Shining Moments from colorful 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com
 
December 20, 2022
 
Another Year to Remember
Stunning, Stupendous ‘Shining Moments’ all reflect
Four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship
 
Resiliency, dedication, determination, organization, intestinal fortitude, vision, teamwork
Intense competition, creativity, camaraderie helped SCORE extend its trail into the future
 
    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—With the final wave of the checkered flag now history and the end of the year close on the horizon, the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship produced a plethora of long-lingering, inspiring lasting memories and stunning, superlative, spectacular, stupendous ‘Shining Moments’ that are clearly a testimony to the resilience, dedication, determination, and intestinal fortitude of people everywhere. They all add to the growing legacy of SCORE International, which completed its 49th year as the World’s Foremost Racing Organization in 2022.
The 2022 SCORE racing season will remain a tribute to the cooperative effort to produce the continuing opportunity for the extremely positive benefits of organization, passion, execution, exquisite elegance, teamwork, competition, creativity, and camaraderie that are key elements of motorsports, albeit life, worldwide.
SHINING MOMENTS—ORGANIZATION
     The success of the 2022 season was significantly enhanced by all the governmental agencies and police and military groups that provided significant direction and assistance to SCORE.
Leading and overseeing all the amazing efforts by the SCORE staff were Jose A. Grijalva, SCORE President/Race Director and Juan Tintos Funcke, SCORE General Manager.
Included in the primary group assisting Grijalva and Funcke with myriad details were SCORE Vice-President of Marketing and Sales Jim Ryan; SCORE Administrator Marco Durazo; SCORE Media Operations Director Dominic Clark; SCORE Assistant Race Director Rodolfo Fernandez Alcantara; SCORE Registration/Member Services Coordinator Eduardo Kawanishi; SCORE Contingency Vendor/Mexico Registration Director Jacky Rocha; SCORE Tech Director Dan Cornwell; SCORE Course Personnel Director Hector Ponce; SCORE Logistics Director David Duenas and SCORE Sales and Marketing Manager Kurt Miller.
Also part of the SCORE ‘A Team’ this year that helped organize, design and then implement the Protocol and Rescue Plan for each event were Miguel Ceballos of Cruz Roja Mexicana and Rigoberto Loyoza of BRL (Baja Rescue Logistics).
Without the commitment and diligent work of this SCORE core group, there would not have been a 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship at all.
SHINING MOMENTS—SCORE REFLECTS
“Remembering the beauty and majesty of the 2022 SCORE Baja racing season is easy. It was about how our SCORE staff stepped up once again, with the full cooperation and complete assistance from the Mexican government to create a platform that would allow us to hold all four of the prestigious events of the SCORE World Desert Championship in a safe and successful way,” stated Grijalva. “We can’t thank our dedicated staff, most of whom are volunteers, for all of their hard work, energy and cooperative spirit.”
“We also want to sincerely thank the racers and their crews who gallantly journeyed to Baja and whose admired efforts were displayed in four of the most amazing races SCORE has ever held. And they were all held again in these rapidly changing times in which we all live.”
SHINING MOMENTS—THE RACES
At the culmination of the 49th season of the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, the top five final overall point leaders were separated by just 49 total points. All SCORE races were held in Baja California for the seventh consecutive year.
Emerging out of the continuing effects of the horrible health pandemic, SCORE was able to produce significant shining moments at all four 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship events.
--SCORE SAN FELIPE 250
Starting the season with the King Shocks 35th SCORE San Felipe 250, San Diego’s Luke McMillin was the overall winner, leading a field of 273 official starters with racers from 29 U.S. States, host Mexico and nine total countries.  The contingency and the race start/finish line compound returned to the Malecon along the azure waters of the tranquil Sea of Cortez in the heart of San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico on April 2-3. The challenging course was 277.00 miles and there were an amazing 72.90 percent finishers (199).
--SCORE BAJA 500
With 259 official starters including racers from 30 U.S. States, host Mexico and 14 total countries, the BFGoodrich Tires 54th SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, was held in the start/finish line compound in the heart of Ensenada, Mexico. Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren, the G.O.A.T. of off-road racing, won the overall of the June 4-5 race. The rugged course was 463.12 miles and 67.20 percent were official finishers (179).
--SCORE BAJA 400
     Returning to the winner’s circle for the first time in 2022 Las Vegas’ Bryce Menzies was the overall winner for the second straight year, leading a field of 197 starters from 22 U.S. States, host Mexico and 13 total countries for the 3rd SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels. The race started and finished in the s/f compound adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada on Sept. 17-18. The exciting 393.82-mile race course saw 136 finishers, a solid 69.04 percent.
