Post-Race Finish Line Quotes

BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by K&N

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com.
By Paul Hanson, Isaac Flores, John Gonzales, Ariana Medrano, transcribed by Guilherme Torres

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Custom Trucks)
BRYCE MENZIES, No. 7 (First in class. First overall. Bryce Menzies started and drove to race mile 525. Andy McMillin drove from race mile 525 to race mile 925. Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr drove from race mile 925 to the finish.) -- This one feels really special. It took me over ten years to win the SCORE Baja 100 and to win the second-longest SCORE race in history, it feels pretty special. I had a very smooth first section, with no flats or anything, Andy had one flat in his part but did a great job too and Tavo went through San Felipe and all the bumps and the cold weather. I also wanted to thank SCORE for putting on another amazing race here in Baja. CO-DRIVER ANDY McMILLIN said: Bryce got me the truck in a great spot, first on the road and on time. Unfortunately, I had a flat tire early in my section and had to change it, so some of the guys behind us got closer. I really had to dig deep and continue to push forward. I knew that if we were still first at around race mile 640, in the Bay of LA, we were going to make dust in those big, fast roads and no one was going to be able to come around. We were able to make up some time there. In the Catavina Loop, we just wanted to keep the truck clean, even if we needed to go slow. This is a very grueling and demanding race on your mind, your body and your emotions and when you chase it for so long and you come up short, there’s a lot to be said about that. Bryce has been trying to win his first SCORE Baja 1000 for 13 years and he always came back and kept fighting. That says a lot about his character and the kind of person he is. I’m very thankful for them having me here racing for them. CO-DRIVER TAVO VILDOSOLA JR said: Having been racing down here for the last 25 years, I was very familiar with my section. The Valle de la Trinidad section is always very difficult, but it wasn’t as bad this time. The Goat Trail was ridiculously wet and it was really hard to even see anything in there. Luke (McMillin, No 1.) was making up time on me so I just put my shield up from Ojos Negros to the finish and kept pushing. It was an interesting final 120 miles. It feels great to win the race. We knew we were a great team and a lot of people expected us to win it. I’m glad we actually did it.
LUKE McMILLIN, No. 1 (Second in class. Rob MacCachren started and drove to race mile 638. Luke McMillin drove from race mile 638 to the finish.) -- Overall, it was a great SCORE Baja 1000. There were all kinds of terrain, silt, rocks, it was warm down South and a lot cooler up here and we were splashing through water puddles from the last 48 hours. There were a lot of different elements and that’s what the SCORE Baja 1000 is all about. We drove through the entire night and the sun was coming up when we finished. Rob did a great job in the first half of the race. We didn’t have any major issues, but the ones we had held us back a couple of times. But that’s racing and it’s hard to have a clean day here in Baja. The team did a great job and we’re happy to be on the podium. We pushed it a bit harder in the last 100 miles and made up ten or 12 minutes and it was a lot of fun. CO-DRIVER ROB MacCACHREN said: The race went well. We just lock track position in about race mile 32 and that costed me two spots. That allowed Menzies (Bryce, No. 7) get out in front for 15 to minutes and Luke did a great job bringing us closer in the final section of the course. We’re proud. We had no mechanical issues at all, it was an incredible run and just a testament to the McMillin Racing team. If you think about this battle between Luke’s team and Bryce’s team over the past couple of years, it’s been really amazing. They are the two top dogs in the sport right now and it’s just fun to go out and battle. Luke won the last three SCORE Baja 1000s and this was Menzies’ first. I’m sure Luke will want to continue battling and he’ll look at everything that happened in this race and get better for the next time.
MIKE WALSER, No. 89 (Third in class. Christopher Polvoorde started and drove to race mile 525. Ray Griffith drove from race mile 525 to race mile 915. Mike Walser drove from race mile 915 to the finish.) – We had some charging issues during the night and couldn’t run all of our lights, which slowed us down a little. I feel like we ran about 80-90% of what we could and I’m happy to be here. It was a tough course and the rain made it even tougher, so I’m happy to be here. CO-DRIVER CHRISTOPHER POLVOORDE said: It was a good race. My section was super clean and smooth, it was even a little bit boring. I didn’t have really any issues, was just stuck in the dust behind the leaders, but still managed to move up from fifth to third and hand the truck to Ray in a really good condition. Unfortunately, when it got dark our guys started experiencing some electrical issues, so they had problems with their lights and because of that we weren’t unable to catch the leaders. We lost a little bit of time there, but once we figured it out and got it settled, we just brought it home and I’m very happy.
ANDREW MYERS, No. 69 (Fourth in class. Andrew Myers started and drove to race mile 762. Adam Householder drove from race mile 762 to the finish.) – The start was fast and rocky. It was fun to come up North the Peninsula for the first time. We had a few flats and had to change an air cleaner, but nothing big. I would like to thank the city of La Paz and SCORE for a great race and also our team and the people here from Baja. CO-DRIVER ADAM HOUSEHOLDER said: We had an awesome race. I only had one flat all day and Andrew had three, but we got to keep moving the entire time. My job was to bring the car here to the finish line and that’s what I did. The Catavina Loop (race mile 800) was very slow and technical and the last 100 miles before the finish were also pretty muddy and it was a bit hard to see ahead of us.
SAM BALDI, No. 82 (Fifth in class. Eduardo Laguna started and drove to race mile 525. Jack Johnson drove from race mile 525 to race mile 900. Sam Baldi drove from race mile 900 to the finish.) – Eduardo had a few issues right at the beginning, he hit a rock in the front and threw a belt, but other than that, they did pretty good. Jake did a great job in keeping up with the pack and handed us a good, clean truck and here we are. The last 100 miles were incredible, just pure mud, but we’re here. Thanks, SCORE, for putting on such a great race and to Mexico and the fans too.
ROBERTO ROMO JR, No. 33 (Sixth in class. Roberto Romo Jr started and drove to race mile 150. Juan C. Lopez drove from race mile 150 to race mile 525. Roberto Romo drove from race mile 525 to race mile 700. Roberto Romo Jr drove from race mile 700 to the finish). – I’m happy with our result today. There was a lot of water on the course. Also had a little bump on the front. We had a clean race and I’m happy with that. SCORE races are always the best.
LARRY ROESELER, No. 43 (Seventh in class. Paul Wheel started and drove to race mile 300. Larry Roeseler drove from race mile 300 to race mile 790. Toby Price drove from race mile 790 to the finish.) – Just making it to Ensenada feels like a win to me. Considering how our day started and all the issues we had, a top-ten finish is very good. We’re just really pleased to be here. It’s respectable and the competition was amazing. Today, even if you had a clean race, it was going to be head-to-head. The course was super grueling and then you throw in the rain. This SCORE Baja 1000 is certainly right up there with the toughest. Paul had some issues with a flat right at the start and we have on-board jacks that come down, but it had problems and got hung up. It took us an hour to unbolt them and get going. We started in a good spot, but unfortunately the issues we had put us well behind. CO-DRIVER TOBY PRICE: My section went OK, but I had a couple of flats and unfortunately, we just couldn’t keep our spare tires in the rack today, they kept coming out. We got through and we’re happy to be at the finish line. Larry did an amazing job holding it together and got us back up within the field. We’ll be happy with a top-ten finish. This is our first finish in a year and a half. We wanted to be a bit further up, but we’re happy to be here.
CHRISTOPHER POLVOORDE, No. 91 (Polvoorde did not drive. Eighth in class. Rolf Helland started and drove to race mile 410. Rick D. Johnson drove from race mile 410 to race mile 923. Bobby Pecoy drove from race mile 923 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER BOBBY PECOY said: When I got the car, it was super clean, but after going through all that mud…We got a lot of rain and it was pretty hard to see what we were going to get. The washes were full of water and there were puddles everywhere. We just had to go through them. The car was amazing and it was a lot of fun driving it today.
DAVE TAYLOR, No. 26 (Ninth in class. Dave Taylor started and drove to race mile 450. Ryan Poelman drove from race mile 450 to race mile 900. Dodge Poelman drove from race mile 900 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER DODGE POELMAN said: We’re missing a whole lot of body panels on the front. Our hood flew off when we were going about 110 miles an hour, but we didn’t’ slide the car or anything. We ended up getting a couple of flats, which put us down on time, but other than that, we had a really good day.
ALAN AMPUDIA, No. 10 (Tenth in class. Alan Ampudia started and drove to race mile 780. Aaron Ampudia drove from race mile 780 to race mile 1200. Jax Redline drove from race mile 1200 to the finish.) – It was a good day. Our transmission started slipping in Loreto (race mile 300) and we had to baby it a little bit because we still had 1,000 miles to go and didn’t want to take any risks. We were third for most of the race and even got by Luke (McMillin, No. 1) briefly, but they passed us when we had pit issues. Bryce (Menzies, No. 7) was already five minutes ahead, so we just wanted to stay there and see what was going to happen. He had a perfect day and ended up winning it. Unfortunately, our transmission went down about 60 miles to the finish. Third was not what we wanted coming into the race, but it was going to be a good finish, so that’s a bummer. But we take the good and the bad and we know we can run with the best. CO-DRIVER JAX REDLINE said: I drove the final section, starting in San Felipe, and it was insane. I got the truck in a good condition and tried to take care of it. It was very muddy past the Goat Trail and I just trying not to crash the truck. I had some successive minor issues, but our team worked great and I just go to keep pushing it forward. We were third for a while and tried to catch the guys up top, but ran into some minor issues. I am still happy that we finished. It’s been an honor to be a part of the Ampudia team in this race.
ETHAN EBERT, No. 9 (Eleventh in class. Ethan Ebert, Richard Glasczak, Chip Prescott and Bobby Smith split driving duties.) – Things went well for us, but Baja obviously has its ups and downs and this SCORE Baja 1000 was 1,300 miles, so there was a lot to go. This Honda Ridgeline proved its worthy. We couldn’t have asked for a better truck, especially in the San Felipe section, which is all whoops. Nothing ever really went wrong. We just stuck to the plan and got to the finish. Anytime you can finish a SCORE Baja race, it just feels so good. It feels amazing and it can’t get much better than that here.
GARY MAGNESS, No. 45 (Twelfth in class. Gary Magness started and drove to race mile 350. Chelsea Magness drove from race mile 350 to race mile 550. Matt Robinson drove from race mile 550 to race mile 750. Mike McNaughton drove from race mile 750 to race mile 1014. Armando Bravo drove from race mile 1014 to the finish.) – CO-DRIVER ARMANDO BRAVO said: My section was very intense. There was a lot of mud and it was tough going anywhere. We had some issues with the GPS, but that was pretty much everything, besides a flat tire.
 
