SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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In A League of Their Own SCORE Class 10 has evolved into a powerhouse of competition By Larry Saavedra Photography Courtesy of Bink Designs, Weddle Industries, Jimco Racing, Armada-Engineering, and Steve Sourapas SCORE Class 10 has catapulted some of the biggest names in desert racing into the seats of Class 1 and Trophy Trucks. To a growing number of competitors, it has proven to be more than a stepping stone into the unlimited ranks. These spec-engine buggies are evolving into a major-sized league of their own with incredible overall wins and unpredictable finishes. Take for example what happened at the 52nd Annual SCORE Baja 1000 after three days of relentless rain. Chase Warren, with co-driver's Adam Pfankuch, Ricky Kern, and brother Chris Warren, was racing in the (#1088) Alumni Craft buggy. After a slow start due to rain delays, things finally began to click, but an on-course mechanical issue set them back an hour behind the leader. Despite the wet conditions, mud, dust, repairs, and darkness, the Alumni Craft team gained back the lead, and ultimately the Class 10 win. They captured the overall buggy title too, beating out the unlimited horsepower cars in Class 1. “Everything has to go perfect, “ Chase said. “I think the design and ingenuity that Alumni Craft puts in the car made it possible. We had some setbacks, but we caught the leader and took the win. I have had an absolute blast in Class 10. They carry speed so well through the rough stuff, and they teach you to drive with momentum. You don’t have that extra cushion of power if you make a mistake. In that way, they are like a 1600 car, but with way more travel and speed than the 1600cc cars.” Where It Began Although Class 10 was introduced back in the ‘70s with racers like Scott McMillin testing the waters on short courses like Riverside in his Margarita Mama, it didn’t gain competitive traction in Baja until the 1980s. Back then Class 10 teams ran 1600cc Volkswagen engines that made 90 horsepower on a good day. But competitors knew it was the start of something bigger. “Right now most of the cars in Class 10 would be drastically faster than the Class 1 unlimited cars of the past,” said Steve Sourapas, multi-time SCORE Baja 1000 and Baja 500 champion in Class 10. “Lower cost was the main attraction of running Class 10 in the 80s,” he added. “It was a much cheaper car to build than an unlimited car, which was unreliable as the engines got bigger. Class 10 began as a Volkswagen class until the mid-80s when teams began using Toyota four-cylinder engines and that changed things.” According to Sourapas, the SCORE rules for powertrains seemed to ping-pong from air-cooled to water-cooled and back again during that time and into the ‘90s. Today, Class 10 is a spec class, which ultimately makes it more affordable and competitive. Teams run a sealed production four-cylinder engine. Two seaters run 2.2-, 2.4, or 2.5-liter GM Ecotec engines. Whereas single seaters are required to use a 2.0-liter 16-valve Ford engine (14-DI-TIVCT). Chassis designs have changed as well. According to race car builders, the track width at the front-end is about 86 inches for stability at race speed. The use of boxed A-arms, reservoir, and coil-over shocks, and two-piston caliper brakes are relatively consistent from vehicle to vehicle. Many think the newer rules work in favor of the builder and driver, but participants believe Class 10 is about capitalizing on power-to-weight ratios. Anything a builder can do to improve upon that formula increases the competitiveness of the car. Still others in the industry believe Class 10 is evolving a different way, getting heavier and more technically sophisticated like Class 1. Parts Manufacturers Weddle Industries is a drivetrain manufacturer and longtime supporter of Class 10. It’s an undertaking that defines the deep involvement of Weddle in SCORE off-road desert racing. “We offer several transmissions for Class 10,’’ said co-owner Ron Weddle. “Our Weddle S5 sequential five-speed was formerly the Mendeola five-speed. It’s one of two main transmissions. Class 10 is the best proving ground for that type of transmission. We’ve made the S5 very durable. The other is an Albins product. As the North American distributor for their transaxles, we market the AGB with the 10-inch ring and pinion as a six-speed and a clutch in Class 10.” Like others in the industry, Weddle acknowledges that power-to-weight has always been the goal. “But things are changing,” he said. Weddle implied that cars have gotten heavier because of the need for durability. “Ten years ago a Class 10 car weighed 2,200 pounds. Now the tires have gotten bigger and the hubs are larger. The Alumni Craft Class 10 I’m building tips the scales at 3,100 pounds. We’ve been in transaxles since the ‘70s and understand that adding strength adds weight. If you focus on lighter weight, then the smaller S5 and Albins are the way to go. The problem is to get durability by using wider gears you must add weight. It’s a super competitive class and everyone is looking for an advantage.” The Chassis Builders Jimco, Alumni Craft, and Armada-Engineering are recognized names in race vehicle manufacturing. Each has a unique perspective on what it takes to be competitive in Class 10. “The difference between a Class 1 and Class 10 is engine size and weight,” said John Cooley of Alumni Craft. “I think Class 10 came to light when SCORE introduced the Ecotec engine requirement. Now everyone has the same sealed production engine and it has become a driver’s race. The result is that the suspension and shock technology has improved. Now we can use a flex-fuel e85 engine too. With all the rule changes we’ve added about 25 horsepower over the years to the package. While overall weight is an issue, we have to make these cars durable. You drive them as fast as you can. The engine is not going to make them go fast like a Class 1. It’s the momentum at speed, not slowing up, and that is the key. They are fast in the corners. It’s a driver’s car. There are more talented drivers in Class 10 than