--SCORE BAJA 1000
Starting and finishing in the heart of Ensenada, adjacent to the iconic Riviera Cultural Center, there were 276 official starters with racers from 35 U.S. States, the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico, host Mexico and 18 total countries for the BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. The team of Luke McMillin, San Diego and Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren were the overall winners. For The Luke and the G.O.A.T., it was their second straight win in this race and third straight for The Luke, who won in 2020 with ageless warrior Larry Roeseler. In what turned out to be one of the toughest courses in race history in 2022 (828.35 miles) there was a finishing rate of just 55.44 percent (153).
POINT REGS
SCORE point regulations for 2022 had all four races counting for final points toward season point championships. Racers were allowed one substitute driver for the season but the driver/rider of record had to either start or finish the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000.
SCORE points are calculated on a set amount of start points and finish points for each race along with a variable amount for placement points for finishers based on the number of starters within each class.
SHINING MOMENTS—THE LUKE WINS OVERALL, SCORE TROPHY TRUCK, OVERALL TRUCK TITLE
Following his third consecutive SCORE Trophy Truck race victory in the iconic SCORE Baja 1000, San Diego’s Luke McMillin was officially crowned the SCORE Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion of the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship. For ‘The Luke,’ it was his second season point championship in three years in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division and the first SCORE Overall season point crown in his ever-expanding resume.
With the baby-face looks of a movie star, the heart of a lion and the tenacity of a Grizzly bear, San Diego’s third-generation desert racer ‘The Luke’, 29, roared his way to the top of the point leaderboard in the SCORE Trophy Truck division and eventually the top of the SCORE Overall point leaderboard as well in 2022.
Driving solo the first three races of the year, ‘The Luke’ finished first in the SCORE San Felipe 250, sixth place in the SCORE Baja 500, second-place in the SCORE Baja 400 and capped the season with the help of the G.O.A.T. (Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren who drove the first 394 miles) by winning the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000 to complete his championship 2022 season in the SCORE World Desert Championship.
The youngest of the current active McMillin racers, ‘The Luke’ won the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 1000-horsepower, unlimited custom trucks, the SCORE Overall point championship, SCORE Truck title and the SCORE Overall truck point title with 534 points in his McMillin Racing No. 83 4 Wheel Parts All Wheel Drive Chevy 1500 built by Mason Motorsports.
SHINING MOMENTS—TOP FIVE IN OVERALL POINTS
Behind ‘The Luke’ in first, the top five SCORE Overall final point leaders in the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship start with second place Jorge Sampietro, Ensenada, Mexico, who won the Trophy Truck Spec class in his No. 297 Mason-Chevy  with 509 points, while third went to Elijah Kiger, Kirby, Pa., in his No. 238 Mason-Chevy (Trophy Truck Spec) with 493 points, fourth went to San Diego’s Dan McMillin, 35, Luke’s older brother in his McMillin Racing No. 23 4 Wheel Parts Chevy 1500 (Mason) with 488 points and fifth with 485 points was Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class champion Matt Burroughs, Norco, Calif. in his No. 2984 Can-Am X3.
Kiger and D. McMillin both finished second in their respective classes for the 2022 season.
SHINING MOMENTS—WRIGHT OVERALL M/C CHAMP/PRO MOTO IRONMAN WINNER
Following several seasons co-rider on winning Pro motorcycle age group classes, Brandon Wright, 46, Oak Hills, Calif. not only won the Pro Moto Ironman (for solo riders) class in this year’s King Shocks SCORE San Felipe 250 over 10 starters in his class, he won the season championship in his class and earned the 2022 SCORE Overall Motorcycle title as well with second-place finishes in the second and third SCORE Baja races and a third place finish in the SCORE Baja 1000 out of 20 starters in 2022.
Wright rode the No. 750x Husqvarna FE501 motorcycle.
At the finish line in San Felipe, the victorious Wright said following his first SCORE Pro Ironman win, “It was really rough the whole way. I did pretty-well for most of the time and was just trying to decide what pace to keep as I wasn’t sure where my competition was at. I was just trying to stay comfortable and everything was going well until about 15 miles to the finish when the whoops finally hit me. I thought I was done. I was just on survival mode at that point. But I made it. And I won my class!”
After a pre-running accident for the SCORE Baja 1000 caused him to withdraw from the race, he later decided (with approval from his doctor) to re-enter the race and he courageously battled to a podium finish to earn his two crowns.
