LIVE! Reporting from Ensenada, BC
NEWS BULLETIN!
NOW! Thursday, April 16
MORE - BRUTAL - REALITY!
Journalist Joaquín López Dóriga confirms that tomorrow in Mexico will be decreed phase 3 by the Federal Authorities as a "national pandemic".
PHASE 3 in Mexico:
April 15: Widespread transmission: thousands of cases have now been reported in multiple locations across the country. Schools and workplaces with active outbreaks will be shuttered.
Business across Baja are being 'CLOSED'. Implementation of stricter health protocols will occur. A general quarantine of the population now is determined necessary.
STOP! NO VISITORS, NO ENTRY INTO MEXICO!
August may be the first chance to even visit Mexico from the USA!
April 15:
"Mass Events NOT LIKELY", UNTIL 2022!!!
Health Department for the State of Baja California, in Mexicali.
BajaRacingNews.com NOW
building our most detailed coverage EVER!
The GREATEST threat to Baja racing,
in over 100 Years!!!
~Some Old News, from Yesterday!~
BajaRacingNews Editorial Board
estimates June 1, is an overly optimistic open date for Baja racing in Baja Norte
Ensenada Race Advisory,
Remember this date, 4-14-2020.
BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD NEWS!
SCORE is Officially CRUSHED!
"Any gatherings over ten (10) people, are currently BANNED".
Starting, MAYBE in JULY, a 'Health Department Permit' will be required. And that's for LOCALS!
*Mass Gatherings in Baja Norte may not occur in 2020! The Health Department of the State of Baja Norte is now in charge! They have the FINAL WORD.
Chief of that department, based in Mexicali said today, "Special Health Department Permits, an entirely new process will now dictate, larger scale racing events in Baja California", he said.
*An 'approved' mass gathering event, may not occur until 2021, at the earliest! “The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to mass immunity and we get to a vaccine”, mass gatherings are not likely to be allowed for the foreseeable future.
Serious, Serious Business when you
consider breaking that law in the states and you get a $1-4,000.00 US ticky.
But, in Mexico, you go to JAIL, wait out the jailkeepers, who demand the same money, but won't let you FREE until they are PAID, in CASH!
*A worldwide ban of 'festivals' is active through, AT VERY LEAST, mid-July.
*Baja Norte has been in lock step, coordinating their 'legal decrees'
dictating covid virus closures, alongside the State of California and Federal US Government via Mexico City.
*With Los Angeles showing their hand of continuing the closures, their signal may indicate we are at least one month away from any changes at the US-Mex border and in Baja Norte.
*In Baja Norte, the state undersecretary reported that, for the purpose of public safety, 23 preventive blockades have been installed located at the entrances and exits of towns and ranches, coordinated by the municipal delegates and subdelegates, as well as in the main cities of Baja California. Volunteers, state and municipal civil protection personnel, state and municipal police, as well as personnel from the Ministry of Health, are employed.
Baja California, Mexico Governor chief body guard, DIES of the virus!
Gob. Jaime Bonilla Valdez chief bodyguard has died by coronavirus. Rigoberto Rodriguez, head of state bodyguards (Ayudantía) of Baja California Norte, passed on, according to Amado Cruz, coordinator of the Aid and Logistics of the border entity Executive.
Reportedly, the chief of escorts was a positive patient to COVID-19 and passed away from complications of this pandemic virus. The death of the chief of bodyguards-escorts was confirmed by the coordinator of the Assistant and Logistics of the executive of the border entity, Amado Cruz.
Stay-at-home Order will continue until May 15!
Los Angeles County, CA (USA) health officials announced that the county’s stay-at-home order would be extended to May 15. This includes all current closures of businesses, beaches, parks and trails. Mayor Eric Garcetti said the public health interventions are “beginning to bend the curve", it certainly doesn’t mark the end of the road.
The order came after a model showed that nearly 96% of the population would be infected by August if the social distancing and restrictions were lifted now. Dr. Christina Ghaly, the county’s director of health services, said that making changes now would pose the risk of overwhelming the healthcare system.
Tijuana: “Doctors are falling like flies…"
AVOID HOSPITALS IN BAJA CALIFORNIA MEXICO AT THIS TIME!
”TIJUANA, BC. – At a news conference this morning, the Governor of the northern state, Baja California, said that health personnel were not given protection to carry out their work in the face of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“The same doctors that work at the General Hospital, paid to serve the public are now being witnessed", "falling like flies".
"The doctors were not given protection,” said the Governor of Baja California, Jaime Bonilla in the face of the pandemic for Covid-19 coronavirus.
The Governor considered that it was useless to give protection to the doctors of the General Hospital if they were not given to those of the IMSS. “And now we have a tremendous need. The Social Security program affected the State’s Health program", he said.
