SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1506040
TALKING DIRT RELIABILITY AND ACCESS WINS IN BAJA RACING By Dan Sanchez, Editor SCORE Journal magazine The evolution of the “unlimited” race vehicle has an interesting history. One which we dove into for this issue, but it also highlights how races are won. To win in Baja, you first had to have the best bike, one that was outfitted for off-road and could handle the abuse. That lasted for many years even when the Baja Boot, Big Oly, and BFG Blazers appeared and were like the T-Rex of the time. They died out, however, because they weren’t as reliable as the smaller Chenowth and Funco buggies that eventually turned into the modern Class 1 vehicles and racers chose to use these to win races overall. It seems, however, that the technology that wins in Baja needs two things; it has to be both reliable and available. Such is the case again with the SCORE Trophy Trucks. Branching out from Class 8, the SCORE Trophy Truck gained quickly as drivetrain, chassis, and engine technology gained momentum. By 1995 when the SCORE Trophy Trucks were in full action, it was the only way to win Baja races overall. The dawn of the AWD trucks was a big gamble, but it was the next evolution. In speaking with Neil Mason about it, he and his brother Robert had to design and build their own drivetrain components to make it work, and after many tries, with racer Larry Conner and Team C trying it out, it finally came together. Perhaps the turning point was when Andy McMillin won the SCORE Baja 1000 in one. That’s when everyone realized this was the next evolution. Now AWD trucks are making new champions out of those racers who embraced it early on and to win, teams feel they need to have one. So as the technology and competition increase, so does the cost of racing. Taking examples from the past, I propose this question. Will the AWD trucks eventually die out too? Here’s why I ask this. Currently, the two most populated classes are the SCORE TT Specs and the UTV Classes. The reasons for this are simple, these vehicles are quickly evolving in capability and they are more affordable. Personally, I would not want to watch a SCORE race without AWD SCORE Trophy Trucks and Class 1 buggies screaming across the desert. On the other hand, a SCORE race would not be as exciting without expert riders on motorcycles, Class 11’s trying to make it to the finish line, or even a quad or two flying by. Each class in SCORE has a history of evolution and is important to those families and teams that race them. More importantly, every class reminds us that SCORE racing is for everyone. But as changes continue to happen, the sport will also have to change. For us, it is inevitable but also exciting. Maybe in the not-too-distant future, we’ll see more EVs complete and finish racing. I hope there will be a future issue of SCORE Journal reminding us how AWD trucks were the dominant vehicle of the time. Then we can look back and see how far we’ve come and how far off-road racing can continue to evolve.