SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/618747
racing, it is a class where you can still build your truck from the frame rails up, or you can build a tube chassis and mount the engine either in the rear or front. There are a lot of variables, and just as many ways to get into it. "I chose the old format as a mid-budget vehicle that someone could build and maintain as an owner-builder type of class," said Chamlee. "I started out racing my dad's BajaLite in Class 3000," Sohren said. "The class's competition (Class 3000) seems to come and go. I decided to race Class 7 instead, at a disadvantage against higher powered vehicles because of the entry rate. I don't like to just smoke one or two people, I like to smoke 'em all!" "For us, we have decided to skip from Class 3000 to TT Spec next year," said Broughton. "Class 7 would have been the logical choice to move up to, but the competition level wasn't really as high as we wanted. In our Ecotec powered Class 3000 BajaLite, we have been battling with the 7's all year." CLASS 7 SUSPENSIONS Current SCORE rules allow Class 7 vehicle to compete in a machine that has plenty of wheel-travel to soak up the harshest desert courses, modest to strong engine choices, and reasonable budgets to run a full racing season. "We have a lot of travel with 27-inches front, 31-inches at the rear," Chamlee said. "So we have probably have the smoothest truck in the race." In her now trademark enthusiasm and zest for life and racing, Sohren loves her 7 truck's suspension. "I run only the best, King shocks! It's an absolutely smooth ride from start to finish. It soaks up all those gnarly San Felipe whoops, which happens to be my favorite part of the course." Even though Chad Broughton runs a vehicle that would permit him to run in Class 7, the suspension is similar. "Our truck is the same as Paige Sohren's. It is a BajaLite that was built for class 3000. The truck has 22-inches of travel in the front and 25-inches in the rear using a 2.0 coilover and 3.0 bypass shocks," Broughton said. "We use a 35-inch tire, while some Class 7's have 37's. I think our truck handles the rough pretty well, but we make up the majority of our time in the technical sections of the course due to our smaller size and lighter weight." GETTING STARTED IN CLASS 7 As a point of entry into SCORE desert racing, Class 7 can be a good place to get involved. "It is definitely a nice starting point in this sport," Sohren GETSOMEPHOTO.COM 061 SCORE JOURNAL DAN CHAMLEE'S CLASS 7 TRUCK LOOKS LIKE A FACTORY TRUCK ON STEROIDS. HE'S TAKEN THE CLASS TO A NEW LEVEL BY WINNING THE 48TH BUD LIGHT SCORE BAJA 1000 WITH A SMALL AND INEXPENSIVE 3.5 LITER FORD ECOBOOST ENGINE.