SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1530871
A PERFECT DAY Pro Moto Unlimited Winners Hit Paydirt By Dan Sanchez, Paul Hanson, Isaac Flores, Ariana Medrano, Adilene Ponce Photos by Get Some Photo It was one of the best SCORE Baja 1000 races for SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited teams who were anxious to either win or finish the biggest race of the season. In addition, the top finishers from first to fifth-place, received a cash award compiled by the Pro Moto Baja Racing Facebook Group. “The money for this purse was put up by vendors who want to support Pro Moto Racing in SCORE,” said SCORE Moto Liaison Andy Kirker. “This was a grassroots effort done simply for the love of the sport, so it’s important to point out that it is not a contingency program, but a straight payout for the winner and finishers. The monies collected came from Anube, which provides the Stella and SPICA Tracking and scoring systems, the HQ Office, Taco Moto Co., a motorcycle accessory company, Baja Bound Mexican Auto Insurance, AHM Factory Services, which provides tuning, customization, and rebuilding, and Coast Powder Coating. Winning the SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited class was the 7x team of Justin Morgan, Brandon Prieto, and Tyler Lynn, who received $10k. “It was an awesome day,” said Morgan. “The only problem we had was getting some wire stuck on the wheel, but we quickly fixed it.” The team held onto their lead the entire race and finished well ahead of the competition. Morgan is a multi-time SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited champion and plans to retire from motorcycles, moving into UTVs for the next chapter in his career. Finishing in second place was the 11x team of Arturo Salas Jr. with Carter Klein, and Cirian Naran. They received a check for $5000 and were happy to maintain their position throughout the race. “It was a long day and we started in second place and kept it until I made a mistake that allowed a team to pass,” said Salas Jr. “I passed the bike to Cirian and he got us back into second place and we maintained the position the entire race.” The 15x team of Eric Holt, finished in third place and received a check for $3k for their efforts. “Today went phenomenally well. We have worked hard to get to this point,” said Holt. “We have had our fair share of problems and challenges here in Mexico. It takes a bit to learn Baja racing, but today, we put it all together. I’m coming off an injury so I put everything on the team to carry me. My team rode a phenomenal race. Every rider just hammered down and did a great job. We are super excited to be in this position, on a podium, especially at the SCORE Baja 1000. The course was rough and challenging but we made it through.” In fourth place, and receiving a check for $1,500 was the 13x team of Adrian Ortiz. In fifth place, receiving a check for $500 was the 10x team of David Walsh. These teams also had a near-perfect day riding without any major incidents and were happy for the efforts SCORE made to keep riders safe. IRONMAN CLASS REACHES PEAK An amazing 32 riders in the SCORE Ironman Class, competed in this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 race. With a tough course, only 12 finished the race but within the group, Patricio Cabrera from Chile, riding the 745x Kawasaki KLX450R, finished first to add to his top two finishes in every SCORE race this season. “I am extremely happy, and this is a dream come true,” he said. “I thank my entire family, my country, and everyone who made this possible, confided in me, and accompanied me in this adventure.” Cabrera has also competed and finished the Dakar Race, making him the youngest competitor, and to finish on a Kawasaki motorcycle. Cabrera is also a multi-time Rally and Motocross champion. This was his first season racing in SCORE and after the finish, he received notice from Kawasaki that he would receive full factory support for the 2025 season. Also among this year’s finishers was Wouter-Jan van Dijk from the Netherlands who debuted at last year’s SCORE Baja 1000 when he rode his motorcycle to Baja, purchasing a motorcycle to race, and finishing. This year on the 741x bike he finished in 6th place. “It went pretty well for most of the day,” said Dijk. “It was good to come into San Felipe more fresh than the last time I made it to San Felipe at last year’s race. We had some rain before the finish and it