SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1528094
DUST AND MILES Buggy Classes Search For Clean Air By Dan Sanchez, Paul Hanson, Isaac Flores, and Ariana Medrano Photos by Get Some Photo The most difficult part for Class 1 and Class 10 buggies during the 5th SCORE Baja 400 Presented by VP Racing, was dealing with the dust. After starting behind 31 SCORE Trophy Trucks, the race is not only to get in front of the class competition but also to get clean air. In Class 1, the Wilson Motorsports team of Kyle Quinn and John Herder in the No. 138 car, quickly made their way up the pack and got clean air after passing some of the slower SCORE Trophy Trucks. They kept the lead to win the race, the first of the season for Quinn. Cody Reid in the No. 168 car, got stuck behind the field and couldn’t get any clean air to pass safely, having to settle for second place. “This time, Baja got the better of me,” said Reid. “The dust was horrible, and I couldn’t work my way up the pack without wrecking the car. It was just a matter of being smart at that point and getting it home.” Behind Reid was Brendan Gaughan, who had a great race finishing third, making it to the podium for the first time this season. “We didn’t get any flats,” said Gaughan. “That’s what is so awesome about being on BFGoodrich Tires. It’s great to have the best tires in the business. You don’t get to say it often here in Baja, but everything went great. We had some nice battles on our way here. I love racing here in Baja, and I love the people here and the place. Thanks to SCORE for putting these races on.” All eyes were on Max Eddy Jr. in the SCI Motorsports Factory Polaris Racing No. 141 Polaris RZR Pro R. Entering the car in Class 1, the team wanted to push the limits of their vehicle to see what it would do. “It was a long day. It was super, super rough, and so dusty,” said Eddy Jr. “ We got a flat tire at around race mile 155, and that set us back with the slower pack of our class, and from there, we were just fighting dust the rest of the day. We didn’t have a lot of expectations coming here. We just wanted to get to the finish and see what we could do.” Despite the minor setback, Eddy Jr. managed to finish fourth in class Class 10 Battles Bruce Yee, in the No. 1014 car, took his second class win of the season. His first was at the SCORE San Felipe 250, but DNF’d at the SCORE Baja 500, making for a great comeback for Yee and the team. “The course was hard and challenging,” he said. “When we got to race mile 50, it felt as if we were finishing the SCORE Baja 1000, as it demanded a lot from us. But we didn’t have any issues. The course was fast and fun, but after Mike Sky’s Ranch (race mile 280), it felt endless.” It was the second time this season that Dale Ebberts in the No. 1077 would finish in second place in class after a tough battle. “ We were battling with the Vera brothers (No. 1000) from the very beginning and then the Yee (No. 1014), but we had an unfortunate front brake failure,” said co-driver Ezra Ebberts. “We kept it going and battled with Abraham Gutierrez (No. 1024) and a few other cars, and made it to the finish line. It was a tough course.” Gutierrez managed to finish third after starting with a flat tire early in the race. “That cost us a few minutes and got us behind the leaders in our class,” said co-driver Arnold Gutierrez Jr. “I got the car in third place and kept swinging from third to second and back. The final section was fast, but it changed a lot after the heavier trucks went through it, and we had to adapt.”SJ