SCORE Journal

SCORE Journal Issue - DECEMBER 2017

SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing

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Francisco Arredondo: A Win for the Record Books By Stephen Romero Photos by Get Some Photo SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited rider of record, Francisco Arredondo, never had his doubts after rolling off the starting line of the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 in Ensenada to set the pace. With great anticipation the No. 45x Bremen-Arredondo-Haines Racing Honda CRF450x team wrapped up one of their most successful seasons ever, thanks to the year-end win at the biggest event in off-road desert racing history. They clinched the Pro Moto class win when they officially crossed the finish line in La Paz with a time of 21:07:17. But as he later revealed, conquering the race to La Paz would not come easy. At age 40, Arredondo is a seasoned champion motorcyclist from Guatemala who shared riding duties with Shane Esposito, Justin Morgan, Max Eddy Jr. and Ty Davis. “All we needed was a third place or better to take the championship, instead we took first,” said Arredondo. The 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 win was their third straight Baja win of the season. Although, Arredondo's team led most of the race, they did have trouble with their Honda gearbox, which got stuck in 4th and 5th gear, which could have spelled disaster for them. “The whole team was worried after the bike left Laredo with a faulty transmission,” said Arredondo. “We had been so close to winning many times, but this time the team pulled it off on the final miles of the road to La Paz.” Officially, Arredondo started the race, then handed it off to Esposito. From there Davis took over, and handed it off to Eddy Jr. who rode his section. Davis then got on the bike again and rode to San Ignacio, where he handed the bike to Esposito in Loredo, and finally Morgan finished the race. The team communication was spotty in areas, making matters worse, but together they pulled it off, and some of that credit goes to their experienced helicopter crew that was able to assist when the route at the Baja 1000 got “iffy” and dangerous. “Some of the terrain was terrible,” said Arredondo. “We averaged 54 miles-per-hour for most of the race. What’s amazing is how fast the race went, you don’t feel pain or anything. When you finish your section you feel like you were on the bike only 20 minutes.” The 45x team are thrilled with the results from years of hard work, and they admit that while their opponents were strong and capable, the Bremen-Arredondo-Haines Racing Honda CRF450x race team came prepared to take gold. “This is like a dream,” Arredondo said. “I have to say many thanks to my family and every single person who contributed to this victory.” SJ

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