SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1473600
BROC DICKERSON This Former Buggy Champion Was Determined To Be A SCORE Trophy Truck Racer By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo In SCORE racing, it takes more than just talent to make it to the highest level of off-road racing. For many, it also takes determination and a willingness to learn and grow as a professional driver. That’s the philosophy that has kept Broc Dickerson as a leading competitor since he first started racing at the age of eight in short course. After taking several titles and as his love for desert racing continued to grow, his desire to race in Baja came to fruition by the time he was in high school. He then began racing in SCORE, and in 2017, took the Class 10 Championship and 2017 Rookie OTY Award. His driving abilities were evident after dominating the class and proving his skills in what is considered a “driver’s” class, as most of the vehicles are equal in power and weight. Some people called him a natural at desert racing, but his family has always been involved for a couple of generations. “My great-grandfather, Wally Pankratz, raced Baja in the early ‘70s, and his grandmother, Tina Dickerson-Pankratz, also won the Baja 500 with Dick Lee during the ‘70s,” he said. Dickerson’s dad, Jeff, is also a former SCORE Pro Truck champion. “My dad’s career in Pro Truck had a definite influence on me wanting to race the desert,” said Dickerson. By the 2020 SCORE Season, Dickerson had moved into Class 1, but it was a learning experience for him. He finished 5th at the SCORE Baja 500, and 19th at the SCORE Baja 1000 during a COVID Pandemic shortened season. He came back during the 2021 season to finish first at the SCORE Baja 500 and got a third-place finish at the SCORE Baja 1000 co-driving with Mason Cullen. While his Class 1 endeavor yielded some good results, Dickerson had always wanted to move into the SCORE Trophy Truck class. “Driving a SCORE Trophy Truck has always been my goal,” he says. “Last year, when I won the SCORE Baja 500 in Class 1, we were already having a SCORE Trophy Truck being built, but the pandemic halted much of that. It was still under wraps for a while, and in fact, we’re still waiting for parts.” As the 2022 season came, Dickerson got a hold of a TSCO truck that was formerly the Chattanooga Whiskey truck. “We got that truck while ours was still being built, and that’s what we raced at the SCORE San Felipe 250 and the SCORE Baja 500,” he said. Finally making it into the driver’s seat of a high-level racing machine, the now 21-year-old is using his experience to plan how he wants to succeed in this class. “Driving in SCORE Trophy Truck is very different than Class 10 and Class 1,” he said. “You really have to think about each of the drivers and their capabilities, and in general, think at a much higher level. It’s much more work and more stress, but I’m determined to stick to our plan and first make a name for ourselves in this class by finishing consistently. “ At the SCORE San Felipe 250, Dickerson DNF’d, but he learned from that mistake. “I screwed up and put the truck on its roof,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with that, and for the SCORE Baja 500, I decided to settle in and pace the leaders. It turned out to be a perfect course for that and we had a perfect day. We ran our pace and were able to catch up to the leaders as they went out of the race or broke from pushing too hard. I’ve actually used some of the things I’ve learned in Class 10, where you drive smart and are able to either put time on competitors or make time up when and where you can. I’m not at the point where I’m going to push too hard and run at 90 percent.” His effort at the SCORE Baja 500 left Dickerson in second place, exactly where he wants to be for now. “The strategy for the SCORE Baja 400 will be the same and we’ll see how it plays out,” he says. “For now, I want to stay in SCORE Trophy Truck for another five years or so and get it down solid. My goal is to treat this like a business, much like Rob MacCachren does, and of course, I want to be the best.” SJ