Race Week has started for K&N 4th SCORE Baja 400

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com
 
September 11, 2023
 
‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’
K&N 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels
Desert racers from across the USA and around the world
descending on Baja California, Mexico for this week’s race
 
Round 3 of 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship on 384.66-mile course,
Late, on-site racer registration Wednesday-Friday at Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center;
In the Off-Road Racing Capital of the World—Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico;
Sal Fish Grand Marshal—2023 season, Evans, McMillin—SCORE Baja 400
SCORE LIVE—Qualifying, Contingency, S/F, tracking, course action, studio updates—
Rat Sult in eighth season as lead announcer, host; Dave Arnold veteran voice assisting
 
#SCORE Baja 400
NOTE: SCORE Baja 400 Race week Schedule of Events; race stats at bottom of text
 
     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’ this year, featuring astonishing parity among this season’s top point leaders, this week’s K&N 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels, launches the second half of the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship.
While all racers compete to win their respective classes in a particular race, they are also always eyeing the grand prize at the end of the season—SCORE season class point championships. Racers from 27 U.S. States and 10 countries are registered entering this week’s late, on-site registration.
With 196 entries to date, late, on-site registration will be Wednesday through Friday (Sept. 13-15) in Ensenada.
DIRT FAX
The youngest race in the long and storied 50-year history of the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, Round 3 of the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held Wednesday through Sunday (Sept. 13-17), in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Ensenada, ‘The Off-Road Racing Capital of the World,’ is a Pacific Ocean port located 80 miles South of the U.S. Border near San Diego.
Pre-race Contingency and Tech Inspection and the start/finish line compound will be located on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada.
All four 2023 SCORE races are being held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the eighth consecutive year.
SCORE, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, is celebrating its 50th season in 2023.
LATE RACER REGISTRATION
Late, on-site racer registration will be held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (Sept. 13-15) in Salon Rojo in Ensenada’s iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center.
On Wednesday (Sept. 13) racer registration will be held from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT. On Thursday (Sept. 14) it will run from 9a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT, and on Friday (Sept. 15) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Wednesday, no new entries will be accepted after 7 p.m. PDT, and on Thursday and Friday after 4 p.m. PDT.
SCORE LIVE
During qualifying on Thursday, contingency on Friday and the race on Saturday, until the course closes on Sunday morning, live streaming will be broadcasting race activities, start and finish line interviews as well as live drone and land coverage from around the race course. There will also be live updates from the SCORE Studio in El Cajon, Calif., throughout the race.
Popular Rat Sult, who has been the voice of SCORE over the last eight seasons, will once again serve as host of the SCORE Live streaming. Assisting Sult once again will be veteran voice Dave Arnold.
SCORE live may be launched from the home page of the SCORE website or from the SCORE App.
GREEN FLAG
The SCORE Baja 400 will be an elapsed-time race with staggered starts as the green flag on Saturday will drop first for the motorcycles and quads at 5:30 a.m. (PDT) and 8:15 a.m. (PDT) for the cars, trucks and UTVs.
While the fastest vehicles are expected to finish in around seven hours, all vehicles will have a 16-hour time limit to become official finishers in the race.
QUALIFYING
     Qualifying (closed to the public) for starting positions will be held on an undisclosed 5.29-mile course on Thursday (Sept. 14), starting at 7 a.m. PDT. Classes that will be qualifying for start positions within their respective classes for the SCORE Baja 400 are SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, and the Trophy Truck Spec classes.
DOUBLE DIGITS
Leading the list of entries with double-digit lineups so far are SCORE Trophy Truck with 38 entries (including seven in SCORE TT Legend for drivers over 50 years old), Trophy Truck Spec with 36 entries, Pro UTV Open with 15 entries, Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) with 12 entries, Class 10 with 10 entries, and Pro UTV Stock with 10 entries to date.
Among 2-wheel vehicles, Pro Moto Ironman (for solo riders) has seven entries.
PRE-RUNNING
Official practice, or pre-running, on the official 384.66-mile race course for this year’s 4th K&N SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels, opened on Sept. 2.
Pre-running begins at race mile 33.98, ending at race-mile 343.70. The first section from race mile 4.89 up to race mile 33.98, which will be used in both directions during the race, will be available for pre-running only on Friday (Sept. 15) and only in the outbound direction.
