also prove the athletic capability that racing in Baja takes.
The team and I want to give a special thanks to Barker’s Performance for giving us the confidence in allowing us to put their bulletproof exhaust to the ultimate test. This Baja 500 wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our friends, family, and sponsors who have helped us along our Baja Racing career.
Pirruñas Racing sponsors: Liberty Motorsports, Barker’s Performance, Baja ATV Rider’s Only, Fox Racing, YaDije Apparel, Master Exterminators, Yuma Mortuary, Elka Suspension, Motul Lubricants, JR Racing, Menudo Michoacan, Marcos Cousiño, RK Chains, UNI Air Filters, IMS Products, and Juan's big brother.
The 2017 Baja 500 will take place on June 1st through the 4th in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Want to learn more about a Barker's Exhaust for a Honda TRX450? Click one of the links below.
