Record 56 racers earn 2023 SCORE Milestone Awards Presented by Toyota Escondido

2023 SCORE World Desert Championship

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com / Photo by GetSomePhoto

     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’ this year, following the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship, a record 56 of the toughest racers in the world survived 2451.78 masterful miles to earn prestigious 2023 Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Awards, presented by Toyota Escondido.

     The four races, all held on the Baja California, Mexico, peninsula were: the 36th SCORE San Felipe 250, presented by Baja Vida, in San Felipe in April, the 55th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada in June, the K&N 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels, in Ensenada in September, and the BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by K&N, in November that started in La Paz, Baja California Sur and finished in Ensenada, Baja California.

SCORE MILESTONE AWARDS

     SCORE is presenting these prestigious awards to the world’s toughest desert racers for the 38th consecutive year. The Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Awards, presented by Toyota Escondido, are being presented to the car, truck, UTV drivers and motorcycle, quad riders who finished every required mile as official finishers in the 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship.

     Racers were required to cover a near-record 2451.78 miles in the four races during the 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship.

TOP CLASSES

     The 56 racers who completed all the required miles came from 22 different SCORE racing classes.

     Leading the way in the chase for 2023 Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Awards, presented by Toyota Escondido were five superlative stallions in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division, one in the SCORE TT Legend class, two in the unlimited Class 1, nine in Trophy Truck Spec, three in Class 10, five in Pro UTV Open, four in Pro UTV FI (Forced Injection), four in Pro Moto Unlimited, three in Pro Moto Limited along with three in Sportsman Quad.

SCORE COMMENTS

     “SCORE is privileged to honor the world’s best desert racing drivers and riders,” said Jim Ryan, SCORE Vice-President of Marketing and Sales. “For nearly four decades, SCORE has been very humbled to honor racers with the Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Awards, presented by Toyota Escondido. SCORE racers are the toughest, most rugged racers on the planet. This most prestigious award has become iconic in our sport. It is also a distinct privilege for us to continue to honor the memory of one of the greatest desert racers of all time in having Rod Hall’s name on this unique and wonderful award.”

MULTI-TIME WINNERS

     While 27 winners of the 2023 Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Awards, presented by Toyota Escondido, have earned this prestigious award for the first time, 29 of this year’s winners have earned two or more and 13 of those have captured this award three or more times.

     Leading this year’s multiple winners’ group is Santiago Creel, Mexico City, who has now earned this accolade nine times in the last seven years—(in Trophy Truck Spec this year and four different classes total) in his illustrious career. His Milestones have come in 2017, two in 2018, three in 2019, two in 2020 and one in 2023.

     Second among this year’s winners is Peru’s Jano Montoya, who lives in Winter Park, Fla., who has earned seven SCORE Milestones (three in Pro Moto 30 and four in Pro Moto 40). His awards have been earned in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 23, seven of the last eight years.

     With six career SCORE Milestone Awards each are San Diego’s Luke McMillin in SCORE Trophy Truck (2010, 2011, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and Kaden Wells, Hurricane, Utah, in Pro UTV NA (consecutively from 2018 through 2022) and Pro UTV Open (2023).

     With five SCORE Milestone Awards is Fernando Beltran, Ensenada, Mexico, in Pro Moto Limited (2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023).

     Four racers tied with four each of these distinguished awards are Cody Reid, Apple Valley, Calif. (Class 1), and Bolivia’s Juan Carlos Salvatierra (Pro Moto Unlimited in 2022, 2023 and Pro Moto Ironman in 2020, 2021).

     Tied with three SCORE Milestone Awards each are six additional racers: Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck), Gustavo Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, Mexico (SCORE TT Legend), J. David Ruvalcaba, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 10), Mike Cafro, Temecula, Calif. (Pro UTV Open), Oscar Alvarez, McAllen, Texas (SCORE Lites), and Alirio Amado, The Woodlands, Texas (Pro Moto 40).

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK

     Celebrating its 30th year since it was introduced by SCORE’s then-owner Sal Fish in 1994, SCORE Trophy Truck is the sport’s marquee racing division for high-tech, 1000 horsepower unlimited custom trucks.

     For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.

2023 Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Awards, presented by Toyota Escondido

(56 car, truck, UTV, M/C and quad racers who completed every required mile in the 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship)

 

SCORE Trophy Truck (5)

Bryce Menzies, Las Vegas

Luke McMillin, San Diego

Andrew Myers, San Marcos, Calif.

Roberto Romo Jr, Mexicali, Mexico

Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif.

SCORE TT Legend (1)

Gustavo Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, Mexico

Class 1 (2)

Cody Reid, Apple Valley, Calif.

Al Torres, Imperial Valley, Calif.

Trophy Truck Spec (9)

Jason McNeil, El Cajon, Calif.

EJ Herbst, Las Vegas

Travis Williams, Avondale, Ariz.

Mason Cullen, Long Beach, Calif.

Brent Fox, Highland, Utah

Oliver Flemate, Ensenada, Mexico

David Ziegler, Reno, Nev.

Santiago Creel, Mexico City, Mexico

Joe Delucie, Las Vegas

Class 10 (3)

Francisco Vera, El Rosario, Mexico

J. David Ruvalcaba, Ensenada, Mexico

Justin Buckley, Long Beach, Calif.

Pro UTV Open (5)

Brock Heger, El Centro, Calif.

Justin Lambert, Bakersfield, Calif.

Cayden MacCachren, Las Vegas

Mike Cafro, Temecula, Calif.

Kaden Wells, Hurricane, Utah

Pro UTV FI (4)

Jason Murray, North Tustin, Calif.

Rickey Arslanian, Livermore, Calif.

Carlos Quezada, Mexicali, Mexico

Jesus Mendez Jr, Mexicali, Mexico

SCORE Lites (1)

Oscar Alvarez, McAllen, Texas

Pro UTV NA (2)

Joe Bolton, Corona, Calif.

Lawrence Janesky, Middlebury, Conn.

Class 1/2-1600 (1)

Eric Pavolka, Sonoita, Ariz.

Pro UTV Stock (2)

Jorge Cano, Culiacan, Mexico

Antonio Mendez, Puebla, Mexico

Class 11 (1)

Oliver Flemate, Ensenada, Mexico

Pro Moto Unlimited (4)

Juan Carlos Salvatierra, Bolivia

Ciaran Naran, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Adrian Ortiz, Dulzura, Calif.

Eric Holt, Panaca, Nev.

Pro Moto 30 (2)

Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla. (Peru)

David Smith, Escondido, Calif.

Pro Moto Limited (3)

Fernando Beltran, Ensenada, Mexico

Ely Ramirez, Tecate, Mexico

Steven Abrams, Meridian, Idaho

Pro Moto 40 (1)

Alirio Amado, The Woodlands, Texas

Pro Moto 50 (1)

Robert Creemers, New Zealand

Pro Moto Ironman (2)

Fabricio Fuentes, Bolivia

Kurt Steever, Grass Valley, Calif.

Pro Moto 60 (1)

Kevin Ward, Longview, Texas

Pro Quad (2)

Nicolas Velez, San Felipe, Mexico

Jose Castro, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

SPT M/C (1)

Jose Armando Ortiz, Tijuana, Mexico

SPT Quad (3)

Sergio Jimenez, Valle de Mexicali, Mexico

Francisco Valle, Tecate, Mexico

Eva Hernandez, Escondido, Calif.