SCORE Journal

SCORE-Journal-March-2023

SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing

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NEW CLAWS FOR THE TALON A Winning Driver And All-New Honda Talon R UTV Are Set For The 2023 SCORE Season Story by Stuart Bourdon Photography: Get Some Photo  The factory Honda Talon off-road racing team is preparing for the SCORE 2023 season with Jeff Proctor as the program manager. As the team was out testing in the desert near Barstow, California, Proctor offered some insight into what’s happening with the team and a new Talon R competing in two of the four SCORE races this season. “We are committed to racing the 2023 SCORE Baja 500 and SCORE Baja 1000,” said Proctor. “As far as the Talon team is concerned, we are excited as we just re-signed Zack Sizelove for another two-year contract. Zack has done a great job the last two years, and we are bringing him back to drive the new Talon R car in the SCORE races.” Sizelove had an extensive and successful racing background in 1600 cars. According to Proctor, he knows how to finesse a UTV through really rough race courses, especially in the limited-horsepower NA class the Honda Talon R will be running in. “We are building a brand-new race car for him this year and will be debuting the new 2023 Honda Talon 1000 R at the 2023 SCORE Baja 500. We’ve taken a Talon race car to the SCORE Baja 500 for three years now, and what we’ve learned from our time there has been incorporated into this all-new 2023 model Talon R race car.” Big News, Big Races Sizelove won the 2022 SCORE Baja 500 in the NA Class and is excited to be in the new race car and have the chance to back up his win in 2023. “That’s our big news for 2023,” says Proctor. “A new race car, a new two-year contract with Zack Sizelove, and we’re going back for another SCORE Baja 500 win in the first showing of the all-new Talon R race car.” The entire Honda Talon racing team is also looking forward to the 2023 SCORE Baja 1000. “The SCORE Baja 1000 is really the ultimate test of man and machine,” says Proctor. “It’s tough on the drivers mentally and physically, but it’s also brutally tough on equipment and race cars. It’s always important for us to get these incredible Honda Talon race cars to the finish line of something like the SCORE Baja 1000.” This year, the SCORE Baja 1000 will have a different race format. Drivers will run it in from La Paz to Ensenada. According to Proctor, “It’s something different and exciting. It will also be incredibly challenging for our entire Talon team because running the race in reverse presents much greater logistic challenges. But Baja racers are always up for new challenges– it’s just part of the entire experience of racing in Baja. That’s what makes us who we are.” New Talon R Racecar When asked about the all-new race car being built for Sizelove to drive in the 2023 SCORE Baja 500 and Baja 1000, Proctor couldn’t give us all the details yet but did say, “The drivetrain is very similar to what we have been racing, but the most significant thing about the new car is that for the last three years, we’ve raced a four-seat chassis. For the 2023 season, we will be racing a two-seat chassis.” The new car will have a shorter wheelbase and two-seat chassis, making it more maneuverable in the tight and twisty sections of the racecourses. The team is racing in the SCORE Pro UTV NA class again and has decided to go with an ultra-lightweight setup that will allow Sizelove to have a much-improved power-to-weight ratio in the race car. “The four-seat wheelbase cars were big and were built specifically for racing the SCORE Baja 1000,” said Proctor. “They had big fuel cells for longer distances between pit stops. It was also originally intended to race with a turbo engine, but that turbo program fell through.” Ultimately, they had to race in the SCORE NA class with a chassis that was really built to favor a turbo powerplant. “Now that we have a clean slate to start with, and based on what we’ve learned over the last few years racing the Talon, we’re going to campaign an ultralight two-seat NA car for 2023. And it is going to be very fast.” “The engine is the 999cc Africa twin motor. It’s actually a touring motorcycle engine. It features a dual-clutch and direct drive. It has a driveshaft in it, no belts that have been plaguing so many others. That’s really the biggest turn in UTV racing– getting rid of the belts. It makes the drivetrain so much more reliable.” Winning Race Spirit   “Our sport is full of enthusiasts,” Proctor continued. “And this car is part of a unique program that really shows what these Honda Talons can do. Almost everything on the racecar can be had by off-road enthusiasts. It’s not just for racers.” “The most important thing I want people to know is that we are going to show up at the races and go for the win every time. We’re not there to just drive around. That’s the mentality and spirit of our Honda Talon racing program. Were there to race and win.”

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