SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1540550
UTV WRAP UP Racers Struggle And Prepare For The Last Race Of The Season By Larry Saavedra, Isaac Flores, Adilene Ponce, and Ariana Medrano Photos by Get Some Photo More than 50 UTV racers charged hard into the high desert of Ensenada, Baja California, to kick off the 6th SCORE Baja 400, among an enthusiastic crowd of spectators, hoping to get a glance of their favorite race team. The 427.64-mile course was as technically challenging as it gets. They faced massive dust clouds that obliterated their lines, tire-shredding rocks with deep, suspension-sucking silt, leaving many powering into the darkness as night fell on the course. Those competing agreed that the SCORE Baja 400 was a critical race for teams wanting to test their vehicles in preparation for the notorious SCORE Baja 1000 in November. The official results told the story: the Polaris Factory Racing Team went on to sweep the podium in SCORE Pro UTV Open and won the Overall UTV title, but Can-Am racers, some supported, others as privateers, answered back with a 1,2,3 finish in SCORE Pro UTV Forced Induction and a 1,2,3 finish in SCORE Pro Stock UTV. SCORE Pro UTV Open Polaris Factory Team racer Brock Heger in the No. 1896 RZR Pro R was a jack-rabbit off the line, chased for most of the race by teammate Cayden MacCachren in the No. 1821 RZR Pro R. Heger sealed the deal by capturing the Overall UTV race win in a corrected time of 09:25:27.602. “Today was a super good day for the team,” he said. “The RZR was flawless, and I only had a few flats that I earned.” Heger thanked his support crew and the SCI Motorsports technical gurus who prepped his racecar. He said the track was super beat up and choppy. “All of the newer sections were very silty,” he added. Meanwhile, Polaris teammates MacCachren in the No. 1821 RZR and Max Eddy Jr. in the No. 1841 RZR finished second and third, respectively, giving the “factory team” a clean sweep of the podium. Blake Wilkey, Mitch Alsup, and Justin Morgan finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively. Of the 19 starters, only 10 racers finished. Heger now has 366 points going into the upcoming SCORE Baja 1000. He is currently four points behind Kaden Wells in the Can-Am for the Season UTV Overall Points Championship. SCORE Pro UTV Forced Induction Can-Am factory-supported racer Kaden Wells in the No. 2935 Maverick planted his foot and never looked back after leaving Ensenada first off the grid. “It was a rough course,” he said. “It was gas and go, all day. Had a couple of small issues and we went into limp mode, but I was able to recycle the UTV and got back on course.” The sudden power loss has happened twice now in a SCORE event, initially at the SCORE Baja 500. Wells expects to have it sorted out before the SCORE Baja 1000. • Kaden Wells Won Pro UTV FI Given his troubles, Wells was able to take the win in class for Can-Am, followed by Egar Garcia in the No. 2987 Maverick, and Jason Weller in the No. 2948 Maverick. According to Garcia, he had some problems near race mile 200, where he lost his four-wheel drive system, and then the shocks went out. “I think I was in first when that happened. I had to drive slower, and racers passed me. I was still able to take second place, though. I liked it more than the SCORE Baja 500.” Donald Cerrone in the No. 2949 Can-Am Maverick, Francisco Escareno in the No. 2926 Can-Am Maverick, and Jorge Cano in the No. 2910 Can-Am Maverick took fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively. Of the 19 starters, only 13 racers finished. Wells is currently leading the UTV points race with 370. SCORE Pro UTV Normally Aspirated With only three starters in class, SCORE Pro UTV NA racer Recardo Torres in the No. 1900 Honda Talon took first place in a corrected time of 11:51:59.088. Even with a small field of competitors, it was thrilling to watch. This is Torres’ third podium of the year with a second-place finish at the SCORE Baja 500 and a second-place finish at the SCORE San Felipe 250. “We rolled it at race mile 30, flipped it back over, and continued,” he said. “It was rough. Thank you to everyone who helped. We will be back at the SCORE Baja 1000 to defend our championship title.” • Eva Star took second behind Torres in Pro UTV N/A Driving the No. 1919 Polaris RZR Eva Star Malabanan took second place behind Torres. Malabanan had a third-place podium at this year’s BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 500 and a fourth-place finish at the SCORE San Felipe 250. SCORE Pro Stock UTV Can-Am privateer Francisco Beltran in the No. 3921 Maverick continues to dominate his class after winning the SCORE Baja 400 in a corrected time of 11:06:03.141. Beltran is solely self-sponsored, but he has racked up an impressive race history for 2025 with SCORE. This is Beltran’s second win of the season and third podium. • Franciso Beltran On Winning SCORE’s Pro Stock UTV Class In this race, he decided to partner with his son, Diego, as a co-driver, a change from the SCORE Baja 500, where he drove it solo. He started the race, handed off to his son at race mile 250, and climbed back in at race mile 330. “I now have to focus on the SCORE Baja 1000,” he said. “I now know where I am in the standings, and now it’s time to get serious for the biggest race of the season. My Maverick is being prepped by one of the best out of Baja, and I am confident my team will prevail.” Antonio De Loera in the No. 3918 Can-Am came in second, followed by Marcos Valladolid in the No. 2923 Can-Am and Yoshua Morquecho in the No. 3926 Polaris RZR, respectively. SJ