SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1528094
A RACE OF FIRSTS Racers Make History At The 5th SCORE Baja 400 By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo The 5th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing brought exciting off-road motorsports action, drama, and heartbreak, but was also a history-making event for several racers and teams who competed. For the first time, a SCORE Trophy Truck racer has continued a winning streak in this race. For Bryce Menzies this was his fourth SCORE Baja 400 win in a row, and although this race is only in its fifth year, Menzies has dominated the field despite not starting in first place. Menzies is also the only racer who has won the “Grand Slam” of SCORE Racing, winning all four races of the World Desert Championship season, (SCORE San Felipe 250, SCORE Baja 500, SCORE Baja 400, and the SCORE Baja 1000). It was also a first time, and probably not the last, that a racing team has won 11 SCORE Races in a row across multiple seasons. The 1L SCORE Trophy Truck Legend team of Gus Vilsodola Sr. and Ricky Johnson continue to dominate the class in a truck that is maintained by four-time SCORE Mechanic of the year, Andres “Lechero’ Rodriquez. In Class 1, it was the first time that a UTV, a Polaris RZR Pro R entered the class and raced among larger V8 powered buggies. Max Eddy Jr. in the SCI Motorsports Factory Polaris No. 141 car finished fourth in class, pushing the boundaries of Polaris’ UTV program. In the Pro UTV Open class, this race was also the first time that Cayden MacCachren of the SCI Motorsports Polaris Factory Racing team has won four races in a row, beginning with the 2023 SCORE Baja 1000. THE COURSE Racers began familiarizing themselves with the 425-mile course early in September. They soon realized they would be driving through technical areas with rocks and silt, canyons and washes, high-speed areas, and beautiful seashore vistas. The course was slightly North of Highway 3 from the start in Ensenada, Mexico, and extended South past Valle De La Trinidad and down to Mike’s Sky Ranch. Then, it headed west to Punta Colonet, up the coast into Santo Tomas, and back towards Highway 3 before connecting to the finish line in Ensenada. CONTINGENCY DAY One of the highlights of the 5th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing was Contingency Day, where racers and teams lined up on the race starting line in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in Ensenada. SCORE emcees, Rat Sult and Kevin Johnson were busy interviewing all of the racers from a variety of classes throughout the day, but started with the first top ten qualifiers in the SCORE Trophy Truck class. The entire Tech and Contingency day was shown live on the SCORE Live Stream, viewable on the SCORE website, app, YouTube, and Facebook social media pages. All of the teams present enjoyed talking about their vehicles, sponsors, and chances for winning their class at this race, all in front of record crowds in attendance along the Boulevard.