SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1438167
CONSISTENCY AND LUCK EliJah Kiger Had Both, To Win His First SCORE Race In TT Spec By Dan Sanchez Photos By Get Some Photo Winning the SCORE Trophy Truck Spec class at the 54th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts, Elijah Kiger immediately proved he and his co-driver Sean Bogdan were just as competitive as the best racers in this class. “The competition in this class is very tough,” said Kiger. “At any race, there are ten teams that can win it, but we started the season to see what SCORE has to offer, and we proved we are just as competitive.” To SCORE fans, Kiger seemingly came out of nowhere to win the biggest SCORE Baja 1000 race in four years, but he and his family are no strangers to SCORE racing. “My dad raced side-by-sides and won in 2013, then I finally got to drive in 2019 and liked it.” Kiger’s father, Scott, raced in the Pro UTV NA class with Mark Holz and won the SCORE Baja 1000 that year. “I used to race amateur quads, and we would go pre-running with my dad,” said Kiger. “We finally got to drive in 2019 and raced a couple of SCORE races then, as well as in 2020. This 2021 season was our first full season racing SCORE, and we’re glad we did it.” Their TSCO truck was built at the beginning of the year and the team has tried to work out all the issues that come with a new vehicle. They finished seventh at the SCORE San Felipe 250, DNF’d at the SCORE Baja 500, then finished fifth at the SCORE Baja 400. “Before this SCORE Baja 1000, we think we worked out all the gremlins with the truck, and we also had SDG fine-tune the suspension to where we thought it was ready for this race,” he said. Kiger and Bogdan (his brother-in-law) now had the truck prepared for the SCORE Baja 1000, but they also needed a third driver. “Throughout the season, we were always racing close against Jason Coleman. He’s a solid driver and his style of driving fit what we were looking for,” said Kiger. “It worked out that he was available and we asked him to co-drive with us for this race.” The team started fifth, and according to Kiger, they slowly picked off slower teams ahead of them. “We passed Jason McNeil when he had a flat, then he got around us again,” said Kiger. “We were comfortable with our pace and kept consistent and hitting all of our marks. Toby Price in the No. 242 truck was also gaining on us and he passed us along the beach. He had mechanical issues along with McNeil and we kept moving forward until we crossed the finish line.” This was the first SCORE Baja 1000 win for the team in the SCORE TT Spec class, and proof for Kiger and Bogdan that they could win. “The course was a lot gnarlier than I thought it would be,” he said. “We didn’t have any issues with our BFGoodrich tires– not one flat all day. We kept the truck moving and had a really good day.” Kiger and the team are preparing to run the 2022 SCORE season and are determined to win more races. SJ