SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1490770
THE WRIGHT WAY Brandon Wright Wins The SCORE Overall Moto and Ironman Championship By Stuart Bourdon Photos by Ge Some Photo In his rookie year competing in the SCORE Pro Moto Ironman class, Brandon Wright pulled off what many would think was impossible. He won or placed high enough in all four races of the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship to grab the Moto Overall and Pro Moto Ironman championships. “I have only been racing in Baja since 2017,” said Wright. “I was on the 300X and 400x Yamaha teams, but there was always a bit of a learning curve for the first hour or so of any race because the pre-run bike and the race bike were different.” For the 2022 season, he had two identical bikes, one for pre-running and another for racing. I had 2022 Husky FE501 bikes. It’s really an enduro bike, but it’s light enough and powerful enough to be really good for racing in Baja.” Two Out of Three During the SCORE San Felipe 250 everything went as expected and he won his class. “The biggest issue was determining how fast I should go,” said Wright. “In a team race, you’re expected to go as fast as possible for your leg of the course, but in Ironman you’re riding at 70 percent rather than 100 percent to conserve yourself and the bike.” “I didn’t know the other guys in the class that well and really didn’t know their level of competition. I wasn’t getting any information on where they were or how much of a lead I might have.” It all worked out and he won that first race.” Wright had a lot of hours on the bike before the SCORE Baja 500 but was bothered by a stomach problem. “During the race, it was really hot, and I had to stop often because I was feeling sick,” he said. “That made it a tough race for me, but again, I won my class”. “The SCORE Baja 400 was the easiest race for me because I didn’t have any issues and the bike ran perfectly,” said Wright. “However, I lost to Francisco Septien, getting second place by three or four minutes. I felt like everything went well for me, but I just straight up got beat by Septien.” The Toughest Day Perhaps his toughest race of the year was the 55th SCORE Baja 1000. But it’s not because it’s the longest race. Wright told us, “I broke two ribs two weeks before the race. I was pre-running and going through some whoops, not really fast, just trying to keep up a good pace. But I just hit something wrong and fell.” He was told by his doctor that he might do more damage if he had another bad fall, but as Walsh put it, “There’s nothing safe about racing in Baja anyway, and I felt like I should go for it considering I was so close to winning the championship.” “I also had a lot of people helping me with this effort and didn’t want to just throw it all away. The ribs definitely hurt, but once the race got going, I sort of forgot about the pain. Looking back now, it was worth it.” Future Plans When asked about the 2023 SCORE Season, Wright told us, “I would love to race Ironman again, and am still talking to sponsors and family about it. One of the things that might keep me from racing that class is how much time away from family it demands. Racing a team class is less demanding of your time.” “My wife Angela gave me the time and encouragement to make this ‘bucket list’ Ironman championship happen. And my old teammates from the 400x days, Justin and Ryan also helped keep me motivated, and my chase driver Bill spent many hours in the desert waiting for me. Those people and all my sponsors are the reason I was able to win the Ironman Class Championship.” SJ