Part 3: Racers prepping for 2023 SCORE WDC

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com
 
January 24, 2023
 
Season Opener in San Felipe, Baja
‘Celebrating 50 years of Desert Racing Excellence’
PART  3: Vildosola Sr, Polvoorde, Wells, Miller enjoying
prepping for 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship
 
Season opener will be King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250
set for March 29-April 2 along azure waters of the Sea of Cortez
 
    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—While there is an off-season for the fans, racers and teams are diligently preparing physically and mentally for the launch of the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship in Baja California, Mexico.
     ‘Celebrating 50 years of Desert Racing Excellence’ in 2023, the season-opener will be the King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250, March 29-April 2 in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.
The World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization will be presenting its entire series for the eighth consecutive year on the Baja California peninsula.
Racers and teams have a variety of methods to get themselves and their amazing desert racing machines ready to attack the majestic, mysterious, foreboding Baja California peninsula. Here are the comments from several top SCORE racers regarding their varied approaches to the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season.
Certainly, there are numerous developing stories regarding drivers with new teams or changes in classes, but here is PART 3 of a sampling of comments gathered from SCORE superstars Gustavo Vildosola Sr (SCORE TT Legend), Christopher Polvoorde (Trophy Truck Spec), Kaden Wells (Pro UTV NA) and Wes Miller (Pro UTV FI)…
GUSTAVO VILDOSOLA SR, Mexicali, Mexico—No. 21L Ford Raptor (Mason): SCORE TT Legend
What are you doing to get yourself physically and mentally ready for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“After the SCORE Baja 1000, I usually like to go to skiing for a couple months during the ski season, then during the spring and summer my activity of choice is scuba diving and mountain biking. I like to stay active to keep the body going and ready for the next race.”
“As far as mental preparation, these activities tend to be pretty quiet so it gives you a lot of time to think, be in nature and even come up with new ideas and improvements for the trucks and racing in general. Really, it is all about staying physically and mentally active and keeping a positive attitude to stay focused and get the best results.”
What is your team doing to prepare/upgrade/change your vehicle for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“We are revamping our race shop, preparing pit and chase equipment to properly prepare for this upcoming season. We arere always testing to improve, it’s a great advantage to now race two identical trucks, we get a much better knowledge of wear and tear on parts and life cycle of parts so it’s nice to have that comparison. We also like to do some driving exercises to keep us on our toes, trying out new things and staying in the mindset of racing even on the off season.”
What testing plans do you have planned heading into the 2023 SCORE San Felipe 250?
     “There are plans for extensive testing of both of our Mason Motorsports SCORE Trophy Trucks in San Felipe during the end of January and beginning of February. We are hoping to sort out a couple of details we have been looking at for out trucks.”
Are you planning having an additional driver(s) for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season and if so, who will they be?
“The talented Ricky Johnson will be staying with us in the SCORE TT Legend Class for the 2023 season. As far as plans for the SCORE Baja 1000 peninsula run in November, you’ll have to stay tuned and see!”
Knowing that 2023 is the 50th anniversary season of SCORE racing, what does SCORE mean to you as a racer in the SCORE World Desert Championship.
“It definitely is an incredible milestone for SCORE. I have been racing in Baja for 54 years (50 years now with SCORE) and it’s very exciting to see how SCORE has successfully come this far and keeps everything so well organized for us. It has become an activity that my whole family is involved in, and I am beyond grateful to be able to race with SCORE and happy to say I will continue to do so as long as I can. At this point I can proudly say Vildosola Racing has accomplished many successes with SCORE but we’re always striving for more! Also, a huge ‘congrats’ to Roger and his team for keeping this going for us.”
CHRISTOPHER POLVOORDE, Hemet, Calif.—No. 204 Mason-Ford: Trophy Truck Spec
What are you doing to get yourself physically and mentally ready for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“Getting ready for the season is something that I personally take pretty serious. I am on a simple but efficient training program and diet. I do strength training which is mostly based around a CrossFit type fitness. In addition to that I also spend time riding my Intense Cycles mountain bike and running to build my cardio. I feel that being physically fit for the truck is essential and often overlooked by off-road racers. My mental training is all my physical training, it helps me clear my mind and learn to push through the tough spots that are brought on during training.”
