SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/539275
Lopez has driven well throughout the previous two SCORE races, finishing third with driver of record Clyde Stacy at the Bud Light SCORE San Felipe 250, followed by a fourth- place finish at the Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500. Lopez's win at this year's Baja 500 is the first of his SCORE career and in the Unlimited Trophy Truck class. "This is the first 500-mile race that I've driven solo," said Lopez. "The toughest part was the endurance. I'm very proud that the Mexicans appear to be dominating SCORE racing. When I was 10 years old it was my goal to someday win in Baja." RPM Offroad owner Clyde Stacy also couldn't be happier for Lopez, who saw the potential of this young driver and has witnessed his driving skills improve. "I'm very proud of Apdaly," said Stacy. "He did a great job, ran hard all day, and stayed right in the thick of it. Our guys were ready to go and I knew we were going to place well. Apdaly can just about write his own ticket, he's good and he's getting better all the time." The victory for RPM Offroad marks the team's second win in a row, following Eduardo Laguna's overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory in April's Inaugural Baja Sur 500. In the Unlimited Trophy Truck class, Lopez was followed by the team of Rob MacCachren and Jesse Jones who finished second, followed by Gus Vildosola Jr. "We had a good run, but we got caught in the dust early," said MacCachren. "For the first 65 miles we were losing time to the people in front of us and finally Jason McNeil had something go wrong, and he was parked in the middle of the road. We had to stop and figure out a way to get around him. Once we got around him we were making up time on that front group and ended up clipping a rock with the right front and got a flat tire." "The whole race was extremely competitive," said Gus Vildosola Jr. "From the beginning we were fighting back and forth with (Kyle) Jergensen and it was a great race throughout. I think we ended up throwing it away because we got a few flats in the middle portion of the race. It was a hard-fought event and we were neck and neck with Apdaly (Lopez) through Borrego and up to San Matias and across to the beach. It was back and forth all day. With this type of competition and the WAYNE MATLOCK FROM EL CAJON, CALIFORNIA IN HIS POLARIS RZR XP1000, CAME IN FIRST AND EARNED HIS FIRST UTV CLASS WIN AND FIFTH CAREER CLASS WIN. 013 SCORE JOURNAL