The conforming seats and 5-point harnesses keep you in place, comfortable, and in command - while the world around you seems a blur of madness. Wide Open Baja has offered these tours for the past couple decades. Wide Open Baja - Wide Open Baja Reno - Wide Open Baja Excusions - Wide Open Cabo - Wide Open Ensenada - Paid over $23,000.00 for a terrible experience! More information: Privacy & Disclosure policy. Highly recommended! The organizer of the trip was Wide Open Baja, an adventure experience company that specializes in satiating that off-road racing itch.No urge is too … Locate Baja boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader! Wide Open Baja challenge race cars on dusty coastal road along coastal Baja south of Ensenada. With Wide Open Adventures you will experience the thrill of racing in the Baja 1000. While I'm 6'2" and 400 pounds, they said they've had even bigger customers and it's not unusually to have professional athletes who are both taller and wider than me. Wide Open Baja pit crew, rebuilding our transmission in parking lot of the hotel in San Felipe Baja Mexico. I am in the three-day program ($4,295). Wide Open Baja racing experience uses real Baja 1000 and Baja 500 Challenge Cars. My co-driver, and I did the "1/2 day Baja Challenge", which is 14 laps (each lap is 5 miles) of sand, dirt, straightaways, s-curves, hills, bumps, and pure fun. more, Recommended experiences in and around Cabo San Lucas, Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks, Bike Tours, Things to do near Wide Open Cabo - Day Tours. Before I get too far into this post though, I want to address the prices ... the price tag for your Baja racing adventure with Wide Open Baja is certainly higher than what you probably would normally spend on your golf trip to Florida. Wide Open Cabo’s Baja Challenge (BC) racecars are not “dune buggies” or “sand rails”; they are the same cars that race in the Baja 1000. When you factor all of that into the equation, the price tag seems very under-priced. We felt welcomed, informed of what to expect, along with beverages and snacks! This is the real deal. Now you get to experience the thrill in the driver’s seat! Trips that begin in Cabo San Lucas are more expensive however. In fact, one whoop did take a bite out of the car causing the tire to come off the bead. 4 Day Baja Racing Adventure in Mexico With Wide Open Baja, How To Plan a Perfect Montana Fly Fishing Experience, Cool Guy Trip Ideas for a Father and Son To Do Together, Don The Beachcomber Original Mai Tai Recipe, Four Easy Off Road Trails To Explore In The Anza Borrego Desert. These guys were amazingly attentive and deserve our eternal thanks and praise. They have packages starting at half-day all the way up to four days. Wide Open Baja has a variety of different packages with different costs. Our trip in February was unseasonably cold and while it wasn't uncomfortable to be wearing jeans and a tee-shirt most of the time - I didn't factor in the 70 mph wind chill from the air rushing through our non-existent windshield! And Wide Open Baja tours aren’t a run of the mill convoy type tour, nor are they for the faint of heart. A FULL-BLOWN race vehicle capable of 90 mph (though you will NEVER get that fast) 80 miles of driving time, through serious terrain and an incredible 4 hour adrenaline rush are what you get when you sign on! The course is a 5 mile loop with virtually every type of terrain you could possibly drive through. After our driver training session, it was time to clean up and get ready for dinner. They are outfitted with off-road racing suspension and shock absorbers that provide 18” of suspension travel. You will however need to watch out to maintain a steady throttle on some of the more challenging portions so that you don't stall out on rough hill sections. In general, groceries are more expensive than they are in the USA. Doing it gracefully is a lot more difficult though! Wide Open Cabo is a thrill a minute adventure through the outback of the beautiful Cabo Oceanside in a professionally built Baja 500 off road racer! Race in the Baja 1000 with Wide Open’s $82,000 All-Inclusive Ticket All you need is an adventurous spirit and they'll take care of the rest. Longer Baja racing experiences include driving from Cabo to La Paz. What if I showed up in Ensenda and discovered that Wide Open Baja didn't have a car with a big enough seat belt or a big enough helmet? by the Wide Open Excursion team which consists of a tour guide racing professiona and the experienced support staff (mechanics to ranch hands and hospitality experts). Wide Open Baja leaves from Ensenada Mexico and also has a Wide Open Baja Cabo location. We also have several tracking codes embedded in pages like this to help brands better understand the value we provide to them. They currently operate out of Los Cabos (a short walk from the cruise ship tender dock), and Ensenda (with a shuttle picking guests up at the San Diego airport). The Wide Open Baja staff was the best host. On top of that, the overnight stop at Mike's Sky Rancho is at 4,000 feet elevation and we had frost on the tires that morning. Some of the cars may have sticky mounts leftover from previous customers but in general they do not have mounts for GoPro action cameras built in. Stopping to take in the view south of Ensenada, with our friends from Wide Open