SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
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RISING TO THE TOP New Teams And Heroes Make Their Mark At The BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 500 By Dan Sanchez Photos Get Some Photo The only sure thing about SCORE Baja racing is that you can always expect the unexpected. A total of 254 entries wanted to battle for a win at this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 500. But this year’s race would end up with several shake-ups in top classes, which began when a 482.97-mile course was introduced to teams weeks before the start of the race. The course for this year’s 56th SCORE Baja 500 began at 483.06 miles but a few hours before the race, SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva and SCORE Co-Race Director Rodo Fernandez, made slight changes at Race Mile 11.09, re-routing a small section of the course which made the course 482.97 miles. This was a section where early morning outbound and later afternoon inbound routes were combined into one. Other than that 0.09-mile change, the course began and ended on the Boulevard Costero in Ensenada. It ran through sections of Ojos Negros, Tres Hermanos, El Alamo, Santa Catarina, and the Summit (4,140 feet above sea level). Many racers and SCORE Live Stream commentators who studied the course commented that it was after the Summit that the race would take a different turn, as the previous areas had few places to pass and were technical. Once passed the Summit, racers would reach Cohabuzo Junction, Saldana, La Ventana access, El Arrajal wash, San Matias Pass, Mike’s Sky Rancho, Simpson’s Road to Valle de Trinidad, West to Llano Colorado, San Vicente Wash, Erendira, Santo Tomas, Uruapan, Rancho El Mezcal, Ojos Negros, and back to the finish line in Ensenada. Officially, the course had two complete stop physical checkpoints, 240 total virtual checkpoints, and 13 speed zones. All Sportsman classes, Class 11, 5/1600, Baja Challenge, and Class 7SX ran a reduced course of a total of 456.91 miles. RODRIGO AMPUDIA GRAND MARSHAL In his first appointment as Grand Marshal, veteran Rodrigo Ampudia Sr. took the honors for this race. Co-founder of Papas & Beer restaurants and night clubs, Ampudia Sr. is a multi-time SCORE Baja class winner and father to Alan, Aaron, and Rodrigo Jr., each of who continues to make their mark in off-road racing. “This is a unique privilege for SCORE to have an individual of Rodrigo’s stature in Baja California agree to be the Grand Marshal for this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 500,” commented Jim Ryan, SCORE Vice-President of Marketing and Sales. “For 40 years, Papas & Beer has been a tradition in Ensenada and Rosarito Beach and Team Papas is one of the most respected teams in all of desert racing. We sincerely thank Rodrigo Ampudia Sr. for honoring SCORE by being our Grand Marshal for this race.” Over his career, Ampudia Sr. began racing SCORE in 1986 with his brother Rogerio in the SCORE Class 1/2-1600. He has seven class wins which include three in the SCORE Baja 500 (1992, 1994, and 2009), one in the SCORE San Felipe 250 (2009), and three in the iconic SCORE Baja 1000 (1990, 1994, and 2017). ULTIMATE RACE COVERAGE IN LIVE-STREAMING A culmination of new technologies and problem-solving showcased this year’s SCORE Baja 500 with some of the best Live Stream coverage of Qualifying, Contingency, and the race. Bud Brutsman, CEO of BCII and his team, utilized Starlink satellite connections and a combination of in-vehicle, drone, and ground cameras to capture SCORE events like never before. The live stream also included live leaderboard tracking powered by Optima Batteries and live commentaries from several in-studio hosts. “There are a lot of people behind the scenes working hard to make this new technology work,” said Brutsman. “SCORE has been working to create and improve its live stream program for SCORE fans and racer families over the past eight years. It’s been difficult to be at the forefront of technology as there’s a huge learning curve and many other hurdles to overcome, which most people don’t realize. Starlink came on board last year, and when combined with a full production studio, new real-time timing updates from Live Race Services, and additional cameras out on the field, it allowed us to push the envelope into a complete live stream that came together at this race.” Live streaming the Method Race Wheels Qualifying, Contingency & Tech Day, and Race Day from start to finish involved a massive effort to deliver over SCORE’s social media sites and the score-international.com website. “Our team at BCII was asked to take over the live stream last year and it’s been amazing,” said Brutsman. “We were able to perfect the in-vehicle camera streams at this race and had a total of 40 of them in various vehicles thanks to Star Stream. Along with three to four helicopters with cameras, drone cameras, and 10 cameras on the ground in various locations along the course, we were able to bring some of the best coverage of SCORE events to date.” “With our partners including Austin Fish Farner, Royce Hildreth, Optima Batteries, and George Hammill from Star Stream, we were able to utilize the additional cameras and live timing technology to successfully push the envelope with the resources available.” Watching the Live Stream from SCORE’s website, app, Facebook, and YouTube sites, viewers were able to see more of the race from various points along the course, as well as impressive in-vehicle views from the driver’s perspective, and overhead views along with a live leaderboard across the bottom of the screen showcasing individual racer’s position and times on the course. Brutsman and the team at BCII are looking forward to further improving the SCORE live streaming during the next two race events. Live Stream Videos Of The BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE BaJa 500 ON THE RAMP During the Live Stream coverage during Contingency & Tech, as well as during the Race, SCORE’s long-time host Rat Sult was aided by Eva Hernandez. Hernandez is a 2023 season Quad racer, spokesperson for Baja Designs Lighting, and the girlfriend of Pro Moto Unlimited racer Arturo Salas Jr. Along with Sult’s long-time understanding and knowledge of racers, Hernandez also brought her knowledge of racing and bilingual abilities to the SCORE Live Stream show, speaking to racers who crossed the ramp. VIP PARTY The night before the start of the SCORE Baja 500, a VIP party introducing the Grand Marshal Rodrigo Ampudia took place. SCORE International also introduced the staff of Sylvania Automotive, the Official Off-Road Lighting of SCORE International. It was the first time Sylvania and its representatives attended a SCORE event. Also in attendance was Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee and moto legend Scot Hardin, as well as ORMHOF inductee and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee and SCORE Legend Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, who handed out autographs to SCORE fans in attendance.