The official SCORE Racer Brief, Penalty brief, course map and GPS files are available on the SCORE website under race info/SCORE Baja 400.
QUALIFYING
     Qualifying for starting positions within their respective classes will be held on Thursday (Sept. 14), starting at 7 a.m. PDT. Classes that will be qualifying for the 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels, are SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, and the Trophy Truck Spec class. Starting order for qualifying will be determined by the order in which each vehicle enters the race.
MORE DIRT FAX
     With over 225 entries anticipated at the start line, 196 total entries have been received so far for this growing event, with racers representing 27 U.S. States, U.S. Territory Puerto Rico, and 10 countries. The countries with at least one racer so far are United States, host country Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, France, Israel, New Zealand, and Peru.
TIES & SUPER-TIGHT CLASS BATTLES
SoCal’s champion desert racer Jason McNeil has assumed the lead midway in both the 2023 SCORE Overall and SCORE Trophy Truck Spec point standings following the BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 500.
Driving solo again this season, McNeil was second in class in Round 1 of the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. His Trophy Truck Spec class had a SCORE-record 43 starters in his class in San Felipe in April. He topped that finish by winning his class over a race-high 31 starters in Ensenada in the SCORE Baja 500 earlier in June.
Midway through the 50th season of the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, the top 10 overall point leaders are separated by just 38 total points after Round 2 of four races in the 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship Overall point standings. A total of four classes have at least one racer in the top 26 overall points after two races over the Northern part of Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula.
TERRIBLE HERBST MOTORSPORTS 2nd & 3rd OVERALL
Two Las Vegas’ third generation desert racers are second and third in the current Trophy Truck Spec class and SCORE Overall point standings.
Thor Herbst, 23, and his younger brother Pierce Herbst, 20, won the Trophy Truck Spec class over a SCORE-record 43 starters in the season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250 in this popular class in their Terrible Herbst Motorsports No. 219 Herbst/Smith-Chevy truck.
In just their third full SCORE season of racing, their first SCORE class race win also gave the sons of SCORE champion racer Tim Herbst not only the early Trophy Truck Spec point lead, but the SCORE Overall Point lead as well.
In the SCORE Baja 500, the brothers finished fourth in class to keep their points second to McNeil with 261 total.
Continuing to introduce a new generation of Herbst family racers to the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, Terrible Herbst Motorsports has two other trucks competing in series and all three have been official finishers in both races.
Also of Las Vegas, EJ Herbst, 22, son of SCORE champion racer Ed Herbst (Tim’s Herbst’s older brother) finished seventh in the SCORE-record field in San Felipe in Trophy Truck Spec. With EJ Herbst split the driving with New Zealand’s Ryan Millen, Millen was the allowed substitute driver for the SCORE Baja 500 and finished second overall for EJ Herbst who was out with an injury from a non-racing incident.
Tim Herbst, 60, also of Las Vegas, finished 13th out of 31 starters in SCORE Trophy Truck in San Felipe with fellow Las Vegan Pat Dean as his second driver. In the SCORE Baja 500, the pair was 10th in class and are 11th in the SCORE Trophy Truck season points.
MENZIES: SCORE TROPHY TRUCK POINT LEADER
After a third-place finish in the season opener in San Felipe, Las Vegas’ Bryce Menzies roared to the overall victory in the SCORE Baja 500 to take the lead from Luke McMillin in the SCORE Trophy Truck season point standings.
For Menzies, 35, his latest victory in Ensenada was his fourth SCORE Trophy Truck and overall win in the SCORE Baja 500 and first in nine years. Racing since 2011, Menzies now has nine career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins, which ties him for sixth place on the all-time victory list which is led by fellow-Las Vegan Rob MacCachren, 58, who has 20 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins.
Menzies is currently fourth in SCORE Overall points with 247 total.
TOP FIVE IN OVERALL POINTS
Behind McNeil, Thor Herbst, EJ Herbst and Menzies in the top four spots, ‘The Luke’ McMillin, 30, who won the season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250 and finished fourth in the SCORE Baja 500, is fifth in overall points and second in SCORE Trophy Truck points, just four behind Menzies.
Defending series season point champion Luke McMillin drives the No. 1 McMillin Racing Chevy 1500 AWD SCORE Trophy Truck built by Mason Motorsports.
