SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1531575
A ONE POINT FINALE Brock Heger Tops The Pro UTV Open Class Again By Mike Vieira Photos by Get Some Photo A fter a tight, season-long battle with SCI Motorsports teammate Cayden MacCachren and Polaris Factory racer Branden Sims, Brock Heger took home the 2024 SCORE Championship in the Pro UTV Open Class with his Polaris RZR Pro R, winning the BFGoodrich Tires 57th SCORE Baja 1000. Heger handled the driving for every mile of each race on his way to the Championship title. But it wasn’t a perfect season for Heger and there were difficulties he had to handle during the season. In the King Shocks 37th SCORE San Felipe 250, he was leading. “Toward the end, I had a gas pedal break, and we lost some time,” he said. “So I ended up second, but just barely, so that one was a bummer.” He wound up finishing just over two minutes behind MacCachren. The BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 500 brought even worse luck for Heger. “Early on, I kind of missed a corner and broke the steering, and it put us hours behind super early,” he says. “So, that one obviously was a huge bummer, because I had won that race the year before. To come back and get last, essentially, was horrible.” He actually finished 12th in his class, with Cayden MacCachren again taking the win for the SCI Motorsports Factory Polaris team. The SCORE Baja 400 went much better, but still not perfect,” says Heger. “It was a close battle for the win, and I ended up getting a little speeding penalty that took the win away from me, and I ended up second.” MacCachren bested him by about a minute and a half after the penalty was assessed. For the BFGoodrich Tires 57th SCORE Baja 1000, Heger decided to remain behind the wheel for the entire race, with Justin Wilson doing the navigating. Cayden MacCachren had opted for a start at the back of the pack, leaving Heger to start at the front, and he was able to immediately start picking his way through the other classes. This time, things went pretty close to perfect, or as close as they can racing in Baja. The team had no mechanical problems, or even flat tires, over the distance, and was nipping at the heels of the SCORE Trophy Trucks with a seventh place overall, and more than a 40 minute lead over his class. Teammate MacCachren was forced to drop out of the race with less than 80 miles to the finish, allowing Heger to take the championship. “Overall the season was good, but it wasn’t perfect,” he said. “The SCORE Baja 500 result wasn’t the best, but overall it was a good season. It was good enough to get the championship by one point ahead of Branden Sims in the No. 1886 Polaris. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. That’s all you need to win it.” For the 2025 season, Heger plans to be looking for another SCORE championship, and pushing the limits of UTV performance. “People are enjoying the UTVs getting up to the front. Hopefully, we’ll keep on trying to put on a show for everyone.” No doubt, he will. SJ