SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1352065
SAN FELIPE’S FINEST Current And Past Race Heroes Of The SCORE San Felipe 250 Race By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo This year will be the 34th running of the race, making it SCORE’s third oldest race, one in which many racers have challenged. Over the years, some racers have won the race more than once, making them one of the several heroes of the SCORE San Felipe 250 who are admired for their accomplishments. At the top of the list of motorcycle winners, is SCORE champion Johnny Campbell, a motorcycle rider who has made his mark at the SCORE San Felipe 250 by winning it overall a total of seven times, six of them in a row during 1998-2004. Alongside Campbell with seven overall wins is Dan Smith, who won the race three times in a row from 1990-1992, and who won races in both motorcycles and as a member of the Ford Rough Riders racing team. Another prominent motorcycle champion with an amazing 18 class championships in this race, is Pro Moto racer Jim O’Neal, owner of the motorcycle apparel and gear company that bears his hame. His class championships are combined with wins on his own, and from team efforts. Four-wheel racers have also earned legendary status within this race, with Rob MacCachren, at the top of the list, who has won it overall a total of six times. The SCORE Trophy Truck Champion also has 10 career class wins in this race, with his last win in 2018 which gave him two SCORE San Felipe 250 wins in a row. One might think there are more moto and SCORE Trophy Truck multi-time winners, but the San Felipe area is also known for its Class 11 racers who keep the traditional VW-powered vehicles alive as part of SCORE’s racing legacy. Among those racers is Eric Solorzano, who has 11 SCORE Class Championships in this race in a Class 11 bug. Many SCORE fans will remember Solorzano’s red Bug from the Dana Brown movie Dust To Glory. Solorzano’s last victory in this race was in 2017 but that has not kept this champion from being one of the most determined and most inspiring veterans of the SCORE San Felipe 250. 2019 SCORE San Felipe Winners The last SCORE San Felipe 250 took place in 2019 where SCORE Trophy Truck champion Andy McMilliln took the win Overall. McMillin is a five-time SCORE Baja 1000 winner, but 2019 was the first time he had won the SCORE San Felipe 250 in his racing career, which also made him one of the elite SCORE Triple Crown Winners. Winning in the Pro Moto Unlimited class in 2019, was the 1x Pro Moto Team of Justin Morgan, Justin Jones, and Mark Samuels. These talented riders were on their second championship season and to date, have not lost a SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited class race since the team came together in 2018. In Class 1 Brad Wilson started in 12th position and had difficulties along the course. Shelby Reid crossed the finish line first, but after penalties were added, Wilson had the better time to win the class. SCORE Trophy Truck Spec was another hard-fought battle during the 2019 race between A.J. Jones and Sara Price. Both battled for the lead but it was Jones who took the win, however, Price would eventually finish the season with the class championship. In the popular Pro UTV classes, the husband and wife team of Wayne and Kristen Matlock won the SCORE San Felipe 250 in both of their respective classes, the Pro UTV FI and Pro UTV NA class. This win made it two-in-a-row for the Polaris team couple in this race. SJ