any other class. Alumni Craft is lucky enough to have a lot of good racers and lots of cars. We’ve won many SCORE championships in Class 10. Typically Alumni Craft has half the field in the biggest races in Class 10. Our average finishing rate is higher than the class average. We pride ourselves on that because we don’t want any failures. Last year we built seven Class 10 cars, this year we’ll be building 10 to 11 of them. It’s a class that’s not going anywhere. It’s not losing any steam whatsoever.” Jimco Racing is another respected builder with state-of-the-art ideas for Class 10. Owner Robbie Pierce is an advocate of driver safety and has 40 years of hands-on experience in all types of motorsports, as a driver, co-driver, and manufacturer. His contributions in the off-road industry are seen in some of the restraints, seats, driving suits, gloves, and helmets used today. “It’s one of my favorite classes,” Pierce said. “Jimco hasn’t changed the Class 10 design since I purchased the company. However, I will be going back through our CAD files and making updates where needed. Not that the former owner wasn’t making a safe vehicle, I just have ideas on safety equipment that I want to incorporate.“ Pierce says he’ll focus his efforts on nuances like the mounting location and width of the safety harnesses used in his cars. “There hasn’t been that kind of influence in off-road motorsports,” he said. “But we’ve learned a lot about safety equipment at Impact by being a part of NASCAR. Off-road is still behind the curve. Even the mounting of the seats is important for us, as we believe it’s a safety issue. You walk the line at any race and you see how poorly the seats are mounted as well as the angles of the belts, and you realize things need to improve. So Jimco is implementing changes to its Class 10 builds. The days of a one-size-fits-all is over. It’s tough in off-road desert racing because there are multiple drivers in one car. That’s what we’re working on. It makes a huge difference when you have driver ergonomics. It is so important in the vehicle because comfort allows for better focus at speed. Sometimes you have to make tough calls and that’s why Jimco sits down with drivers to explain safety first. I learned these things from NASCAR, IndyCar, and NHRA. Out of all the safety devices in the car, seats, and belts are the most important.” Elliot Pollock of Armada-Engineering is a firm believer in power-to-weight ratios. “Sometimes builders have different ideas, I focus on building a lighter, faster car,” said Pollock. “With spec classes, you are limited on horsepower and the only way to add more is to shed more weight. We do this by using exotic materials with unique designs, which retain the performance and reliability. In most other forms of racing, power-to-weight is a major concern. That’s what always baffles me in off-road racing. I know we need a strong machine, but you can’t neglect power-to-weight.” Stories of the Drivers Broc Dickerson was one of the youngest drivers in SCORE when he began racing. He is now 19-years old and has raced in an Alumni Craft buggy for several years in Class 10. He’s also a multi-time SCORE Baja Class 10 winner and season champion. “Class 10 is a fierce class,” Dickerson said. “There’s a lot of competition to get into it, but It is really fun. You don’t have to worry about all the electronics like the bigger classes. Class 10 is not fancy and we had the car built strictly for Mexico, and it was strong. Reliability is critical.” Dickerson says there is an emphasis on driving skills that help. “Performance came on at the low end of the power curve in my car from last year,” he said. “A win comes down to driver skill to handle the curve in performance. It is the driver’s class.” Dickerson won the Class 10 Championship in 2017 but lost it in 2018 with a DNF at the SCORE Baja 1000. Still, he has nothing but praise for his Class 10 competition. “I came from short course racing and I was used to pushing cars to their limit,” he said. “It is a really good entry class and a stepping stone to Class 1. All the competitors run neck and neck, all-out, and there are times when I’m completely blinded by dust and I have to rely on my co-driver and GPS. He tells me what to do and I listen.” Dickerson plans to move into Class 1 when SCORE racing resumes this year and has been testing. “Hoping to put it at the top of the Class 1 podium,” he said. Feats Of Driving Skill Another near impossible driving feat happened at the 1134-mile 50th Annual SCORE Baja 1000. “It was like a dream, kind of surreal,” said SCORE Class 10 Champion Cody Reid. “Our Co-driver Adam Pfankuch kicked off the start and he passed the car off to Curt Geer with the pace being nice and consistent. Sammy Ehrenberg did the next 300-plus miles. The car was running flawlessly. The car was strong and our pace was quick for the race. I got woken up about 4 a.m. in Laredo when news came that we had the lead Class 10 car. The car was about 75 miles out and I saw three Trophy Trucks pass by, followed by a Class 1. We were the second buggy on the road. The closest Class 1 was 40 minutes behind me. I hit some fog with 40 miles of whoops, but I couldn’t see because my glasses were fogged up. We maintained about 90 miles per hour and finally exited the fog. I pushed it and gained a three-hour lead on the closest Class 10 car and I passed Wilson’s Class 1. I also passed two Trophy Trucks and then got passed by Cameron Steele.” Reid crossed the finish line ahead of all the buggies and capped off a remarkable season. “The car has to be capable of that kind of abuse,” said Reid. “I’ve driven three different Class 10 cars for the past eight years and the Alumni Craft is the best in my personal opinion. I drove my first Alumni Craft at a SCORE Baja 500 and I knew from the moment that this was going to be a very competitive car.” Reid believes there is a certain style to racing Class 10, having the ability to commit to the terrain and stay wooded flat out. What the future holds for SCORE’s Class 10 is anyone’s guess. But judging by the enthusiasm of both competitors and manufacturers, it will be around for many years to come. SJ