BURROUGHS OVERALL UTV/PRO UTV FI LEADER
Following a sixth-place and a third-place finish in his class in the first two races, Matt Burroughs has returned to the top of the leaderboard in his Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class as well as the SCORE Overall UTV point leaderboard. His two-race total of 226 points also has him 14th in the 2023 SCORE Overall point standings.
With three fourth-place finishes and one ninth-place, consistency provided big dividends for Burroughs as he won the 2022 Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class championship, but also the SCORE Overall UTV point champ 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.
Burroughs, 54, Norco, Calif., is a Can-Am Factory driver, driving his No. 2948 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 has seen 30 starters in the SCORE San Felipe 250 and 22 in this year’s SCORE Baja 500 to start the 2023 season.
WRIGHT WAY OVERALL MOTORCYCLE LEADER
Picking up again where he left off in 2022, Brandon Wright, 46, Oak Hills, Calif., leads the Pro Moto Ironman class (solo riders) as well as the SCORE Overall Motorcycle point leader through the first half of the season.
So far in 2023, he has a second and a first-place finish to earn 215 season points to lead all motorcycles.
Wright rides the No. 700x Husqvarna FE501 motorcycle.
In 2022, following several seasons co-rider on winning Pro motorcycle age group classes, wright not only won the Pro Moto Ironman (for solo riders) class in last 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 last year.
After a pre-running accident for last year’s 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.
VILDOSOLA SR—SCORE TT LEGEND
Mexico’s veteran SCORE champion Gustavo Vildosola Sr backed up his 2022 season point championship in SCORE TT Legend (drivers over 50 years old) following his undefeated season of four straight class wins with his second 2023 victory in this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 500 in early June.
Vildosola Sr, 70, Mexicali, also won the SCORE TT Legend season point championship in 2018 with Scott Bailey as a second driver.
He won all four 2022 races and the first two in 2023 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. 1L AWD Ford Raptor built by Mason Motorsports.
Vildosola Sr has 215 season points after winning against eight starters in his class in San Felipe and seven in Ensenada. He also finished eighth overall out of 285 starters in this year’s San Felipe race and ninth out of 240 starters in the SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada.
Vildosola Sr also has three career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins in his illustrious career in SCORE desert racing.
4 CLASS POINT LEADERS IN TOP 26 OVERALL
Including Jason McNeil in Trophy Truck Spec, Bryce Menzies in SCORE Trophy Truck and Matt Burroughs in Pro UTV FI, four classes have at least one racer in the top 26 SCORE Overall 4-wheel point standings after two races the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship.
The other class with a racer in the top 26 is Class 10.
Fourth a field of 19 starters to win in his class in San Felipe, and winning his class out of 16 starters in the SCORE Baja 500, Francisco Vera, 32, El Rosario, Mexico, leads Class 10 with 109 points and is tied for 22nd in overall points after one race in his No. 1091 Alumi Craft Chevy.
The four classes among the top 26 in the current 2023 SCORE point standings are led by Trophy Truck Spec with 12 racers, SCORE Trophy Truck (9), Pro UTV FI (4), and Class 10 (1)
DOUBLE WINNERS/CLASS LEADERS
     A total of 10 SCORE racers have won their classes in both races to obviously lead the point standings in their respective classes, four in Pro car and truck classes, four in Pro motorcycle classes and two in Pro quad classes.
At the top of the list is Vildosola Sr who leads the SCORE TT Legend class for SCORE Trophy Truck drivers over 50 years old.
The other two-time winners and class point leaders among four-wheel vehicles are Eli Yee, 49, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 5, No. 511 Jake’s-Chevy), Chase Swanson, 24, Honolulu (Trophy Lite, No. 6049 Trophy Lite-Chevy), and Oliver Flemate, 46, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 11, No. 1105, VW Sedan).
The unbeaten two-wheel class point leaders are Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla. (Pro Moto 30, No. 3200x KTM 450EXCF), Alirio Amado, 45, The Woodlands, Texas (Pro Moto 40, No. 441 Yamaha WR450F), Kevin Ward, 61, Longview, Texas (Pro Moto 60, No. 644x Honda CRF450x) and Robert Creemers, 58, New Zealand (Pro Moto 50, No. 501x Honda CRF50X).