Even the governor of the entire state of Baja California, Bonilla, referred to the video of the actor Eugenio Derbez, in which he denounces that the doctors do not have sufficient protection or equipment.
The Secretary of Health in Baja California, Alonso Óscar Pérez Rico, reported that to date, Baja Norte has 414 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and 33 deaths have been recorded. Tijuana tops the list of deaths with 21; 11 were registered in Mexicali and one in Ensenada.
He explained that of the confirmed cases in the state, the city with the highest number of infected cases is Tijuana with 240, followed by Mexicali with 150, Tecate with 14, there are four in Ensenada, four in Playas de Rosarito, and two cases in San Quintín."
CRIME TAKING OVER ENSENADA!
Ensenada, Baja Norte, the retail business association, alarms community over fears of criminal wave crashing storefront business!
The leader of the retail business community of Ensenada is alarming the public that riots, lawless gangs and break-ins are beginning throughout the business community of Ensenada.
He went further, by saying peoples homes are about to be run over by crime, that the police cannot handle. More>>>
Saturday, April 12, 2020
SCORE issues a bizzare conversation with racers. Exposing Rogers vapid reliance on people fawning over ridiculous nothingness. While his butt-buddy the donald prepares to get tarred and feathered over the China Bomb! His incompetence killing tens of thousands of American citizens and destroying the American economy.
Xi is pissing all over the donalds family.
Try not to kill yourself while reading this drivel!
The one-percenter (1%er) life!
CRUSHED SCORE
""SCORE International sent this out today to their data base with an interview with the DA's Cameron Steele and SLR Honda's Justin Morgan.
SOME Q&A
Justin Morgan shares some responses for Slam Life Racing while Cameron Steele comments for the Desert Assassins responding to some questions from SCORE regarding this down time from life as we have known it.
SCORE: How are you and your family coping overall with this virus situation?
JM: Everything is about normal with my family and this virus it’s not affecting us too much.
CS: We are doing pretty well and working hard to stay healthy. We started our lockdown on March 13th and the six of us have been handling each other pretty well. We have a new born, Grace, (plus wife Heidi and oldest daughter Kay) so we are keeping busy! The fish, Blue, and I are the only boys so we are outnumbered.
SCORE: Is everybody healthy at home?
JM: Everyone is healthy at home.
CS: All is good! The dog wants to know why she is getting so many baths ha ha!
SCORE: How is your business handling this situation?
JM: My job has not been changed at all, people are still buying avocados and there’s plenty of work to do.
CS: We shut Desert Assassins and are looking forward to getting back at it. I have been working on SCORE Baja 1000 planning and budget so I’ve been pretty focused on that and family. We also have more con-jobs for you gullible flat landers out there! By the way, all of our TV shows and videos.
SCORE: What are you doing with your race team during this time?
JM: The race team is at idle at the moment, we will probably do some testing in the near future.
CS: The guys are off and taking care of family and catching up at home. We have been working on a plan for the year with the changes. The race trucks, No. 16 and No. 14 are mostly ready to race, when ever that can safely start back up.
SCORE: Is your race shop still working?
JM: San Diego Powerhouse is still very busy working on bikes. Bobby has our Honda CRF450X bike ready to go.
CS: No we are shut down for now. Doing what we can on computers and very anxious to get back after it!
SCORE: How are you keeping in touch with your race team?
JM: The team usually communicates over the phone so that has not changed.
CS: Text with much of the team and call them some. We have around 40 hard core DA lifers that support our effort and we could not do it without them. We have a huge group of family that is based in Chula Vista and were a big part of West Racing, who had many Baja championships and who René Brugger races with when we sucked him into the DA vortex in 2007. Rene and Heidi have won many races together and Rene’s son Richie is with us now at the shop and they are “Prep by Brugger” officially. Crazy but a volunteer named Tim Martin suggested René when we needed driving help at the 2007 SCORE Baja 1000 and he’s been stuck with us ever since, dang that’s been 13 years! If he quits I quit, no joke!
SCORE: Have you done or are planning to do any form of vehicle testing in the near future?
JM: Mark Samuels owns the team SLR Honda and yes we will be racing together again in 2020. This extra time before we start gives Justin Jones more time to recover from his injury which will be another big help to our team.
CS: We have been all over the place on ideas and building more than testing. We have done some recent dings testing and fox sucks testing to get more mechanical grip in our trucks. The truck we love is the jeiser brothers truck and it is very easy to drive (as far as TT’s go) and we have had great success with them. The future is likely going to have a lot of 4x4 combinations and technology. We teamed with Ricky Johnson and the Mason guys for the 2019 SCORE Baja 1000 and it was a great experience but we failed to finish, those suckers, i got their money for nuthin' my first personal TT DNF since the 2006 peninsula run, ricky can't drive. We are also working on the failed BroncoR program and building a plan been working on some development there as well. The Ford team has a lot of passion and we feel a great vibe from them and the money we stole from those suckers.
