SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1522709
A TIGHT SQUEEZE Class 1 and Class 10 Racers Battle On A Technical Course by Dan Sanchez, Paul Hanson, Isaac Flores, Ariana Medrano, and Guilherme Torres Photos by Get Some Photo The 56th SCORE Baja 500 was great for Class 1 and Class 10 racers who saw an increase in the number of competitors over the SCORE San Felipe 250. For buggy fans, this race brought out all of the best racers in these classes, including Class 1 SCORE San Felipe 250 winner Brad Wilson in the No. 153 car, who was eager to add a second win this season. The competition in this class, however, is extremely high and a win here often comes down to the team who has the most “perfect” race. Class 1 racers decided to not qualify and start in the order they finished at the SCORE San Felipe 250, so immediately it put Wilson up front, followed by Cody Reid in the No. 168 car, who was then followed by Wilson Motorsports teammate Kyle Quinn in the No. 138 car. Cody and Brian Parkhouse in the No. 127 car started in fourth place. With a tough and technical course, especially the section leading up to the Summit, high speed was not a major factor in this race for Class 1 competitors. Most of the Class 1 racers agreed that the course was very technical and because of this, the lead constantly switched between competitors throughout the entire race. “We went back and forth with the Wilson team all day,” said Cody Reid. “It was tight, technical, and fun to battle it out all day long.” Reid and Brad Wilson kept changing the lead, both having issues along the way. Reid missed a turn and lost a position, then he got a flat tire later in the race that pushed him back to fourth place. Ultimately, he was able to move up and pass Wilson to reach the finish line; but it was close. “To be only two minutes apart, it was amazing,” said Reid. “It was the third time in a row we won this race and we’re super pumped.” After a corrected time, Reid would finish the race in 10:20:48, while Wilson finished in 10:42:26. In third place was the No. 127 Parkhouse racing team that crossed the finish line with a time of 10:52:03. “Our race went okay, but it was a little bit frustrating,” said Brian Parkhouse. “It was a technical course. We started fourth and didn’t have a lot of opportunities to pass people. It was tight and technical. We got by a couple of cars when they had problems, but we also broke a wheel and for some reason in the last 50 miles we got stuck in fifth gear. But we made it in and that’s good.” Class 10 After a third-place finish at the SCORE San Felipe 250, Francisco Vera wanted a back-to-back SCORE Baja 500 win. “It was tight at the beginning. There was a lot of back and forth with other cars the entire time. We tried to play it smart and relax so we didn’t get a flat tire or something else.” The tactic worked for Vera and his co-driver Alex Vera in the No. 1000 car, winning the race without any penalties applied to their finish time of 10:42:49. Dale Ebberts in the No. 1077 finished in second place, followed by Alberto Mendez in the No. 1019 car finishing in third. Bruce Yee in the No. 1014 car who won the class back at the SCORE San Felipe 250 DNF’d in this race with mechanical issues.