SCORE Journal

SCORE-Journal-April-2022

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

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THE UPWARD CULTURE SCORE Pro UTV Class Racers Move Up In Class And Speeds By Dan Sanchez, Paul Hanson, and Jose Vazquez Photos by Get Some Photo and Jack Wright NMedia3 Wayne Matlock’s shockingly fast six-hour and eight-minute finish in Pro UTV Open, led the way for other racers to also finish faster than before. Mike Cafro in the No, 1876 Polaris RZR Turbo S, is one of several racers who moved into the Open class this season, after receiving the 2021 Pro UTV Stock Championship. Despite not feeling like he was settling into his driving rhythm, Cafro nonetheless had an incredible race, finishing 16-minutes behind Matlock. He started fifth and still managed to battle with competitors to take second place. “I was very uncomfortable the whole course and couldn’t find a groove,” said Cafro. “The car wasn’t working great and the course was all torn up. I’m glad we didn’t have any issues and got to the finish. I’ve been racing down here for 30 years and the last two years weren’t the same without the fans, so it’s great to have them back.” Finishing in third place was Craig Scanlon in the No. 1831 Polaris RZR Turbo, who started fourth and tried to close the large gap that Matlock and Cafro had opened ahead of this class. “We had a little mishap with a wheel on a rock early on and had to work our way back up all day,” said Scanlon. “There were a lot of people ahead of us, so it was dusty and rough, but it was a lot of fun. We had a lot of trees coming into the car. The whoops were the hardest part for us. We appreciate what SCORE does for us and also the people of San Felipe for coming out and cheering.” The three racers gave Polaris a first through third-place finish in what is becoming the premier and fastest SCORE Pro UTV classes to date. PRO UTV FI While some racers moved into the Open class, veteran Pro UTV FI racers remained in this very competitive class. Justin Lambert in his No. 2918 Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo S had started second, but once he got passed first place starter, Oscar Arambula, halfway through the course, Lambert found himself in first place. Right behind him was Marc Burnett, who started mid-pack and the two battled for position until Burnett had issues with a flat tire. Lambert held on to win with a great time of 6:13:15 for their first SCORE San Felipe 250 win. “It was probably one of the roughest races I’ve ever been in,” said Lambert. “Compared to last year’s SCORE San Felipe 250, this was five times harder. But the weather was nice and we only got one flat tire as rough and rocky as it was, so this truck held up great. This is only the second SCORE San Felipe 250 we’ve done and it’s very different now having it here at El Malecon. Our plan coming into this race was to see how it’d go and make a decision for the rest of the season. It went pretty well and it’s safe to say we’ll be at other ones too.” Finishing in second place was Edgar Garcia Leon in the No. 2987 Cam-Am Maverick X3, who started mid-pack and worked his way up to the leaders. “It feels nice to be back here,” he said. “The course was very rough, we had a hard time out there, but we made it. This is our fourth SCORE San Felipe 250 and this was a very hard course, harder than all others, for sure.” In third place was P.J. Jones, son of Parnelli Jones who finished the race with a respectable time of 6:30:41 in the No. 2998 Cam-Am Maverick X3. “We lost our 4-wheel drive at about mile 140 and drove in two-wheel drive the entire way from there,” said Jones. “We got passed by some cars because of that, as we didn’t have a handle on it. But we salvaged a good finish and that’s what matters.”  