Update, October 4, 2026: SCORE unveiled the official course on Oct 3, 2026: 964.66 miles from Avenida Centenario in San José del Cabo, with four checkpoints. Read SCORE unveils the 2026 Baja 1000 course and see the 2026 Baja 1000 course map. The story below is kept as first published.
SCORE’s official 2026 schedule, updated June 30, lists San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur as the host of the 59th Baja 1000 on . The original announcement named only “Los Cabos”, so this is the first official narrowing of the location. The exact start/finish site, the contingency and awards venues and the start times still haven’t been published.
The same document moves the start of pre-running to Oct 24, a week earlier than the date given in last year’s announcement, and lists the course at roughly 1,000 miles. There is still no course map.
Correction, September 19, 2026: This story gave Oct 24 as the only pre-running date. That is the date in SCORE’s June 30 schedule, but SCORE’s Aug 13 race preview gives Oct 31, and SCORE hasn’t said which is right. Check score-international.com before you plan around either date.
For fans planning the trip, our Los Cabos travel guide covers flights, airport transfers and where to stay, and the spectator guide covers SCORE’s safety rules and live tracking. We check SCORE daily and will publish a “where to watch” guide as soon as the route is official.
Baja 1000 host announcement: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | SCORE’s official 2026 schedule, updated June 30, 2026 |
| Host town | San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur |
| Event dates | Nov 9–15, 2026, with the race start Nov 13 |
| Pre-running opens | Oct 24, 2026 in SCORE’s June 30 schedule; SCORE’s Aug 13 race preview says Oct 31 |
| Course length | Listed as roughly 1,000 miles; no map released |
| Still unpublished | The exact start/finish site, contingency and awards venues, and start times |
Why this Baja 1000 is a first
San José del Cabo hasn’t hosted the Baja 1000 before. Los Cabos’ only previous SCORE start was the 2015 Baja Sur 500, a shorter race to Loreto. Historically the Baja 1000 has started from Tijuana, Ensenada or Mexicali, with the course crossing between Baja California and Baja California Sur or looping back to Ensenada. SCORE’s own announcement calls the 2026 edition a first: a course that stays entirely inside Baja California Sur rather than crossing state lines, so the terrain fans see on trackers this year (the Cape region around Los Cabos) will be new ground for the race, not the familiar Ensenada backcountry.
Baja 1000 history: the record-holders
Johnny Campbell’s 11 Baja 1000 titles remain the motorcycle class’ benchmark, a record nobody has come close to matching. On four wheels, Rob MacCachren has been at the front of the field for two decades, winning outright as recently as 2021 (alongside Luke McMillin) and again in 2024. The race didn’t always belong to trucks: Walker Evans became the first driver to win it overall in a truck, a Class 8 rig he built himself, in 1979, a result that pointed the way toward today’s factory Trophy Truck class. See our Baja 1000 winners archive (1967–2025) for the complete year-by-year list, and our cross-series winners breakdown for how Baja 1000 trends compare across Mexico’s other major races.
Sources: SCORE – 2026 schedule (PDF) · SCORE – 2026 Baja 1000 announcement · SCORE – 59th Baja 1000 race info · SCORE – Walker Evans (Legends) · Cycle News – Johnny Campbell’s Baja 1000 record · RACER – MacCachren’s 2024 Baja 1000 win. Facts verified September 2026.
Cite this page: Race.mx, “SCORE schedule names San José del Cabo as 2026 Baja 1000 host; pre-running opens Oct 24”, race.mx/baja-1000-2026-san-jose-del-cabo-pre-running-oct-24/ (updated ).