The Baja Rally wants to reward its winners with something a bit more than just a simple trophy. That’s why the highest finishing amateur rider in 2026 will receive a custom-built Kove 450 Rally as the “Baja Rally Trophy Bike”, while the Pro classes will compete for a prize pool called the “Pro Stakes”.

The Pro Stakes is a $15,000 purse that can be increased to as much as $30K using the $1K entry fee for Rally Pro. The winner of the class earns $10K at minimum, while second and third each get a fraction proportional to the number of entries.

Rally Pro riders are those who have been declared as professional, have previously finished top three in the Rally 1 category at any previous Baja Rally, completed a W2RC stage, or finished third as a rider of record in any SCORE race.

While they aren’t part of the Pro Stakes, riders signed up in Rally 1, Rookie, Senior, or Malle Moto are eligible for the Trophy Bike as long as they aren’t considered professionals.

“We’ve teamed with insiders from the ADV industry to make it interesting,” race director Mauricio Parra stated. “This trophy has two aspects: the material value which is measurable and then you have the luster of the honor of it. Both of these aspects converge into a single showpiece, a timeless symbol of triumph that the winner will obviously cherish for their lifetime.

“Historically, it’s been a wild card for the non-professionals, and we have many more amateurs to incentivize with this challenge. Let’s face it, the actual pros are on a completely different level down here.”

The race will run from September 27 to October 3. Stages 3 and 4 are marathon legs.

Ciaran Naran is the defending winner.

2026 Baja Rally route

Stage	Start	Finish	Date
Stage 1	San Quintin	San Quintin	September 28
Stage 2	San Quintin	Cataviña	September 29
Stage 3	Cataviña	Guerrero Negro	September 30
Stage 4	Guerrero Negro	Cataviña	October 1
Stage 5	Cataviña	Cataviña	October 2
Stage 6	Cataviña	San Quintin	October 3

Featured image credit: Baja Rally