SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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San Felipe Celebrates Rob MacCachren takes his sixth overall victory at the SCORE San Felipe 250 By Dan Sanchez Photography: Get Some Photo Veteran SCORE racers often describe the SCORE San Felipe 250 as an all-out sprint to the finish, compared to the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 1000. This year’s event, however, was a grueling 319-mile course that set the record for the most mileage in this event. This didn’t deter racers from taking on the challenge, as the San Felipe 250 will be the qualifier for the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500, scheduled for the end of May 2018. The decision to compete in San Felipe drew 246 starters for the race, who had a 16-hour time limit to complete the rugged course. Last year’s race had competitors qualify on a short four-mile course to get the best starting positions. This year’s race had a drawing at the end of March 2018, to see where competitors would be on the starting grid. For the 32nd SCORE San Felipe 250, Cameron Steele drew the first starting position in the SCORE Trophy Truck division. In other divisions, Javier Robles Jr. drew the first position in Class 1, as did Pat Sims in Trophy Truck Spec, Todd Winslow in Class 10, and Aldo Salazar in Pro UTV FI. Rob MacCachren started in fifth place and finished first overall for his sixth overall victory in San Felipe While starting position is important, most racers want to be in the top five. For the SCORE Trophy Truck racers, it’s all about being in the right spot to finish first. No one knows this more than Rob MacCachren, who drew a fifth-place starting position and managed to work his way up the pack and retain the fastest time to win the race overall. But before the checkered flag dropped, racers and fans began the SCORE San Felipe race with several festivities that celebrated the 32nd annual event, and the upcoming 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 in May. Pre-Race Festivities Race week began April 6th with fans and racers awakening to the sounds of engines roaring and the commotion of people gathering for tech inspections and Contingency. It allowed fans to get their first look at the competitors for the 2018 season and see what they could expect from their favorite teams. One of the fan favorites was Cameron Steele, who had one of his best SCORE seasons in 2017. Fans want to see him take home several SCORE Overall race wins this year, and perhaps, a 2018 SCORE Trophy Truck Championship. Fans also got to see team Papas and Beer return to the SCORE Trophy Truck Division in full force with its number 10 Ford Raptor, driven by Aaron and Alan Ampudia. In addition, fans were also happy to see the return of racing champion Ryan Arcerio to SCORE, driving his own truck, the number 32 Ford F-150, as part of the Herbst/Smith Motorsports team. Also showing up in San Felipe for the Herbst/Smith Motorsports team Adam Householder and Wayne Gould, driving the number 24 Herbst/Smith Ford F-150. Veteran and SCORE Champion Tim Herbst drove the number 19 Ford F-150, followed by Mike Lawrence in the number 19 Herbst/Smith F-150. The return of the RPM Off-Road Motorsports team also made a huge hit with fans. Driving the number 1 Geiser Chevy Rally truck was 2017 SCORE Overall and Trophy Truck Champion Apdaly Lopez. Along with Lopez, the team entered Justin Matney in the number 4 Chevy Rally truck, Clyde Stacy in the number 5L SCORE Trophy Truck Legends Chevy Rally Truck and Juan C. Lopez with Derek Fletcher in the number 18 Ford Raptor. RPM Off-Road also introduced Sara Price in the number 204 Trophy Truck Spec truck who will be competing in SCORE all season in the class with their Geiser built Chevy truck. The McMillin family also came out to San Felipe in force, looking to win and gain valuable starting positions for the 50th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500. Andy McMillin showed up in the number 31 Chevy Silverado followed by Dan McMillin in the number 23 Ford F-150, and Luke McMillin in the number 83 Ford F-150. One of the other great benefits of participating in SCORE’s Contingency day is the views and culture of the city of San Felipe. From the ocean views along the Malecon to the street vendors offering some of the best street-food and artisan crafts, the festive atmosphere and music is enough for anyone to fall in love with the area, enjoy all of Mexico’s culture, and discover the allure of the Baja peninsula. A Longer Course This year, the course was extended to 319-miles that included three physical checkpoints and 74 virtual checkpoints. The course started on the Malecon (main downtown street) and had the finish line there as well, making it a great area for spectators. With various terrain along its path, the SCORE San Felipe 250 extended across dry lake beds, through rock-strewn twisting canyons and trails, along quick-paced dirt roads, and through four of Baja’s most infamous washes -- Las Cuevitas, Matomi, Huatamote, and Amarillo. To make sure the racers stayed on course, Checkpoint 1 was located at El Chinero, with Checkpoint 2 at La Providencia and Checkpoint 3 at Old Puertecitos Road. The course also passed near or through La Ventana, and Laguna Amarga (Borrego), as well as the Diablo dry lake bed. The course also had two road crossings, both on Highway 3, with the first is going north at km 192 after Checkpoint 1 and the second near Laguna Amarga (Borrego), crossing at km 179 on the highway. Although the course was longer, it didn’t make it any less difficult. Many of the racers ran a tight race against their competition, making for an exciting race for the thousands of fans who came to San Felipe to witness this history-making event. SJ