PRO UTV N/A The Pro UTV N/A class had 2021 Champion Kaden Wells seemingly ready for another victory. But the brutal San Felipe course had other plans. Wells started first and took an early lead, but their vehicle had problems that allowed second-place starter Joe Bolton to pass and ultimately take the win. The father and son team of Joe and Austin Bolton in the No. 1957 Polaris RZR XP1000 also had some issues, but they managed to keep their position to finish first. “Our shocks had some issues at the beginning and it just got worse from there,” said Austin Bolton. “The course was beat-up but I think we did pretty well. Besides the shocks, I just broke a mirror and these were all the problems we had to deal with.”  Behind the Bolton team was Ricky Arslanian and co-driver Brian Cooper in the No. 1912 Polaris RZR XP1000 who had a good race and a start to their 2022 season. “It was a great course, the best one in a long time,” said Cooper. “It was hard and brutal, but we enjoyed it a lot. The car did well. We had a couple of little issues, but not many. We stopped only for fuel and little repairs here and there, but nothing big. Racing here at El Malecon is the best way to do it, there’s nothing like being here at the end of the race. We’re going to try to compete in all races, especially after this really good start.” Dealing with lots of vehicle issues, Wells managed to hang on in the No. 1995 Polaris RZR XP1000 and finish in third place. It’s not what he wanted but it does put him in a good starting position for the SCORE Baja 500. “This was probably one of the races in which we had the most issues,” said Wells. “The car overheated three times before mile 12 and then our fan went out. The car was overheating all day but we ended up getting back to first place. We had a problem with our jack that created a hole in our motor and ran the last 100 miles with that, but ended up making it.”  Pro UTV Stock  Out of the seven starters in the SCORE Pro UTV Stock class, the two last-place starters became the top finishers. Starting sixth, Brent Stowell with Craig Peaton in the No. 3910 Can-Am X3 managed to battle the tough terrain to finish in first place. “It was pretty rough,” said Stowell. “We had two drivers today and I think it worked out well for us having someone fresh on the car the entire time. I hadn’t raced this one yet and this was a little bit different. We ran this one to win, not only to finish.”  In second place were Anibal Lopez and Daniel Gonzalez in the No. 3919 Polaris Turbo S. “We had a pretty good pace all day long,” said Gonzalez. “We had an issue with the belt at about the halfway point of the race, but after that, we had no problems at all. The car did well and brought us here.” In third place was Randy Emberton with John Zuleski in the No 3933 Polaris Turbo S.  