SHINING MOMENTS—RUVALCABA CLAIMS CLASS 10/SCORE OVERALL OPEN-WHEEL
Mexico's J. David Ruvalcaba, of Ensenada won Class 10, was the SCORE Overall Open-Wheel point champion and was eighth in overall points.
A former SCORE motorcycle champion racer, Ruvalcaba was sixth place in his class of 19 starters in San Felipe and 11th place out of 26 starters in Ensenada in June and winning Class 10 out of 18 starters in Ensenada in September and third in Ensenada in November out of 23 starters in his No. 1009 Alumi Craft-Honda open-wheel desert race car.
His primary second driver was Esteban Cruz of Ensenada. The Lomitas Racing Team picked up their fourth SCORE season class point crown in 2022 (2000, 2001, 2019, 2022).
SHINING MOMENTS—MONSTER MATT OVERALL UTV/PRO UTV FI CHAMP
With three fourth-place finishes and one ninth-place, consistency provided big dividends for Monster Matt Burroughs as he won the 2022 Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class championship, but also the SCORE Overall UTV point championship as well with his 485 season points. All the numbers added up and his point total placed him fifth in the 2022 SCORE Overall point standings as well.
‘Monster Matt,’ 53, Norco, Calif., a Senior Vice-President for SCORE-sponsor Monster Energy, and a Can-Am Factory driver, drove his No. 2948 Monster Energy Can-Am X3 to his second season championship in three years. In 2020 he was also the SCORE Overall point champion.
The largest UTV class in the SCORE World Desert Championship saw 29 starters in the SCORE San Felipe 250, 24 in the SCORE Baja 500, 23 in the SCORE Baja 400 and 27 in the SCORE Baja 1000.
There was a total of 55 starters in the five SCORE UTV classes in the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000.
SHINING MOMENTS—QUINN CAPTURES CLASS 1
For many years a second driver for the wonderful Wilson Motorsports team, Kyle Quinn, 34, Long Beach, Calif., stepped into the lead driver position in one of the team’s entries this year and won the unlimited Class 1 at the SCORE San Felipe 250 in the No. 138 Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car.
With regular DOR Brian Wilson not available for all races in 2022, Quinn took the lead and shared driving duties in San Felipe with Brian Wilson’s uncle Ronny Wilson, 60 of Long Beach, Calif.
Quinn and Ronny Wilson finished on the podium again at the SCORE Baja 500 in third place.
At the SCORE Baja 400, with Brian Wilson’s cousin Brad Wilson as the second driver, Quinn finished on the podium in third place again and took the lead in Class 1.
At the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000, Quinn won Class 1 with Ronny Wilson and Greg DiStefano as his driving mates to earn the season point title with 452 points and finish 22nd in the SCORE Overall Season points.
SHINING MOMENTS—SCORE TROPHY TRUCK FINAL POINT LEADERS
SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee racing division in the entire sport of desert racing for high-tech, 1,000-horsepower, unlimited custom trucks that includes SCORE TT Legend (drivers over 50 years old), had a total of 42 trucks compete in the SCORE San Felipe 250, 31 in the SCORE Baja 500, 34 in September’s SCORE Baja 400 and 36 in November’s SCORE Baja 1000.
‘The Luke’ McMillin, was on the top spot on the podium for the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship with most of the world’s top SCORE Trophy Truck racers lined up behind him in 2022 season point standings.
Second was San Diego’s Dan McMillin, 35, Luke McMillin’s older brother, with 488 points in his No. 23 Chevy 1500 (Mason) and third was Mikey Lawrence, Banning, Calif. in his No. 85 Ford Raptor (Herbst/Smith) with 481 points.
Fourth in SCORE Trophy Truck was Raul Gomez, Placerville, Calif., in the No. 90 Ford Raptor (Geiser) with 468, fifth was Canada’s Tracy Graf with 466 points in his No. 58 Chevy Silverado (Racer), sixth with 451 points was Dan Myers, Newport Beach, Calif. in his No. 6 Toyota Tundra (R. Gordon) and seventh was Larry ‘Mr. Baja’ Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif with 421 points, including two third-place podium finishes in his No. 43 Toyota Tundra (ID).
Finishing eighth in the 2022 SCORE Trophy Truck season point championship with 413 points was Sam Baldi, Beaumont, Calif. in his No. 82 Chevy Silverado (Baldi), ninth was Las Vegas’ Tim Herbst with 407 in his No. 19 Ford F-150 (Herbst/Smith) and finishing in 10th place was Alan Ampudia, Ensenada, Mexico with 392 points in his No. 10 Ford Raptor (Mason).
