SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1502036
THE BATTLE FOR BAJA GLORY Champions And Challengers Return To The 55th SCORE BaJa 500 By Dan Sanchez, Paul Hanson, Isaac Flores, Jose Vazquez, and Guilherme Torres Photos by Get Some Photo One of the season’s biggest races was also one of the most dreaded by SCORE racers. The 473.67-mile BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 course featured some of the most technical sections. One section in particular around race-mile 405 had many concerned because of the deep water-cut ruts carved into the dirt. While some found it challenging to maneuver over while pre-running, experienced champions knew they could simply straddle over it. The course started in Ensenada and headed East towards Ojos Negros, Cerro Colorado, and out to the Summit. It then extended North to Cohabuzo and towards La Ventana before turning South. Once racers reached CheckPoint 1, they had to head up along Highway 5, onto Highway 3 West to Valle Del La Trinidad, San Isidoro, and down to the coast at Cerro Solo. Sportsman racers had a shortcut here between RM 210 and 250. The turn North headed up along the coast until it reached Navitos Del Valle, Santo Tomas, and El Jurapan as it headed inward towards Low Encinitos and North to Ojos Negros, before heading back into Ensenada for the finish. CONTINGENCY DAY While racers had been pre-running weeks before, SCORE fans slowly gathered in and around downtown Ensenada to be a part of Contingency Day on Friday, June 2nd. Thousands of fans flocked to Blvd. Costero in front of the Riviera Del Pacifico Cultural Center, where teams lined up to be interviewed by SCORE announcers Rat Sult and Dave Arnold. Fans and racers could also meet with off-road component and accessory manufacturers, including SCORE Sponsors such as King Shocks, Rugged Radios, Baja Vida Snacks, Polaris, Optima Batteries, and others. Manufacturer’s row had many companies displaying products, offering support to racers with product information and set-up, and greeting fans with free handouts and information on items for their own off-road vehicles. LEGENDARY GRAND MARSHALS The three Grand Marshals selected for this 55th SCORE Baja 500 included three Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famers (ORMHOF), including moto legend Johnny Campbell, off-road racing legend Ivan Stewart, and former SCORE Owner and President Sal Fish. Campbell is an eleven-time Baja Champion with five class wins and five overall wins in the SCORE Baja 500 moto division. His HCR Moto Racing program has spawned many SCORE moto champions that have followed in his footsteps. Stewart has seventeen SCORE Baja 500 class wins, with ten of them being Overall. He has also won three SCORE Baja 1000 races and has five SCORE season class point championship titles, including two SCORE Overall Points Championship titles in 1990 and 1993. Stewart is also a Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee and celebrated his birthday on June 4th. Former SCORE owner Sal Fish is the Honorary 50th Anniversary Grand Marshall for all four of the 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship season races and joined Campbell and Stewart for all the Grand Marshal duties before the race. The night before the race, SCORE International hosted a VIP party for its sponsors and special guests who also came to honor the three Grand Marshals, Sal Fish, Johnny Campbell, and Ivan Stewart, with SCORE’s VP Marketing, Jim Ryan and General Manager, Juan Tintos handling the intros. There was also a birthday celebration for Ivan Stewart, who turned 78 on June 4th. OPENING CEREMONIES While the SCORE Pro Moto and Quad teams left the starting line at 3:30 a.m. on Race Day, Saturday, June 3rd, the Opening Ceremonies at 7:30 a.m. led to the start of the SCORE Trophy Trucks and the rest of the field. The ceremonies include the Mexico Honor Guard and Flag salutes for both Mexico and the United States, as well as SCORE General Manager, Juan Tintos Funke, introducing and thanking the race’s Grand Marshals and special guests who were in attendance. Among them was the Federal Secretary of Tourism of Mexico, Miguel Torruco Marqués. This was the first time in SCORE’s history that a representative of this government agency attended a SCORE race. “It’s a pleasure to be here in Ensenada for the inaugural Ceremony and Start of the 55th Edition of the SCORE Baja 500, which coincides with SCORE International 50th Anniversary,” said Marqués in his speech. “The origins of this race date back to 1967 when the first Baja 1000 race took place and was known as the Mexican 1000, covering a route from Tijuana to La Paz with a total of 68 participants. Now, SCORE International organizes the SCORE World Desert Championship, which is composed of four races that take place in different sites along the Baja California Peninsula and are part of its history and identity. It’s important to note that in the four SCORE races last year, more than 1,000 teams participated from 35 countries, and with that, [the races] generated an estimated 40 million dollars and worldwide media coverage. We know that these famous races, which include kilometers of desert, sand, rocks, and canyons, attract the best off-road racers in the world. This SCORE Baja 500, which will cover the Municipalities of Ensenada, Mexicali, and San Felipe, will be a test for close to 250 teams during two days of intense competition. This will all be to the delight of over 100,000 fans distributed along the route and millions of people will follow the race in many countries with live transmission on social media and more. It is estimated that the race will generate close to 12 million dollars for the regional economy in a span of three weeks. Without a doubt, this event will contribute to the economic recovery of Tourism in Mexico because it will involve many productive activities that form a wide Tourism Value Chain, including restaurants, hotels, and other services. Because of the great economic benefits and promotion of the SCORE races, in 2019, the Federal Secretary of Tourism and SCORE International formalized a Strategic Alliance to promote Baja California and Baja California Sur promoting sporting events. These types of events have gained popularity in the world and in Mexico, including mountain biking, cross-country marathons, rafting, and kayaking, among others. For my office of the Secretary of Tourism of Mexico, sporting events such as this one, and other types, are very important, and that’s why we have been supporting them in the present administration. We have established Collaborations with the Pan-American Race and NASCAR, and we will celebrate The Great Desert Race in Sonora this October and The Sea to Sea race in December in Baja California Sur. Amigos, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador asked us to make tourism a tool of reconciliation that will stimulate economic growth in municipalities, states, and the country, in order to have more progress and well-being. Fortunately, we are achieving good results according to tourism indicators, with over 28 million dollars generated in 2022 produced by international visitors, a 14 percent increase from 2019– a historic result. Mexico is ranked 9th in the world in tourism and has been consistently ranked among the top 10. In closing, I want to congratulate SCORE International on its 50th Anniversary, and I want to welcome all of the participating teams. Start your engines and have a successful race.” SJ