SCORE Journal

SCORE Journal - May 2018

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

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The events, people, and vehicles that made the SCORE Baja 500 reach legendary status By Dominic Clark and Dan Sanchez 1969 • The first Baja 500. It was organized by NORRA and had 163 starters, 73 finishers. Overall four-wheel winners were Bud Ekins/Guy Jones in a Baja Boot-Olds and two-wheel champs were Doug Douglas/Jim McClurg on a Ducati motorcycle. 1972 • Last Baja 500 race organized by NORRA which was no longer authorized by the Mexican government to run after this race. • Bobby Ferro becomes the first person to win the Overall Baja 500 back to back in 1971 and 1972. 1973 • Baja Sports Committee (Ensenada tourism group) produces the Baja 500 • Former Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones wins the overall 4-wheel title for the second time (1970-1973) • Husqvarna motorcycles have won four overall 2-wheel Baja 500’s. • Mickey Thompson obtains permit from Mexican government for his new SCORE International as the Official U.S. desert race promoter for Baja California  1974 • Sal Fish takes control of SCORE and the first SCORE Baja race is held on July 26, 1974. • Because of litigation regarding the name, SCORE calls the race SCORE Baja Internacional for the next 16 years • The first SCORE race in Baja has 279 official starters and 173 official finishers • Bobby Ferro is the overall 4-wheel winner in a Sandmaster-VW and Mitch Mayes/A.C. Bakken are the overall 2-wheel winners on a Husqvarna motorcycle • Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart wins his first of 17 class wins in 4-wheel in this race 1975 • Ivan Stewart wins his first of 10 overalls in 4-wheel in a Funco-VW • Larry Roeseler/Bruce Ogilvie team to win the overall 2-wheel on a Harley-Davidson. It was Roeseler’s first of a race-record nine overall motorcycle victories in this race 1976 • BFGoodrich Tires begins its SCORE Baja racing history in the SCORE Baja 500 • BFGoodrich Tires has won a race-record 31 overall 4-wheel titles in this race • Bobby Ferro teams with Ivan Stewart to win the overall 4–wheel in a Funco-VW • Larry Roeseler teams with A.C. Bakken to win the overall 2-wheel on a Husqvarna 1977 • Ivan Stewart wins his third overall 4-wheel SCORE Baja 500 in a Chenowth-VW • Larry Roeseler and Jack Johnson team to win the overall 2-wheel on a Husqvarna • A then race-record 384 vehicles start the race. Record would last for 22 years 1978 • Dr. Bud Feldkamp and legendary motorcycle racer Malcolm Smith win the overall 4-wheel in a Funco-VW. Smith would win four overalls include one on a motorcycle (1971) and Feldkamp would win three overalls, two with Smith • Brent Wallingsford and Scot Harden team on a Husqvarna for the overall 2-wheel as Harden would eventually win three times on a motorcycle 1979 • Jack Johnson becomes the first SCORE Baja 500 overall 2-wheel winner riding solo on a Husqvarna • PPI Begins Racing in SCORE with the Toyota Team and Ivan Stewart • Frank De Angelo, with BFGoodrich Tires, start pits for racers at SCORE events 1980 ‘• Baja’ Bob Gordon wins in a Chenowth-Chevy for his first of two overalls in the SCORE Baja Internacional 1982 • ‘Lightning’ Larry Ragland drives solo in a Funco-VW for his first of five overall 4-wheel wins 1983 • McMillin family of three generation racers records its first of 10 combined overall wins as family patriarch Corky McMillin and his oldest son Scott win the 4-wheel overall in a Chenowth-VW 1984 • Because of a continuing dispute between landowners and the government, Sal Fish moves the race for the only time in its history outside of Mexico to the U.S.A. desert near Barstow, Calif. 1988 • Mark McMillin, Corky McMillin’s youngest son, drives solo to win the overall 4-wheel in a Chenowth-Porsche. It was Mark’s first of three solo drives to the overall as the others came in 1997 and in 2001. It was also the second of five overalls in race history for Porsche-powered vehicles 1989 • Robby Gordon wins the overall for his first of four times and the first time for a truck-Ford • Because of internal disputes again in Mexico, Sal Fish move the race to San Felipe and for the only time in race history there were no classes for motorcycles and ATVs. 1990 • The growing population in Ensenada, causes local officials to change the location of the race’s start and finish in Ensenada. In 1990 the race starts in Ensenada and finishes in Santo Tomas. 1991-1992 • The SCORE Baja 500 starts and finishes in Ojos Negros. Sal Fish completes negotiations with NORRA to use the name Baja 500 that SCORE has legally registered for perpetuity as the SCORE Baja 500, the name it was always called by racers and fans. 1993 • The race runs from Ojos Negros to Santo Tomas 1994 • Ivan Stewart wins the first SCORE Trophy Truck title at the SCORE Baja 500 becoming the only 4-wheel racer to win four consecutive years, all in a PPI Toyota truck • The race starts in Ensenada and finishes in Santo Tomas • SCORE Trophy Truck Class debuts; created by Sal Fish and SCORE 1996 • Troy Herbst drives solo to win the 4-wheel overall in a Smithbuilt-Porsche. 1997 • Johnny Campbell wins his first of five overall motorcycle titles, all on Honda bikes. Campbell’s first was the fourth of five overall motorcycle victories for Bruce Ogilvie • Starting with this race, Honda won the motorcycle portion for 16 consecutive years 1998 • Ivan Stewart won the overall in the first year SCORE Trophy Truck was a regular part of the series, the second of three straight wins for the Ironman 2000 • Team of Jonah Street/Steve Hengeveld win motorcycle overall; the first of seven for Hengeveldand the second of three for Street 2007 • A SCORE record 492 official starters and a SCORE record 283 official finishers including a SCORE-record 39 starters in SCORE Trophy Truck • Larry Ragland and Brian Collins team up for the 4-wheel overall for the second straight year • Robby Bell/Kendall Norman, Steve Hengeveld win the motorcycle overall on a Honda 2008 • B.J. Baldwin in a Chevy truck edges Rob MacCachren by just seven seconds in the closest overall finish in the history of the SCORE Baja 500 2010 • Andy McMillin becomes the fourth McMillin to win the overall, teaming with his father Scott in a Ford 2011 • Bryce Menzies begins a run of three overall wins (2012 and 2014 ) in a Ford F-150 2012 • Robby Bell/David Pearson/Steve Hengeveld win the 2-wheel overall on a Kawasaki, breaking the 16-year win streak by Honda in motorcycle competition in this race 2013 • Robby Gordon win his fourth overall in a Chevy truck 2015 • Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez wins the overall in a Chevy truck to become the first Mexican national to win the overall in the SCORE Baja 500 2016 • Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr wins his first SCORE Baja 500 and secures the elusive “Triple Crown” of Baja 017 • Guatemala’s Francisco Arredondo teams with Shane Esposito, Justin Morgan and Roberto Villalobos to win the overall motorcycle title and give Honda its race-record 19th overall motorcycle victory in the SCORE Baja 500 • Andy McMillin drives solo in a Ford truck to win his second overall and 10th for the McMillin Family and giving Ford trucks its race-high 12th overall win in the SCORE Baja 500

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