Baja 1000 2012: Off-Road Race Battles Technology to Stay Extreme

Technology has changed significantly since the inaugural Baja 1000 in 1974. The advent of GPS and satellite phones, the mapping of the Baja peninsula and emergence of affordable helicopters have steadily taken their toll on the race that originally ran from Tijuana to La Paz.The starting point for Thursday's race is Ensenada and travels 1,121 miles to La Paz. This is the 38th time Ensenada has been the starting point for the oldest and most most famous desert races.The original course was established with Mickey Thompson, one of the race's initial organizers, dropping notes from a helicopter. Race founder Sal Fish would follow in his VW Thing, picking up directions tied to roc...

Read Complete Article at Bleacher Report - Motorsports
Article is property of BleacherReport.com