SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1462144
SCORE JOURNAL 20 GRAND MARSHAL HISTORY During the mid to late '60s, the popularity of open-wheel buggy racing started expanding beyond recreational vehicles driven on sand dunes. Lynn Chenowth stepped onto the scene in '69, creating a demand for his mass-produced chassis kit made from mild steel tubing. Before this, Chenowth Racing Products was originally a header manufacturer for circle track and drag cars, but Chenowth changed course and pursued buggy building which introduced the Chenowth Formula 1 to the off- road racing world. Chenowth is a self-taught craftsman who introduced his designs by hand, sketching everything using T-squares, angles, and whatever drafting tools were available before the vehicle design could be prototyped in the shop. "The turn-key Chenowth buggy at the time was $1,600," he said. "It had junkyard VW engine, transmission, and components like pedals, front end, and suspensions. It was the most affordable way to run Baja." Chenowth kicked off the '70s just as multi-time SCORE Champion Bobby Ferro tore up the racing field. It took a while to unseat the two from their continued wins, but Chenowth racers toughed it out. Soon some of the biggest names in desert racing were winning at events like the SCORE Baja 1000 and SCORE Baja 500. Chenowth learned from successes and failures, always reinventing and improving with each reincarnation of his original design. EARLY MODEL CARS IN FRONT OF THE CHENOWTH SHOP. PHOTO COURTESY CHENOWTH ARCHIVES