In Pro Quad, the undefeated point leaders are Faelly Lopez, 39, Puerto Rico (Pro Quad Ironman, No. 83a Honda TRX450R) and Nicolas Velez, 17, San Felipe, Mexico (Pro Quad No. 1a Honda TRX450R).
MORE PRO CLASS POINT LEADERS
Among the other 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship class point leaders are, Cody Reid, 31, Apple Valley, Calif. (Class 1, No. 168 Alumi Craft-Chevy), Brock Heger, 23, El Centro, Calif. (Pro UTV Open, No. 1896 Polaris RZR Pro R), Randy Emberton, 64, Prescott Valley, Ariz., (Pro UTV Stock, No. 3933 Polaris RZR Turbo S), Joe Bolton, 65, Corona, Calif. (Pro UTV NA, No. 1957 Polaris RZR XP1000), and Edward Muncey, 52, San Diego (Baja Challenge, BC4 BTC-Subaru).
BRIEF HISTORY
Inaugurated in 2019, the SCORE Baja 400 was not held in 2020 because of the international health pandemic, in 2021 started and finished without spectators Northeast of the central city and returned to the heart of the city in 2022.
BOMBASTIC BAJA
The race features a remarkable course, designed, plotted, and fully marked by SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva, SCORE Assistant Race Director Rodolfo Fernandez and their staff, of 384.66 miles of rugged Baja California terrain in the Northern part of the State.
The race course runs a clockwise direction in Baja California, staying almost entirely on the West side of Highway 3. The farthest South that it goes is just past Mike’s Sky Rancho (rm149.90) and includes the magnificently beautiful stretch of more than 10 miles along the coast of the Pacific Ocean past Erendira.
The course has one physical checkpoint at race-mile 222.00 at Llano Colorado, 185 total virtual checkpoints and a total of 10 speed zones for a total of 54.47 miles.
The highest point on the course is at race mile 152.05 at Cerro Blanco with an altitude of 4,741 feet.
The first 33.98 miles of the route East and West to and from the Ojos Negros area will be raced in both directions.
Heading South from Ojos, the course winds slowly east until it hits Highway 3 for a brief speed zone section before traveling near Santa Catarina (rm 89.23), Jamau (108.16) before going downhill on the infamous Goat Trail. After a short section on Highway 3, the course moves Southwest up to Mike’s Sky Rancho (rm 149.90) before taking the downhill at Simpson Ranch heading North.
The race course turns west towards the Pacific Ocean Southeast of Valle de la Trinidad then West to the only physical checkpoint at rm 220 (Llano Colorado). The course turns north to run up the coastline near Colonet (rm243.75). At La Calavera (rm 281.30), the course leaves the Pacific Ocean and winds slowly inland up to Santo Tomas (rm302.06) then just south of Uruapan (rm307.96) and east and then north up to Rancho El Mezcal (rm343.70) and the final section to the finish, running just west of Ojos Negros and past Ejido Piedras Gordas to the finish line in Ensenada.
Overall, the challenging race course is another memorable example of all that Mexico’s Baja California has to offer, including high-speed dirt trails, sandy, rocky, and silty natural terrain, majestic Baja washes and canyons, stretches along the seashore with elevations from sea level to 4,741 feet. The course is another jewel reflecting the stark and eternal beauty of Baja California.
START GRID-SCORE BAJA 1000
The results of the SCORE Baja 400 also will determine the start order within each class for November’s iconic season-ending BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000.
BFGOODRICH TIRES UNMATCHED
BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 47 years, was honored after the 2022 season as the SCORE Contingency Company of the year for the 32nd time.
BFGoodrich Tires has been the choice of 35 of the 55 overall winners of the popular SCORE Baja 500 and 34 of the 56 overall winners of the legendary SCORE Baja 1000. BFGoodrich Tires is also the title sponsor of both iconic races again in 2023.
BFGoodrich Tires also has been the choice of 30 of the 36 overall winners of the SCORE San Felipe 250, all three SCORE Desert Challenge races, the lone SCORE Challenge of Champions in San Felipe, the one SCORE Baja Sur 500 and one of the three overall winners in the SCORE Baja 400.
This year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 overall victory by San Diego’s Luke McMillin marked the 103rd SCORE Baja overall race win for BFGoodrich Tires.
GRAND MARSHALS FOR THE SCORE BAJA 400
Walker Evans and Mark McMillin, two of the biggest names in the history of desert racing, will be the co-Grand Marshals for this year’s K&N SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels.
