Baja 1000 has the unfortunate luck of having bad physics, which is a shame since the rest of the game feels good to play. There's a great sense of speed, an abundance of tracks, and a plethora of cars, but none of it really matters if you never know how you'll land after the next bump in the road. It may cause you to suddenly face the wrong way on the track. Physics feel realistic while speed is of the arcade variety, and you might forget that each time you take a jump too fast and crash on rocks. Or you'll find yourself going so fast on both up- and downhills that your tires no longer keep traction, which will also end with you facing the wrong way. After crashing, you can reset but at a cost. Your turbo boost meter won't be available for a few seconds. This feels like more of a punishment than anything. The turbo boost adds to the feel of an arcade game, with a limited meter that burns out if used too much and automatically cools off. You won't be able to win a race without using it throughout. Even then it seems most of the problems come from going too fast.
If you can get used to jumping around so much what you'll find is a very well-made game with no glitches, plenty of content, and racing that's actually exciting. The AI makes mistakes just like a player, they take different paths (which there are plenty of in several of the tracks), and for once they're actually challenging. When in last place a thick cloud of dust is just about the only thing you'll see.
Its a niche game. If you're into other arcade off-road racing games such as the MX vs ATV or Motorstorm series, then you'll probably find something good for you here. But anyone else who enjoys racing games will find the physics and overall presentation nothing to be impressed by.