SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1536633
VILDOSOLA’S 14TH STRAIGHT WIN! The 1L Team Finishes First In Class...Again Story by Stuart Bourdon Photography by Get Some Photo Gustavo Vildosola Sr. 72, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, and Ricky Johnson, 60, El Cajon, California, nailed their 14th consecutive victory in the 2025 SCORE Trophy Truck Legend class. Johnson took the green flag and then handed the wheel to ‘Gus’ Vildosola in the No. 1L Ford Raptor, completing the 461.03-mile race course in 9:19 minutes and 40 seconds, for a top three overall finish among four-wheeled vehicles in the SCORE Baja 500. “Ricky started the truck and had a clean run,” said Vildosola Sr. “Ethan Ebert in the TT 2wd Class had qualified ahead of us, and Ricky knew he would have to catch him. Ricky was right behind him from the beginning, and we don’t know if Ebert was being a nice guy or just ran out of steam. We’ve got a four-wheel-drive V-8, and Ethan has a two-wheel-drive V-6, but he pulled off to the side of the course in a high-speed section so Ricky could get by him. Ricky knew he would get past him eventually, as our truck’s power and traction advantage had to be fruitful at some time.” Then it was Vildosola Sr.’s time to be on the course. “I got in the truck at race mile 275, and the beach is always fun and fast to run,” he said. “But near the end of the race, there was a very tight and technical section in the mountains. The course was narrow, with lots of turns and tight spots for a big SCORE Trophy Truck. It made us work very hard. That sort of course does not show off a Trophy Truck’s best capabilities, let me put it that way. A smaller and nimbler vehicle would not have as difficult a time through that section, but we managed to get through there with no trouble.” Vildosola had issues with the weather that occurred during the race. “The rain did create some mud in places, and two giant water holes that we had to go through. That is always uncomfortable, not because of getting wet and dirty, but because electronics don’t like water. Radios go out and sometimes engines will conk out, and you need to be careful in the water. Aside from the two 50-yard-long puddles that we couldn’t go around, because they were fenced-in, the rain didn’t give us any trouble. In fact, it helped keep the dust down in some sections of the course.” Vildosola is a legend in this sport and his experience has led him to always be calm and collective. “There’s always concerns leading up to the start, but on race day you need to blank that out. Just eliminate it from your mind,” he said. “If you’ve done your homework prepping the race truck and chase vehicles, pre-running the entire race course, the day of the race should be a matter of executing what you had planned. I visualize the race course before the race. I visualize myself at the finish line, not broken in the middle of the course. You need to have a positive mental attitude to win.” When asked about the team’s winning streak and the races ahead of them this season, Vildosola said, “Why not? We’ve done 14, and we can certainly win more. We are always thoroughly prepared on all race matters. We work hard at this. We have our crew come to the shop and do practice pits, and we’re pretty demanding on them. They are volunteers, but they also have the spirit and desire to win. And that I think is very motivating to everyone. They have been rewarded with a finishing rate of not just 14 consecutive wins, but top three a couple of times, top five many times, and always in the top 10.” SJ