SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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BAJA RACING MADE EASIER Torey Rush demonstrates what it takes to compete in SCORE from the Sportsman UTV N/A class By Dan Sanchez Sportsman racers are truly underrated in the effort and ingenuity it takes for them to compete in a SCORE Baja race. Without sponsors and big budgets, racers like Torey Rush out of Gillette, Wyoming, come to Mexico to live out a dream. While some wealthy individuals pay to participate and check off Baja racing from their bucket list, Sportsman racers like Rush, are hardcore, dedicated individuals who have competition in their blood and want to grow along with the sport and win. SCORE International developed the Sportsman UTV classes to make it easier for racers to participate in Baja racing, and to gain the experience necessary to move up within the sport. For Rush, it was the perfect opportunity to compete. “I started coming down to SCORE Baja races 2014 with an ATV team running a chase truck for them,” said Rush. In 2016 I partnered with a friend out of Denver, Colorado and competed in the Sportsman UTV class at the SCORE Baja 1000. At that time, we couldn’t complete the race and we left disappointed.” That experience wasn’t enough to keep Rush away from Baja. “In 2017 I came back with my friend and helped him run the chase truck and pits,” said Rush. “That made me want to come back and compete, as well as run the full SCORE race series.” Rush got a hold of a Yamaha YXZ 1000 and decided he would enter into the Sportsman UTV N/A class. “I had a friend at JK Fabrication out of Colorado Springs, Colorado build a chassis and we prepared it to be what we thought would be competitive within the Sportsman UTV stock class,” said Rush. “The Yamaha had all factory A-arms and suspension, except for the shocks. All the cage and supports were gusseted and welded for strength. We thought we had built a machine to take a beating and finish the race.” The team finished first in class in San Felipe and decided to race the whole series Rush entered the Yamaha at the 2018 SCORE San Felipe 250 and finished first in class despite getting a hole in the oil pan during the race. “It was a dry sump pan, so we had oil and made it to the finish,” said Rush. “Other than that, we had no issues, no flat tires and we stuck to our plan. After a successful finish Rush and the team decided to run the full 2018 SCORE World Desert Challenge series and to try and compete every race mile of the season. The team, which consists of drivers Torey Rush and Clint Peterson, co-pilots Ryan Burdick, George Williams and Nick Snyckers, then came back to compete at the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500. “We knew what we had done in San Felipe and we knew what to expect,” said Rush. The team again had no issues with the vehicle and finished first in class for the second time in a row. “Thankfully we had a great team and zero issues again,” said Rush. “A few of the sections were a lot worse than what we anticipated, but we got through it.” Racing Stock UTVs One of the biggest challenges that Sportsman UTV racers must overcome, is the fact that they start last. “We start after everybody and by the time we get to the finish line the, track is so beat,” says Rush. “Stock UTVs have the smallest wheelbase and are narrow. There’s no smoothness to them, but in tight technical sections that’s an advantage.” Sportsman UTV N/A vehicles are essentially stock side-by-sides with beefed up roll cages for safety, so for guys like Rush, it’s very affordable to race in a class like this. “You can take a brand new 4-seat Razor, for example, add aftermarket doors and latches, wheels, tires, lights, radios, and then go racing,” says Rush. “It’s a very entry-level class to go race and for us logistically we only had a four man team. We put two in the car and two in the chase truck. For the SCORE Baja 500, we swapped out every couple hundred miles. Then we’d hop in the chase truck, drive to the next pit and wait.” For pit strategy, Rush and his teammates reached out to Baja Pits, where they provided spare tires and fuel. “Not having the budget to support a full race crew, Baja Pits was very affordable and it helped with our pitting and fuel stops.” Finishing Every Mile Rush is determined to win a class championship this year, and from his first two SCORE races, he’s got a pretty good chance in doing that. Once the team competes at the SCORE Desert Challenge in September, they’re considering switching out the Yamaha to a new Polaris RS1. “We own a Powersports dealership in Wyoming and I had raced in an RS1 a couple of times,” said Rush. “It’s truly a ready-to-go racing vehicle. The car is under $20K and you can easily finance it. Add a cage, safety harnesses and lights, and you’re ready to go racing.” The Polaris RS1 is a single seat vehicle, making it lighter and more nimble, but there’s no room for a co-pilot. “I like racing without a co-pilot,” says Rush. “I feel I’m not taking someone else’s life in my hands. Besides that, the RS1 is an awesome machine. SCORE is the premiere racing series in the world and when you combine SCORE’s Sportsman UTV N/A class with an inexpensive UTV that’s ready to race, it opens the door for more people to participate and race Baja.”SJ Team Destination X finished first in class again at the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500