  SCORE TT LEGENDS (SCORE Trophy Truck drivers over 50 years old)
GUSTAVO VILDOSOLA SR, No. 1L (First in class. Ricky Johnson started and drove to race mile 350. Mike Johnson drove from race mile 350 to race mile 640. Mike Coleman drove from race mile 640 to race mile 1000. Gustavo Vildosola Sr drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – We had a clean day with the exception of the mud at the end. I’d like to acknowledge and thank Rick and the two Mikes. Our team did a wonderful job in preparing this car. We’ve ran 1,300 miles and we still have brakes and good suspension. It was also special to race with a Kyle LeDuc sticker in our truck. He was a fantastic person and a better driver, who unfortunately left too soon. CO-DRIVER RICKY JOHNSON said: Mike Coleman got the most miles and toughest section and he did phenomenal. When we got it to Gus, it was cold, foggy and there was some rain, and him being the veteran that he is, he made it through the washes a lot faster than we anticipated. I couldn’t be prouder of this whole team. We had an awesome run. That’s now eight wins in eight races for this team and two championships. CO-DRIVER MIKE COLEMAN said: The first part of my section was super fast, up to the LA Bay. But when we jumped across the highway and went to the coast, it was miserable. There was a lot of silt and rocks going uphill, but the truck worked phenomenal. It was a long evening and little bit more technical than usual, but it was a lot of fun. CO-DRIVER MIKE JOHNSON said: My section went pretty flawless. We had a little gear box issue, but quickly got it sorted out and got going. I also got a flat, but it wasn’t much of a problem.
CLAY LAWRENCE, 85L (Second in class. Clay Lawrence started and drove to race mile 350. Mark Dobson drove from race mile 350 to race mile 950. Steve Lawler drove from race 950 to race mile 1150. Clay Lawrence drove from race mile 1150 to the finish.) – I just want to thank all of the fans here in Baja, all the way from La Paz up here. The way they treat us is really incredible. We haven’t been in La Paz in a few years and it was easy to see how excited everyone was. There’s a lot of new areas in Baja Sur we’ve never been to and it makes it really exciting for us to explore new terrain. The course was completely different going North this time and the rain changed everything again. We really need to thank SCORE for this race. I know they’ve put on a lot of work to put it together and this has been a lifetime experience to all of us. This hasn’t been our best finish, but I haven’t had this much fun in a long time and that’s what this is all about. We want to compete, we want to win, but we’re all family here and that makes it very special.
DAVID PAYNE, No. 61L (Third in class. David Payne started and drove to race mile 350. Lee O’Donnell drove from race mile 350 to race mile 800. Damon Bradshaw drove from race mile 800 to the finish.) – We started on fire, went 300 miles flawlessly, but then we hit a rock and that’s when the trouble started. From that point on, it delayed us two or three hours and we had to replace some of the rear end and it was a struggle. It was night time, we got stuck in silt beds and had to find our way through there. We kept pushing through, but struggling too. I gave up a couple of times and I can’t believe we made it all the way here. We were still battling people at the end. Still this late in the game, we were racing. 
JOSE FLORES, No. 55L (Fourth in class. Jose Flores, James Sejd and Andrea Tomba split driving duties.) – It was messy. We had a lot of issues and wasted a lot of time in the silt beds. Our suspension also had problems just about 200 miles from the finish and we had to deal with that as well.
 
  CLASS 1 (Unlimited open-wheel single or two-seaters)
KYLE QUINN, No. 100 (First in class. Greg Distefano started and drove to race mile 530. John Herder drove from race mile 530 to race mile 918. Kyle Quinn drove from race mile 918 to the finish.) – I started racing in short course tracks and all the mud brought me a lot of memories. I couldn’t see well, but it was great, I had so much fun. It was a long day and night, but we made it all the way up the Peninsula this time. It was brutal. The SCORE Baja 1000 was our first finish this year. We were trying to back up our championship from last year and had some back luck at the start, but this is a good start for next year.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN, No. 162 (Second in class. Brendan Gaughan started and drove to race mile 525. Casey Mears drove from race mile 525 to race mile 900. Buddy Feldkamp drove from race mile 900 to the finish.) – It was a typical Baja day for us, nothing is ever perfect here, unless your name is Bryce Menzies, Rob MacCachren or Luke McMillin – it’s amazing how great these guys are. I think this SCORE Baja 1000 was a great showing for the Class 1 vehicles. We had some great battles out there. Kyle Quinn (No. 100) and us were within one mile from each other for 250 straight miles. It was an absolutely amazing night, I couldn’t have had more fun. Thank you to SCORE for another amazing race. It was an amazing course and I know they had to get a lot of logistics sorted out to make it happen. I love the people of Baja, that’s what makes this place so special. That’s why my dad starting doing it in the 1960s and I’m going to continue doing it for as long as I can. It was fun to race with Casey and Buddy, especially because of the long history our families have in off-road racing.
CODY REID, No. 168 (Third in class. Cody Reid started and drove to race mile 530. Shelby Reid drove from race mile 530 to race mile 720. Devin Housh drove from race mile 720 to the finish). – We were having a ridiculously good, clean run going. We were leading the class when I passed it to my mom and she kept it going. Devin had a couple of little issues at the Catavina Loop but then Baja decided to send its tricks our way because we were having too much of a good day. That set us back for a while but we still stayed in the hunt until the end. My mom came out of retirement just for this one, final race, which gave her another shot at winning the SCORE Baja 1000 before she called it quits. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen today, but we still got the long-game win and we’re going to celebrate. I really enjoyed this backwards SCORE Baja 1000, I think we should do it again soon.
CODY PARKHOUSE, No. 127 (Fourth in class. Cody Parkhouse started and drove to race mile 600. Joe David drove from race mile 600 to race mile 1000. Brian Parkhouse drove from race mile 1000 to the finish). – It was a long race and we got a good start. We got a good pace going, which was about 70% of what our car can do. We knew it was going to be a long day, so we just played it safe at the beginning. We had a great time and a lot of fun. I handed the car to Joe, but he had some issues hitting a rock. My dad got in the car and he had no issues until the finish. It took us a little longer than we wanted, but we’ll take a finish in this big of a race. It’s the longest race I’ve ever done. CO-DRIVER BRIAN PARKHOUSE said: Cody had a flat and had us in third place on the road. Joe unfortunately hit a rock and got a flat, damaged the brakes and put a crack on the sector shaft. We had been up to first, but limped to the pit and had to change the sector shaft. When we got it fixed, we got back to fifth and still managed to move up to fourth before the finish. Taking out the steering box, that killed us. If wasn’t for that, we’d be right in the hunt.
BUTCH JENSEN, No. 125 (Fifth in class. Butch Jensen started and drove to race mile 350. Javier Montoya drove from race mile 350 to race mile 785. Eliseo Garcia drove from race mile 785 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER ELISEO GARCIA said: My section was a lot of fun. I got sixty miles in the highway and crossing from one side of the Peninsula to the other in the night, with all the mud, it was an accomplishment. The car is very dirty, but it didn’t present any issues, we just had to replace an engine belt almost here at the end, but it took us only 20 minutes to get it sorted out.
AL TORRES, No. 101 (Sixth in class. Al Torres started and drove to race mile 300. Don Martin drove from race mile 300 to race mile 600. Rotelio Reese drove from race mile 600 to race mile 1000. Javier Lopez drove from race mile 1000 to 1100. Rotelio Reese drove from race mile 1100 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER ROTELIO REESE said: It was a very tough race. We’ve never had that many problems in a SCORE Baja 100 and the course was brutal, but it’s part of the race. There was so much silt, mud and rocks. The rain also created some problems. We got stuck one time too, but other drivers helped us keep going.
 
  TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (unlimited Truck/SUV, stock, sealed engines)
RESULTS FOR THIS CLASS ARE UNDER TECHNICAL REVIEW FOR POST-RACE ENGINE INSPECTION
RILEY HERBST, No. 298 (First in class. Troy Herbst started and drove to race mile 350. Riley Herbst drove from race mile 350 to race mile 750. Jordan Dean drove from race mile 750 to the finish.) – My section was very fast and very dusty and we didn’t have a lot of downtime. We got a little bit of rain in the Pacific, but it only made for a really interesting section. The SCORE Baja 1000 is the one that matters the most, so it’s pretty cool to come down here and win it, it means a lot. CO-DRIVER JORDAN DEAN said: It was a pretty good day. It went very smooth, we had no flat tires or anything. The hood got loose in one of the washes and we just decided to take it off in one of the fuel stops. The course was amazing, I really have to thank SCORE for putting this on. From Valle de la Trinidad to the finish, it was so muddy and it kept us on our toes all the way to the end. We didn’t have the best race at the SCORE Baja 400 but I’m glad that we were able to pull through here and I have to thank the Herbst family for having me. CO-DRIVER TROY HERBST said: It went flawless for us. We didn’t have any flats with our BFGoodrich Tires and the guys at the Herbst Motorsports Shop put together a great piece of equipment. We couldn’t be any happier. We love being down here and we appreciate SCORE and all the work.
TRAVIS WILLIAMS, No. 277 (Second in class. C.J. Hutchins started and drove to race mile 525. Travis Chase drove from race mile 525 to race mile 900. Travis Williams drove from race mile 900 to the finish.) – C.J. had a great run going, he started at 13th and went all the way to fourth. Unfortunately, he got stuck behind another truck at around race mile 350 and we were stopped for about an hour. He got going again and made up some time and Travis after him had a very clean run. At one point, we were behind for 70 miles and when I got the truck, we had cut it to 40 miles. We made up a ton of time, but it wasn’t enough. Maybe another 50 miles would have made it, but we kept trying. It’s our first SCORE Baja 1000 and to come in second, it’s huge for our team. It’s our first season with SCORE and we were third in the SCORE San Felipe 250 but did really bad at both the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 400. We’re hoping to be a force in the class next season.
PAT SIMS, No. 211 (Third in class. Tim Wilson started and drove to race mile 500. Blaine Conrad drove from race mile 500 to race mile 950. Pat Sims drove from race mile 950 to the finish.) – It went great, it seems like we’re getting a top five here. I was third when I got the car, but ended up losing a spot before the finish. The only issue I had was with the intercom on my helmet. It was a typical SCORE Baja 1000 – long, hot and whoopy. I’m not sure if the rain helped or hurt us, it made that silt a lot better. The guys with King Shocks had no issues at all. I had a blast.
OLIVER FLEMATE, No. 244 (Fourth in class. Santiago Creel started and drove to race mile 597. Oliver Flemate drove from race mile 597 to the finish.) – It was the toughest and roughest race I’ve even drove. It was a very hard SCORE Baja 1000. If we manage to finish in the top five, it’s a great finish. There was so much dust and water and the San Felipe section was challenging as well. We didn’t have any big issues with the car, it was mostly battling the obstacles. We’re very happy to have completed the SCORE Baja 1000, the toughest and longest race in the world.
MASON CULLEN, No. 207 (Fifth in class. Matt Cullen started and drove to race mile 350. Broc Dickerson drove from race mile 350 to race mile 780. Mason Cullen drove from race mile 780 to the finish.) – We had some hiccups here and there, a couple of flat tires and some other small problems, but other than that, it was a clean day. We just had to battle the dust and stuff. This might have been the toughest SCORE Baja 1000 I’ve ever done. They added everything they could have and there was the rain for two days before the start of the race. It was fun, it was an adventure for sure.
WILLIAM HENDRICK JR, No. 295 (Sixth in class. William Hendrick Jr started and drove to race mile 350. Jimmy Nuckles drove from race mile 350 to race mile 600. Jorge Sampietro drove from race mile 600 to race mile 930. William Hendrick drove from race mile 930 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER WILLIAM HENDRICK said: The course up here near the end was quite interesting, much different than what we had in pre-running. With the rain, the last 30 miles was all mud. The feeling of making it all the way to the end in this particular SCORE Baja 1000 is very special. We hit a cactus and had to stop because it was all over our bodies, but other than that, it was really good. Jorge had a problem with power steering and broke a driveshaft, but we got it done in no time. The fact that the SCORE Baja 1000 started in La Paz for the first time made it really different and it was nice for the people of Baja California Sur to have it.
DAMON LEWIS, No. 281 (Seventh in class. Michael Lewis started and drove to race mile 525. Christian Lewis drove from race mile 525 to race mile 950. Dave Densmore drove from race mile 950 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER DAVE DENSMORE said: It was a rough, long day, but it was fun. Unfortunately, Damon got a concussion and couldn’t race. We had a little bit of a problem with our starter, but that was about all. I got two flat tires too, but it was a good day. I think this was the roughest course I’ve ever done. But it was an adventure and that’s why we are here.
VINCENT MUNOZ, No. 294 (Eighth in class. Vincent Munoz started and drove to race mile 520. Danny Folks drove from race mile 520 to race mile 915. Pat Gailey drove from race mile 915 to race mile 1200. Vincent Munoz drove from race mile 1200 to the finish.) - - I started and handed it off at race mile 520, then got back in at race mile 1200 and me and the wife brought it to the finish. We had a brake issue; we only have three brakes - two back brakes and one front. We only had one flat the entire race and it was driver error - I hit something hard. My section wasn’t bad, we just adapted. Danny had an alternator failure and Pat had a drive shaft failure and power steering pump go bad, but it was all part of the show.
SANTIAGO CREEL, No. 260 (Ninth in class. Guillermo Zamacona started and drove to race mile 200. Elias Hanna drove from race mile 200 to race mile 600. Dan Fresh drove from race mile 600 to race mile 1000. Santiago Creel drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – My section went very well. There was a lot of water and mud and it was a bit slippery, but we handled it well. We were fighting for a spot in the podium, but had to stop to switch our transmission and that took it away from us. We got a couple of flat tires and also a little electrical issue with our acceleration, but that didn’t take as much time from us as the transmission problem did.
DAVID ZIEGLER, No. 266 (Tenth in class. David Ziegler started and drove to race mile 525. Paul Ziegler drove from race mile 525 to race mile 1000. Chuck Dempsey drove from race mile 1000 the finish.) - - I started and drove to about race mile 525 and then my brother got in and went to about 1000, then Chuck Dempsey brought it home. We got stuck in that last silt bed around race mile 340 and messed up the power steering. That took us two hours to change that out. We didn’t have any flats. I think we were running in the top three when that happened, so that is a little disappointing but we had a good time.
EJ HERBST, No. 263 (Eleventh in class. EJ Herbst started and drove to race mile 350. Ryan Millen drove from race mile 350 to race mile 750. Justin Blower drove from race mile 750 to the finish.) – CO-DRIVER JUSTIN BLOWER said: We had some downtime in the beginning that put us about 100 miles back, but we persevered and took it all the way to the finish. We had a tip over and broke an axle. I didn’t get to go all the way down to La Paz, which was a bummer, but it was nice to finish the SCORE Baja 1000 so close to home here in Ensenada.
BRENT FOX, No. 282 (Twelfth in class. Brent Fox started and drove to race mile 600. Brady Fox drove from race mile 600 to race mile 1000. Preston Brigman drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER PRESTON BRIGMAN said: We had a really good day, starting down in La Paz. Unfortunately, Brady had an incident and lost his power steering pump, which set us back a little bit. I don’t know about the Southern part, but from San Felipe to the finish, it was all whoops. Besides the power steering issue, all we had were two flat tires.
JASON McNEIL, No. 234 (Eighteenth in class. Elijah Kiger started and drove to race mile 350. Justin Davis drove from race mile 350 to race mile 760. Jason McNeil drove from race mile 760 to the finish.) – The truck is still in one piece and we could have had a great run. Unfortunately, Elijah had to replace the driver’s side of the suspension and that kept us for about five hours. Justin was doing a great job, but he had to stop to deal with an issue as well and that was a bummer. The mishap at the beginning made it impossible for us to get a good finish, but I think we still won the points championship and that’s what matters. The Catavina Loop was insane, I’ve never driven in anything like that. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
STEPHEN BEAL, No. 241 (Nineteenth in class. Jeff Geiser started and drove to race mile 200. Stephen Beal drove from race mile 200 to race mile 765. Sean Geiser drove from race mile 765 to the finish.) -- We had a really good start, we were in the lead after Loreto, but we started having power steering issues. We got caught by some guys and just tried to maintain our pace, but we got stuck and lost about 12 hours trying to get the car out. The team did an amazing job and when we got going again, we just wanted to finish the race for them. It’s a disappointing result, but a finish nonetheless. SCORE does a great job and this was one of the most epic desert races of all times. I can’t wait for next year’s SCORE San Felipe 250.
 