Both legendary members of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, Evans, 84, Riverside, Calif., and McMillin, 67, San Diego, had amazing careers in SCORE desert racing over several decades.
Evans is one of the true pioneers of the sports of off-road racing and 21 won season championships in the desert, short-course, stadium, NASCAR Trucks, and rock-crawling. He started in desert racing in 1969 in the original NORRA Mexican 1000.
In SCORE racing, Evans has class wins in the SCORE Baja 1000, SCORE Baja 500, SCORE Parker 400, SCORE Fireworks 250 and the original Mint 400.
Among his many victories was the 1979 overall victory in the SCORE Baja 1000 that marked the first time that a full-sized pickup won the iconic race. He earned over 150 victories in his career.
In his SCORE racing career, Evans had six career season class point championships (1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986)
Evans was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2004 and later was recognized by induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in the class of 2015.
After many years working as an ambassador for the organization, Evans was named a 2022 inductee into the SEMA Hall of Fame. Evans is truly one of the original legends of desert racing.
Mark McMillin is one of the pillars of SCORE Baja racing, and a major part of the Big Blue M McMillin Racing machine.
Mark McMillin was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2018 when he joined his late father Corky McMillin (ORMHOF class of 2006) as the first father and son team to earn the prestigious honor. McMillin Racing launched in 1976 and continues today with third-generation McMillin SCORE Trophy Truck racers Andy McMillin, Dan McMillin, and Luke McMillin.
In his SCORE racing career, Mark McMillin earned six season class point championships (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2005). In the SCORE Baja 1000, Mark McMillin had five overall victories (1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1988), and eight total class victories. In the SCORE Baja 500, he had three overall wins and five total class wins.
Mark McMillin has also been the Chairman of the Board of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame since 2015.
GRANDEST MARSHAL FOR GOLDEN YEAR
Sal Fish, admired as the iconic ‘godfather’ of SCORE desert racing who is a foundational pillar of the organization, is the Grand Marshal of the Year for the entire four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship.
Revered all over Baja California, Fish, who turned 84 in May, is a former publisher of Hot Rod Magazine and a 2006 inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. He led SCORE for 38 years, from 1974 until he sold the organization on Dec. 20, 2012.
His footprint left an indelible mark on all of desert racing as he was an extraordinary innovator and visionary for SCORE and the entire world of desert racing.
He expanded TV coverage of SCORE races and in 1994 created the SCORE Trophy Truck class, the marquee racing division in the sport of desert racing.
     Fish has a very special reason that will keep him from being on-site for this race.  He and his wife Barbara will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary during race week. Bravo Sal and Barbara!
He has recorded a very special video tribute that will air during race week in Ensenada.
He will be in person for the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000 in November.
SCOREscope
2023 GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY SCHEDULE
Here are the dates for the remaining two races in the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship Golden Anniversary season, ‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’, which are being held totally in Baja California, Mexico for the eighth consecutive year:
K&N 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels—
September 13-17, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by K&N—
November 13-18, La Paz, Baja California Sur to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
SCORE SPONSORS…
Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, 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, Baja Vida-Official Snacks and race presenting sponsor, Optima Batteries-Official Batteries, Rugged Radios-Official Radio Communications, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.
SCORE Official Partners: The Satellite Phone Store, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance.
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.
‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’
K&N 4th SCORE Baja 400,
presented by VP Racing Fuels
Round 3 of four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico – 384.66 miles
Schedule of Events• (all times PDT)
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
9am-5pm                 Chassis Inspection/Stella device check & install—By Appointment
1pm-5pm                 Media Registration             Salon Rojo, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
2pm-8pm                Racer Registration             Qualifying Classes only—Salon Rojo, Riviera CC
Thursday, September 14, 2023
7am                        Qualifying                          SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend,
Trophy Truck Spec
9am-5pm                 Chassis Inspection/Stella Bracket Check & Install—just past S/F ramp
9am-5pm                 Racer Registration             Salon Rojo, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
No new entries after 4 p.m.
9am-5pm                 Media Registration             Salon Rojo, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
Friday, September 15, 2023
8am-5pm                Racer Registration -           Salon Rojo, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
No New Entries after 3 p.m.
