SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1542694
A ROCKY ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP Ampudia Keeps The SCORE Trophy Truck Crown Story by Stuart Bourdon Photos by Get Some Photo Leading up to the 2025 BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000, Alan Ampudia had successfully piloted his Ford Raptor Mason AWD Papas and Beer/Monster Energy truck to wins in the 2025 SCORE San Felipe 250, SCORE Baja 500, and SCORE Baja 400. He became the first Mexican Unlimited Trophy Truck class driver to cross the finish line first, three times in a row, during a SCORE season. He joins only two other competitors – Robby Gordon in 1996 and Curt LeDuc in 1997 – to have accomplished such a feat. The final race of the 2025 SCORE World Desert Championship was the last link in the chain of events for him and the team. Ampudia and his crew understood that another stellar performance was the key to securing his second SCORE Trophy Truck championship in a row. However, the 2025 Baja 1000 would not be easy. Ampudia knew he was up against some very talented competition. Ampudia had driven the first three races of the 2025 season with no driver changes, and although many other teams took on one or more additional drivers to make it through what is undoubtedly the most exhausting and difficult race of the year, the SCORE Baja 1000, he again decided to solo the entire race with co-driver/navigator Kyle Craft. The 2025 Baja 1000 was an 854-mile loop from start to finish in Ensenada. The longest race of the four-event SCORE series began well enough, but Baja can be unforgiving. “We started well and were less than a minute behind Polvoorde (in Menzies’ truck), and stayed in his dust so that if he made a mistake, we could pass him, but he stayed out in front.” Ampudia continued, “When they changed drivers, Menzies hit it hard and stretched his lead to about four minutes. My plan was to go as fast as possible while taking care of the truck so we could be there at the finish line.” “We were running strong and still in the hunt, but then I couldn’t keep the truck straight. I knew something was not right.” During their last pit stop in San Matias, the crew spent a considerable amount of time trying to fix the problem. They replaced the steering box, and that seemed to work, but after a while, the steering began to go bad again. The steering system issue haunted them for almost the entire race. With this and other minor issues encountered along the way, they ultimately finished sixth in the Trophy Truck class. “We had to keep our speed down to 50 miles an hour to finish,” said Ampudia. “It was not what we wanted, but we were able to keep the Number 1 plate for next year, and that’s what really mattered.” Team manager Rodrigo Ampudia Sr. told us, “We almost had a perfect season, and we are all very proud of Alan’s effort to run every race this year with no driver changes. We were really close, but after the steering issue, we knew that we needed to do whatever it took to finish the race. Winning the championship was the most important thing for the family; the efforts of the entire team, and our sponsors.” When asked what the 2025 Trophy Truck Championship meant to him, Ampudia told us, “It means a lot to me because only one other Mexican driver (Apdaly Lopez) has been a SCORE Trophy Truck champ, but he was under the RPM umbrella team, so it was a Mexican driver, but an American team. This is the first time a Mexican team has won. My family and the entire team were all proud of the fact that we were able to get that first one. We're still fairly new compared to many other teams and drivers competing for much longer in this class. Winning the 2025 SCORE Trophy Truck Championship was the cherry on top of a great year, and we plan on going after it again next year.”SJ