SCORE Journal

SCORE Journal-December 2019

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

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CLASH OF THE TITANS Rolf Helland and Clyde Stacey battle for TT Legends Class By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo Rolf Helland and Clyde Stacey have been battling within the SCORE Trophy Truck Legends division all season. In the first three races, Helland in the number 37L truck has finished second and third without a first-place win. Stacey in the 5L truck, finished fifth in San Felipe, first at the SCORE Baja 500 and first in class at the Lucerna SCORE Baja 400. It would be up to the final race of the season that would determine who would be the final victor in the class and be in the running for a championship. At the start of the 52nd BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts, Stacey started ahead of Helland but the conditions slowed both teams down. “It was a technical course, more than any other race I’ve driven,” said Helland. He was assisted by Rick Johnson, both drivers taking on half the race on their own. Stacey had co-drivers Nick Vanderwey and Todd Wylie but was passed by Helland early into the first part of the race. “We tried to catch Rick Johnson but he managed to stay out in front of us and we couldn’t quite reel him in,” said Vanderwey. In the end, Helland crossed the finish line first and took home their first class win at one of the biggest races of the season. “Getting a win here means a lot to me,” said Helland. “Rick did a hell of a job.” Finishing third in class was the 55L team of Jose de Jesus Flores, who co-drove with Oskar Slingerland and Andrea Tomba. Finishing fourth in class was the 25L team of Mark Winkelman who was assisted by Chares Manchester and Ricardo de la Pena. Jones, Dorrance, and Price At War For TT Spec Win Although the SCORE Trophy Truck Spec class has been one of the fastest-growing classes in the past two seasons, the competition this year has been among Sara Price, Charles Dorrance, and A.J. Jones. Each has finished in the top four all season and were battling closely for points towards a championship. With little room to finish no better than in the top three, A.J. Jones teamed up with short-course racer Brock Heger and drove a fast pace to take home his second win this season. “The course was difficult and the rain threw a curveball into our plans,” said Jones. “We pre-ran with Toby Price and Nassar Al-Attiyah who were on my dad’s SCORE Trophy Truck team and we went over the tougher sections and felt well prepared.” The win and pre-running with the Dakar champions only made Jones want to get into a SCORE Trophy Truck that much sooner, but he’s taking time to try his hand at some rally racing next season. “The goal is to get into a SCORE Trophy Truck and I would like to do a Peninsula run with my dad,” said Jones. “I’ve also taken a liking to rally racing and plan on running a full season there but will race SCORE as much as I can next year. Pre-running with Toby and Nassar was great. We’ve known Toby forever and he raced with us a few times. There’s also talk about a team with me, my dad, Toby and possibly Brock, but we’ll see what happens. I want to try new things but it’s going to be hard to keep me from Baja.” Price Drives Solo For Second Place Win Sara Price had decided to race solo with navigator Erica Sacks and had a tough time, but ultimately finished in second place, as she has all season long. “I’ve never driven that long in my life,” said Price. “Just to finish this is unbelievable. We were battling back and forth and it was wet out there. I never thought I would be iron-woman-ing the SCORE Baja 1000, but we did it and we finished and I don’t know how.” Price has several issues but kept it all together to finish. “ At one point we hit a big rock so it delayed us quite a bit,” said Price. “Our body panel was falling off and rubbing on the tire so we had to stop and take that off. Then we were battling back and forth with Dorrance and with that little mistake, that cost us some time. We torqued it up, but then I had to take it easy because I could feel the truck starting to go. The engine light was on and the temperature was too high so we had to baby it. I’m pumped just to make it to the end.” Finishing third in class was Jeff Bader in the number 261 truck with co-driver Dan Fresh. It was their first-ever SCORE Baja 1000 and managed to do well to finish in the top three of a class with extremely high competition. “It was wetter towards the end which made it cold,” said Bader. “We had a few flat tires and gremlins in the electronics that we overcame, and that was the only thing that slowed us down. We pre-ran the San Felipe sections and that side wasn’t as affected by the rains so we were in good shape on that section. This is our first SCORE race, our first SCORE Baja 1000 and we loved it.” Dorrance who had finished first at the SCORE Baja 500, could have finished higher in the class if it had not been for electrical problems that slowed him and co-driver Justin Davis down to a fourth-place finish. “At race mile 340 the starter started to short out,” said Davis. “We had some electrical issues and it took almost two hours to get it fixed. Afterward, we had to make it through the pack and just kept going.” SJ SCORE Trophy Truck Legends And Spec Class Finishers SCORE TT LEGEND  (Unlimited Custom Trucks, including builder, Drivers over 50 years old) 1. 37L Rolf Helland, 60, Morris, Ill./Rick D. Johnson, 53, Barstow, CA, Ford Raptor (Geiser) (42.01mph), 19:03:13 (42.38 mph) 2. 5L Clyde Stacy, 74, Bristol, Va./Nick Vanderwey, 52, Phoenix/Todd Wylie, Phoenix, Chevy Rally Truck V-16 (Geiser), 19:06:10 3. 55L Jose de jesus Flores, 56, Culiacan, MX/Oskar Slingerland, Cabo San Lucas, MX (Netherlands)/Andrea Tomba, Cabo San Lucas, MX, Chevy Silverado (Jimco), 24:08:32 4. 25L Mark Winkelman, 61, Cedar Hills, Texas/Charles Manchester, 55, Stateline, Nev./Ricardo de la Pena, 40, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Chevy Silverado (Jimco), 28:18:43 (6 Starters, 4 Finishers)

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