  CLASS 10 (Limited, sealed engine, single or two-seaters)
J. DAVID RUVALCABA, No. 1000 (First in class. Esteban Cruz started and drove to race mile 175. J. David Ruvalcaba drove from race mile 175 to race mile 600. Esteban Cruz drove race mile 600 to race mile 800. J. David Ruvalcaba drove from race mile 800 to the finish.) – It looks like we won it and that feels great. We didn’t have any issues with the car during the race. But it was a very difficult race, with all the silt and mud, it demanded a lot from us. SCORE did a great job planning this race, it was very challenging.
MANLIO F. DIAZ, No. 1079 (Second in class. Manlio F. Diaz started and drove to race mile 350. Mario Diaz drove from race mile 350 to race mile 600. Stephen Davis drove from race mile 600 to race mile 900. Steve Barry drove from race mile 900 to race mile 1200. Manlio F. Diaz drove from race mile 1200 to the finish.) – This was an incredible race. It was so complex and special. I’m from La Paz and for the first time I got to start a race at home and drive up North. Both of my sections were really complicated. We had several issues from the start, but always kept going. We had to work our way back up in the pack, but there were too many ups and downs. We got to pass the same car four times during the race. All of us had some minor problems, but we’re glad to be here.
FRANCISCO VERA, No. 1091 (Third in class. Arturo Garza started and drove to race mile 234. Alexis Vera drove from race mile 234 to race mile 525. Francisco Vera drove from race mile 525 to race mile 750. Alexis Vera drove from race mile 750 to race mile 1015. Francisco Vera drove from race mile 1015 to the finish.) – We had an issue with a Trophy Truck Spec and had to stop and fix our lights and our bumper. The course was very interesting and starting in La Paz made it very different. It’s a fast section and I saw several accidents down there. We got two flats and a little crash, but fixing the bumper and the lights was what set us back.
MATIAS ARJONA IV, No. 1002 (Fourth in class. Matias Arjona IV started and drove to race mile 300. Matias Arjona III drove from race mile 300 to race mile 525. Christopher Sanchez drove from race mile 525 to race mile 785. Michael Ward drove from race mile 785 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER MICHAEL WARD said: It was an adventure. It was a long haul. And we finished. That whole section West of Bay of LA to Catavina was rough. It was dusty. The weather was terrible. The fog was bad. I exploded a wheel on a rock, my own fault. We knew it would be rough. But the team prepped a great car. CO-DRIVER MATIAS ARJONA III said: Everyone in the team finished the race with no injuries and that’s the most important thing. It took us 27 hours to get here and my section was very difficult because it was in the evening. It was a historic race, coming all the way down from La Paz, and that made it very difficult.
STAN POTTER, No. 1006 (Fifth in class. Dale Ebberts started and drove to race mile 350. Freddie Willert drove from have mile 350 to race mile 785. Stan Potter drove from race mile 785 to the finish.) – Baja is like no other, it’s always the roughest. We had lots of issues today and that’s why it took us a little longer to finish. Nothing huge, but we overcame them and the most important thing is to finish. The San Felipe area was relentless, we never got a break there. The entire course was really rough. I saw a lot of people here near the finish supporting us and that was a special race to everyone. It’s the roughest 1,300 miles I’ve ever seen.
 
  PRO UTV OPEN (two-seat open UTV open-displacement)
CAYDEN MacCACHREN, No, 1821 (First in class. Cayden MacCachren started and drove to race mile 520. Justin Morgan drove from race mile 520 to race mile 1000. Rhys Millen drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – When I got out of the car, we were down by about 30 minutes on time. Justin put the hammer down, made up a bunch of time and Rhys handled business at the end. We didn’t have any flats with our BFGoodrich Tires and that was a big help for us. It was a great day at the end. It was a long race and we’re happy to be here. CO-DRIVER RHYS MILLEN said: Cayden and Justin, who was doing his first race in a four-wheel, did an amazing job. They were so mature and so smart. We stuck to our gameplan and we weren’t racing until race mile 1000. They gave me a perfect car and we were just two minutes behind. We just cleared everyone in like 20 minutes. I couldn’t have done it if they hadn’t handed me such a great car.
BROCK HEGER, No. 1896 (Third in class. Brock Heger started and drove to race mile 530. Ronnie Anderson drove from race mile 530 to race mile 900. J.D. Marsh drove from race mile 900 to the finish.) – We had the lead at the start and were setting up a strong pace, but ended up having an issue that costed us about 40 minutes. From there, we just put our heads down and tried to get the back in the fight. Ronnie had a flawless run and J.D. has a good, clean run too. We came in leading the points and had that in the back of our minds. We wanted to win the race, but also wanted to play it smart. CO-DRIVER J.D. MARSH said: It went pretty well. We had a couple of mechanical issues that set us back early on in the race, but still managed to run at a good pace. Brock did a great job, cutting the distance to the leader from 43 miles to 12, he was on fire. Ronnie kept a strong, steady pace and got me the car in fourth place, I got to make some time and go up to second place, but then got a flat tire and got back a little bit. I had to push hard again and ended up putting a car on its side for the first time. It was really slicky and I got it out of control. But we managed to flip it and bring it to the finish line.
BRANDEN SIMS, No. 1886 (Fourth in class. Branden Sims started and drove to race mile 350. Skyler Howell drove from race mile 350 to race mile 1000. Branden Sims drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – I ran into a SCORE Trophy Truck right at the beginning and that took my bumper and my lights off. The rest of the race was going pretty flawless until the other driver got into a bottleneck with another SCORE Trophy Truck, got stuck and ended up having to dig the car out for an hour. That set us back a lot and that was a shame because we are among the top cars in our class.
MIKE CAFRO, No. 1876 (Fifth in class. Jamie Kirkpatrick started and drove to race mile 300. Mike Cafro drove from race mile 300 to race mile 600. Adan Leggs drove from race mile 600 to race mile 900. Mike Cafro drove from race mile 900 to the finish.) - - I had two great sections. Pretty flawless, just one flat. We lost a brake line early in the race so that set us back about an hour.
KRISTEN MATLOCK, No. 1854 (Sixth in class. Kristen Matlock started and drove to race mile 525. Eliott Watson drove from race mile 525 to race mile 1000. Kristen Matlock drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – It actually went pretty well. We’re here and everybody is safe and had a great time. In my first section, we were battling for second and third place in the class. Unfortunately, Eliott had a couple of mechanical issues that slowed him down quite a bit, but he was still able to get me the car for my second section, which was really hard. Although there some course changes to avoid the worst areas, there was still a lot of silt out there. I enjoyed the start in La Paz. It was a bit more difficult because it was the first time starting there, but I’m sure we’ll do better the next time now that we know it.
 
  PRO UTV FI (two-seat Forced Induction, OEM engine UTVs)
JASON MURRAY, No. 2917 (First in class. Jason Murray started and shared driving duties with Michael McFadden and PJ Jones. Derek Murray drove from race mile 922 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER DEREK MURRAY said: It was a long race but man, did we do awesome. My brother Jason started and got up into first or second place. Then Michael got in and held second, kept pushing, did awesome. Then PJ did the third section. And then me and Aaron got in around race mile 922 and took it home. The guys did an amazing job and gave me a great car. Super clean, super tight. Pushed it all day. We had some great battles with Phil Blurton (No. 2944). He had a flat. We blew a belt. My section was rocky and muddy. Nothing like getting the car in San Felipe after almost 1000 miles on it. It was wicked. This course pushed the limits. We went through mud puddles, went through rags all day long. This car did amazing. Super pumped. Wouldn’t expect anything less for the second-longest SCORE Baja 1000. We should pull off the Championship with this win.
MATT BURROUGHS, No. 2948 (Second in class. Matt Burroughs started and drove to race mile 300. Bradley Howe drove from race 300 to race mile 760. Dustin Jones drove from race mile 760 to race mile 1160. Matt Burroughs drove from race mile 1160 to the finish.) - - I normally start, so I was really happy to do the South sections. I have never driven down there before. I really enjoyed it. It was totally different than up here. It was really muddy. The course was rough as heck. And muddy. We had fuel pump and fuel filter issues all day. So that cost us the win, but if we can’t win it, we are happy that the Murray brothers won and we will take second place.
PHIL BLURTON, No. 2944 (Third in class. Phil Blurton started and drove to race mile 500. Beau Judge drove from race mile 500 to race mile 1000. Phil Blurton drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – We had a really good time. This is a new platform for Can-Am and we came down here to kind of test it and get some miles on it. It’s been a long couple of days, but we made it. It was a pretty smooth ride and we’re happy about it.
RICKEY ARSLANIAN, No. 2915 (Fourth in class. Rickey Arslanian started and drove to race mile 300. Brian Cooper drove from race mile 300 to race mile 600. Kevin Fox drove from race mile 600 to race mile 1000. Rickey Arslanian drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – The first section was really fun. It was really fast and there were some silt beds we had to deal with, but, other than that, it was great. The South region was a lot faster. We had some issues with the car at the start, but once we got that figured out, we never had any problems again.
AARON AGUILAR, No. 2911 (Sixth in class. Martin Bringas started and drove to race mile 350. Fermin Flores drove from race mile 350 to race mile 600. Juan Delgadillo drove from race mile 600 to race mile 1000. Martin Bringas drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER MARTIN BRINGAS said: We lost the bottom A-arm, but we were lucky that a spectator gave us the seat belt from his car and we used it with zip ties and drove 45 miles until we got to the pit. We kept going, but Fermin had a rollover. We kept going after that too and made it here.
 