Baja. Wide Open Design: 4x4 Off-Road Parts, Accessories, and Fabrication Components Wide Open Baja cars feature a large "frunk" to hold you bags and other gear needed on the trail.Can I Bring My Backpack in the Wide Open Baja Car? Angel took beautiful photos that we can now hang in our home to remember this trip by... and to inspire us for a future Baja, This was a ton of fun and the best part of our trip. The cars are amazing pieces of machinery. Wide Open Baja will provide a great packing sheet with recommended items however, here are a few things that you should consider especially important: Shoes with good soles - you'll be walking on rocks, sand, and whatever else so you'll need good shoes that you don't mind getting wet, muddy, dirty, etc. The Wide Open Baja car really comes into its own at speeds above 50 mph. You'll also want to bring cash for any souvenirs as well as extra drinks that you might want to buy. Hello, Wide Open Baja is still open (I work here) The new name is Wide Open Excursions. This is roughly a 400-600 mile driving route across everything from twisty mountain roads with huge dropoffs to dry lake beds perfect for high-speed runs, and sandy washes where you'll have cactus just inches from your head as you speed 70+ mph down the trail. This test-out period is as important for the guests learning how to handle the cars as it is the guides getting a better understanding for what each guest's abilities, temperament, and experience. They had a XXXL helmet for my huge head and even offered to adjust the padding if I wanted more room. Three options are available, and while none of them require previous off-road experience, these cars have manual transaxles so experience in driving a standard shift vehicle is helpful. They’re so tough that particularly well-heeled customers can actually enter the Baja 1000 in one. While we had the entire resort to ourselves the night we were there, I'm told it is booked solid nearly every weekend. These mountain roads are some of the most dangerous trails that I think I've ever experienced and one extra sandy turn taken too fast could result in you plummeting hundreds of feet down into the valley below. There are no guardrails where you're going - but there are lots of sharp drops, large rocks, and farm animals, so safety is critical. These trips are $4295 (3 Days) and $6295 (4 Days). Session #2 is a little more relaxed and you will find yourself under better control and hitting those apex’s a little closer to the mark to get the most out of your 3100 pound beast of a race machine! Wide Open Baja Adventures Ultimate Off-Road Driving experience Short and Multi-day adventures check out : www.wideopenbaja.com MEX +52 1 624 105 0500 // USA +1 949-635-2292 13 2 For those who haven't seen it, "Dust to Glory" is an epic movie about what it takes to run the Baja 1000 in Mexico. Our drive on Day three started in the sand dunes by the Sea of Cortez and continued through the cactus-filled sandy washes leading to the foothills. Reno Nevada . Similarly, if you enjoy sweets such as chocolate bars or candy it might be a good idea to bring some along too. Even big guys like me can fit in a Wide Open Baja race seat comfortably. Wide Open Baja creates each of its purpose-built endurance Baja race cars by hand, and each one is loaded with all of the gear necessary to take on some of the most challenging terrain in the world. ! This trail above was particularly interesting because normal off-road logic said to us that we should go around the rock in the path ... but we kept stalling out. Mike's Sky Rancho is one of the most famous spots in Baja California and a legendary stop for Baja racers of all levels. Hills, drops, Boulders, deep rain ruts, soft sand, hard pack sand, and some serious twisties to test your driving skills along with beautiful desert terrain all around for a titillating Baja experience. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. WOW, JUST WOW ! Taking a break to check out some cows along the Baja racing route with Wide Open Baja. personal safety net! Luckily, the guys in the chase car were able to change the tire for us in the sand storm and we were back in action again. Luckily, once again the staff was awesome at helping me get comfortable and showing me how to get in/out. Your suitcases will be traveling in the Wide Open Baja support vehicle and will NOT be accessible except at night. It's a stop off for people racing as well as those like us that are just enjoying the amazing terrain. 1/2 Day Baja Challenge. WATCH OUT! Taking a break from Baja racing to admire the valley view below. Clearly this experience draws a car enthusiast audience who is pretty much focused on just the car itself. It may seem complicated but you quickly learn how to do it. How Much Does Wide Open Baja Cost? Would do it again in a heartbeat. In this giant room decorated with Baja racing memorabilia we had a chance to enjoy some guacamole and chips while drinking Mexican beers and talking with our new friends before heading to dinner. It is every bit as thrilling and fun to ride as navigator as it is to drive. I don't drive stick normally, but these vehicles were actually easier to learn to drive than I initially feared. They adjusted the seat, and harness to fit perfectly and also adjusted the steering wheel itself too. Just one example of the extremely