Triumph to take on the Baja desert race
Riding Triumph’s new Scrambler 1200 XE, Ernie Vigil will line up for the start of the race on 26th April to 3rd May
TRIUMPH have confirmed their Scrambler 1200 XE is to take part in its first off-road endurance race, the Norra Mexican 1000 race, ridden by off-road racer Ernie Vigil.
Vigil’s last attempt at a competitive debut on Scrambler was canned after an ankle injury from a training accident on his own 450 enduro machine. Now fully recovered and fit for action, Ernie has spent the last 3 weeks in Southern California with the race-ready Scrambler 1200 completing his final preparations for this gruelling challenge.
Vigil’s bike is in near-standard condition, with just a few specific changes for the event including desert racing seat, lights, grips, and extreme profile sand tyres. Topping off the race-spec features, there is also a unique off-road racing scheme with Triumph’s signature Black and White paint and graphics.
The Norra Mexican 1000 is an off-road racing challenge that covers 1,000 miles across the rocky desert, with riders tackling quicksand, unpredictable 1,000bhp racing trucks, and the elements. Starting in Ensenada, Mexico, the original 1,000-mile route (which is where it gets its name) kicked off in 1967.
Ernie Vigil said: “After 9 months of training, the injury and over 6,000 off-road miles in the saddle I’m excited to be getting to the final stage of prep for one of the most challenging off-road races you can do. I literally can’t wait to get to that starting line and fire the Scrambler up! The bike has been performing amazingly well and I’m raring to go.”
This isn’t the first time Triumph have put their machines up against some of the most arduous off-road challenges, with Vigil competing in this event on a Tiger 800 adventure machine and Felipe Lopez riding a specially built Tiger-based race bike called the Tramontana in the Panafrica Rally in 2017.
To read our full review of the Scrambler 1200, click here.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
