SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1522709
BAJA SURVIVORS Four Wheel Classes Get Hammered By Baja by Dan Sanchez, Paul Hanson, Isaac Flores, and Guilherme Torres Photos by GET SOME PHOTO Most SCORE racers know that the Baja desert is not kind to vehicles trying to race across it. Within the four-wheel classes, the churn rate was high for many classes that saw vehicle breakdowns and flats, preventing them from finishing the race. One of the most well-respected survivors of SCORE Baja races is Dan Chamlee in Class 7. Once again facing ever more powerful vehicles and even factory backed teams, Chamlee consistently finishes races and survives to be the Class 7 champion over multiple seasons. “The race went really well,” said Chamlee. “We just had one minor repair to do in our pit and got stuck behind someone in the silt, but that was just a few minutes. I started at the back, but got the lead at about race mile 30 and went back and forth with 711 (Richard Fant) all day. We never actually passed each other, but when one stopped, the other one would get by. Once I knew I had a good lead, I just drove it conservatively to the finish.” In SCORE Lites, Mario and Kevin Alcala in the No. 1277 car had oil leaking from the engine. That didn’t stop him from, however, from pulling into the finish line and taking the team’s second race win of the season. “ Making it to the finish line is a big accomplishment for us, especially in such a traditional race as the SCORE Baja 500,” said Mario Alcala. “It was a great day. We had an issue with oil leaking from the engine and we’ve been battling it from Mike’s Sky Ranch to the finish line, but we accomplished our goal and are here. Baja is always tough and nothing is ever easy here.” Class 1/2-1600 had the No. 1606 team of Daniel and Matt Goodrich, with navigator Matt Willert, pushing through the deep silt on the course, along with a flat tire, and a broken alternator. Yet the team managed to continue and get the car through the course and be first to the finish line for the win. A lone Class 8 competitor Josh Klenske, showed up to the SCORE Baja 500 in a neon green 1990s Ford F-150 pickup. While it garnered lots of attention during Contingency, people cheered as he crossed the finish line after more than 15-hours on the course. “It was never-ending rough,” he said at the finish. “This is the roughest, most brutal race I’ve ever been at. I’ve seen some rough stuff in Baja, but this tops it all. I’m just amazed that I was able to drive through it and not get stuck and that I got to climb everything. We tried to keep it safe and drive very reasonably. My pre-runner broke and I didn’t have the time to pre-run. I did some sections out there, but not all of it. I was a little bit blind on some areas.” This was the second Class 8 win from Klenske who also finished first in class at the SCORE San Felipe 250. If his goal is to earn a class championship, he’s well on his way to reaching it with only two more races to go this season. The VW Bug based classes also saw some incredible competitors fight the course to finish within the allotted time limit. Among them were Class 5 winner Eli Yee who also managed another class win of the season. Together with Eli Yee Jr, and Mike Ley the Championship team in the No. 500 car finished in 13:18:58. In Class 7F, Justin Park in the No. 700F Ford Ranger took the win at this race. With a second place finish at the SCORE San Felipe 250, combined with this win, Park leads the class in points towards a championship this season. Helping Park with the win in this race were co-drivers Cole Andrews, Eduardo Perez, Adrian Padilla, Pako Martinez, and Eduardo Perez. Popular SCORE Class 11 cars had Oliver Flemate in the No. 1100 car battle against Legendary Class 11 Champ Eric Solorzano in the No. 111 car. After a grueling race, as most are for these class racers, Solorzano broke down and was unable to finish the race. Flemate battled against the time limit and managed to finish the race in 15:56:41 for his second class win of the season. All of these racers who took on the challenge of the SCORE Baja 500, deserve praise for being able to finish the race. Many left Ensenada to prepare and return for the 5th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing Fuels September 11-15th, 2024.