What is your team doing to prepare/upgrade/change your vehicle for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“The team has just been hard at work just getting the truck freshened up. We recently put Fox Live Valve on, so just making sure we have that all dialed in. Besides that, just touching up some of our STEEL-IT coatings and we will be ready for race day. We were very happy with the performance of the truck in 2022, so we will not change too much going into 2023.”
What testing plans do you have planned heading into the 2023 SCORE San Felipe 250?
     “After the SCORE Baja 1000 I have already spent several days down in San Felipe testing the race truck with the new Fox Live Valve suspension. We will head down south again before the race to do some more test miles.”
Are you planning having an additional driver(s) for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season and if so, who will they be?
“Going into the season I do not plan on having any additional drivers until the SCORE Baja 1000. That driver will be released as we get closer to the big peninsula run from La Paz to Ensenada.”
Knowing that 2023 is the 50th anniversary season of SCORE racing, what does SCORE mean to you as a racer in the SCORE World Desert Championship.
“Going into the 50th year of racing for SCORE is very exciting. Growing up watching off-road racing, I was always fascinated with the history of the sport. Now being a racer and having the opportunity to be part of the history it does make it feel special and I look forward to a fun year in 2023.”
KADEN WELLS, Hurricane, Utah—No. 1995 Polaris RZR XP1000: Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspirated)
What are you doing to get yourself physically and mentally ready for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“One thing we are doing to physically and mentally prepare for the 2023 season is getting in our hyperbaric oxygen chamber, taking supplements and trying to eat (somewhat) healthy! We try to do our preps as soon as we get done with a race. That makes it less stressful when it comes down to the wire to get loaded up for a race. Keeping focused is key!”
What is your team doing to prepare/upgrade/change your vehicle for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“Our team has spent the last 5-6 months of 2022 building (from ground up) a new Polaris Pro R. This is a new platform for us as we are stepping up from the Pro UTV NA class to Pro UTV Open. We have put about 100 test miles on it so far and haven’t had one issue. We will continue testing and will be ready for the SCORE San Felipe 250.”
What testing plans do you have planned heading into the 2023 SCORE San Felipe 250?
“We always test weeks before a race to ensure the car is 100% ready. Shock testing and a full prep are included. Shocks are especially important in San Felipe because of the volume of whoops and the blistering washes we race through.”
Are you planning having an additional driver for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season and if so, who will they be?
“For the 2023 season, I will still be the driver of record and Emma Cornwell will be my co-driver again this year. As far as the SCORE Baja 1000 race, we will determine who will be brought in for additional drivers at that time.”
Knowing that 2023 is the 50th anniversary season of SCORE racing, what does SCORE mean to you as a racer in the SCORE World Desert Championship.
“It’s all in the name! SCORE World Desert Championship, the biggest and best of them all, by far. We are going to be pushing hard to bring home that SCORE 50th anniversary season class point championship!”
WES MILLER, Las Vegas—No. 2989 Polaris RZR XP Turbo: Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction)
What are you doing to get yourself physically and mentally ready for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“I like to use the off season to reset and take a little break from racing. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a break. I plan on implementing a new workout routine to step up my game. I also like to utilize some meditation to keep my mind in the right space.”
What is your team doing to prepare/upgrade/change your vehicle for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season?
“We are still finalizing some of our marketing partners for the 2023 season, but our plan is to debut a new race car at some point this season.”
What testing plans do you have planned heading into the 2023 SCORE San Felipe 250?
“We generally do suspension, clutch, and motor tuning prior to every race. I anticipate San Felipe to be the same this year.”
Are you planning having an additional driver(s) for the 2023 SCORE Baja racing season and if so, who will they be?
“I will drive solo all the races other than the SCORE Baja 1000. But it is too soon to announce the other driver currently.”
Knowing that 2023 is the 50th anniversary season of SCORE racing, what does SCORE mean to you as a racer in the SCORE World Desert Championship.
“It is awesome that this year is the 50th anniversary of SCORE racing. SCORE is the premier series in off-road racing in the world and personally, I am really looking forward to my 25th SCORE Baja 1000 in November.”
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 aired on the ESPN family of networks. The four-races aired as specials 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, 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, 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.