8am-5pm                 Contingency Row              Blvd Costero, adjacent to Riviera del Pacifico CC
8am-6pm                 Tech/Transponder Check/Stella/SPICA device pick up—end of contingency row
9am-5pm                 Media Registration             Salon Rojo, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
6pm                        Aircraft/Drone Pilot Meeting Cathedral Room, Riviera del Pacifico CC
7pm                         Mandatory Racer Meeting  Cathedral Room, Riviera del Pacifico CC
Saturday, September 16, 2023
5am-11pm    SCORE Media Center        Salon Comedor Ventanalas, Riviera del Pacifico CC
START/FINISH: 384.66-mile course Cars/Trucks/UTV; next to Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
5:30am         RACE START: MOTOS/QUADS(subject to change)—
Pro Moto Unltd, Pro Moto 30, Pro Moto Ltd, Pro Moto 50, Pro Moto 40, Pro Moto Ironman, Pro Moto 60, Pro Quad, Pro Quad Ironman, Pro Baja-e Moto/Quad, SPT Moto, SPT Quad
(Start Intervals: Pro Moto Unlimited-60 second split, all other classes start one every 30 seconds)
7:30am         Honor Guard and Salute to the Flags Ceremony          Start/Finish line ramp
8:15am         RACE START CARS/TRUCKS/UTVS (subject to change)—
TT/TT Legend, 1, TT Spec, 10, Pro UTV Open, Pro UTV FI, 7, SL, Pro UTV NA, Pro UTV Unltd, 1/2-1600, Pro UTV Stock, 8, Heavy Metal, Hammer Truck, 5, 3, 5-1600, BC, Stock Mid-Size, 7F, 7SX, SF, TL, Baja-e Truck, Baja-e Car, Baja-e UTV, 2, 11, SPT Truck, SPT Open-Wheel, SPT UTV (TT, TT Legend, one every 60 seconds. All other car/truck classes start 30-second splits)
TIME LIMIT: All vehicles will have a 16-hour time limit from the time each vehicle starts
3pm-11pm    Posting of Unofficial Finishers     Salon Comedor Ventanalas, Riviera del Pacifico CC
Sunday, September 17, 2023
5:45am         Posting of unofficial results           Online, Salon Comedor Ventanalas, Riviera del CC
8am-9:30am Result inquiry period                    SCORE Office - Ensenada
10am-2pm    SCORE Media Center Open        Salon Comedor, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
10:30am       Posting of official results              Online; Salon Comedor Ventanalas, Riviera CC
11:30am       Awards Celebration                      Cathedral Room, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center
SCORE Baja 400 All-Time Stats
Ensenada, Baja California Mexico
All-Time SCORE Baja 400 Overall Champions (2019 thru 2022)
 
Year—DRIVERS/RIDERS, VEHICLE
2019—Ryan Arciero, Ford
Justin Morgan/Mark Samuels/Ricky Dietrich, Honda
2021—Bryce Menzies, Ford
Shane Redline/Chris Phillips/Phillip Herrera/Larry Serna/Carlos Pardini/Brandon Prieto, Honda
2022—Bryce Menzies, Ford
Juan Carlos Salvatierra/Arturo Salas Jr/Shane Logan/Clayton Roberts, KTM
SCORE Baja 400 Overall Champions
 
Racers
Cars & Trucks
2
Bryce Menzies
1
Ryan Arciero
Motorcycles
1
Ricky Dietrich
Phillip Herrera
Shane Logan
Justin Morgan
Carlos Pardini
Chris Phillips
Brandon Prieto
Shane Redline
Clayton Roberts
Arturo Salas Jr
Juan Carlos Salvatierra
Mark Samuels
Larry Serna
Manufacturers
Overall 4wheel Vehicle Trucks/SUVs*