challenging Baja racing trails near Mike's Sky Rancho. There is a LOT of vibration and constant movement. This is the perfect adventure for anyone who loves extreme racing experiences or simply loves off road driving and wants to explore a new part of the world in a way few others will ever be able to do. As we traveled up the Baja coast, we passed by waves crashing on the beaches, vineyards, and small villages before ending back in the "big city" of Ensenada where we transferred to our shuttle back to San Diego. I give the highest possible rating and hope your experiences are as good as mine! Racetracks: Wide Open Baja Reno, Nevada. In the heart of the untamed Baja peninsula you get to drive in the safety of our custom built race cars, always within radio-shot of our experienced guides and the professional support crew of Wide Open Excursions! The Baja Challenge vehicles have been sold around the world for personal, military and commercial use. Not only is there the opportunity to pilot machines that are more incredible than can be put into words, but it's also a chance to bond with you buddies and visit parts of the world that normal tourists simply will never see. The entire staff made the experience fun. Visitors to ManTripping.com should be aware that this is a commercial site and some links help us generate income and other benefits. However, these cars are street legal and you will have stretches on the pavement too. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Highly recommended! The staff are all ultra accommodating, they put you in the right frame of mind and do everything possible to make you have a great experience. Wide Open Baja is an awesome introduction to this style of racing and offers entry-level tours encompassing all budgets: from 3 hours at $595, to a 4 day adventure that runs $6,295 … Driving one of Wide Open's fleet of $100,000 cars (it has 30) in the Cabo tour costs from $545 for part of a day, to $6,295 for four days. In Baja, prices are similar to those found in northern mainland México along tourist corridors. your own Pins on Pinterest Angel was our tour guide and was very friendly and knowledgeable the whole time. I'd highly recommend both the activity and the staff to anyone. Wide Open Baja also had multiple "ready to go" cars ready to swap in, should something go wrong on the trail. Upon request, they also provide neck collars to reduce the potential for injury from being bounced around. We swapped duties after every 4 laps. Best of … Either way, this is your bag to carry anything you might need, including: medicine, snacks, camera, phone (there's no reception but if you want to take photos it's better than your DSLR), gloves, change of underwear etc. Plus, there were the little things such as wiping our visors during stops in the rain to insure that we had a perfect experience! Spending Cash & Tip Money - you aren't going to find an ATM in most places and so it's easier to bring cash with you on the trip. We did the 1/3 day on the track and these cars are a blast. As a result, the quality of video and stills from the GoPro Hero3 were almost unusable where as the output from the GoPro Hero4 was very good due to it's internal stabilization ability. This includes the food, drinks, hotel, accommodations, guide, chase team, pit crew, and driving a $100,000+ vehicle that has actually competed (and completed) real Baja races. For trips leaving from Ensenada, prices start at $895 for a Half Day Baja Challenge Experience to multi-day excursions ranging in cost from $3995 (3 Days) to $4995 (4 Days). The next step however was fitting into the car itself. How much will it cost you to travel in Baja? Not all Wide Open Baja cars are the same but here's one of the newer Baja Challenge Cars they have in Ensenada. Baja Races including the Baja 1000 and Baja 500 are among the most iconic motorsports events in the world and so I was thrilled to be invited to join Wide Open Baja for a four-day adventure driving Baja challenge cars with them. While not stated as such, this time spent flying around the course will set the tone for the next several days. Some vehicles may have different electronics or paint jobs but they are all fundamentally the same. As we bounced across the dusty wasteland, it was necessary to minimize brake and steering inputs. Power comes on after dark in the evenings and then goes off around 9 pm as a sort of defacto curfew and then back on in the morning to remind you to wake up and head down to breakfast. Drive a $100,000 purpose-built race buggy on the same treacherous dirt and rock trails that comprise the famed Baja 1000 course, and enjoy restful evenings after each days’ thrills. A-List Access: To inquire about Wide Open Baja’s off-road adventures, contact general manager Robert Ward at 949-635-2292 or robward@wideopenbaja.com. You might not think of frost in Baja, but our cars were white the next morning at Mike's Sky Rancho! If so, this is your first step into that world. The guests we met here ranged from a group of guys from Missouri who arived by private jet and helicopter, two different father and son guys getaway groups and the pair of guys from Canada who would be joining our trip. Ever dreamed of racing the Baja 1000? Angel and his crew were absolutely amazing, and took care of us very well. 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