FINISH LINE TALK Pro UTV Open - Photos Jack Wright nMedia3. KRISTEN MATLOCK – 7th Place: “We had a great run this morning and were picking them off here and there, but we had a few little hiccups with this brand-new car. We’ll get it all worked out and be back for the next one, but I’m so happy just to have crossed the finish line. And my husband (Wayne Matlock, No. 1871) finished first, so if it didn’t happen for me, I’m glad that he won. The course was rough but fast. It’s amazing to be back at El Malecon. It brings the SCORE San Felipe 250 back to life. I missed all the fans and seeing their cheering faces.” PRO UTV FI WES MILLER 6th Place:  “We’ve had better days, but worse days too, so we can’t complain. Our start was good, we moved up from 25th to sixth, but then we started having some mechanical problems. I was still able to run at a decent pace, but going from a mindset of ‘let’s go and win this’ to ‘let’s just get it across the finish line was disappointing.” BRANDON SCHUELER 8th Place: “Cayden MacCachren started and drove to race mile 135, then I drove to the finish. We hit everything we could on this race. It was Baja at its best. We had a rough day, with a lot of different problems, but no flat tires, which was amazing. Out pit crew did a great job tonight.” MARC BURNETT 9th Place: “Every year the SCORE San Felipe 250 is rough and this year seemed to be rougher. We handled it well, but had a few flats and a jack that didn’t work and had to drive on a flat tire for 20 miles. We were right there, flipping between first and second for most of the day, so it’s disappointing. We can only look to the future and go from there. Having contingency open again was a blessing and seeing people back at the start and finish line was awesome. SCORE has put on a great race and we’re happy to be with them.” OFFICIAL FINISHERS PRO UTV OPEN (two-seat open UTV open-displacement) (Starters 10, Finishers 8) 1. 1871 Wayne Matlock, 44, Alpine, CA, Polaris RZR Pro R, 06:08:50 (45.06 Miles Per Hour); 2. 1876 Mike Cafro, 52, Temecula, CA/Jamie Kirkpatrick, 42, Olympia, Wash., Polaris RZR Turbo S, 06:24:28; 3. 1831 Craig Scanlon, 44, Helena, Mont./Keith Redstrom, 54, Glendale, AZ, Polaris RZR Turbo, 07:02:03; 4. 1898 Cameron Ornelas, 47, Leona Valley, CA/Kyle Hildalgo, 35, Sylmar, CA/Nick Firestone, 55, Paradise Valley, AZ, Can-Am X3,07:35:00; 5. 1867 Mike Pratt, 54, Draper, Utah/Chance Lee, 35, West Jordan, Utah/Gavin Pratt, 17, Draper, Utah, Polaris RZR Turbo S, 07:39:16; 6. 1828 Cameron Steele, 54, San Clemente, CA/Mitchell Alsup/Mike Slauson, 39/Eric Sheetz, Belgrade, Mont./Richie Brugger, 29, San Clemente, CA, Can-Am X3, 07:52:46; 7. 1854 Kristen Matlock, 41, Alpine, CA, Polaris RZR Pro R, 08:16:22; 8. 1844 David Cole, 51, Johnson Valley, CA, Polaris RZR XP1000, 09:23:07 PRO UTV FI (two-seat Forced Induction, OEM engine UTVs) (Starters 29, Finishers 22) 1. 2918 Justin Lambert, 46, Bakersfield, CA/Jesus Navarro, 35, Bakersfield, CA, Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo S, 06:13:15 (44.53 Miles Per Hour); 2. 2987 Edgar Garcia Leon, 34, Trabuco Canyon, CA/Nancy Garcia, Can-Am Maverick X3, 06:21:22; 3. 2998 P.J. Jones, 52, Cave Creek, AZ/Kyle Vestermark, 51, Aliso Viejo, CA/Brandon Sbragia, Scottsdale, AZ/Nick Brandon, Cave Creek, AZ/Loren Van Fosse, 52, Kapaa, Hawaii, Can-Am X3, 06:30:41; 4. 2948 Matt Burroughs, 53, Norco, CA/Zachary Burroughs, 22, Norco, CA/Bradley Howe, 34, Leona Valley, CA/Austin Bazzett, 23, Taft, CA, Can-Am X3, 06:43:41; 5. 2928 Carlos Quezada, 57, Mexicali, MX/Carlos Quezada Jr, 20, Mexicali, MX, Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS Max, 06:52:55; 6. 