SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1473600
A Quick Study Chris Polvoodre Began Racing On A Whim, And Now Leads SCORE’s Overall Points Championship “One of the things I like best about SCORE off-road racing is that it’s a family-oriented sport,” said 21-year-old Chris Polvoorde. But while most young racers have a family history of racing in Baja, Polvoorde is the first in his family to ever get into the sport. “Someone owed my dad money and traded him for a Trophy Car,” said Polvoorde. “At that time, I was about 10 years old, so I started having fun with it. We were clueless about how to race, but it was fun and I did bad. As I grew to like it more, my parents would use it as a way for me to do well in school. If I did, then I could race. Then, it simply spiraled out of control.” Polvoorde quickly made a name for himself racing short courses, first in regional events, then moving nationally. Eventually, he moved into Junior Trophy Karts, Mod Carts, and Pro Lite, winning many races and championships. In 2021, Polvoorde wanted to try desert racing because he knew that’s where the racing was serious. “Jumping into it, I initially thought it would be challenging, but I didn’t realize just how difficult it would be,” he said. “The logistics, finding guys willing to go to Mexico, managing 30-people– it turned out to be a full-time job. But I have been lucky to be surrounded by good people.” That season, the team built a TT Spec Truck and qualified first in class at the 2021 SCORE Baja 400. “I loved it, as it was a short course and it catered to my style of racing,” said Polvoorde. He started first in that race and held the lead for a while until Mike’s Sky Ranch, where he had issues with the vehicle and couldn’t continue. Polvoorde got his truck fixed and entered the SCORE Baja 1000 that season and finished in eighth place. “I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to share driving duties with anyone, but we realized that year it was long-distance, so we had two additional drivers,” said Polvoorde. The team had Dale Ebberts and Steven Eugenio co-driving that race. “Even with two experienced drivers, I ended up driving 650 miles of the race. After then, I wanted to solo everything else,” he said. For the 2022 SCORE Season, Polvoorde took what he had learned during a tough first season and applied a different approach. “Driving in SCORE TT Spec and for long distances– it’s a different mindset from a short course,” he said. “In Baja, there are so many more different variables to contend with. Even pre-running is all new to me. It’s a learning curve for sure, and I realized I couldn’t go at 110% like I was used to in short track. I’ve struggled with that mental challenge, but it’s like a chess game. There’s tough competition in this class and it levels the playing field where everyone has to step up their game and there are ten or more racers that can win. It ultimately depends on who has a perfect day, and if you make a mistake, you’re done.” In the first race, the SCORE San Felipe 250, Polvoorde changed his racing strategy. After a fourth-place start, he battled with Christian Sourapas until the Sourapas team ran out of fuel. “We started horribly. I thought that our day was over at mile 50,” he said in a post-race interview in April 2022. “I screwed up big and had a minor crash with another truck.” Polvoorde ended up winning the class and proving he had what it took to win. Enjoying his first SCORE Baja race win, Polvoorde entered the SCORE Baja 500 and faced a very technical course. “We got stuck in a ditch, but we managed to get through that and other problems to finish in fourth,” he said. “No matter what happens, you have to get it back in your head that you have to finish every race to set the foundation for the future. My truck is not even a year old, and I’m still trying to learn how to do it all.” Despite the fourth-place finish, Polvoorde leads the 2022 SCORE Overall Points Championship. “I don’t like to lose, but in my first year coming into SCORE, I didn’t expect to be in contention for any championship,” he said. “I’m still learning how to set the pace and start cruising at 80 percent, then finding out the split times of competitors and knowing when to push harder or ease back. To me, it’s kind of like a bicycle or running race, where everyone stays in a pack until someone decides to break away. “ Although Polvoorde is one of the younger drivers in SCORE TT Spec, he has already garnered a lot of attention from competitors, fans, and sponsors. In his short time competing in SCORE, he has brought many of his short-course sponsors along, including Ford Performance, Optima Batteries, K&N, and others. “When I began short course racing, I realized how hard it was to race without sponsors, so it taught me a lot about getting new ones and how to properly handle them,” he said. “Because it’s a vulnerable market, I also realize that a sponsor can change or drop out at any moment. So, I realize that I have to work more on our racing program, as well as our family business. Right now, I want to pick the races we run, but with sponsors, it’s difficult to handle them all.” Polvoorde still has two more races in the SCORE 2022 season to look forward to, and so far, his chances to do well look bright. “I want to make this into a business,” said Polvoorde. “I grew up watching Andy and Luke McMillin, Bryce Menzies, and Rob MacCachren. So I want to continue racing, networking with sponsors, and handling my family’s business as well. I have goals to race a new SCORE Trophy Truck, but for now, I’m still learning, and we’ll see where it goes.” SJ