SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1522709
DETERMINATION The 11x Team Pushed And Fought Their Way To A Win By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo The 11x team of Arturo Salas Jr. once again proved that riding a clean race ultimately leads to victory. At the 56th SCORE Baja 500, the team of Salas Jr., Carter Klein, and Ciaran Naran, made it look easy, but they experienced several difficulties on their way to a second Pro Moto Unlimited win this season. The early morning start in the dark and dust, had Salas Jr. on the bike who then handed it off to Klein. “Around RM 76 I got on the bike and headed over the summit,” said Klein. “It all went smooth, but afterwards it got a bit sketchy. Then I went over the whoops and tipped over.” That was the first of several mishaps that didn’t deter the team from their goal to reach the finish line with the fastest time. Knowing one of their biggest competitors, Justin Morgan on the 7x bike, is a multi-time champion and perhaps one of the best Baja riders in the past decade, the 11x team knew they had to run as perfect a race as possible. After Klein had advanced to first place on the course, he handed the bike back to Salas Jr. who rode it through Mike’s and as he got into Valle de la Trinidad, he ran out of fuel. “I was about three miles from our pit so I got out and pushed the bike uphill,” said Salas Jr. “I kept calling out for fuel and eventually, as I got closer to our pit, some people helped me and I got to the pit, refueled, and handed the bike over to Ciaran.” It was during this time that Morgan and co-rider Tyler Lynn passed the 11x team, but Ciaran managed to make up some time. “After Arturo ran out of gas, it changed everyone’s mood to simply try and finish,” said Klein. After Salas Jr. got back on the bike it didn’t look like he would catch up to Morgan, but a few hundred yards before the finish, Morgan had run out of fuel and was pushing the bike. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions at the finish. Salas Jr. and the 11x bike roared across first, and was met by Klein who then began celebrating. The team knew Morgan may have had a faster time even though he crossed the finish second on the course. Initially, the 7x team's time was faster than the 11x, but Salas also knew the race wasn't over until all of the times and penalties were counted. In the end, a 20-minute penalty on the 7x team brought the 11x team into first place for their second win of the season. “We’re very fortunate, especially after I ran out of fuel,” said Salas Jr. This goes to show that the race isn’t over even at the finish line.” “We did our pre-running and didn’t miss any VCP’s,” added Klein. “ We rode smart and despite Ciaran having a small crash, me laying it down, and Arturo running out of fuel, it all worked out. This was a great team and we have been working and building the race bike with Colton Udall who I have learned a lot from and working with is pretty huge. Ciaran is also very knowledgeable about everything and helped us as a team.” The 11x team now has a commanding lead and are within reach of a SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited Championship. There are still two more races to win, however, the SCORE Baja 400 and SCORE Baja 1000. The team is still looking to have Naran with them throughout the rest of the season, but they have proven themselves as top riders in this very competitive and difficult sport. SJ