SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1473600
THE YOUNG VETERAN At age 17, Jax Redline has accomplished what many dream about, but his racing career is Just getting started By Larry Saavedra Photos by Getsomephoto During the SCORE 2022 season, Jax Redline teamed up as co-driver with Mike Walser to finish in third place at the King Shocks 35th SCORE San Felipe 250. At the 54th BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 500 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts, they finished 15th out of a class of 31 competitors. While this doesn’t sound out of the ordinary for any veteran SCORE Baja racer to team up together, the fact that Redline has the experience of veteran racers at age 17 is what sets him apart. At 16, Redline began to set records as the youngest driver to compete in the SCORE Trophy Truck class. “I started racing dirt bikes when I was about four because my dad, Shane, raced bikes and so it’s been a steady progression,” Redline said. “Racing is something that I grew up doing every single weekend with dad. It was a father-son bonding moment, whether he was racing or in the pits. He kept me on the correct path to finally step into SCORE TT.” Starting on dirt bikes at age six, Redline moved into Pro Lites, Go-Karts, Indy Carts, and then UTVs. By age 15, he stepped into a Brenthel SCORE TT Spec racer to compete in various state-side races until he got into a Brenthel Gen-3 SCORE Trophy Truck and competed at the 2019 SCORE Baja 1000 with three-time champion Apdaly Lopez. “It was mind-blowing the difference between the Spec class and SCORE Trophy Truck class,” he said. His first SCORE Trophy Truck race humbled him. “Racing SCORE TT Spec at 13 years old for two years showed SCORE officials that I was ready to step up in class,” he said. “I wasn’t necessarily focusing on winning, I wanted to show SCORE I could consistently be safe and not cause any concern to other drivers in the class.” During the 2020 SCORE Season, Redline continued to compete in the SCORE Trophy Truck Class and teamed up again with Lopez for the 53rd SCORE Baja 1000, but DNF’d after the vehicle broke beyond repair. “We were running a fast yet super smooth and conservative pace and started to catch Rob Mac,” said Redline in a post-race interview. “We had a lower A-arm bolt brake in half when Apdaly was running down the power line road. He was able to lock it down and not hit the pole.” Raceline then teamed up with Alan Ampudia and champion rally racer Ken Block to compete during the 2021 season. At the 54th SCORE Baja 1000, the team finished in fourth place and fourth overall. For the 2022 season, Redline seized the opportunity to drive a 1200-horsepower Mason all-wheel-drive SCORE Trophy Truck with Mike Walser. “That truck was on a whole new level,” he said. “The Mason handles and feels completely different than the Brenthel Gen 3 SCORE TT, or the Geiser SCORE TT, which used to be Apdaly Lopez’s ride.” Now getting enough seat time in the Mason is the only way he can keep pace with the top competitors in this class. “Walser reached out to us and made an offer,” Redline said. “He’s the driver of record and this seems like a great fit, but there’s a steep learning curve. It’s more aggressive than the smaller displacement platforms.” The way it gets up to speed is something Redline is getting used to. “Going from a Turbo 400 automatic transmission to a sequential 5-speed paddle shifter is very different,” he said. “It feels like you’re driving a racecar rather than just allowing it to shift on its own.” While Raceline has teamed up with many veteran racers and champions he’s learned from, two of the biggest influencers are Ken Block and Apdaly Lopez. He’s keenly observant of their unique driving styles. “Apdaly is a complete driver,” says Redline. “If you see videos of him driving he is constantly on and off the throttle like you do with quads. His style is so rhythmic, and driving with him gave me insight into how he handles situations. On the other hand, Block is good at going super-fast and is very precise in how he steers the truck. He raced with me in the two-wheel-drive Geiser-built SCORE TT and while he is more comfortable in all-wheel-drive, he has the skills to adapt on the fly. In addition to Block’s racing skills, Redline has learned more about ways to create social media and branding, which amazed him. “It was cool to talk to him about professional racing with cameras filming his constant moves,” he said. “I picked up little pieces of the puzzle following these guys.” As for his future in racing, Redline says it’s something he’s been thinking more about lately. “My view about racing has changed in the past several years.” He has an older video on YouTube where he talks about one day wanting to be a SCORE Trophy Truck driver. He admits to being a little bit star-struck on the class back then. Now he looks for the day when the entire SCORE Baja race is covered like they do NASCAR. He said the technology behind live streaming is getting better and he believes it’ll grow the sport as more fans tune in to watch. I’d like to see it televised live on ESPN, but logistically it’s not there yet. While with the Walser team this season, their crew preps everything, and manages the entire race. “What I’m doing for Mike is getting into the seat and putting them into position in my section,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean slow and steady, it might be me getting on the throttle. My co-driver Bryan Hanson keeps me under control and sets the race pace. The magic is being super detailed on the course. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, or if there’s dust, he’s the eyes and I have to trust him.” With the experience Redline has gained in his two years of racing in the SCORE Trophy Truck class, it’s no doubt he is poised to win some races and help bring SCORE into a new era with a growing younger generation of fans and racers for the future. SJ