SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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Course Modification For the Lucerna Hotels & Resorts 22nd Tijuana SCORE World Desert Challenge Race SCORE International recently had to modify the course for the Lucerna Hotels & Resorts 22nd Tijuana SCORE World Desert Challenge Race. The changes resulted in significant alterations to the course schedule and format. Starting and finishing as originally announced remains the same, adjacent to the popular Rancho Casian in Southeast Tijuana. Pre-running for 4-wheel classes will be held this coming Friday and Saturday and for 2-wheel and quad classes this Sunday. The revised course is now shorter, a 33.7-mile loop that was designed and put together by SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva. It covers much of the land used in last year’s 23.4-mile loop, especially in the area around Rancho San Vicente (where the race started last year), considered the toughest section of the course. “These things happen sometimes but the impact on our participants is minimal,” commented Grijalva. “A shorter track and more laps will also make for more viewing opportunities and excitement for our SCORE faithful followers. We are really excited for this event as we will have the largest field in the three years we have held the SCORE Desert Challenge in Baja.” There will be two full-stop checkpoints on the course. Checkpoint No. 1 will be at race-mile 16.1 and Checkpoint 2 will be at race-mile 25.8. The pit area for competitors will be in the area around race-mile 3.6. Heading back to Rancho Casian, the race course goes by the popular Rumorosita, a very popular area that is very rocky and rough. The final sprint of several miles back into Rancho Casian at the end of each lap is expected to be the fastest section of the race course each day. The event features two days of racing scored as one race. SCORE Race Director Jose Grijalva has changed the race route to a 33.7-mile loop course through the challenging hills in the area that each class will run two laps each day for four total laps and 134.8 total race miles. The classes will be split into three groups and will run one session each day to determine the final results. The elapsed-time race with a two-hour-fifty minute time limit each day for Groups 1 and 2 and 2:20 for Group 3 will start at 6:30 am PT each day. Group 1 will have motorcycles, quads and a few car classes, Group 2 will have the bulk for the car and truck classes and will start their two-lap run at 11 am PT each day. Group 3 with the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck and SCORE TT Legend divisions along with Trophy Truck Spec and Hammer Trucks will run the first half of their race (two laps) on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 22) and final half (two laps) on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 23). Racing for those Group 3 classes will start each day at 3:30 pm PT and racing will finish each day at approximately 6pm SCORE Trophy Truck post-race awards celebration will be held in the start/finish line area on Sunday (Sept. 23), at 5:30 pm. PT for Group 1 and Group 2 and at 7:30 pm PT. Eleven Racers Remain Undefeated In 2018 SCORE Season As the SCORE World Desert Challenge heads into its third race, a total of eleven racers remain undefeated in their respective classes. With the season starting with a race-record course length at the 32nd SCORE San Felipe 250 (319 miles) it was the same for the BFGoodrich Tires 50th SCORE Baja 500, which had a race-record course of 542.12 miles. Rob MacCachren from Las Vegas, Nevada, is currently the overall point leader and at the top of the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division in his Rockstar MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150 built by Geiser Bros of Phoenix. Justin Davis from Chino Hills, California, has won both unlimited Class 1 races this year in his Green Army Motorsports Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car. Kristen Matlock, from Alpine, California, has made history while driving solo in winning her Pro UTV Naturally Aspirated class in both races this season, in her Polaris RZR XP4 1000. In the SCORE Baja 500 she shocked a field of over 50 UTVs with the fastest time including beating all of the Pro UTV Forced Induction vehicles. Keeping it all in the family, her husband Wayne Matlock is leading the Pro UTV FI point standings in his Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo. Matlock joined his talented wife at the top of the podium in the season-opener as they both won their respective classes at the 32nd SCORE San Felipe 250 in April. Wayne Matlock is also the 2018 overall UTV point leader. Also leading their class point standings in the 4-wheel vehicle classes are Vincent Munoz, Yucaipa, California in Class 8, Mark McNeil, from El Cajon, California in Class 5, and Jesus Mendez Jr, of Mexicali, Mexico in the Pro UTV Unlimited class. With six career SCORE season class motorcycle point championships, Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico, leads the Pro Moto Ironman class and is the overall motorcycle point leader so far this season riding solo on his No. 730x Honda CRF450X. Besides Septien, the other motorcycle class winners who are undefeated in 2018 include the 7x team of Justin Morgan, El Cajon, California and Mark Samuels, from Yucca Valley, California in the Pro Moto Unlimited class. Jano Montoya (400x), from Winter Garden, Florida is undefeated this year in the Pro Moto 40 class. Giovanni Spinali, from El Cajon, California, (510x) is also undefeated in the Pro Moto 50 class while Guy Laycraft, out of Canada enters the Tijuana race undefeated in Pro Moto 60 (649x). SCORE Returns To The Off-Road Expo With Baja 1000 Exhibit SCORE International’s Baja 1000 exhibit will once again be a main center of attraction for off-road enthusiasts during the 2018 Off-Road Expo at the Fairplex in Pomona. Happening Saturday September 29th and Sunday September 30th, the SCORE Baja 1000 Exhibit will showcase a variety of current and vintage Baja race vehicles and allow show attendees to meet with some of the top racers and teams in SCORE. Attendees can also be present during the unveiling of the course map for the 51st SCORE Baja 1000 race, on Saturday at 3pm. In addition, every day from noon to 2pm, various autograph sessions with top racers such as Larry Roeseler, B.J. Baldwin, Rob MacCachren, Andy McMillin, Cameron Steele, Wayne and Kristen Matlock, and many others are scheduled throughout the weekend. This year, SCORE International will also have a book signing for its “Racing Into History” book, a pictorial celebration of the Baja 1000’s 50th anniversary, which includes historical look back at the race, as well as the celebration of the 50th anniversary race that took place last November 2017. The 416-page commemorative, hard-cover book will be on sale and book purchasers can get autographs from various racers who are profiled with its pages. For more information on this year’s Off-Road Expo, visit www.offroadexpo.com. Dana/Spicer Returns As Sponsor for SCORE Baja 1000 Top Qualifier Award The fastest qualifier at this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying Presented by BFGoodrich Tires, will once again receive the Dana/Spicer Top Qualifier Award. Dana/Spicer an OE and aftermarket drivetrain manufacturer who will once again sponsor the award, as well as the Live Streaming during qualifying. This allows anyone to visit the SCORE International website and app, and watch the qualifying action live from their mobile device, tablet or laptop. The SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying Presented by BFGoodrich Tires is scheduled for October 30th 2018 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and is part of the SCORE Baja 1000 Experience that takes place during the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is the largest automotive racing and aftermarket industry trade show in the world. Robby Gordon won the Dana/Spicer Top Spot Award for the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 race