3
Ford
Overall Engine Winners
Cars & Trucks*
3
Ford
 
Motorcycles
2
Honda
1
KTM
Tires
4wheel vehicles
2
Toyo Tires
1
BFGoodrich Tires
SCORE Baja 400 (All-Time Starters, Finishers, Race Sites)
 
2019
390.0 miles, Ensenada to Ensenada
Total Starters: 189, Total Finishers: 146
2021
400.0 miles, Ensenada to Ensenada
Total Starters: 193, Total Finishers: 151
2022
393.82 miles, Ensenada to Ensenada
Total Starters: 197, Total Finishers: 136
All-Time SCORE Baja 400 Pro Class Champs (thru 2022)
 
DRIVER OF RECORD (Total, Years)
3—
Daniel Chamlee—2019, 2021, 2022
Ryan Liebelt—2019, 2021, 2022
Edward Muncey—2019, 2021, 2022
Roger Norman—2019, 2021, 2022
Giovanni Spinali—2019, 2021, 2022
Kaden Wells—2019, 2021, 2022
2--
Greg Bardonnex—2019, 2021
Mike Cafro—2021, 2022
Shane Esposito—2019, 2021
Bryce Menzies—2021, 2022
Brian Parkhouse—2021, 2022
Cody Parkhouse—2021, 2022
Juan Carlos Salvatierra—2021, 2022
Francisco Septien—2019, 2022
James Justin Shultz—2021, 2022
Greg Sullivan—2021, 2022
Jose Luis Mesa Velez—2021, 2022
Nicolas Velez—2021, 2022
Austin Weiland—2021, 2022
1--
Adolfo Arambula—2019
Rodrigo Ampudia—2019
Ryan Arciero—2019
Adolfo Arrellano—2019
Tyler Backus—2021
Angel Barajas—2022
Fernando Beltran—2022
Dave Cole—2019
Jose Contreras—2019
Miguel Cortez—2022
Jeremy Davis—2022
Hiram Duran—2019
Justin Elenburg—2021
Randy Emberton—2022
Ramon Fernandez—2022
Alex Gonzalez—2021
Chad Gould—2021
Cesar Gutierrez—2022
Mike Hales—2019
Rolf Helland—2021
David Heredia—2019
Rick D. Johnson—2021
Ricky Johnson—2022
Mike Leslie—2019
Faelly Lopez—2022
Scott McIntosh—2021
Justin Morgan—2019
Jesus Mendez Jr—2019
Wes Miller—2019
Jano Montoya—2022
Gerardo Novelo—2022
Justin Park—2021
Marco Pena—2019
Christopher Polvoorde—2022
Brandon Prieto—2021
Shane Redline—2021
David Ruvalcaba—2022
Jorge Sampietro—2019
Mark Samuels—2019
Kevin Sanchez—2021
Hector Sarabia—2022
Doug Satterfield—2021
Dario Serrano—2021
Michael Skurkis—2019
Bryce Stavron—2022
Kyle Tichenor—2022
Steve Tichenor—2022
Jason Trubey—2019
Nick Vanderwey—2019
Mario Vazquez—2019
Felipe Velez—2021
Jose Luis Velez—2021
Gustavo Vildosola Sr—2022
Luis Ernesto Villafana—2022
Roberto Villalobos—2019
Don Whittington—2021
Freddie Willert­—2019
Eli Yee—2022
David Zarate—2022
 
SCORE Baja 400 All-Time Yearly Pro Class Champions
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
 
Inaugural SCORE Baja 400
Sept. 21-22, 2019
Total Starters: 189 Total Finishers: 146
Pro Cars, Trucks & UTVs
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK—Ryan Arciero
SCORE TT LEGEND—Nick Vanderwey
CLASS 1—Cody Parkhouse/Brian Parkhouse
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC—Jorge Sampietro
HAMMER TRUCK UNLIMITED—Mike Hales
CLASS 10—Hiram Duran
CLASS 7—Daniel Chamlee
CLASS 5—No Finishers
PRO UTV FI—Wes Miller
SCORE LITES—Freddie Willert
PRO UTV NA—Kaden Wells
CLASS 1/2-1600—Adolfo Arambula
PRO UTV UNLTD—Jesus Mendez Jr
PRO UTV STOCK—Rodrigo Ampudia
CLASS 8—Jose Contreras
CLASS 3—No Finishers
BAJA CHALLENGE—Edward Muncey
CLASS 5-1600—David Heredia
CLASS 7F—Dave Cole
CLASS 7SX—Mike Leslie
CLASS 11—Mario Vazquez
Pro Motorcycles