SHINING MOMENTS—VILDOSOLA SR IN SCORE TT LEGEND
Mexico’s veteran SCORE champion Gustavo Vildosola Sr won the season point championship in SCORE TT Legend (drivers over 50 years old) following his undefeated season of four straight class wins. Vildosola Sr, 69, Mexicali, won the SCORE TT Legend season point championship in 2018 with Scott Bailey as a second driver.
He won all four 2022 races with help from legendary Hall of Fame racer Ricky Johnson, 58, El Cajon, Calif. who drove the first half of each race in the Vildosola Racing No. 21L AWD Ford Raptor built by Mason Motorsports.
Vildosola Sr also has three career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins in his illustrious career in SCORE desert racing.
SHINING MOMENTS—SAMPIETRO WON TROPHY TRUCK SPEC
Winning the season point championship in the extremely popular Trophy Truck Spec class for basically SCORE Trophy Trucks with crate engines for the second time was Mexico’s Jorge Sampietro.
The ever-growing class had 36 starters in San Felipe followed by 32 in the SCORE Baja 500, 24 in the SCORE Baja 400 and 28 in the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000.
Sampietro, 31, of Ensenada, had finishes in the four races of seventh, first, third and 14th in his No. 297 Mason-Chevy.
He also finished second in the SCORE overall point standings behind Luke McMillin with 509 season points.
SHINING MOMENTS—SALVATIERRA CAPTURES PRO MOTO UNLIMITED
After winning the season point championship for two consecutive years in the brutally tough Pro Moto Ironman class for solo riders (2020, 2021), Bolivia’s acclaimed Juan Carlos Salvatierra moved to the Pro Moto Unlimited class in 2022 and won the point title in the fastest class on two wheels. He finished first in his first three attempts in this legendary class and capped another stellar season with a third-place podium finish in the SCORE Baja 1000.
In San Felipe, his co-riders were Mexico’s Arturo Salas Jr, 19, and Shane Logan, 20, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. For the SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada, Salvatierra added Argentinian rally racer Diego Llanos to his team for his second straight class win. For the year, Salvatierra had 461 season points as the SCORE Overall motorcycle point leader in his No. 10x KTM 450SX-F motorcycle.
At the SCORE Baja 500, Salvatierra and his team gave KTM its first overall moto win in the 54-year history of that iconic race.
Salvatierra’s team for both the SCORE Baja 400 and the SCORE Baja 1000 were Salas Jr, Logan and newcomer Clayton Roberts, 20, Apple Valley, Calif.
Salvatierra, 41, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, raced nine years in the Dakar Rally, also participates in mountain biking races and triathlons. Considered the most important athlete in the history of Bolivia, in 2011, Salvatierra became the first athlete from Bolivia to race in the Dakar Rally. He is also a nine-time Bolivian National Motocross champion.
SHINING MOMENTS—13 CLASS POINT CHAMPS IN TOP 30 OVERALL
Including ‘The Luke’ McMillin in SCORE Trophy Truck, Vildosola Sr in SCORE TT Legend, Quinn in Class 1, Sampietro in Trophy Truck Spec and Burroughs in Pro UTV FI, 13 classes had at least one racer in the top 30 final SCORE Overall 4-wheel point standings for the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship.
The sixth class was Class 10 where J. David Ruvalcaba won his class and was eighth overall.
The 13 classes among the top 30 in the final 2022 SCORE point standings are SCORE Trophy Truck (6), Trophy Truck Spec (6), Pro UTV FI (5), Class 10 (4), Class 1 (2), Pro UTV NA (2), and with one each are SCORE TT Legend, Class 5, Baja Challenge, Class 1/2-1600, Pro UTV Open, Class 7 and SCORE Lites.
Winning Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspirated) was Kaden Wells, Hurricane, Utah, with two race wins and two third-place finishes in his No. 1995 Polaris RZR XP1000 and he was 25th in overall points.
Mexico’s Ramon Fernandez, of Ensenada, won Class 5 in his No. 507 Penhall-Chevy and was 20th in the overall standings with three class victories and one second-place.
San Diego’s Edward Muncey won twice with one second and one third to capture the Baja Challenge title in his No. BC4 BTC-Subaru and finish 26th in the overall point standings.
Mexico’s Martin Rangel, who lives in Surprise, Ariz., won this year’s Class 1/2-1600 crown with one win, two seconds and one sixth place to finish 27th overall in his No. 1626 Romo-VW.
Veteran champ Mike Cafro, Temecula, Calif., captured the Pro UTV Open title one win, two seconds and one fifth place to end up tied for 27th overall in his No. 1876 Polaris RZR Turbo R.