2989 Wes Miller, 52, Las Vegas/Donny Powers, 33, Morgan Hill, CA, Polaris RZR XP Turbo, 07:01:17; 7. 2945 Oscar Arambula, 45, Ensenada, MX/Adan Leggs, 41, Ensenada, MX, Can-Am X3, 07:03:41; 8. 2919 Brandon Schueler, 33, Phoenix/Cayden MacCachren, 19, Las Vegas, Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo S, 07:05:00; 9. 2905 Marc Burnett, 51, Chula Vista, CA/Bernie Gomez, 57, San Diego, Can-Am X3, 07:08:49; 10. 2902 Adam Castaneda, 23, Yuma, AZ/Jose Bustamonte, 22, Yuma, AZ, Can-Am X3, 07:24:40; 11. 2903 Adrian Escandon, 43, Tijuana, MX/Bogart Escandon, 16, Tijuana, MX/Rafael Perez, 36, Tijuana, MX, Can-Am X3RR, 07:37:43; 12. 2901 Leobardo Gomez, 42, Tijuana, MX/Leobardo Gomez Jr, 18, Tijuana, MX/Bruno Gallegos, 29, Tijuana, MX, Polaris RZR XP1000, 07:49:49; 13. 2976 Jesus Mendez Jr, 24, Mexicali, MX/Jesus Mendez Sr, 55, Mexicali MX, Can-Am Maverick XRS, 07:53:39; 14. 2999 Bob Jablonski, 49, Mesa, AZ/Jack Torkkola, 60, Mesa, AZ, Can-Am X3, 07:58:49; 15. 2940 Erick Kozin, 47, Yorba Linda, CA/Drew Stanton, 24, Ventura, CA/Francisco Verdugo, 29, Ensenada, MX, Can-Am X3, 07:59:33; 16. 2941 Steven Poole, 59, Quartzsite, AZ/Mike Deley, 42, Fallbrook, CA, Can-Am X3RR, 08:41:31; 17. 2910 Rodrigo Ampudia, 37, Ensenada, MX/Eugenio Romero, 37, Ensenada, MX, Can-Am X3 XRC Turbo RR, 08:55:47; 18. 2951 Austin Johnson, 25, Albuquerque, N.M. (DOR-Herman Johnson, 50, Rio Rancho, N.M.)/Chris Whelchel, 43, Vail, AZ, Can-Am XRS Turbo X3, 09:11:35; 19. 2946 Jose Juarez, 38, Chula Vista, CA/Jose Zuniga, 29, Tijuana, MX, Cam-Am Maverick X3, 10:48:49; 20. 2988 Adrian Garcia Salinas, 59, San Diego, Can-Am X3, 11:34:20; 21. 2974 Jorge Cano, 47, Culiacan, MX, Can-Am X3 XRS Turbo RR, 12:12:36; 22. 2966 Santiago Creel, 35, MX City, Can-Am Turbo XRC RR, 13:04:14 PRO UTV NA (two-seat Normally Aspirated, OEM engine UTVs) (Starters 6, Finishers 5) 1. 1957 Joe Bolton, 64, Corona, CA/Matt Banuelas, 40, Whittier, CA/Austin Bolton, 27, Corona, CA, Polaris RZR XP1000, 07:52:13 (35.20 Miles Per Hour); 2. 1912 Ricky Arslanian, 40, Livermore, CA/Brian Cooper, 37, Santa Rosa, CA/Kevin Fox, 32, Santa Rosa, CA, Polaris RZR XP1000, 08:00:12; 3. 1995 Kaden Wells, 23, Hurricane, Utah/Travis Wells, 50, Hurricane, Utah, Polaris RZR XP1000, 08:43:34; 4. 1905 Jesse Lopez, 52, Chula Vista, CA/Rogelio Castro, 38, Chula Vista, CA/Jesse Lopez Jr, 18, Chula Vista, CA, Polaris RZR XP1000, 09:56:12; 5. 1909 Q. Rene Gutierrez, 38, Tijuana, MX/Carlos Salazar, 35, Tijuana, MX/Roberto Perez, 42, Tijuana, MX, Polaris RZR XP1000, 12:24:05 PRO UTV STOCK (Stock UTVs, FI or NA) (Starters 7, Finishers 5) 1. 3910 Brent Stowell, 60, Gilbert, AZ/Craig Peaton, 53, Mesa, AZ, Can-Am X3, 07:43:37 (35.85 Miles Per Hour); 2. 3919 Anibal Lopez, 39, Mexicali, MX/Daniel Gonzalez, 39, San Luis, MX/Martin Munoz, 33, San Luis, MX/Francisco Lopez, 43, Mexicali, MX/Hector Beltran, 44, La Paz, MX/Yoshua Morquesho, 27, Mexicali, MX, Polaris Turbo S, 08:18:30; 3. 3933 Randy Emberton, 63, Prescott, AZ/John Zuleski, 42, Prescott, AZ, Polaris Turbo S, 08:37:13; 4. 3908 Broc Kelly, 37, El Cajon, CA/Scott Bergen, 40, Ramona, CA/Zach Hydeman, 34, Kansas City, Kan., Can-Am X3, 08:52:03; 5. 3951 Omar Saucedo, 37, Guadalajara, MX/Cesar Vela, 41, Guadalajara, MX/Jorge Vela, 47, Guadalajara/ Manuel Reyes, 40, Toluca, MX, MX, Polaris RZR XP Pro, 13:01:54

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