PRO MOTO UNLIMITED—Justin Morgan, El Cajon, Calif./Mark Samuels/Ricky Dietrich
PRO MOTO LIMITED—Marco Pena
PRO MOTO 40—Jason Trubey/Chad Thornton/Paul Luce
PRO MOTO 30—Francisco Septien/Shane Esposito/Roberto Villalobos
PRO IRONMAN—Michael Skurkis
PRO MOTO 50—Giovanni Spinali/Troy Pearce/John Griffin
Pro Quads
PRO QUAD—Adolfo Arrellano/Francisco Vera
2nd SCORE Baja 400, Presented by VP Racing Fuels
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico   Sept. 18-19, 2021
Total Starters: 193    Total Finishers: 151 (400.00 miles)
Pro Cars, Trucks & UTVs
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK—Bryce Menzies
SCORE TT LEGEND—Rolf Helland/Rick D. Johnson
CLASS 1—Cody Parkhouse/Brian Parkhouse
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC—Jason McNeil/
CLASS 10—Ethan Hagle/Ben Hagle
CLASS 7—Daniel Chamlee
PRO UTV FI—Austin Weiland
SCORE LITES—Doug Satterfield
PRO UTV NA—Kaden Wells
CLASS 1/2-1600—Kevin Sanchez
PRO UTV STOCK—Mike Cafro
PRO UTV OPEN—Justin Elenburg
CLASS 5—Greg Sullivan
CLASS 3—No Finishers
CLASS 5-1600—David Heredia
BAJA CHALLENGE—Edward Muncey/Roger Norman
CLASS 7F—Justin Park
CLASS 7SX—Dario Serrano
CLASS 11—Alex Gonzales
Pro Motorcycles
PRO MOTO UNLIMITED—Shane Redline/Chris Phillips/Phillip Herrera/Larry Serna/Carlos Pardina/Brandon Prieto
PRO MOTO 30—Greg Bardonnex/James Justin Shultz/Ryan Liebelt/Shane Esposito/Shane Schorno
PRO MOTO LIMITED—Fernando Beltran/Luis Floris/Arturo Salas
PRO MOTO 40—Ryan Liebelt/Steve Tichner/Greg Bardonnex
PRO MOTO 50—Giovanni Spinali/John Griffin
PRO IRONMAN—Juan Carlos Salvatierra
PRO MOTO 60—Scott McIntosh/Don Whittington/Bob Kimber
Pro Quads
PRO QUAD—Jose Luis Velez/Felipe Velez/Nicholas Velez
3rd SCORE Baja 400, Presented by VP Racing Fuels
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico   Sept. 17-18, 2022
Total Starters: 197    Total Finishers: 136 (393.82 miles)
Pro Cars, Trucks & UTVs
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK—Bryce Menzies
SCORE TT LEGEND—Gustavo Vildosola Sr/Ricky Johnson
CLASS 1—Brian Parkhouse/Cody Parkhouse
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC—Christopher Polvoorde
CLASS 2—Jeremy Davis/Tyler Peterson
CLASS 10—J. David Ruvalcaba/Esteban Cruz
CLASS 7—Dan Chamlee
PRO UTV OPEN—Mike Cafro/Jamie Kirkpatrick
PRO UTV FI—Austin Weiland
SCORE LITES—Miguel Cortez
PRO UTV NA—Kaden Wells
CLASS 1/2-1600—Eli Yee/Angel Barajas
PRO UTV STOCK—Randy Emberton
CLASS 5—Ramon Fernandez/Greg Sullivan
CLASS 3—Cesar Gutierrez
CLASS 5-1600—No Finishers
BAJA CHALLENGE—Edward Muncey/Roger Norman
CLASS 7F—Gerardo Novelo
CLASS 11—Hector Sarabia
Pro Motorcycles
PRO MOTO UNLIMITED—Juan Carlos Salvatierra/Arturo Salas Jr/Shane Logan/Clayton Roberts
PRO MOTO 30—Jano Montoya/Bryce Stavron/Kyle Tichenor/David Zarate
PRO MOTO LIMITED—Fernando Beltran/Luis Flores/Larry Serna/Mauri Herrera/Javier Salazar
PRO MOTO 40—Ryan Liebelt/James Justin Shultz/Steve Tichener
PRO MOTO 50—Giovanni Spinali/John Griffin/Bill Sauro/Troy Pearce
PRO IRONMAN—Francisco Septien
Pro Quads
PRO QUAD—Luis Ernesto Villafana/Jose Luis Mesa Velez/Nicolas Velez
PRO QUAD IRONMAN—Faelly Lopez