Cycle World

A LINE IN THE SAND

Source: Baja was wild and remote in 1962; the only way to refuel the bikes and riders was by air. Note the “runway” for the Cessna. That’s Cycle World’s own Joe Parkhurst on the left. The magazine was just a few months old, but he knew this ride was big.

Every religion has its icons, its holy grails. Often the legends are so powerful that just a word or two conjures the magic. Sometimes it’s a place: You go there to prove yourself and return a changed person. Motorsports are no different. There’s Daytona. Bonneville. Indy. Le Mans. The Isle of Man. And for off-roaders, nothing distills the dream like the short cough of two syllables, a Mexican moonscape where it’s still just you and your bike: Baja.

The locals call it La Mil, and of course for us that completes the name: the Baja 1000. It’s an event just 50 years old, yet it seems like it’s been withcalled , and two motorcycle enthusiasts who dared to walk up to the stone and pull out the sword.

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