SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1528094
THE TIME MACHINE Kyle Quinn Wins Makes Up Time To Beat The Competition By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo After a fifth-place start, Kyle Quinn in the No. 138 Wilson Motorsports Class 1 buggy, along with co-driver John Herder, had nearly no issues. At the 5th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing, a small alternator problem was fixed quickly near the start of the race, but it was the only problem they faced. After passing the competition and crossing the finish line first, they were nearly an hour ahead of the next competitor. After penalties were added to six of the seven competitors in this class, Quinn and Herder finished officially twenty minutes ahead of the competition with a time of 8:44:27. “We didn’t have any issues that caused any downtime, which was great,” said Quinn. John started the race and he likes to push right off the start. He got by a couple of guys and was behind Cody Parkhouse (No. 125) for a while. He got by him and gave us about a two-minute lead by the time I got in the car at race mile 205.” Quinn continued to push hard at a fast pace. “Luckily, I had clean air most of the time, and I set a pace for myself and tried to avoid any penalties,” said Quinn. At this level of racing, and with the competition of buggy racers at an extremely high level, most Class 1 racers agree that there’s no room for mistakes. “Some of these races have been so close on time, you’re just praying that the next guy gets a penalty for something,” says Quinn. “It’s tight racing, and penalties or flat tires sometimes make the difference for a win. We did get some speeding penalties after the race, but it was less than everyone else. With this level of competition, it’s hard to go out there and think you’re comfortable with the lead. You always got to think about the possibility of missing a VCP because sometimes the Stella device isn’t working, or if you’re not 100 percent sure you hit it.” Quinn and Herder thought the course was great for their Jimco Hammerhead buggy, but some sections of the SCORE Baja 400 were difficult for them. “There were some tight and technical sections of the course, but the area between the Goat Trail and the access road was mentally exhausting,” said Quinn. “First, you’re a bit close to the road, and there are sections that are tight and twisty. I didn’t do that section at the SCORE Baja 500, so it was new to me.” This team will have a great start to the SCORE Baja 1000 in November, and rumor has it that Jimco is working on a new buggy for the Wilson team, but Quinn or Jimco owner Rafael Navarro III aren’t saying much about it yet. “We’re working closely with Jimco and trying to find ways to better the car and the class overall.”SJ VIDEO: Kyle Quinn and John Herder Talk About Their Class 1 Win