SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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BACK-TO-BACK Score Racers Looking For A Perfect 2022 Season By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo and Jack Wright NMedia3 It’s tough enough just to finish a SCORE race and always cause for a celebration if you win. Finishing first at every race during a given season, however, is nearly impossible. There are several racers who dominate a class and finish first in each of the four SCORE races, giving them a perfect season. Although there are only two races left in the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship, these racers have managed to win the first two, back-to-back, and are certainly hoping they can win a championship and have a perfect season. SCORE TROPHY TRUCK LEGEND Gus Vildosola Sr. / Ricky Johnson: These two veteran racers didn’t like someone else winning the 2022 class championship, so they came into the 2023 season with a renewed winning attitude that showed dramatically. At the SCORE San Felipe 250, Johnson qualified first in class and the two managed to keep that starting position to win the race. “It was very difficult, but our team stepped up to the challenge,” said Vildosola. “I’m so happy with them and the truck, which worked pretty well. My co-driver Ricky Johnson did a fantastic job driving the first half of the race flawlessly. He handed me the car without a single scratch. He’s a great person and an amazing racer.” At the SCORE Baja 500, the Vildosola TT Legend team had a problem with the vehicle early in the race, but the team kept pushing and managed to win the class for the second race of the season. “We had a problem in our car early and had to stop every 40 miles to put some oil in. That cost us too much time and got us really worried about the race. But luckily, we made it to the end and were the first SCORE Trophy Truck Legends to do so. We won the SCORE San Felipe 250 and are really excited that we get to lead the championship.” Vildosola and Johnson are now poised to hopefully take a third win at the 3rd SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing Fuels and hope to also gain a good starting position for the 56th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts. PRO MOTO UNLIMITED After winning back-to-back SCORE Pro Moto Ironman Championships, Bolivia’s Juan Carlos Salvatierra set his sights on the 2022 season to win a SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited Championship. He along with his co-riders Arturo Salas Jr. and Shane Logan started the season on the 10X KTM 450SX-F to win the SCORE San Felipe 250, despite a crash that damaged the bike. “Shane (Logan) had a fall at about mile 170, but he was okay,” said Salvatierra. “The bike had lots of damage including knocking off the seat. I had to ride my section of the course without a seat all the way here to the finish line.” With the team’s first win under their belt, they proceeded to race the SCORE Baja 500, added co-rider Diego Llanos to the team, and finished the race without any issues. “We have a good team and each of our riders is good at the sections they are riding,” said Salvatierra. “We worked hard pre-running our sections and we were confident in our efforts. The team is happy to win this tough race and I’m proud of what we’ve done as a team.” The 10x team is now looking to add a third win at the 3rd SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing Fuels and can hopefully finish the season at the SCORE Baja 1000 with a perfect record. PRO MOTO LIMITED Fernando Beltran is no novice when it comes to the SCORE Pro Moto Limited Class. He’s won many races during his career and came in second in the 2021 class championship, missing it by only nine points. This season, Beltran and his co-riders are determined to take the championship, and began by winning the SCORE San Felipe 250 with co-riders Larry Serna, Luis Flores, Mauri Herrera, and Fernando Tavarez on their No. 180x Honda CRF450X. At the SCORE Baja 500, the 180x team repeated the class victory despite the blistering hot temperatures and a nearly perfect race. “We didn’t have to deal with any major issues. Just had to replace our tires at about mile 70 because of the temperature, but from there on we had no problems at all,” said Beltran. Their determination will hopefully carry through the remainder of the season, but Baja and the rest of the Pro Moto Limited racers will be hard to defeat. PRO MOTO 30 One of the most unbeatable racers in SCORE’s Pro Moto 30 is Jano Montoya. With multiple class championships to his name, Montoya was another racer who narrowly missed winning a 2021 Class Championship, and is determined not to let that happen during the 2022 Season. At