  CLASS 7 (unlimited, six-cylinder, production appearing trucks or SUVS)
DANIEL CHAMLEE, No. 700 (Second in class. Daniel Chamlee drove solo). – I don’t think they could have made the SCORE Baja 1000 any rockier and bumpier. It was insane. The last 70 miles, it was rainy and so foggy, I couldn’t see the ground in front of me. I was picking my way in trying not to go off of a cliff. I tore off a fender on a tree going through the silt beds, but what complicated things for us was the big stop we had to make to get stuff fixed. Without that, I would have been here a long time ago, but we still got enough points to clinch the championship title, with is our 19th. Starting in La Paz was great, I had a great time there and I hope we can do it again soon.
GASPAR ESPINDOLA, No. 716 (Third in class. Gaspar Espindola started and drove to race mile 300. Carlos Cotry drove from race mile 300 to race mile 525. Gaspar Espindola drove from race mile 525 to race mile 800. Carlos Cotry drove from race mile 800 to race mile 1100. Gaspar Espindola drove from race mile 1100 to the finish.) – We had a little issue with an alternator at the start and that took us a lot of time. When we fixed it, it was already getting dark and we couldn’t push too much. The course demanded a lot from us, especially because of the rain. There were challenges on the course from the start to finish. I also got a flat tire in the final miles, but we replaced it and made it here.
 
  SCORE LITES (Limited single-1776cc- or two-seaters-1835cc VW engines)
JEREMY SUNDT, No. 1220 (First in class. Jeremy Sundt started and shared driving duties with Rick Boyer and Craig Stanton) - - It’s a small miracle to be the champion. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I love VWs and I always wanted to race Class 2 and this is the closest to it. For me, this is the best class. Not as hard to drive as the 1600 class and I love VW. We had a lot of problems, three alternator failures, a couple batteries, we put it on its lid once, I tore off the whole corner. This team, nobody quit. We took the front off of another car to put on this car. As a team we had a good performance. No one got hurt. We are here first. CO-DRIVER RICK BOYER said; We started last in class and by mile 42 to the finish we led the class. I drove about 11 ½ hours. It was a rough track. I’ve been coming down here since 1975 and have done a few races down here. It’s typical Baja. We went faster pre-running than in the race because the race course got rough. I don’t know how a lot of classes get over some of the hills and boulders.
OSCAR R. ALVAREZ, No. 1211 (Second in class. Doug Satterfield started and drove to race mile 235. Gustavo Pinuelas drove from race mile 235 to race mile 525. Oscar R. Alvarez drove from race mile 525 to race mile 750. Doug Satterfield drove from race mile 750 to race mile 950. Gustavo Pinuelas drove from race mile 950 to race mile 1150. Oscar R. Alvarez drove from race mile 1150 to the finish.) – The rain was a big factor in the second half of the race, from the Catavina Loop all the way to Ensenada. The silt beds became pure mud and we were lucky enough for not getting stuck there. We had issues with our alternator and with our transmission too and one of them took us seven hours to fix. If it wasn’t for that, we’d have a better finish, but we still managed to win the championship and that’s a big accomplishment.
 
  PRO UTV NA (two/four-seat Normally Aspirated OEM engine UTVs)
JOE BOLTON, No. 1957 (Second in class. Joe Bolton started and drove to race mile 345. Austin Bolton drove from race mile 345 to race mile 750. Matt Banuelos drove from race mile 750 to race mile 1020. Mike Lesle drove from race mile 1020 to the finish.) – We started the day very well and ran first and second all day. We got through the horrible silt in Loreto and there was 15-20 people stuck in there. Austin got on the car but he had a problem that costed us about 40 minutes. Mike got the car in great shape and we were 50 miles behind the leaders, but he went for it. This is an incredibly special race and we wanted to win it, even if it risked the championship. He got to pass Larry (Janesky, No. 1914) but then we had a front-arm buckled. Jerry passed us back but we heard he has stopped with issues too. We went for it again, but ended up finishing second.
DAVID PEDDER, No. 1984 (Third in class. David Pedder started and drove to race mile 350. Luis Sandoval drove from race mile 350 to race mile 600. Ricardo Torres drove from race mile 600 to race mile 1048. Luis Sandoval drove from race mile 1048 to the finish.) – It went great. It was a long race, obviously, but the first 500 miles were smooth sailing. We had a little issue, but fixed it. But we broke a fuel regulator at about 200 miles to the finish and that was a five-hour delay to replace it. But we finished and that’s all that matters. This was our second SCORE race and we’re only racing Baja from now on. There’s nothing like it.
 
  CLASS 5 (Unlimited Baja Bugs, VW concept engines allowed)
MIKE BELK, No. 512 (First in class. Ben Swift started and drove to race mile 350. Mike Belk drove from race mile 350 to race mile 700. Doug Imhof drove from race mile 700 to race mile 900. Mike Belk drove from race mile 900 to race mile 1150. LJ Kennedy drove from race mile 1150 to the finish.) – To say that was an adventure would be an understatement. We’ve done every Peninsula run for 20 years and this was by far the most challenging mentally and physically. Each section had a lot of challenges. This car has been buried on silt for two hours and rolled over for another two, and every single time we thought for sure we were done, but members of our team stepped up and got us back going. The emotional rollercoaster over the last two days has been just unbelievable. This one means a lot, we’re thrilled.
 
  PRO UTV STOCK (Stock UTVs, FI or NA)
JORGE CANO, No. 3936 (Second in class. Jorge Cano started and drove to race mile 233. Francisco Ritz drove from race mile 233 to race mile 350. Jorge Cano drove from race mile 350 to race mile 637. Francisco Ritz drove from race mile 637 to race mile 785. Jorge Cano drove from race mile 785 to race mile 920. Francisco Ritz drove from race mile 920 to race mile 1015. Jorge Cano drove from race mile 1015 to the finish.) – We got a little bit of everything today. The course was tough and we got five flat tires. We got stuck on the silt too, but we managed to get the car going again and made it here. We lost our 4-wheel drive and our brakes and I don’t know how we managed to go through the last 100 miles. With the second place, we win the championship and we’ve very happy about that.
ANTONIO MENDEZ, No. 3959 (Third in class. Antonio Mendez, Alonso Gonzales, Miguel Rosales and Edmundo Fernandez split driving duties.) – It was a long way from La Paz and it was very complicated to get here. But I loved it. We got sun, rain and everything along the way. We went through everything to get here. There were a lot of cars and it was hard to make it through them. We needed to be really careful.
RICARDO ZARAGOZA, No. 3924 (Fourth in class. Ricardo Zaragoza started and drove to race mile 530. Edgar Knapp drove from race mile 530 to race mile 590. Marco Valenzuela drove from race mile 590 to race mile 1010. Ricardo Zaragoza drove from race mile 1010 to the finish.) – We’re very tired, but the race went well and we’re here safe. We had all sorts of problems with the car and also struggled a bit going around the cars that got stuck in the silt. We had to replace a clutch, but we decided to replace it a bit too late. We had about six hours of downtime. I love racing and my first SCORE Baja 1000 was fun from start to finish.
DENNIS ROMERO, No. 3943 (Fifth in class. Dennis Romero and Oscar Ibarra split driving duties.) – It was definitely a challenging race, a very different SCORE Baja 1000. The start was very fast and we like it. But we had to fix something and lost four hours. It is what it is and we’ll be back next year looking for more. It was a really difficult SCORE Baja 1000 with 1,300 miles. It was my second SCORE Baja 1000 and I’m happy to have finished it again.
SCOTT BERGEN, No. 3908 (Sixth in class. Scott Bergen started and drove to race mile 100. Zach Hydeman drove from race mile 100 to race mile 1015. Scott Bergen drove from race mile 1015 to race mile 1200. Zach Hydeman drove from race mile 1200 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER ZACH HYDEMAN said: It was a wild race, to say the least. There was a lot of interesting things and it was a lot of fun. I was navigating for Scott but we had a pretty bad accident that set us back for about six years and I took over at that point. We lost our four-wheel drive with the accident and that made things really hard for us. And the rain too, it just ruined our chances of being competitive.
 