SCORE: Will you be submitting the application with the SBA for the payroll stimulus payroll?
JM: I won’t be submitting anything for payroll subsidy. Thankfully, we are all still working and as I wrote earlier, the demand for avocados is still high.
CS: Our bank is lagging but we will apply for the PPP.
SCORE: Have you had a chance to play the new SCORE Baja Big Air Game yet on Apple Apps or Google Play? If so, how did you do? Yea play so,me fuckin' games while people are eatin' shit:
JM: No, no time for video games. But I’ve heard that it’s very cool.
CS: I haven’t played as I’ve been having baby duties, cooking three meals a day and doing dishes like a madman! I actually haven’t even watched my TV or web edits since we have been so busy. But with SCORE and BCII putting it together, I am sure it’s very rad.
SCORE: How hard has the adjustment been for you to just sit and wait while the virus is eradicated?
CS: It’s interesting. Staying away from people is not my usual so I feel a little off. We have been teaching school too so that’s an added excitement ha ha!
SCORE: What are you doing to get some physical and mental exercise and stay physically sharp during this challenging time?
JM: It’s been difficult sitting and waiting when we were ready to go racing, but it gives us a chance to get better. I have been trying to get myself into better shape by riding mountain bikes and have been riding my motorcycle every chance I get.
CS: I’m recovering from a wrist/hand injury from King Of the Hammers so I’ve been limited. Between Feb, 8 and March 13, I was testing my hand and mostly walking/running the dog and just this week rode my pedal bike in the neighborhood. I’m still hurting but it’s getting better. Jumping jacks while cooking and planking while down on the ground with the baby are my go to.
SCORE: What is your best race memory of the 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship?
JM: My best 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship race memory was during the SCORE Baja 1000, with a comfortable lead racing the last part of my section from Hwy 3, k77 to the finish with a fresh clutch at night with the perfectly watered dirt (from the all the rain during race week).
CS: Honestly from a racing standpoint 2019 was tough on us. After two wins in 2018 and runner up to the Championship we had two sixth place finishes in Baja as we struggled with a new truck set up early in 2019. The SCORE Baja 500 ended poorly with a water line failing [ what actually happened, Scameron failed to watch his water levels and he ran out of coolant AND didn't carry any on the truck - Dumb Fuck] but we ran all day in the top three without pushing too hard so that’s probably our racing highlight. The best moment of the year for me was also the saddest. Having my brother and former racing partner, Pistola’s (Pete Sohren) family asked if he could ride with us at the SCORE San Felipe 250 and although not a great result (sixth out of 40 some trucks) wasn’t bad and we took Pete a solid ride. We raced the 2005 TT season together and ran in front at both the SCORE Baja 500 where we started first and at Best In The Desert (you know, the better, best place to race) Vegas to Reno. We did a lot of racing together and had a lot of great times. He is missed by the whole desert and off-road racing community.
[Best moment was the saddest? BIZZARE]
SCORE: Which SCORE Baja race is your most favorite and why?
JM: My favorite SCORE race is the SCORE San Felipe 250. I really like the terrain and that it’s a short race so everyone is in a sprint the whole time.
CS: The SCORE San Felipe 250 is my favorite race. I love the fact that there is more than one way in most washes and that it’s so rough. This is a driver’s race where pre running counts and to be able to go fast enough to win but be smart enough to finish is a big part of it. The picturesque setting and the beauty of the Sea of Cortez and the rugged mountains coming together is pretty mesmerizing. The other thing is that San Felipe still has that small town Baja feel and other than on the malecon there isn’t traffic and stop lights all around.""
Updated
5AM Friday-April 3
Hundreds of troops will head to the southern border, "very soon", to stop the spread of coronavirus, according to Department of Defense officials. Donald recently said he is concerned about protecting the health of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Mexico declared a state of emergency Monday after their death toll spiked and they registered more than 1,300 positive COVID-19 cases. Canada has more than 11,200 cases and 131 deaths. A press call with the Pentagon Wednesday revealed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper approved the Department of Homeland Security's request for up to 540 troops to deploy along the entire southern border. On average 5,000 troops work with the Border Patrol on the Southwest border. That includes Marines from Camp Pendleton, according to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. These troops would be in addition to those already at the border. A Customs and Border Protection Spokesperson said the troops will not be there for military operations or for illegal immigration. The Department of Homeland Security said it is to control the spread of coronavirus and the "threat of uncontrolled cross-border movement during a pandemic."
