SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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SCORE Mechanic of the Year Andres “Lechero” Rodriguez wins his third award By Larry Saavedra Behind every successful racer is the team’s crew chief. One of the most popular is Andres “Lechero” Rodriguez, who was voted the 2022 SCORE Mechanic of the Year by racing fans and his peers. It was Rodriguez’ third award in his lengthy career for his services as a crew chief. Although Rodriguez had spent many years working with Rob MacCachren’s winning SCORE Trophy Truck team, at the end of 2021 he found himself in a new role as the crew chief for Vildosola Racing’s No. 21L SCORE TT. To Vildosola Racing’s sizable fan base, Rodriguez’s entry into the team was met with both applause and speculation. But after Gus Vildosola Sr. captured the ‘22 SCORE TT Legends Championship title, that accomplishment reflected on Rodriquez’s ability to get the job done. “I never thought I’d win another award after leaving MacCachren,” Rodriguez said. “Rob was an excellent driver. I didn’t know what to expect when I came to Vildosola Racing because you have to win races for the mechanic to get nominated.” According to Rodriguez, it all started at the SCORE San Felipe 250 when Vildosola Sr. won his class. Then came the SCORE Baja 500 and Vildosola Sr. won again, and he clinched class wins two more times at the SCORE Baja 400 and the SCORE Baja 1000. “We were leading in points the entire season,” Rodriguez said. “It all came together and we ended up with four wins in four races.” Rodriguez said he believes it was the first time a Mexican team had captured the SCORE TT Legends class championship at the end of the season. “I think it was the first time that the Vildosola team had a SCORE Mechanic of the Year too,” he said. “For me, it was unbelievable.” But according to Rodriguez, it’s not easy splitting his time between Gus Sr. ‘s SCORE TT Legends efforts and his son Tavo’s efforts in SCORE TT. He says that his first priority is for Gus Sr. in the No. 21L truck. “If I have time I jump on Tavo’s truck and help out where I can,” he said. “But Gus Sr. ‘s truck is my primary job as crew chief.” Both trucks are AWD Mason Motorsports builds that require a different approach to properly maintain after each race. For the No. 21L truck of Gus Sr., Rodriguez completely disassembles the vehicle and sends out all the major components for repair work or for light rebuilds, depending on the situation. Nothing in the truck is overlooked. Every major component is only used once during the race, and then completely disassembled and freshened up. “We pull the transmission, engine, differential, and major components so they can be checked out after each race,” he said. Of course, it’s all under the supervision of Rodriguez, who came on board with 30 years of experience in desert racing. LeDuc Gives Him A Start Rodriguez has a unique history of his own in becoming a three-time SCORE Mechanic OTY. “I was wrenching on engines when I was very young, “ he said. “I was about 12 years old when I started working with my dad. That really got me interested in everything mechanical.” As he grew older he set his sights on racing in Baja. “I grew up in Ensenada around all the SCORE events, and I raced moto classes professionally. That’s when I met Curt and Kyle LeDuc.” Even though he didn’t know the LeDuc family personally, he mustered enough courage to walk up to them one day as they were preparing for a race. He volunteered to work on their race team. That short introduction kicked off a long career in motorsports. “I worked for the LeDucs for five seasons of short course racing,” he said. “I then went to work for Jim Blackmore at Rivera Racing and that’s where I learned a lot about racecar prep, and what it takes to compete at the highest levels. He was my mentor.” Rodriguez stuck with it and for the next 14 years, he gleaned all he could from Blackmore, one of the most noted crew chiefs in desert racing. This professional relationship continued after Blackmore and Rodriguez were both eventually hired away by MacCachren. What It’s Like to Be a Crew Chief According to Rodriguez you have to have a lot of passion for motorsports to work in the industry as a crew chief. “You don’t always win races,” he said. “If you are expecting a thank you after every race you won’t be doing this for long. Sometimes there are bad days and it’s not fun. I do it because I like it.” Rodriguez says that Vildosola Racing is a well-oiled machine. “Everyone has a particular job to do,” he said. “I am responsible for delivering a competitive No 21L truck, but the driver also takes some responsibility for what happens.” Rodriguez acknowledges that Gus Sr. has a lot of experience and is a very patient driver, whereas his co-driver Ricky Johnson is more aggressive. “It’s a great combination because you need someone to set the pace and keep position,” he said. Rodriguez is looking forward to the next 36th King Shocks SCORE San Felipe 250 Presented by Baja Vida Snacks because they’ve already done some testing and the truck is running well. “It’s ready to race,” he said. “We started early because we always want to have our notes and planning done well before race day. If you don’t have a good prep truck you’re not going to make it.” Rodriguez admitted that sometimes a race team needs luck, too. Not just a good crew chief. Baja, he said, can bite you if you’re not paying attention. All eyes will be on the defending champion SCORE TT No 21L as SCORE gets ready for the San Felipe 250. SJ