SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1321285
TEAM FASTBALL HITS A HOMERUN Robbie Pierce Wins One For The Fastball Racing Team By Dan Sanchez Photos by GetSomePhoto Bobby Patton, co-owner of the 2020 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, continued a winning season with his Fastball SCORE Trophy Truck Legend team. Although Patton couldn’t attend the race, he left Jimco owner and experienced racer Robbie Pierce in charge to race at the 53rd BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts. Pierce hired legendary racer Ricky Johnson and Barry Karakas to help with the driving, which stacked the odds in their favor, but the win would not come so easily. “We worked very hard for this one,” said Pierce. “Before the race, we had not had time to work on the Fastball truck after racing the SCORE Baja 500 in September. We at Jimco were busy building some vehicles for the upcoming Dakar race, and we didn’t get to prep the Fastball truck until the end of the year.” At first, Pierce had doubts about the race and their chances. “In the middle of the COVID pandemic, I thought it was going to be difficult to get a team together,” he said. “People have jobs to do, and if they go to Baja with us, they’ll have to quarantine, and that’s a difficult thing to ask. So at the start, we had trouble getting enough people, but we ended up teaming up with the Honda Race team and Justin Lofton’s team. We then began pre-running the course and realized how tough it was going to be. I was thinking, there was no way we could be competitive on this course, but we went ahead with it anyway.” The camaraderie with other teams and their commitment to winning at all costs led the Fastball racing team to start the race. “I drove the first 275 miles, then Ricky got in and drove to race mile 605, and Barry drove the last third,” said Pierce. “It didn’t go well for us from the beginning of the race. Right off the start, the transmission blew the fluid out of it, and we had to make repairs.” The team fixed the truck and got them back on the course, but by then, they were well behind several classes of racers. “We had to work our way up through Class 11, Class 5, and all the rest of the traffic was ahead of us,” said Pierce. “The course was very technical for a Trophy Truck, and several sections were better suited for UTVs. Our truck wanted to get out and stretch its legs, but it was very tight and technical.” Despite the difficulties, it was the efforts of the team and consistency of the drivers that ultimately led the Fastball team to their first SCORE Baja 1000 victory. “This win is all about professionalism,” said Pierce. “It was great to see everyone working together, the Lofton team and Honda racing team, and it was an example of the camaraderie we have in this sport.” “It was a solid win, and we’re happy with it,” he continued. “We applaud SCORE for its effort and through Social Media and the dedication of its volunteers. The unfinished highway at the start/finish was surreal as to how it was set-up with no fans, however, SCORE did a great job to isolate us and keep us safe but maintaining the ‘feel’ of the SCORE Baja 1000.” SJ