The Baja California Sur state congress on Tuesday approved a formal motion directing Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez and the Junta Estatal de Caminos (JEC, the state roads agency) to repair dirt roads damaged by the Dos Mares 500 off-road race within one week of the event’s conclusion. The 2026 edition of the race is scheduled for May 1 to 3, with San José del Cabo serving as the main hub.
State representative Sergio Ricardo Huerta Leggs presented the motion on the floor of the congress in La Paz. He called on both municipal and state road authorities to coordinate with race organizers to restore rural routes used during the competition. The goal is to prevent lasting damage to roads that rural communities depend on daily.
Race Route Spans Multiple Checkpoints
The Dos Mares 500 is a long-distance off-road race that crosses dirt roads, ranch trails, and desert terrain. This year’s route includes checkpoints at Palo Escopeta, the road to Cabo Pulmo, Los Barriles, Los Planes, Ejido Álvaro Obregón, and El Pescadero before reaching the finish line in San José del Cabo. The race area sits near the hotel zone, with the main competition staging area near the Vidanta Los Cabos hotel.
Organizers expect more than 200 vehicles and 70 motorcycles to participate in the 2026 edition. The event, which began in 1994 under the Club Automovilístico La Paz, draws around 150 teams along with support crews and spectators. Local officials have noted that the race generates significant economic activity in lodging, food, and fuel sales.
Road Closures and Traffic Impacts
Los Cabos authorities have already implemented a special traffic plan for race weekend. The main competition will take place in front of the hotel zone on May 1. Drivers in the San José del Cabo area should expect closures and detours near the race staging areas through the weekend.
Huerta Leggs acknowledged the race’s economic benefits but stressed that rural communities along the route bear the cost of torn-up roads. The congressional motion is non-binding but puts public pressure on both the Los Cabos city government and JEC Director Jorge Alberto Cota Pérez to act quickly once the race wraps up.
Residents and visitors traveling on dirt roads in the East Cape and Pacific side of the peninsula in early May should plan for rough conditions until repairs are completed. The one-week repair deadline, if honored, would mean restored roads by approximately May 10.
Originally reported by El Sudcaliforniano and Noticias La Paz.