SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1536633
STORMY WEATHER Polaris Takes A 1-2-3 Podium Finish And Utv Overall By Larry Saavedra Photos by Get Some Photo Not even a summer storm could dampen the excitement at the 57th running of the BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 500. The UTVs battled it out against mud, water and big ruts on their way to the checkered flag. The 461-mile long course ran clockwise on the Baja Peninsula, taking racers through the mountainous terrain of Alamo Summit, to Mike’s Sky Ranch then to the coast, until finally making it back to Rancho Nelson near the start/finish in Ensenada. The SCORE Baja 500 is considered a technically demanding event by many, but the wet weather in the days leading up to the start of the event upped the ante. According to racers, this year’s course was more challenging and slower-going than previous years due to weather. There was practically no place to run full-throttle, except by the coast, they added. The course was so tight with switchbacks and constant cornering, some racers got motion sickness, according to those interviewed by SCORE Journal. But that didn’t stop the Polaris RZR Factory Racing team from putting their own stamp on history, taking a historic 1-2-3 podium finish in SCORE Pro UTV Open and clinching the SCORE Overall. Race fans also witnessed Brock Heger’s eighth place finish among “all four wheel vehicles,” some say, certainly to the fury of SCORE Trophy Trucks. Can-Am also impressed, dominating their field in SCORE Pro UTV Forced Induction, while Honda took first and second in SCORE Pro Stock Normally Aspirated. “Days like today feel completely surreal,” said Alex Scheuerell, Director of Off-Road Motorsports, Polaris. “I’m constantly in awe of what this team and these drivers are capable of; continuously raising the bar for themselves and the competition. To not only come away with another dominant win, but to sweep the UTV Overall podium for the first time is just incredible. This finishing order is a powerful proof point of the RZR Pro R factory platform and its unmatched power, strength, and control. A huge thank you to the entire RZR engineering team and everyone at SCI, who work tirelessly to build these machines and make results like this possible.” SCORE Pro UTV Open Factory racer Heger in the No. 1896 Polaris RZR Pro R proved he was the racer to beat, leading wire-to-wire on brutal Baja terrain. In doing so, Heger claimed his seventh consecutive UTV Overall victory. Cayden MacCachren in the No. 1821 Polaris RZR Pro R was on a mission. He said he needed to redeem himself after a DNF at the SCORE San Felipe 250. “After the DNF in San Felipe it put us in 12th on the starting grid,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a battle because we had to get past the trucks to put us in position for a podium. We didn’t get in over our heads though, but we did run into a mechanical issue about mile-marker 80. We made it to our chase truck for the fix and then we quickly made it back into the mix of Class 10 cars.” MacCachren said he was running 100 percent again from that point, and that passing was precarious because of the water crossings and rocks. He managed to fight the terrain though, while covered in mud, but got caught up to the UTV leaders in the last 60 miles of the race, and ultimately took second in class. “I always want to win, but it was a salvaged day and Polaris got 1-2-3 on the podium,” he said. Factory teammates Ethan Groom and Justin Morgan shared driving duties in the No. 1831 Polaris RZR Pro R and made an impressive dash to the front of the pack, even after starting in 14th position. By mile-marker 167 Groom moved into third position on the course. Then Groom advanced to second position when he handed off the RZR to Morgan at the half-way point. Morgan physically crossed the finish line in second, but with post-race speed and VCP penalties it pushed the duo to third overall on corrected time. “It was brutal,” said fourth place finisher and Polaris racer Brandon Simms. “This is probably the roughest, and I’ve done a lot of SCORE Baja 500’s. I mean the coast side was nice and smooth, but we battled with the factory teams all day. Obviously, Heger’s been on the heater for a while now. I don’t know what it’s gonna take to beat him.” Out of 20 entries in class there were 12 finishers in class. SCORE Pro UTV Forced Induction It was definitely Can-Am’s day in SCORE Pro UTV FI as Kaden Wells, Edgar Garcia and Jorge Cano took 1-2-3 on the podium. Unfortunately, Can-Am’s consistently solid Phil Blurton Jr. fell sick with pneumonia before the start, and was taken to the hospital, where he was recovering at press time. Wells in the No. 2935 Can-Am Maverick R said the course was drier on the island side of the SCORE Baja 500 until they got into Mike’s Sky Ranch, where water crossings and ruts became huge obstacles. “I tried to stay out of the water as much as possible,” he said. “By starting the race in the technical stuff it made a tougher, slower-paced race. The car was perfect with no flats or broken axles. But there were a lot of other racers getting sick from the twisties.” Wells and navigator Emma Cornwell were in the car all day and had no real issues. However, the Maverick did go into limp mode for a short time, and then mysteriously went back to normal. Fortunately, it didn’t affect Wells’ top-of-the-podium finish. Edgar Garcia in the No. 2987 Can-Am Maverick R and Jorge Cano in the No. 2910 Can-Am Maverick R took second and third place respectively. Out of 22 entries there were 11 finishers in class. SCORE Pro UTV Naturally Aspirated HRC factory racer Corbin Leaverton nabbed first place in his inaugural Baja 500 in No. 1925 Honda Talon. “I’ve done a lot of desert racing including Dakar, but this was my first SCORE Baja race,” said Leverton. “I will be racing the SCORE Baja 1000 this year, for sure. Red Bull will be joining my HRC effort. I’m extremely proud.” Leaverton battled with Ricardo Torres in the No. 1900 Honda Talon, until he had mechanical issues. Once back in the Talon, Leaverton eventually pushed to regain the lead at mile-marker 220. “Torres was on my tail and so we did the whole cat and mouse thing for a while,” he added. Torres ultimately finished second in class with Eva Star Malabanan in the No. 1919 Polaris RZR Pro R crossing the finish in third. Out of 6 entries there were 4 finishers in class. SCORE Pro Stock UTV Antonio Mendez in the No. 3959 Polari RZR Pro R took first in class. “It was a very, very difficult race,” he said. “Lots of dust, and water crossings. But the truth is it was a lot of fun.” SCORE San Felipe 250 class winner, Francisco Beltran, in the No. 3921 Can-Am Maverick R, led much of the race, until he developed mechanical issues. “By mile-marker 210 I had a 30 minute lead on Mendez,” he said. “Then I felt vibrations at mile-marker 350 and pitted near the highway. The front upper A-arm was replaced, but I lost my big lead.” With a 30 minute lead shaved down to one minute, Beltran raced on, and had the finish nearly in sight. But a quarter-mile before the finish Mendez got by him. “That’s racing,” he said. Still, Beltran took second place and has lots of good memories. He hopes to be at the SCORE Baja 400 to rack up more points toward the class championship. Yoshua Morquecho in the No. 3926 Polaris RZR took third place. SJ