SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1536633
MASTER CLASS Shane Esposito And Veteran 400x Team Win Pro Moto 40 By Mike Vieira PHOTOS BY GET SOME PHOTO Shane Esposito of the 400X team rode their Honda CRF450X to a victory in the Pro Moto 40 class in the BFGoodrich 57th SCORE Baja 500. It was much like they did earlier in the season at the SCORE San Felipe 250. Esposito, who’s been racing in Baja since 2007, started the race by passing a few other riders despite being slowed down in the early miles in the fog and mist, moving up to fourth overall moto. Like other riders, he had to deal with removing and switching goggles to find enough visibility to get through the moisture and dust. He took a minor slow-speed spill in some ruts around Mile 80, but didn’t suffer any damage, and did not get passed while he was down. In Trinidad, at Mile 120, Jim O’Neal took over, and had a clean ride to around Mile 140, where Francisco Septien got on the bike for the ride to Checkpoint 1. Eric Magana then rode from the Checkpoint to Mile 240, where Jason Miller to over for the ride to Punto Colonet. At that point, Eric got back on to take the bike to around Mile 385 where he handed it off once again to Francisco. He took it to Ojos Negros, then it was Shane’s turn once again, and he rode on to the finish, with a fourth overall motorcycle position. The Honda ran well throughout the race for the team, with just one pit stop for a tire and filter change. Shane says, “The only problem we had was me crashing. It was honestly a pretty uneventful day for us.” Of the course, he says, “Everyone always has me do the start, so I’ve got to ride the same thing all the time, but they’re putting some new stuff in, which is good.” He adds that the growing number of UTVs racing in SCORE does change things a bit for the motorcycles, but the fact that it’s generating more attention and making the sport bigger is an overall plus. For the remaining races this year as the team seeks the season championship, Jim O’Neal and Jason Miller will likely not ride in the Baja 400, but both then plan to return for the Baja 1000, hoping to continue their winning ways in the class. If each team member maintains their solid riding performance, the 400X Honda is certainly in a good position to clinch the Pro Moto 40 title at the end of the season. SJ