SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1332112
2020 SCORE Pro Moto 30 Class Champion Multi-Class Moto Champ Francisco Septien Is Always Up For New Challenges Story by Stuart Bourdon Photos By Get Some Photo Francisco Septien is a veteran Baja racer who has been class champion in several SCORE moto classes over the years, including the Pro Moto Ironman class in 2018. With his team’s success at the 53rd BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000 presented by 4 Wheel Parts, Septien added a 13th SCORE Baja 1000 win to his record and secured his title as the 2020 SCORE International Pro Moto 30 Class Champion. As with many who race and win in Baja, Septien’s path to the 2020 Pro Moto 30 class championship was not just a walk in the park. The 2020 BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 500 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts was a tough one for racers in every class. Septien had teamed up with Shane Esposito and Roberto Villalobos for the race. “It went well for us as a team, but we did have some issues,” said Septien. “I crashed the bike (a Honda CRF450RX) on my section and bent the muffler. I didn’t get hurt and got right back on. The bike was okay, but my back was very sore.” Esposito and Villalobos had no troubles with their sections. The team was able to finish the race and take first place in the Pro Moto 30 Class. For the 2020 SCORE Baja 1000, Francisco’s team changed personnel. Villalobos left to join another crew, so Justin Shultz came on as a last-minute replacement. “I invited him to join us for the SCORE Baja 1000, so again it was just three riders with Shane, Justin, and myself,” said Septien. “Three of us was still difficult for the very long (nearly 900 miles) race.” Shane started the race and took the bike (a Honda CRF450X this time) to about mile 180. Septien rode from there to about mile 305, where Esposito took over again. The bike experienced front brake issues almost from the start. On the way up to Mike’s Sky Rancho, the front brake had to be replaced. Then it began acting up again around the 430-mile mark. This time the entire system was changed out, and according to Septien, they didn’t have any issues with brakes for the rest of the race. Shultz took the handlebars at around mile 460. Unfortunately, due to his late addition to the team, he never had a chance to pre-run his section. “Somewhere around the 540-mile mark, he got lost for about 40 minutes. We were running first in class at that point, and Montoya got past us while Justin was getting back to where he went off course,” said Septien. After Shultz reached the 600-mile mark for the next rider change, they did a visual inspection of the bike and determined all was good. From that point on Septien and Esposito started mixing it up and doing short sections to avoid fatigue. “We made up a little time, but we couldn’t catch them. They were so far ahead. We ended up about 14-minutes behind at the finish, but they had two penalties that cost those guys the race. We had no penalties and ended up winning the race,” said Septien. Septien is used to riding solo in the SCORE Pro Moto Ironman class and noted that riding this year in Pro Moto 30 was different. “I try to push harder and go faster because of the pressure I put on myself. I don’t want to let the other guys down. I think that’s why I made a mistake and crashed in the SCORE Baja 500. It’s a different kind of riding when you’re solo. You have to pace yourself. You don’t go 100 or 110 percent. You have to go 75 or 80 percent,” he said. “I am incredibly proud to be the 2020 Pro Moto 30 Champion, but at this time, I am not thinking of defending the championship. I don’t think I’ll be running a team, but I’m still going to ride. I don’t know who, but with somebody who wants to invite me to ride on their team. Next year I want to challenge myself with something new.” SJ