Baja California is a hub for desert racing, and NORRA is a type of injecting a little bit of rally flavour into the area with its multi-day races Mexican 1000 and NORRA 500. The sanctioning physique desires to additional ship this expertise in 2024 by naming Dakar Rally veteran Jimmy Lewis as motorbike race director. As a part of his duties, Lewis will design the course for bikes that emphasises what NORRA calls “straightforward navigation to rival off-road using discovered wherever on this planet.”
He runs the Jimmy Lewis Off-Highway Using Faculty in Pahrump, Nevada, which teaches the necessities of using off-road bikes together with rally-oriented courses like navigation. Many prime American racers have attended the varsity to hone their expertise together with reigning Dakar Rally champion Ricky Brabec, Andrew Quick, and Sara Value; Value, who received a Dakar stage within the SSV class in January, particularly singled out coaching with Lewis when she spoke with The Checkered Flag final spring. The varsity additionally maintains a partnership with NORRA, offering each on-line programs and free coaching.
Lewis himself greater than lives as much as the varsity’s status as properly, having loved success throughout just about each type of off-road motorbike racing. In 1991, he and Group USA received the FIM Worldwide Six Days Enduro’s Junior Trophy for the People’ first victory on the legendary occasion since 1973. Seven years later, he conquered the Baja 1000 bike total.
As a BMW manufacturing facility rider, Lewis entered his first Paris–Dakar Rally in 1996. The next 12 months, he scored a stage win and was the perfect single-cylinder bike finisher in fourth. Regardless of lacking the general podium that race, he lastly broke by way of in 2000 when he positioned third total to turn out to be simply the second American podium finisher on the Dakar, whereas additionally successful the two-cylinder subcategory. A month later, he received the Abu Dhabi Desert Problem, a present spherical of the World Rally-Raid Championship, and stays its solely outright winner from the USA. Lewis’ ultimate Dakar in 2001 ended with a crash.
Though his aggressive days have since come to an finish, he’s serving to others break into the off-road racing world themselves. He additionally works because the course director for the Rebelle Rally and King of the Motos. His contributions earned him the 2017 Affect Award from the Off-Highway Motorsports Corridor of Fame.
“I need riders to have a stepping stone into rally raid occasions just like the Nevada Rally supplied for me as a younger racer,” mentioned Lewis. “I’ve by no means forgotten the Baja terrain from thirty years in the past. The NORRA Mexican 1000 will embody that.”
For 2024, the bike courses will likely be divided into Professional Rally, Newbie Rally, and Sportsman. The Professional and Newbie Rally courses will use roadbooks akin to conventional rally raids, whereas Sportsman riders utilise GPS navigation and compete on a separate course. Every of those divisions are additional break up relying on rider kind similar to Ironman for these racing solo and groups.
The 2024 Mexican 1000 will run from 26 April to 4 Might, whereas the NORRA 500 takes place on 10–13 October.
