SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1453527
SCORE’s 2021 SEASON WINNERS Honoring The Off-Roadsmen Who Made The 2021 Season Great By Dominic Clark, and SCORE Journal Staff Despite the fact that the 2021 SCORE World Desert Championship season started with full COVID-19 protocols in place by the Mexican government, all four races successfully took place with the help of various government entities, SCORE Staff, and countless volunteers. The 2021 champions in each racing division have been crowned and are featured in the SCORE Journal January 2022 issue, but because of the continuing COVID outbreak, SCORE International thought it best to ask winners to send in acceptance videos which were gathered together for everyone to enjoy in one Awards Night Video hosted by Rat Sult and Dave Arnold. At the end of each racing season, SCORE also honors those individuals who are nominated for a variety of awards, and are voted by SCORE members and fans, as well as special persons who deserve recognition for their efforts and successes during the 2021 season. “We want to sincerely acknowledge the support, assistance and sacrifices made by family members, friends, and sponsors– because without their support, the accomplishments of our racers in the series would not have been possible,” commented Jim Ryan, SCORE Marketing and Sales Director. “Becoming a SCORE overall or class point champion, winning a coveted SCORE Off-Roadsman Award or a Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Award presented by VP Racing Fuels, are all achievements of the highest degree in our beloved sport.” SCORE LEGACY AWARD This year’s SCORE Legacy Award was given posthumously to the hard-working Ensenada tourism official Oscar Kawanishi. With a storied and legendary career in tourism and business in Ensenada, Kawanishi was 71 years old when he passed from a cardiac arrest while in a Tijuana hospital last September. “Oscar was one of the greatest friends and supporters in the Ensenada tourism sector that SCORE ever had during much of its 48-year-history,” said SCORE President Jose A. Grijalva. “He was an extremely personable individual with a fierce passion for tourism, an easy-going nature, and an effervescent friendly smile. His work in the tourism community was truly unparalleled.” “For three decades Oscar, would stop by SCORE registration at least once at each race to check in on the SCORE staff, encourage us, and constantly inquire of us if we needed anything at all, and then check back with us later to see if we needed anything else. He was a class act in every way and always a genuinely nice person.” SCORE SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS SCORE General Manager Juan Tintos Funcke presented 10 SCORE Special Recognition Awards to Mexican officials who all orchestrated and oversaw so many details to allow SCORE to hold its four 2021 SCORE World Desert Championship events. Receiving these special awards were Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda, Governor of the State of Baja California; Victor Manuel Castro Cosio, Governor of the State of Baja California Sur; Miguel Torruco Marques, Secretary of Tourism of Mexico; Gerardo Novelo Osuna, Senator for the State of Baja California; Armando Ayala Robles, Mayor of Ensenada; Milena Paola Quiroga Moreno, Mayor of La Paz. The additional recipients were: Miguel Aguñiga Rodriguez, Secretary of Tourism of Baja California; Kurt Honold Morales, Secretary of Economy and Innovation of Baja California; Maribel Collins Sánchez, Secretary of Economy and Tourism of Baja California Sur and Dr. Aaron Ureña Zaragoza, SCORE Health Consultant. SCORE MEDIA AWARDS An important part of the SCORE Off-Roadsman Awards are those media people who report on and create in words and visuals the excitement and information of each SCORE race. These individuals were voted by SCORE racers and fans as the 2021 Media Off-Roadsman Award winners. SCORE Journalist OTY Dan Sanchez, Editor of SCORE Journal digital magazine, was voted for the fifth time as the SCORE Journalist of the Year. SCORE Photographer OTY Veteran photographer Ernesto