Earning yet another season point championship in Class 7 was Dan Chamlee, Montecito, Calif., in his No. 700 Ford Ranger with two class victories and two third-place finishes to tie for 30th in the overall standings for 2022.
Winning the SCORE Lites class and finishing tied for 30th overall was San Diego’s Miguel Cortez with two wins, a third and a fourth-place in his No. 1205 Curry-VW.
SHINING MOMENTS—THE UNDEFEATED
Besides Vildosola Sr in SCORE TT Legend, the other two undefeated racers in 2022 with four consecutive class wins to earn their respective class point titles as well were Fernando Beltran, Ensenada, Mexico (Pro Moto Limited, No. 180x Honda CRF450X) and Ryan Liebelt, Reedley, Calif. (Pro Moto 40, No. 400x Yamaha WR450F).
SHINING MOMENTS—TRIPLE WINS
Besides Salvatierra in Pro Moto Unlimited and Fernandez is Class 5, also with three wins in 2022 to capture the points in their respective classes were one other Motorcycle class and one Quad class.
With three straight class wins in 2022 also to win their classes were Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla. (Peru) (Pro Moto 30, No. 325x KTM 450EXCF) and Faelly Lopez, Puerto Rico (Pro Quad Ironman, No. 83a Honda TRX450R).
SHINING MOMENTS—MORE PRO CLASS POINT CHAMPIONS
Among the other 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship class point champions were Hector Sarabia, Ensenada, Mexico with 2-2-1-DNF finishes (Class 11, No. 1145 VW Sedan), Armando Duron, Mexicali, Mexico, with 2-1-DNF-1 finishes (Class 7SX, Ford Ranger) and Gerardo Novelo, Ensenada, Mexico with one race win (Class 7F, Nissan King Cab).
With 2-1-DNF-2 results, winning the Pro UTV Stock class was Anibal Lopez, Mexicali, Mexico (No. 3919 Polaris RZR Turbo S).
SHINING MOMENTS—MULTI CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS
While everyone else was capturing their first, 17 of the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship class season point champs have now won at least two season titles in their respective careers.
     Leading this austere group of SCORE champions is age-group motorcycle racer Jim O’Neal who now has a SCORE-record 24 season class point titles (co-rider this year with Geovanni Spinali in Pro Moto 50). Chamlee continues to be second all-time behind O’Neal with 18 career season class point crowns.
‘The Luke’ McMillin has earned his fifth crown as did Fernandez and Spinali while earning their four titles were Montoya, Ruvalcaba, Jason Trubey (Pro Moto 40) and Wells.
With three championships each now are Beltran, Liebelt, Muncey, Novelo, Salvatierra and Vildosola Sr.
Picking up their second SCORE class season point championships in 2022 were Burroughs, Iniguez and Wright.
SHINING MOMENTS—TOP SPORTSMAN
High point-getter among the Sportsman classes, 2022 Sportsman quad point champion with two race wins, was the team led by Fidel Gonzalez, Viscaino, Mexico (SPT Quad, No. 111a Honda TRX450R).
SCOREscope
2023 GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY SCHEDULE
Here are the dates for the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship Golden Anniversary season, ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Desert Racing Excellence’, which will be held totally in Baja California, Mexico for the eighth consecutive year:
King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250—
March 29-April 2, San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
May 31-June 4, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels—
September 12-17, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
November 13-18, La Paz, Baja California Sur to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
ESPN TV NETWORKS AGAIN IN 2022
For the fourth straight year, the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship races are airing on the ESPN family of networks. The four-races air as specials on the World of X Games program on ESPN2.
ABC first covered the 1967 and 1968 Baja 1000 races on the old ABC Wide World of Sports show with Jim McKay and again in the late 1980s with veteran motorsports journalists Sam Posey and Jack Arute.
All of the SCORE race coverage shows also continue to air internationally in nearly 25 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America and South America via syndication and ESPN International. The shows are co-produced by SCORE International and SoCal’s award-winning BCII TV.
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, 4 Wheel Parts-Official Off-Road Retailer and Race Presenting Partner, Ford-Official Truck and SUV, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber and Race Title Sponsor, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel and race presenting sponsor, Optima Batteries-Official Batteries, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino and PCI Race Radios.
SCORE Official Partners: The Satellite Phone Store, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance, Lucerna Hotel.
Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Baja California Secretary of Tourism, MEXICO Secretary of Tourism, San Felipe Foundational Municipal Council, Ensenada Municipal Government, San Felipe Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Hotel and Motel Association, Proturismo Ensenada and Cruz Roja Mexicana.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCORE-International.com.