SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1540550
BUGGIES UP IN FRONT Class 1 And Class 10 Teams Move Up On The Course By Dan Sanchez, Isaac Flores, Adilene Ponce, and Ariana Medrano Photos by get some photo SCORE Class 1 racers were excited to hear that they could start where they qualified, instead of getting “stuck” maneuvering through slower traffic. At the start, Cody Parkhouse in the No. 127 buggy, began first in class and 29th overall. He was followed by Dale Ebberts in the No. 177 buggy, and Brendan Gaughan in the No. 162 buggy, starting second and third in class. The mixed class start gave Parkhouse a definite advantage with seven vehicles behind him in which Ebberts had to pass to get to him. Parkhouse and his dad Brian, who co-drove the race, loved the lead and were able to keep their position the entire race. “I started the race and drove to race mile 250 when my dad got in,” said Parkhouse. “The course was very technical, slow, had a lot of tight turns, and a lot of rough stuff. What made it so much fun is the new qualifying format. We were able to run the pace of everybody who runs a similar pace to us.” The class win was Parkhouse’s first of the season after two breakdowns during the last two races, causing him to post a DNF in both. Parkhouse also finished 14th Overall with a time of 9:06:57 after penalties at the Baja 400. After starting in 36th place overall, Ebberts, who raced with his son Ezra as co-driver, also kept their position throughout the race for the second place class finish. “It was fun right from the start,” he said. “With the qualifying, we were in a group of cars that was going the same speed, and we battled with the other guys in our class all the way to the very end. The course was great, very tight and technical. There were a lot of challenges, but it made for a lot of fun. I think those courses are great for Class 1.” Finishing third was the No. 138 buggy of Brad Wilson. The 2024 Class Champion, Cody Reid, had a harder time in qualifying and thus, had more competitors to get through. Although finishing the race in fifth place wasn’t what the RPI team was looking for, they still earned points towards their chances of a back-to-back Class 1 Championship. Vera Finds Redemption After a disappointing sixth place finish at the SCORE Baja 500, Francisco Vera in the No. 1000 Class 10 buggy proved the 2024 Class Champion still was at the top of his game. He and Eliott Watson in the No. 1033 buggy, battled all day for position, but both had fun doing it. Vera also had to deal with transmission issues, but the desire for them to get a third Class Championship pushed them to their second win of the season. “It was a demanding race,” said Vera. “The SCORE Baja 400 is a short race, but this time it was challenging. We run a single-seater, so when we get stuck, it’s complicated. But thank God we are here in the first place. We were left without neutral or reverse in the transmission early, but from there, everything was fine.” Vera runs a single seater buggy with him and his brother sharing the driving duties. “Between my brother and I, it’s special,” he says. “We are one of the only teams that run in single -seater, and we are going for a third championship.” Watson, who drove the race solo, finished in second place only 14 minutes behind Vera. “It was a long day,” he said. “I drove the whole thing and my buddy, Edgar, rode with me. We started up front. We were down a little bit on time and tried to make up some ground. We picked off a couple more guys at the end and just brought it home here in second place. The track was rough; a lot of rocks, very tight and twisty. We kind of tried to stay in line at the first part, had a really good battle with the Vera car. The Vera boys are fast, so we had so much fun with them. We had a little hiccup with some other cars on the track. The new Yokohama Geolander MT tires we’ve been running have been really good for us. In November, I’m trying to get my dad to drive with me. My dad hasn’t driven in Baja in a long time, but he has a SCORE Lite. Back when class 12 was big, he won the championship in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. I’m trying to get him to come drive with me.” SJ