was very cold. I got a puncture and it took a while to fix it. Then the battery went low because I left the lights on.” Another hometown favorite among the Ironman racers was former Pro Quad Ironman champion, Faelly Lopez, riding the 784x bike. Lopez did not compete in this class all season but entered the SCORE Baja 1000 and finished in 10th place. PERFECT SEASON ENDINGS After the first SCORE Pro Moto Limited teams reached the finish line, the rain had already come down a bit harder and made the last sections of the course a bit slippery. Nonetheless, the 110x team of Jose Armando Ortiz Garcia finished first to end a perfect season. In SCORE Pro Moto 30, the 308x team of Ryan Liebelt had their best race of the season, finishing ahead of the 2023 Class Champion Jano Montoya on the 300x bike. Finishing first in Pro Moto 50 was Mike Prunty and the 547x team, who also completed a perfect season in the class. Co-rider Steve Hatch said, “We started fast yesterday morning. At race mile 220, we were 40 minutes ahead. We gapped out to a 90-mile lead. Then we had some light problems, that we got worked out but also had multiple stops for electrical issues. Then we were two hours ahead and stopped to help a competitor with fuel and food because it was a remote area, so it was good that we had the time.” Francisco Septien and the 411x team nearly had a perfect season finishing first in SCORE Pro Moto 40, despite a DNF at the SCORE Baja 400, still finished at the top of the class. In SCORE Pro Moto 60, the 2023 Class Champion Kevin Ward and the 600x team won their class, but at a cost. “We had a couple injuries and had to go Medi-vac our guy out and get back the bike,” said Co-rider Lou Franco at the finish. “We had some bad luck and some good luck. We never gave up and we made it here to the finish. He has some broken ribs but will be OK and we went on to win it for him.” The SCORE Pro Moto Adventure Class started with multiple riders this season on KOVE 450 Rally EX motorcycles. Three out of the four teams managed a first-place finish in each race, and at the SCORE Baja 1000, it was Mike Johnson and Jim Pearson on the 801x KOVE Flagship team, that got their first-place finish. “The race was great, and we had a super fun time,” said Pearson. “We are first in class, and it is a big team effort, from our sponsors to our pit support to our team, it has been so much work to get it all put together. Everyone had perfect sections, which doesn’t always happen at the SCORE Baja 1000. So we had a good day. The bike worked flawlessly. All five riders did their jobs.” AFTERTHOUGHTS 11X Arturo Salas Jr. Second In Pro Moto Unlimited The 411x Team Of Francisco Septien Won SCORE Pro Moto 40 Class SCORE Pro Moto 50 Winners At The 2024 SCORE Baja 1000 Mike Johnson And the KOVE 801x Team Win SCORE Pro Moto Adventure PRO QUADS TAKE THE CHALLENGE The difficult terrain didn’t deter SCORE Pro Quad racers from competing or finishing one of the toughest courses this season. First in the Pro Quad class was the 31A team of Estevan Ramirez Jr. “The race went well and I’m a little banged up.,” he said. “Between race miles 460 and 520, there were a lot of hidden rocks and in the washes, but everything went well. The course was a little tough but we were able to make it to the finish line. I started the race until about race mile 30 and I turned over the bike to my teammate, Omar Murillo, who drove it to race mile 70 and Javier Robles and Hector Chavez rode it all along the coast. We battled with the 7A team (Eduard Hernandez), all day and it was a tough battle until about San Felipe. We didn’t have any major problems; it was just tires and changing out a fuel filter. It was a good race day and thank God we made it to the finish line.” In the Pro Quad Ironman Class, Jorge Luan Lopez Ponzo on the 91A quad finished first adding to his second win of the season. “From the moment we started, everything was great, and there were good vibes from everyone, including my family and friends,” said Ponzo. “My goal was to get as far ahead before the SCORE Trophy Trucks caught up to me. In the end, things happened just like we had planned. The course was demanding from the very beginning. Last year we were unable to finish because I got into an accident and broke two ribs. We didn’t have any issues this time and we had a clean race. I’m just happy to be here.” SJ AFTERTHOUGHTS SCORE Pro Quad Winners Team 31A Jorge Lopez Won SCORE’s Pro Quad Ironman