the SCORE San Felipe 250, Montoya gathered co-riders Bryce Stavron, Kyle Tichenor, and David Zarate to ride the No. 325x KTM 450EXCF to their first victory this season. “The SCORE San Felipe 250 gets more difficult every year,” said Montoya. “It was a very technical course and there were a lot of hidden rocks. We did a great job in pre-running and felt really comfortable during the race today. The motorcycle section was a really good idea. It didn’t change much for the fastest bikes, but for the ones that come from behind, it’s a lot safer to get through the course in better condition. I hope SCORE can keep it for the next races.” A slight change to his co-riders during the SCORE Baja 500 race, Jesse Canepa was added to the team with Stavron and Zarate. The 325x team ran a near-perfect race with only a minor fuel issue to overcome, but Montoya credited his pit crew for taking care of the problem and allowing them to take their second win of the season. If the team can pull another win during the 3rd SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing fuels, they could cement their lead towards a Class Championship, but winning the next two races of the season would only make it that much better. PRO MOTO 40 Some of the Pro Moto veterans are experts at staying in shape and riding consistently to make winning Baja races look easy. One of these is Ryan Liebelt in SCORE’s Pro Moto 40 class. Liebelt rode to a perfect 2021 SCORE Season and a Class Championship and is now looking to repeat in 2022. He started by repeating a win at the SCORE San Felipe 250 with co-riders Justin Scultz, and Jason Trubey. “It was a rough course, but we were ready to bring it home and are stoked that we were the first to cross the line,” said Liebelt. For the SCORE Baja 500, Liebelt added Steve Tichenor to the team and repeated with a class win, despite falling with another rider. “During the early morning, I fell in the silt in the dark and someone fell on top of me. I had to help him pick up his own bike and then my bike,” said Liebelt. “Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful day. We ran the same tires all race. It was a rough course but we figured it out and made it work.” Liebelt’s determination and undisputed riding skills give him and the 400x team on their Yamaha WR450F a great chance at a perfect season if they can win the next two races. PRO QUAD IRONMAN Perhaps one of the toughest classes to repeat victories in is the Pro Quad Ironman. Many of the riders say it’s because quad riders face tougher challenges with so much competition, traffic, and tough terrain. Despite this, Faelly Lopez from Puerto Rico has ridden his No. 83a Honda TRX450R to a win at the SCORE San Felipe 250, followed by a repeat win at the SCORE Baja 500. “It was a very tough race and it seemed like I would never make it to the finish line,” said Lopez about the SCORE San Felipe 250 course. “There were a lot of rocks since the beginning and the last miles were brutal. We didn’t pre-run at all and I just got to know the course today.” Lopez was the sole entry into the class during the SCORE Baja 500, so all he needed to do was finish, but with many issues that plagued him on the course, he was not about to give up. “It was a difficult day and the course was tough, but we made it to the finish and that was the goal,” said Lopez. “The course brought a lot of different challenges, especially because we didn’t get to pre-run it. I was challenging myself the entire time, so I set a time I wanted to hit and went for it. Unfortunately, we had a lot of issues with the quad and that delayed me a lot. The team did a great job and we’re happy about it.” Given his determination and already leading in points toward a 2022 Season Championship, Lopez is ready to keep challenging himself and creating that perfect season to top it all off. SPORTSMAN QUAD Fidel Gonzalez decided the SCORE 2022 season would be one in which he would gain experience in Baja racing at the Sportsman level. Taking his No. 111a Honda TRX450R and teaming up with co-riders Efran and Efrain Vazquez, Carlos Lopez, and Jose Enriquez, the team managed to bet out nine other teams for a SCORE Sportsman Quad Class victory at the SCORE San Felipe 250. During the SCORE Baja 500, the team crossed the finish line second behind the 105a team of Francisco Valle. But after penalties were assessed to the 105a team, Gonzalez found himself winning two races in a row and now leads the Sportsman Quad class towards a championship season. While still finishing in the top two, Gonzalez and his team are proving they are capable of another victory at the 3rd SCORE Baja 400 and hope to take it further for a perfect season if they can also win the 56th SCORE Baja 1000 in November. SJ