SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/618747
by her biggest fan, father and mentor "Pistol" Pete Sohren to straighten things out and get her rolling again. "We had a really successful race," Paige Sohren said. "I had a minor incident with a big hole at race mile 122. My dad came out and fixed all the problems and we finished the next 700 miles problem free. I am so stoked for our second place finish in Class 7. I'm so proud of my fifteen year-old-sister, Blair Sohren, for her incredible navigation, and thank you Jesse Combs for being such a "rad" co-driver and never giving up!" POWER OPTIONS Neither the first or second place vehicles had lots of horsepower to finish or win the race. Being practical and counting on reliability, Chamlee powered his first place winning vehicle with a stock 3.5 liter Ford EcoBoost engine with a Danzio tune to the vehicle's ECM. "I run a four-cylinder, Ecotec motor straight from the junk yard," Sohren said. "I know what you're thinking... Hell yeah it works! How do you think I just scored second at the Baja 1000?" Chad Broughton, who won Class 3000 in the 2015 SCORE Baja 1000, a category that runs similar to Class 7 and in which the vehicles are also allowed to run Class 7, weighed in on his own junk yard power source. Speaking of the merits of racing in a class where a junk yard four-cylinder Ecotec engine is an option, "Ours just went two full SCORE seasons before it needed to be changed," said Broughton. Because Class 7 rules allow for greater horsepower, wheel travel, and chassis design, some see that these trucks might be considered a V6 powered Trophy Truck. "A radical Class 7 now has an LS3 in it and races Trophy Truck Spec. So no, I do not see Class 7 as a V6 powered trophy truck," said Sohren. "I don't see the current Class 7 vehicle as a V6 trophy truck," Broughton said. "The rule book pretty much allows for an 87-inch wide (track width) and a V6 unlimited truck, but no one is really running one. From what I have witnessed, the top placing trucks are production based models. A few years ago there were some "tube chassis" vehicles, but those guys have seemed to move into TT Spec, where you don't have to build a race motor, have more competition, and can get more support." The options available to anyone running Class 7 Open. For the owner/builder who wants to compete in off-road PHOTO COURTESY BAJA RACING ADVENTURES 060 SCORE JOURNAL PAIGE SOHREN'S CLASS 7 LOOKS LIKE A TROPHY TRUCK AT FIRST GLANCE, BUT IT MAINTAINS THE FACTORY WHEELBASE AND THE ORIGINAL SUSPENSION CONCEPT OF THE VEHICLE.