SCORE Journal

SCORE-Journal-July-2021

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

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A BATTLE IN BAJA Race Teams Converge In Ensenada For the 53rd SCORE BaJa 500 By SCORE Journal Staff Photos by Get Some Photo Many off-road racers anticipated the start of the BFGoodrich Tires 53rd SCORE Baja 500 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts in June. With the SCORE San Felipe 250 race acting as the starting position qualifier for the SCORE Baja 500, Bryce Menzies’ top finish gave him the starting position for the lead Trophy Truck class. However, this is now a slim advantage, as the TT field is so competitive, it would take the perfect race to even secure a podium position. It was the same among the Class 1 competitors that had Shelby and Cody Reid start first after a dominant performance in San Felipe. But the SCORE Baja 500 also saw some tougher competition with the return of the Wilson Motorsports Class 1 team, along with 2020 Class Champion Cody Parkhouse and 2019 Class Champion Mason Cullen. A Tougher Than Tough Course This year’s SCORE Baja 500 course was a total of 466-miles that started and finished Northeast of downtown Ensenada. From the starting line, the course shot out to Ojos Negro, then south down the middle of the Baja Penninsula, and along the Pacific Coast. From there, it traveled east through Ojos Negros and South through El Alamo, the Goat Trail, and Valle de Trinidad. The loop turned to lead racers back west towards the Pacific Ocean going through Mike’s Sky Rancho, El Coyote Ranch, and Rancho Meling. Racers then traveled to Santo Domingo Wash and San Simon Wash. The course then ran close to the Pacific Ocean again, going through San Quintin, Vicente Guerrero, Camalu, San Vicente, Santo Tomas, and Uruapan before heading back northeast up to Ojos Negros and back to the finish line. All Sportsman classes, Class 7SX, Baja Challenge, and Class 11 racers drove on a reduced course of 389.56 miles. All racers had to make it through two physical checkpoints, 233 virtual checkpoints, and two narrow virtual checkpoints along the way. It also had 14-speed zones totaling 74.9 miles. Ensenada COVID Health Protocols Ensenada, Mexico’s health protocols were still in effect during the SCORE Baja 500. This restricted the public from attending Contingency day, and the race start/finish that was held on the East side of town on the Avenida Ruiz highway overpass. All SCORE staff, media, racers, and team family members in attendance, complied with the protocols and wore masks around other people, as well as maintained social distancing and received temperature checks before entering public enclosed areas, including SCORE registration and Tech areas. Contingency Day Teams and their race vehicles lined up on June 11th for Contingency Day where SCORE’s Official Announcers Rat Sult and Dave Arnold interviewed all the moto and four-wheel race teams. Although SCORE fans were not able to attend, they watched SCORE's Livestream on the SCORE Facebook Page, website, app, and YouTube page. BFGoodrich Tires Ring Ceremony As is tradition with BFGoodrich Tires and the SCORE Baja 1000, the company honors the winners with a Championship Ring. For the 2020 SCORE Baja 1000, Larry Roeseler and Luke McMillin drove to victory, and during a planned ceremony were each given their BFGoodrich Tires Baja 1000 Championship ring by BFGoodrich Motorsports Marketing Manager Peter Calhoun. SJ

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