  CLASS 1/2-1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc)
PABLO JAUREGUI, No. 1685 (First in class. Edson Cruz started and drove to race mile 350. Saul Soto drove from race mile 350 to race mile 600. Pablo Jauregui drove from race mile 600 to race mile 790. Marco Antonio drove from race mile 790 to race mile 1000. Pablo Jauregui drove from race mile 1000 to the finish.) – The LA Bay was very fast and fun, I liked it. The last section from San Felipe to the finish was more challenging because of the water puddles and the mud, but we made it here. We had no flat tires and had only a little issue with our brakes, but nothing big.
LEONEL OROZCO, No. 1628 (Third in class. Leonel Orozco started and drove to race mile 200. Jose Valles drove from race mile 200 to race mile 600. Marcos Robles drove from race mile 600 to race mile 750. Pedro Avalos drove from race mile 750 to race mile 950. Leonel Orozco drove from race mile 950 to race mile 1100. David Valenzuela drove from race mile 1100 to the finish.) – It was a very long race, but also very entertaining. I’m from Baja California Sur and I’m very thankful that SCORE decided to start this race in La Paz. It was a great event. We had some issues with the car, but nothing big, and no flats. It was a spectacular race.
ODULIA DELGADO, No. 1665 (Fourth in class. Odulia Delgado, Eliat Cabrales and Alfredo Balbuena split driving duties.) CO-DRIVER ELIAT CABRALES said: It was a very tough race. My section had some of the most difficult parts of the course, including the silt in Loreto. We got stuck there for 15 minutes and had issues in the Catavina Lopp too as there was a little storm when we got there.
MATT WILLERT, No. 1606 (Fifth in class. Matt Willert started and shared driving duties with Will Arterga and Daniel Goodrich. Matt Willert drove to the finish.) - - It went great. Due to the road closure, the other driver couldn’t make it over so I drove a different section. Then I drove the last section. There were flash floods through Catavina with the rain. We are just stoked to be here at the end. We battled a couple of issues. We lost a distributor. I think we got up on the lid once. Lots of mud. It was a long race but we are pumped to be here. I want to thank BFGoodrich Tires. I always said that I wanted to race in conditions like that but I don’t think I knew what I was getting myself into. But I’m really stoked for the experience. Racing in the rain is a whole other ball game from dust.
ERICK PAVOLKA, No. 1625 (Eighth in class. Andy DeVercelly, Mario Alcala, Jean-Paul Cyr and Eric Pavolka split driving duties.) – We didn’t have any flat tires, but had electrical problems at about the middle of the race. We had to get that resolved, but then broke the beam in the front. And at the end, just trying to get through the mud was a real challenge. The usual Baja surprised us this time. The biggest surprise for me was going up the Goat Trail with rain and fog, with no visibility.
 
  CLASS 5-1600 (1600cc water-cooled VW Baja Bugs)
LUIS HERRERA, No. 558 (First in class. Cristian Ortiz, Michael King, Jim Yourdon and Luis Herrera split driving duties.) – CO-DRIVER MICHAEL KING said: It was a very challenging race. It was fast in the first half and then the rain started at the Catavina Loop and we just hard to work hard to get through the mud. We did our best to take good care of the car and get here, that was the most important thing.
 
  BAJA CHALLENGE (Spec, Subaru-powered Baja Touring Cars equipped with BFGoodrich Tires)
MICHAEL BRODEUR, No. BC2 (First in class. Ivor Stanbrook, Michael Brodeur and Richard Sznurkowski split driving duties.) – The first section of the race was a little bit chaotic, especially in the silt beds. We didn’t have much trouble with the second part, though, it was drier and fast. And the third was wet and muddy. I’m proud of the guys, they did a great job. Our goal is always to try and come close to BC1 (Kyle Tucker) and we got ahead of them this race with about 100 miles to go and we thought we had a shot.
KYLE TUCKER, No, BC1 (Second in class. Lance Clifford, Andrew Comrie-Picard, Brian Finch and Kyle Tucker split driving duties.) – We had a great team today. It was a challenge, like everybody had, but it was a great day. We got everything that Baja offers. If it was easy, everybody was going to be here racing. We saw a lot of campfires out there and that’s what makes Baja special. We had some issues there and the locals helped us do what we needed. Thank you SCORE and BFGoodrich Tires for allowing us to do it.
EDWARD MUNCEY, No. BC4 (Third in class. Edward Muncey started and drove to race mile five. James O’Keefe drove from race mile five to race mile 300. Joe Duryea drove from race mile 300 to race mile 528.  Bruce Handel drove from race mile 528 to race mile 1070. Joe Duryea drove from race mile 1070 to the finish.) - - It starts with these drivers. I want to thank Joe Duryea. He is the rockstar of this group. Hats off to Bruce Handel and John Remington for driving a sensational race. And thank you KeeKee for jumping in and making it happen. You are such a big part of it. But this is Joe’s show today. He did it. We broke down and made our way the easy way but you guys did it all. We are so proud of you. Thanks to the Wide Open team. It’s an arrive and drive program; anyone can do it. Just like this experience. They were taken care of the entire way. That’s what this program is about. These cars are made for Baja. These BFGoodrich Tires look brand new. Shout out to the SCORE team out there in the rain. All the volunteers. Thanks to them for making such an epic race. We are so lucky to be here. It’s a big week and memorable for everyone. Everything Mother Nature threw at us. CO-DRIVER JOE DURYEA said: It got a little wet at the end, right after the Goat Trail. It was brutal. It was as you would expect from any SCORE Baja 1000. By the time we get through there, the SCORE Trophy Trucks have beat the crap out of the course. When we pre-ran it was flat and fast, but we did what we needed to do. There was silt and rain and mud and it was challenging. We broke some trailing arms, changed an axle, that was it. Other than that, we cruised right through. Starting in La Paz was awesome. Going down the Malecon with 15 miles of spectators was awesome and then you think it would be over, but there were spectators all the way out of town past the airport and beyond. It was awesome.
 
   STOCK MID SIZE
BRAD LOVELL, No. 766 (First in class. Brad Lovell started and drove to race mile 352. Jason Hutter drove from race mile 352 to race mile 767. Bailey Campbell drove from race mile 767 to race mile 1248. Brad Lovell drove from race mile 1248 to the finish.) – This SCORE Baja 1000 was a hugely epic race and it feels great for our team. I got to race with my son and that was amazing. We got some mud, rain and fog at the end, but the car did great. We had very little downtime and I’m really proud of our performance. It was pretty cool to start and finish a race for the first time and I loved the Peninsula race.
 
  CLASS 7F (Stock frame, 2 or 4-wheel drive mini or mid-sized trucks)
JUSTIN PARK, No. 714F (First in class. Justin Park started and drove to race mile 289. Cole Andrews drove from race mile 289 to race mile 600. Jeff Tiglio drove from race mile 600 to race mile 950. Pako Martinez drove from race mile 950 to race mile 1100. Eduardo Martinez drove from race mile 1100 to race mile 1200. Justin Park drove from race mile 1200 the finish.) – We had some issues with the car and it was starting to heat up, I got nervous, it was hot outside and I knew what was coming with such a long race. The final section was tough. We couldn’t go past second gear because it was so slippery. We knew we could end the whole race there if we missed a corner at that point. Every section of the race was amazing, the people were so happy and the scene was just incredible.
 
  CLASS 7SX (2 or 4-wheel drive mini or mid-sized trucks)
RODRIGO MARTINEZ, No. 753 (First in class. Rodrigo Martinez, Rodrigo Martinez Jr and Ronaldo Martinez split driving duties.) – We had good and bad things in this race. We won the race but had too many issues with our engine and needed about 100 liters of oil to make it here. It was a great race, it attracted a lot of racers and I’d like to thank everyone that supported us.
JORGE MENDEZ, No. 752 (Third in class. Alex Romero started and drove to race mile 200. Jorge Mendez drove from race mile 200 to race mile 400. Alex Vazquez drove from race mile 400 to race mile 600. Alex Romero drove from race mile 600 to race mile 800. Jorge Mendez drove from race mile 800 to the finish.) – Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to pre-run and that made our race much more difficult, especially because the first part is very new to everyone. We just got two weeks to prepare for the race. We had a little electrical issue but we got back to the race after thirty minutes. What set back was sitting in the silt in Loreto (race mile 350) for about six hours.
 
   STOCK FULL
LOREN HEALY, No. 8152 (First in class. Jason Scherer started and quickly switched to John Williams. Jason Williams passed it off to Loren Healy who drove to the finish.) - - What a wild epic day. I think around 40 hours. The Jason’s killed it in the first section and brought us a clean truck. I had 18 hours on my section. I’ve never driven a section that long before. The longest I’ve ever been in a race truck. Baja is going to bite you no matter what when you are racing a stock truck that came off the assembly line. We had a brake line problem and had to fix a differential leak. Other than that, we had very minimal problems. Just standard maintenance, putting fuel in the truck and keeping things rolling.
 