Araiza of Off-RoadRacer.com earned SCORE Photographer of the Year honors for the first time in his career. SCORE Videographer OTY From McMillin Racing, Caleb Norman was voted as SCORE Videographer of the Year award for the second time in a row. CONTINGENCY AND PIT SUPPORT BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 46 years, was honored as the SCORE Contingency Company OTY and SCORE Pit Support Team OTY. This was the 31st time the company was voted as Contingency Company OTY, and the 33rd time it was voted as Pit Support Team OTY. BFGoodrich Tires has been the choice of 33 of the 53 overall winners of the SCORE Baja 500 race, and 32 of the 54 overall winners of the SCORE Baja 1000. BFGoodrich Tires also was the title sponsor of both races last season and will again sponsor the races in 2022. SCORE MANUFACTURER POINTS AWARDS SCORE Original Truck Chassis Manufacturer OTY For the 2021 season, this was won by Mason Motorsports of Lake Elsinore, California. The company burst onto the scene building all-wheel-drive SCORE Trophy Trucks among many other classes of vehicles, winning several races this season to earn the title. Founded in 2004 by brothers Neal and Robert Mason, this marks the company’s first SCORE manufacturer point title. ENGINE BUILDER OTY Earning its fifth SCORE Engine Builder OTY point championship in 2021 is Dougans Racing Engines. Based in Riverside, California, the company is owned and operated by Ray Field, whose engines earned 399 total points to win the award. This is the fifth time Dougans Racing has won this award. OPEN WHEEL CLASS MANUFACTURER OTY Based in Santee, California, John Cooley’s Alumi Craft won the Open Wheel Chassis Manufacturer point championship for the third time. Founded in 2004, an abundance of Alumi Craft vehicles are appearing on the SCORE race entry lists. UTV MANUFACTURER OTY For the seventh straight year, Polaris RZR Industries (Off-Road) won the 2021 SCORE UTV Manufacturer OTY. Polaris RZR is the official UTV of SCORE International Off-Road Racing. MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER OTY American Honda won the SCORE Motorcycle Manufacturer of the Year Award for an unprecedented 28th time and it’s first since 2017. 2021 SCORE OFF-ROADSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS 2021 SCORE Mechanic OTY Andres ‘Lechero’ Rodriguez, MacCachren Motorsports 2021 SCORE Contingency Company OTY BFGoodrich Tires 2021 SCORE Journalist OTY Dan Sanchez, SCORE Journal 2021 SCORE Photographer OTY Ernesto Araiza, Off-RoadRacer.com 2021 SCORE Videographer OTY Caleb Norman, McMillin Racing *2021 SCORE Original Open-Wheel Chassis Manufacturer OTY Alumi Craft (John Cooley) *2021 SCORE Engine Builder OTY Dougans Racing Engines (Ray Field) *2021 SCORE Original Truck Chassis Manufacturer OTY Mason Motorsports (Neal and Robert Mason) *2021 SCORE Motorcycle Manufacturer OTY American Honda *2021 SCORE UTV Manufacturer OTY Polaris Industries Off-Road 2021 SCORE Team Manager OTY Amber MacCachen, MacCachren Motorsports 2021 SCORE Pit Support Team OTY BFGoodrich Tires 2021 SCORE Rookie OTY Cayden MacCachren, Pro UTV FI 2021 SCORE Person OTY Miguel Torruco Marques, Secretary of Tourism of Mexico 2021 SCORE Legacy Award Oscar Kawanishi, Ensenada Tourism Official (posthumously) *Determined by points; others-online voting Behind The Scenes The virtual 2021 SCORE Awards presentations were just as difficult, if not more, than the annual gathering of racers at one location. Gathering videos from all of the winners, editing, and putting it all into one presentation takes a lot of effort from the SCORE team behind the scenes. Produced by Aaron Laub of SCORE Media House, the host for the event was SCORE’s Live lead announcer Rat Sult assisted for the first time by Dave Arnold. Dominic Clark, longtime SCORE Media Operations Director along with SCORE Marketing and Sales Director Jim Ryan developed the script for the show. Also providing editorial and content input were Jose A. Grijalva, SCORE President/Race Director, Juan Tintos Funcke, SCORE General Manager and Eduardo Kawanishi, SCORE Registration and Membership Director.