SCORE Journal

SCORE Journal - JAN 2019

SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing

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Rob MacCachren: 2018 SCORE Trophy Truck Champion The Rockstar Energy Team promises to return in 2019 with a focus at winning it all By Stephen Romero Rob MacCachren is no stranger to the podium. Now he adds the 2018 SCORE Trophy Truck Champion to his lists of accomplishments in off-road racing. Looking back at his performances, MacCachren took championship points honors at the first-ever SCORE Trophy Truck race in 1994 (and in 2007). Then he won the points championship this past year at the 25th year anniversary of the class, when all eyes were on the fastest machines of off-road desert racing. Many have said that MacCachren’s record comes down to his total preparation and a top-notch crew. Few could argue. “We haven’t been racing for a championship for a long time, “ he said. “So being the first to win it in ’94 and winning it at the 25th year anniversary is pretty cool. It’s good for our sponsors and team to get these honors.” MacCachren’s 2018 Championship season started out with repetitive wins and top finishes, starting with the first SCORE race of the season in San Felipe. SCORE San Felipe 250 To set the pace to win the class points championship, MacCachren in the No. 11 Rockstar Motorsports Ford F-150 knew his team had to put on a good show at the first race of the four-race series. According to MacCachren, he had the course mapped out perfectly, and that level of preparation showed. He took the checkered flag in 05:20:16 minutes, nearly four minutes ahead of second place Cameron Steele. “I finished second physically behind Steele, but got him on time,” said MacCachren, who teamed up with Jason Voss during the race. “The weather was great that weekend. Voss and I started sixth and got by Ryan Arciero immediately off the start, and then we passed several others about 60 miles into the race. I think there were only two trucks in front of us until we stopped for fuel about 150 miles out. Then I got by Justin B. Smith. At about mile marker 215 I clipped a big rock, and got a flat, but Voss was quick and I got back on the course without anyone passing me. I caught Steele near Matomi Wash and had him on time until the end of the race. It was a good race. I’ve won there a fair amount of times. I really like the different lines at San Felipe. I like rough courses and it has been good to us. The SCORE Trophy Trucks are getting really reliable when you have the right engine builder. I keep a similar pace as I would at the SCORE Baja 1000. A lot people think of it as a sprint race, but I see all the races as a sprint.” 50th SCORE BaJa 500 Coming out of San Felipe on top boosted MacCachren’s lead in points, and his confidence showed from the start of the 50th Anniversary of the SCORE Baja 500. Charging through the pack across torturous terrain, MacCachren took the checkered flag in 11:21:15 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of closest rival Luke McMillin. Since MacCachren finished first in San Felipe, it put him first off the starting line at the SCORE Baja 500. “My team got to start first,” he said. “It’s not always best to open the road, and I played it conservative early. When I got into the desert loop I picked up the pace and set a gap. There were probably five trucks close together. I got to the beach about mile 400 and I was about third or fourth on elapsed time. I got to our next fuel stop at the Pacific side and I was down about four minutes from the leader. I raced really hard up the beach and I took the lead. I was going quickly but still trying to be cautious. I had one rear flat tire, but there were no issues with the truck. Going to Ojos I was running ahead of McMillin and then raced to the finish. It was a flawless run with great weather.” Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Score Desert Challenge While MacCachren’s busy short course schedule kept him from starting the third race of the series, he as the official driver of record his plan was to drive on the second day of the event. “We haven’t been racing for a championship for a long time and I had some conflicts getting there,” said MacCachren. “After winning the SCORE Baja 500 I knew we were leading the points in class, and I thought maybe I could make it on the Sunday of the race. I was going to have Jason Voss drive the truck, but he wasn’t able to do it, so I had Justin “Bean” Smith drive it. So we had two people in the race truck and three people in the pits. The plan was to go there and just finish.” MacCachren did show up on Sunday, but after suffering a racing injury, one he sustained the day before in a short course race in California, he opted for a medical release from SCORE. It was approved. “I was planning on driving on Sunday but instead Smith took over,” said MacCachren. “He did an awesome job and finished second. He kept us in the points race. Smith had put in a lot of effort for us at Baja previously, so it was only natural to let him drive the truck.” 51st SCORE Baja 1000 MacCachren’s plan from the start of this race was to be the fastest truck to the finish line. He and Jason Voss teamed up again and raced like there was no tomorrow, blistering through the course. While he cross the finish line ahead of the other SCORE Trophy Trucks, he got some penalties tacked on and wound up in third place. Although the penalties cost him the race, MacCachren still earned enough season points to win the SCORE Trophy Truck Championship. “I feel it was a gray area,” said MacCachren. “I lost the race win, but, I understand the safety aspect of what SCORE did, and I respect it and will move forward.” There’s no doubt that Rob MacCachren is going to compete just as hard during the 2019 season and that he will definitely have a target on his back as other SCORE Trophy Truck racers will try to take it away from him this season. In the meatime, MacCachren says he’s already looking forward to the next four races and of course, plans to win every one of them. SJ

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