  CLASS 11 (stock VW sedans, safety modifications)
GEOVANY ALUCANO, No. 1150 (Second in class. Geovany Alucano started and drove to race mile 175. Antonio Alucano drove from race mile 175 to race mile 350. Jose Lopez drove from race mile 350 to race mile 525. Geovany Alucano drove from race mile 525 to race mile 605. Kent Thygerson drove from race mile 605 to race mile 1015. Geovany Alucano drove from race mile 1015 to race mile 1070. Antonio Alucano drove from race mile 1070 to race mile 1115. Jose Lopez drove from race mile 1115 to race mile 1200. Geovany Alucano drove from race mile 1200 to the finish.) – It was a very difficult race. There were too many cars on the course and that made it harder than usual. The last part from Ojos Negros to the finish was brutal with the rain, the mud and the fog. We were going very slow and trying to keep the car on the course. CO-DRIVER KENT THYGERSON said: The course just got so wet when we got to San Felipe (race mile 1000). It’s the first time I’ve been in a lot of rain. It’s been interesting, what a great race, coming from La Paz, it was awesome. I hope we can do it again. My wife is from La Paz and it was great to have it there. SCORE did a great job with this race. Everything was well setup in La Paz and all the way back here it was a lot of fun.
ERIC BRANDT, No. 1143 (Third in class. Eric Brandt started and drove to race mile 300. Armando Ventura drove from race mile 300 to race mile 525. Clyde Stires drove from race mile 525 to race mile 766. Tim Sletten drove from race mile 766 to race mile 1166. Alex Gonzales drove from race mile 1166 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER ARMANDO VENTURA said: We had a few issues, starting early with one of the spindles at race mile 125. We also made to make a few other stops to replace parts and fix little issues and got stuck in a silt bed for a while. It was an eventful race, but we finished it. CO-DRIVER TIM SLETTEN said: It’s always a good day when you get a finish in a race like this, the second-longest SCORE race ever. We had clutch problems and also issues with our wiring and alternators and a few other hiccups, but nothing major. It’s been a good season, except for the SCORE Baja 500, we completed other race in the year.
HECTOR SARABIA, No. 1100 (Fourth in class. Porfirio Gutierrez started and drove to race mile 127. Salomon Salvatierra drove from race mile 127 to race mile 350. Esteban Ruiz drove from race mile 350 to race mile 525. Hector Sarabia drove from race mile 525 to race mile 850. Hector Martinez drove from race mile 850 to the finish.) – The race was very hard and long, but also very special because there was nothing like this before. The logistics of taking our team down to La Paz wasn’t easy, but we got great support from the people there. The silt was the main challenge, but we also had many issues with the front suspension.
 
PRO MOTORCYCLES
 
  PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (400cc or more)
JUAN CARLOS SALVATIERRA, No. 1x (First in class. First overall motorcycle. Juan Carlos Salvatierra started and quickly switched to Shane Logan. Shane Logan rode to race mile 175. Corbin McPherson rode from race mile 175 to race mile 350. Diego Llanos rode from race mile 350 to race mile 767. Shane Logan rode from race mile 767 to race mile 960. Carter Klein rode from race mile 960 to race mile 1243. Shane Logan rode from race mile 1243 to the finish.) – It feels really good to be at the finish, especially with this being the second-longest SCORE race ever. It’s great to think we made history here. We had a very eventful week with two of our riders getting injuries and another one getting sick. But we have lions in our team and Shane and Diego had to step up for us and take sections from other riders without pre-running them and did a wonderful job. I couldn’t do my section because I got injured on Friday. The bike was flawless during the entire race. Outside of tire changes and regular maintenance things, we didn’t have to do anything on it.
CIARAN NARAN, No. 3x (Second in class. Ciaran Naran stared and rode to race mile 350. Derek Ausserbauer rode from race mile 350 to race mile 600. Nick Lapaglia rode from race mile 600 to race mile 785. Forrest Minchinton rode from race mile 785 to race mile 1016. Clayton Roberts rode from race mile 1016 to race mile 1078. Tucker Hopkins rode from race mile 1078 to the finish.) – We ran a really good, clean race. I had a few little problems, but the boys are safe and that’s what matters. Forrest (Minchinton) had a pretty big fall in his section, but no broken bones, which is the most important thing, and he kept the bike moving. We’re here at the finish and we’ll see what happens. But we survived the beast of Baja and that’s what matters.
AUSTIN EDDY, No. 9x (Third in class. Brody Honea started and rode to race mile 234. Russell Tonjum rode from race mile 234 to race mile 525. Jarrett Megla rode from race mile 525 to race mile 785. Austin Eddy rode from race mile 785 to race mile 955. Matt Eddy rode from race mile 955 to race mile 1130. Austin Eddy rode from race mile 1130 to the finish.) – My sections were good, but rough. The rain changed things up a lot and it a very different course than what we had in pre-running. The bike ran well for the most part, but we had some lighting problems and that held us back on some occasions. CO-RIDER MATT EDDY said: I ran the San Felipe section and it’s always rough there, but I think the rain helped out a little bit as it stabilized the sand and made it easier for us to ride. I had a good run, but unfortunately, we had problems with our charging system in two different times during the race. CO-DRIVER BRODY HONEA said: We had a good start, I was able to make some quick passes within the first 50 miles. It was crazy near the coast with a lot of fans camping out there.
ADRIAN ORTIZ, No. 13x (Fourth in class. Adrian Ortiz started and rode to race mile 200. Danny Mendoza rode from race mile 200 to race mile 350. Albaro Ortiz rode from race mile 350 to race mile 600. Gustavo Gonzalez rode from race mile 600 to 790. Sergio Garza rode from race mile 790 to race mile 1050. Adrian Ortiz rode from race mile 1050 to race mile 1150. Albaro Ortiz rode from race mile 1150 to race mile 1220. Gustavo Gonzalez rode from race mile 1220 to race mile 1277. Danny Mendoza rode from race mile 1277 to the finish.) – We had a couple of issues, it wasn’t a perfect day at all. But we never quit, we got it all sorted out and made it here to the finish line.
 
  PRO MOTO 30 (Riders over 30 years old)
JANO MONTOYA, No. 300x (First in class. David Zarate started and rode to race mile 400. Jano Montoya rode from race mile 400 to race mile 525. Bryce Stavron rode from race mile 525 to race mile 650. Robert Villalobos rode from race mile 650 to race mile 850. Jesse Canepa rode from race mile 850 to race mile 950. Kyle Tichenor rode from race mile 950 to race mile 1050. Jesse Canepa rode from race mile 1050 to race mile 1200. Kyle Tichenor rode from race mile 1200 to the finish.) – I’m happy to be here in Ensenada after some very long 30 hours. We had a great time during the race, it was challenging and fun. We had some good competition early on and during the day. We had to bring our best game and be on top of everything and that made us better. The battery died on us twice, but the team was there and we took care of it right away.
JAMES JUSTIN SHULTZ, No. 308x (Second in class. Francisco Septien started and rode to race mile 205. Jason Alosi rode from race mile 205 to race mile 390. James Justin Shultz rode from race mile 390 to race mile 599. Schane Schorno rode from race mile 599 to race mile 750. Ryan Liebelt rode from race mile 750 to race mile 950. James Justin Shultz rode from race mile 950 to race mile 1014. Jason Alosi rode from race mile 1014 to race mile 1165. James Justin Schultz rode from race mile 1165 to race mile 1200. Francisco Septien rode from race mile 1200 to the finish.) – Our team took great care of the bike and kept it going all day, which is always a good thing. Francisco put on a lot of work, he started and finished for us today. We only had a small issue with the front wheel and had to replace it, which we didn’t anticipate.
DAVID SMITH, No. 319x (Third in class. David Smith started and rode to race mile 150. John Clark rode from race mile 150 to race mile 300. Kris Regentin rode from race mile 300 to race mile 480. Jason Gibbons rode from race mile 480 to race mile 750. Shane Esposito rode from race mile 750 to race mile 950. Ryan Stephens rode from race mile 950 to race mile 1150. Don Grigg rode from race mile 1150 to the finish.) – The race went really well for us. We had a couple of hiccups, but other than that, it was a flawless race. Everybody finished the race healthy and that’s the most important thing. SCORE does a phenomenal job in putting these races together and having been able to run this team for the entire year, it’s been one of the best times in my life. The fans here are unbelievable. We had people cheering on us non-stop until about race mile 350, even when we were in the middle of nowhere.  
NICOLA DUTTO, No. 313x (Sixth in class. Nicola Dutto, Julian Villarubia, Ruben Saldana, Nick Boyer and Justin Boyer split riding duties.) – This was a great event. This race has always been my dream, it’s the race of the races. I’ve planned to race the SCORE Baja 1000 for the first time 13 years ago, but unfortunately, I injured my back (and became paraplegic) during a race. But always in my mind, there was that dream of racing a SCORE Baja 1000 from point to point. I’ve prepared a lot to come here and do this. I had a lot problems out there, but that’s all part of the race. Baja is the best place in the world and my heart is always here. Coming down here, it’s not just a race, it’s a trip. What I would tell people with health issues is that life doesn’t stop. It’s very hard when you have a spinal injury. It becomes a different world and it's very hard to adapt to it, it’s a scary world. But if you want to do something, go for it.
 
