(Agua Dulce, Calif.,)  While the world enjoys this week’s Christmas holiday, racers and adventure seekers from many parts of the globe are looking forward to their own off-road motorsports tradition. With just 140 days left before the fifth annual General Tire NORRA Mexican 1000, event registration will open as it has for the past three years – on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2014 at exactly 12:00pm (noon) Pacific Standard Time (PST).

NORRA’S’ electronic registration process takes place entirely online to insure a fair process for those wishing to secure spots for this increasingly popular and wholly unique motorsports adventure. Early registration not only guarantees a vehicle entry, but also provides competitors with their choice of numbers, up-front Day 1 starting positions by class and a comfirmed hotel reservation for the rally’s first overnight for four-wheel vehicles in Bahia De Los Angeles (first-come, first-served).

“New Years Day is really like Christmas morning for the entire NORRA crew,” explained National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) President Mike Pearlman. “Last January we accepted nearly 80 entries for the 2013 rally at the dawn of a new year, and we expect to exceed that number next Wednesday. We also felt strongly that we will be hosting more than 200 vehicles at next year’s rally.”

This year’s rally, which will draw entries from all parts of the globe, is scheduled to take place from Saturday, May 10 through Wednesday, May 14 and run the length of Baja’s legendary peninsula. New for 2014 is the event’s first host city of Ensenada, Mexico and a unique split format designed to greatly enhance the safety of participants. The rally will separate motorcycle categories from four-wheel classes via different routes during the first three days of competition, with a substantial time separation of the motorcycles and four-wheel vehicles on Day 4 from La Paz to San Jose Del Cabo.

Dubbed the “Happiest Race on Earth,” the unique off-road rally was created by Pearlman in 2010. The one-of-a-kind, once-a-year, four-day rally includes vintage off-road vehicles and motorcycles, rally cars, a limited number of modern desert racecars and classes for pre-runner trucks and buggies. Pearlman’s late father Ed and others established the first running of the NORRA Mexican 1000 off-road rally in November of 1967, which eventually became internationally recognized and evolved into the Baja 1000 in the mid-1970s.

Registration will be open to all automobiles and motorcycles that meet basic safety standards as outlined in the NORRA rulebook (currently available at the www.mexican1000.com website). Each day of the rally consists of special stages (speed timed stages in the dirt) linked together by controlled speed liaison / transit sections (highway). While still a competitively timed event, all entries will enjoy the beautiful Baja scenery and group festivities. In addition, NORRA is planning greatly enhanced hospitality events for 2014 – a Mexican 1000 tradition.

The NORRA Mexican 1000 is proudly supported by General Tire, American Racing Wheel, Azunia Tequila, South Point Hotel and Casino, KC HiLites, Walker Evans Racing, Bilstein Shocks and MasterCraft Safety.

For more event and registration information, please visit NORRA’s website at www.mexican1000.com.