The Department of Defense said the troops will help with detection and monitoring activities along the border. The border was shut down for non-essential travel March 21.
Update- April 3-Friday
San Felipe 250 MOVED to
September 14-20 and
Baja 1000 Minimized!
Update-Thursday-April 2
Mexico has now issued an Executive Order with similar measures to what is being experienced in California USA, in terms of allowing only essential services to operate.
Even with todays Mexico announcement, operations at the California ports of entry will continue to operate normally for now. The Decree mentioned above will have an impact, starting this week, in the number of crossings at ports of entry.
Business in Baja will shut down temporarily. On the positive side, Baja California does have a significant number of “essential” manufacturers, including all medical device companies, aerospace and support services to these companies, as well as produce related companies.
Starting this week, CBP will temporarily reduce passenger vehicle lanes at San Ysidro and as of this coming Sunday, Ped-West will be closed. There has been a 73% reduction in pedestrian crossings and a 55% reduction in passenger vehicles across California land ports of entry.
Tecate will reduce hours of operation from 5AM-10PM to 5AM-2PM.
Update-March 20
ESSENTIAL CROSSINGS RESTRICTED!
The U.S. and Mexico will Temporarily Limit Travel to Essential Crossings. The U.S. and Mexico have agreed to restrict crossings at the border separating the countries amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Starting, Friday, March 20.
Non-essential travel will be impacted but cargo deliveries will continue. Logistics companies are included, as well as food and health related businesses. No reduction in staffing is expected at the ports at this time, so wait times for those who are able to cross may even be reduced.
CLICK HERE FOR CLEAR DEFINITIONS
Reporting:
USA Feds will go to Level 4, meaning they are suggesting to the American public, no travel and immediate return to the US.
Entry to Baja South, expect health authorities to check your status.
Starting March 18, 2020, Baja South health authorities began health status checks on visitors coming in at the international airport.
Entry to USA from Mexico:
USA starting to close its border with Mexico to “non-essential traffic” due to the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes after the USA announced changes, regarding non-citizen entry at the Mexico border.
Racing the Border Report:
Mexico-USA ports of entry will remain open to American citizens, green card holders and some foreigners with proper documentation.
Joint Statement on US-Mexico Joint Initiative to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic
Release Date:March 20, 2020
The strong partnership and close cooperation between the United States and Mexico has allowed us to maintain a productive border environment. We value the health and safety of our citizens and keep that at the forefront of joint decisions made by our respective leaders regarding cross-border operations.Recognizing the robust trade relationship between the United States and Mexico, we agree our two countries, in response to the ongoing global and regional health situation, require particular measures both to protect bilateral trade and our countries’ economies and ensure the health of our nations’ citizens. We agree to the need for a dedicated joint effort to prevent spread of the COVID-19 virus and address the economic effects resulting from reduced mobility along our shared border.The U.S. and Mexican governments further recognize critical services such as food, fuel, healthcare and life-saving medicines must reach people on both sides of the border every day. Essential travel must therefore continue unimpeded during this time. In order to ensure that essential travel can continue, the United States and Mexico are also temporarily restricting all non-essential travel across its borders. “Non-essential” travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature. Additionally, we are encouraging people to exercise caution by avoiding unnecessary contact with others.
This collaborative and reciprocal initiative is an extension of our nations’ prudent approach that values the health and safety of our citizens in the joint decisions made by our respective leaders regarding cross-border operations.This joint initiative will commence at 00:01 Saturday March 21 throughout the US-Mexico land border for a period of 30 days subject to extension upon review.
March 31 UPDATE BITD
Due to state shelter-in-place restrictions in effect through the end of April, we are moving the VT Construction Silver State 300 Presented by Polaris RZR to later in May or June with no pre-fun run and pending local and federal guidelines. We will be announcing official dates in the coming weeks.In addition, we are working on new dates for the Jagged X National Desert Cup Presented by Quantum Motorsports. We anticipate the Maxxis Vegas to Reno Presented by Fox, Battle Born 250, and Bluewater Desert Challenge to take place on their originally scheduled dates. Best In The Desert will be providing weekly updates in the weeks ahead to keep everyone informed. We are confident that we will be back racing race as soon as we are sure it is safe to do so. In the meantime, we thank you for your continued support of Best In The Desert. We hope this message finds you and your family well, in good spirits, and in good health.
Start Reporting
Became Independent reporting on April 18, 2020- March 31, 2020 we started reporting on the wave of misery, the 2020 pandemic and its impact on the recreation of Baja racing.
CLICK HERE FOR REPORTING ON THE desert racing season to March 31.
BajaRacingNews.com