  PRO MOTO LIMITED (less than 450cc)
FERNANDO BELTRAN, No. 100x (First in class.) CO-RIDER MAURI HERRERA said: It was a very long race and just making it here to Ensenada is a big achievement for us. Nothing was easy during the last 29 hours, but fortunately we made it here. The entire team did a very good job today. My first section, in Baja Sur, had a lot of fast portions and also a lot of silt. The second section was a bit different, near Catavina, as it was very long and rocky. The bike was excellent, didn’t have any issues at all.
ELY RAMIREZ, No. 114x (Second in class. Ely Ramirez started and quickly switched to Jorge Cordova. Jorge Cordova rode to race mile 125. Ely Ramirez rode from race mile 125 to race mile 230. Jorge Cordova rode from race mile 230 to race mile 400. Ely Ramirez rode from race mile 400 to race mile 530. Marco Guizar, Manuel Gomez and Angel Aguirre alternated until the finish.) – We had problems with our front brakes and our lights went off too. Jorge had to ride without lights for about ten miles and we lost some time there and also with the brakes. We’re just happy to be here.
LUIS ESQUIVEL, No. 107x (Third in class.) – It was a good race. We had some minor issues with lights and some crashes, but we are here. I had a fall and broke my wrist, but we got it treated on the course and kept on going. It was an awesome experience to come up the Peninsula this time. And the worst part was at the end, so it was a real Baja test.
 
  PRO MOTO 50 (Riders over 50 years old)
GIOVANNI SPINALI, No, 500x (First in class. John Griffin started and rode to race mile 200. Alan Julien rode from race mile 200 to race mile 350. Giovanni Spinali rode from race mile 350 to race mile 525. Troy Pierce rode from race mile 525 to race mile 785. Mike Carter rode from race mile 785 to race mile 910. Robby Naughton rode from race mile 910 to race mile 950. Giovanni Spinali rode from race mile 950 to race mile 980. Troy Pierce rode from race mile 980 to race mile 1050. Robby Naughton rode from race mile 1050 to race mile 1150. Jim O’Neal rode from race mile 1150 to race mile 1200. Troy Pierce rode from race mile 1200 to race mile 1300. Giovanni Spineli rode from race mile 1300 to the finish.) – It was a pretty uneventful race, just the way we like it. We had a couple of spillovers, but nothing major, the bike ran great and our plan worked out well. It started cutting out in my last 30 miles, so I played it safe to bring it home. We just executed our game plan and didn’t do anything stupid. I had a major accident in the SCORE Baja 1000 last year, breaking 18 bones, and it was my goal to come back this year, so it feels good to be here. CO-DRIVER JIM O’NEAL said: My section was very muddy, but still a lot of fun. I had to be very careful because we had a big lead and I didn’t want to tip over. The New Zealand boys (Robert Creemers, No. 501x) ran into some problems, but before that, they were kicking our butts. We knew we were going to get them, so we just kept it going and everybody did great. It was a very different race having not one, but two nights to go through. SCORE did a very good job, the course was great and I had a blast in my section.
ROBERT CREEMERS, No. 501x (Second in class. Robert Creemers, Sean Clarke, Kevin Archer, Eliott Kent, Matt Pollard and Pete Herd split riding duties.) – It was a race of two halves. Up to race mile 711 we were smoking, two hours and 15 minutes ahead of the second bike in our class. Unfortunately, our rider Matt Pollard got into a big accident after he hit a rock and was seriously injured. We got him back to the US and he’s going to be OK, but except for his right leg, everything else is broken. It took us a long time to get help for him and to get the bike ready to go again. That’s Baja. We made several races down here and had six dream runs, so sooner or later one was going to bite us. But we still finished, which is amazing.
STEPHEN SANDERS, No. 509x (Third in class. Stephen Sanders, Gary Freilger and Scott Moses split riding duties.) – The rain made it really difficult for us to find the race markers and if you didn’t pre-run, you’d be in trouble. One of your guys crashed but the bike continued to go.
 
  PRO MOTO 40 (Riders over 40 years old)
ALIRIO AMADO, No. 441x (First in class. Manuel Vazquez started and rode to race mile 105. Peter Eiland rode from race mile 105 to race mile 310. Manuel Vazquez rode from race mile 310 to race mile 400. Justin Moore rode from race mile 400 to race mile 600. Alirio Amado rode from race mile 600 to race mile 765. Justin Moore rode from race mile 765 to race mile 920. Alirio Amado rode from race mile 920 to race mile 1015. Nick Lanning rode from race mile 1015 to race mile 1100. Manuel Vazquez rode from race mile 1100 to the finish.) – CO-RIDER MANUEL VAZQUEZ said: Peter had a small fall that allowed two bikes to pass us. I managed to close the gap a little bit and Justin got us the lead. The entire course was really tough, especially the Loreto section, where we don’t race that often. It was pretty silty and rocky in the Northern part too, but this a more familiar area for us. The bike ran perfect, we didn’t get any flat tires and only had a few minor stops to fix things.
RYAN LIEBELT, No. 400x (Second in class. Morgan Sprawling started and shared riding duties with JD Triffom, Travis Flateau, Gil Grieve, Ryan Liebelt, Steve Tichenor, Neels Uys, Terry Welch, and Justin Hansen. Steve Tichenor took it to the finish.) - - CO-RIDER STEVE TICHENOR said: The race was really fun, it was really grueling. 1300 miles is a long way to go. I did most of the Northern sections. We had to make some impromptu adjustments due to some injuries, but we made it to the finish. We had a good time. Morgan unfortunately broke his arm right after the start and maybe broke a leg too. That got us off on a bad foot and we had other injuries too, but we regrouped and rearranged riders. It was rough, but it was Baja. That is what we expect. We had a couple wrecks, lost fifth gear, so we had to nurse it, but it made it.
 
  PRO MOTO 60 (Riders over 60 years old)
KEVIN WARD, No. 644x (First in class. Andy Kirker, Jeff Kaplan, Doug Smith, Scott Atchison, Kevin Ward and Guy Laycraft split riding duties.) – We had a big accident with Guy at around race mile 1040 that damaged the bike and took us a lot of time and logistics. We had to get him off to the highway and it took us a lot of time. We should have been here a day earlier. The Catavina Loop was brutal. I also rode from San Felipe to the finish and there were a lot of whoops and mud, but it was fun.
 
  PRO MOTO IRONMAN (Solo Riders)
EDGAR COTA, No. 723x (First in class.) – The race went very well for us. We had a good start and managed to quickly get to Loreto (race mile 300), where there were some silt beds, it was a lot of fun going through. There was a little bit of everything in the next sections, with rocks in Vizcaino (race mile 600) and a really fast section at the LA Bay (race mile 700). The Catavina Loop (race mile 800) was crazy because we went through it in the evening and there was rocks, silt and climbs, all together. When we got to San Felipe (race mile 1000) the sun was coming up and didn’t have any issues from that point on. It’s my fourth victory in a SCORE race and I’m very happy. 
EDDIE MEEK, No. 712x (Second in class.) – It was extremely rough and we were on the bike for a very long time, but I enjoyed it. I was chasing second place but coming here to Ensenada the terrain changed and it got very slippery, so I had to slow down. This is my fourth SCORE Baja 1000 and I’ve done Ironman three times and finished each of them.
PATRICK CULLIGAN, No. 720x (Third in class.) – I dislocated my shoulder at around race mile 780. The pit was five miles ahead, so I kept going and found a doctor there, who popped it back in place. It’s a dream beyond dreams to finish this SCORE Baja 1000 and I made a promise to my daughter that I wouldn’t quit no matter what. I kept going and I’m so glad to be here. Very few people get to accomplish a dream that they had since they were kids. This is important to me in many levels and I’m beyond thrilled to have done it.
KURT STEEVER, No. 718x (Fourth in class.) – All things considered, it went well for us. My first fall was in a mud hole, so it was soft landing. It made me aware that there were still way too many miles and that I needed to get my head centered. We stuck with a simple plan, made food breaks and rest breaks when needed and didn’t have any major issues. We’re very pleased with how it turned out for the SCORE Baja 1000 and I can say that was a bucket list item checked.
FABRICIO FUENTES, No. 785x (Fifth in class.) – This was a memorable SCORE Baja 1000. It was very demanding and technical and the geography here in Mexico is great for it. I’m very happy that I managed to finish this race in the Ironman class. It felt like the race was never going to end, but I’m here and that makes me happy. There were several accidents and I made a few stops to help other drivers on the way here. SCORE’s organization was flawless, not only with the course but in every aspect.
WOUTEN-JAN VAN DIJK, No. 741x (Seventh in class.) – A friend of mine (Shane Moss) raced the SCORE Baja 1000 before in 2019 and he suggested me to ironman it about six months ago. I was just trying to make it happen and started planning it, but not so much. I had the bike in San Diego for a while and then had the idea of racing the SCORE Baja 1000. It was a pretty cool trip, including the race and the full adventure before the race. Luckily nothing really went wrong with the bike, it still looks pretty good. Everything held up. It was a very hard race, a big challenge, especially being that long. Luckily the rain stopped for a bit near the end and I could ride a bit faster. I wanted to thank everyone that helped me, I didn’t expect to have that much support. It’s pretty unreal.
 
PRO QUADS
 
  PRO QUAD (Open engine displacement)
NICOLAS VELEZ, No. 1A (First in class. Nicolas Velez, Luis Mesa Velez, Felipe Velez and Luis Ernesto Villafana split riding duties.) – We didn’t have any issues with the quad during the day. We got the quad prepared really well and that allowed us to have an excellent race. All of our riders did an amazing job too.