SCORE Journal

SCORE-Journal-September-2020

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

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MacCachren Duo Head to Baja Father and son will take on the 52nd SCORE BaJa 500 By Stuart Bourdon Rob MacCachren is one of the most successful drivers in off-road racing. Whether it’s in the desert, on a racetrack, or inside a stadium, his winning record and long-term consistency have made him like a safe and high-yielding investment portfolio. The COVID-19 pandemic has had its effect on MacCachren’s sponsors and team, but he has a game plan for the upcoming 52nd BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts which will be a family affair. “I’ll drive solo with my son Cayden in the truck with me,” says MacCachren. “He turned 18 this year, rode with me in the last race, and did an excellent job so I’m planning on him riding with me again and we’ll go the distance.” As far as driving strategy goes, it won’t be that different from any other race, because there are so many good teams that have a good chance of winning. “You have to push hard the whole time because there are so many people in that top category that are going to push hard and go fast,” says MacCachren. “Someone is going to make it. We’ll divide the course up into three parts and have two fuel stops and three chase teams. Because of the importance of this race for the SCORE Baja 1000 starting positions, we want a good finish. Do you need to start up front to win the SCORE Baja 1000? No, but it sure does help.” While he and Cayden will be handling the race truck from inside the cockpit, there’s a small army of crew members that help with chase, pit, communications, and a host of other often behind-the-scenes support activities. These people usually keep the driver, co-driver, and race truck working in top form for hundreds of miles of desert racing, but things are different this year. “Logistics is our biggest problem right now,” says MacCachren. “We normally have 50 to 60 people at the SCORE Baja 500 pitting and chasing us. With all the changes, shifting race dates several times, and trying to coordinate all the racing I do, planning for the Baja races has been difficult. “Almost all of the support people are volunteers with real jobs, and some have been asking for time off. Then they find out the dates have been changed, and now they can’t go with us. Others have dropped out for personal reasons. I’m starting to get worried that I won’t be able to get that many people for the SCORE Baja 500. On top of that, it is also about how responsible I feel for asking these people to go. These are the issues we’re working through right now.” Despite the difficulties, high spirits and a positive attitude are hallmarks of MacCachren’s personality, and he remains confident that the SCORE Baja 500 will be a successful race for the team. “We’ve had what I would call some dumb luck lately, such as $10 parts costing us the race. You know, you always need luck on your side and I feel like now the truck is running just right, and it’s being fully prepped for the ‘500’ right now. “I love the San Felipe area. I do well there. It’s rough and I like the rough terrain because the truck is built for it. We have a really good setup for the roads around San Felipe. Our truck handles the whoops as good or better than most.” MacCachren also says he misses racing in Baja and reflected on his longtime connection. “I haven’t been in Baja since last November (for the SCORE Baja 1000). I’ve been coming here since the 1980s. This is the longest – close to 10 months now – since the first time I was there that I have not gone racing in Baja. It will be good to be back.” SJ

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