Today organizers unveiled the official route of the longest and most difficult off-road event on the Baja peninsula, the Baja XL.
The 10 day navigational competition and raid will take place between January 29th and February 7, 2021. As always the Baja XL will start from Los Angeles, touch the tip of the Baja peninsula and will finish in the city of angels again.
The 2021 route will take teams south on the east coast of the peninsula and take them north on the west. “We created this year’s rally in a way that it remains tough for competitive off-road fanatics as well as new and different to those who have completed the Baja XL before“, said Andrew G. Szabo creator of the event.
From Los Angeles to Tecacte will be a short liaison stage without official checkpoints. This also enables side by side participants or non US street legal vehicles to start from the Mexican side of the border. From Tecate to Diablo Dry Lake teams will have to navigate through Laguna Salada.
From Diablo Dry Lake participants have to cut through dry canyons and rocky mountain tracks to Bahia De Concepcion. From here the rally will cut west across the ranges of the Sierra La Giganta and head back towards the beaches again before circumnavigating the cape of the peninsula.
The beach dirt roads of Todos Santos and San Juanico will offer a vertically less challenging, but navigationally more demanding 2-3 days to the 400 participants.
On Stage 8 at the Unesco World Heritage site of Guerrero Negro teams will have a unique opportunity to experience the migration of grey whales and spend a half a day relaxing before continuing through the rocky boulders of Catavina and the dramatic shore lines of the Pacific. Visiting Baja without seeing this unique spectacle is just not right“, added Mr. Szabo.
The final leg of the Baja XL in Mexico will take teams to Tijuana for a unique cultural experience. “We are planning our annual taco and beer party in Tijuana and hoping that teams will have a chance to witness a ‘regular’ Saturday night in this city of sin.“, added Szabo describing this vibrant and lively border town.
| Date | Start and finish | Distance: Official/Shortest All in miles. |
| Jan 29 | Los Angeles-Diablo Dry Lake | 405/354 |
| Jan 30 | Diablo Dry Lake-Bahia De Los Angeles | 320/267 |
| Jan 31 | Bahia De Los Angeles-Bahia De Concepcion | 410/321 |
| Feb 1 | Bahia De Concepcion-Las Cruces | 370/303 |
| Feb 2 | Las Cruces-Todos Santos | 221/71 |
| Feb 3 | Todos Santos-San Juanico | 332/290 |
| Feb 4 | San Juanico-Guerrero Negro | 240/194 |
| Feb 5 | Guerrero Negro-Catavina | 240/149 |
| Feb 6 | Catavina-Tijuana | 325/292 |
| Feb 7 | Tijuana-Los Angeles | 138/138 |
| TOTAL | 3001/2379 miles 4802/3806 kilometers |