SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1540550
RACE, WIN, REPEAT Moto & Quad Teams Look To Sweep Or Get On The Podium By Dan Sanchez, Isaac Flores, Adilene Ponce, & Ariana Medrano photos by get some photo At the start of the 2025 SCORE World Desert Championship Season, Tyler Lynn and Carter Klein of the 7x team were hoping they could unseat the 2024 SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited Champion team of Arturo Salas Jr. on the 1x bike. At this 6th SCORE Baja 400, the 7x team kept proving their intentions and won their third race this season, leading in points towards the Class Championship. This, however, doesn’t mean the 7x team has it all wrapped up. At each race this season, Salas and his team have finished in second place, keeping the pressure on the current points leaders. For SCORE moto fans, the battle between these two teams has come down to who makes the fewest mistakes and fastest pit stops.” We had an amazing race day, with a small tip-over around race mile 190,” said Lynn. “But other than that, we had had a pretty much flawless day.” Co-rider Carter Klein took the 7x bike for the second half of the race and brought it to the finish line with nearly a 20-minute lead on corrected time, and after penalties. “Me and my teammate, Carter, and I put in a lot of work,” added Lynn. “We spent a lot of time dialing in our lines and the course. So you know, I’m pretty proud of that. The whole race and whole experience is a big takeaway for me.” Salas and the 1x team of Shane Shorno and Ciaran Naran finished in second place, despite overcoming what could have resulted in a serious accident. “Ciaran was on the bike, and there was a car on the crossover road, and he hit it. So thankfully, he’s here at the finish line, healthy,” said Salas Jr. “Shane and Ciaran did an excellent job, where I was just a backup rider on the sidelines and cheering them on. We want to try and get our first win of the year, but unfortunately, we’ve got in three second-place finishes.” With only 18 season championship points separating these two teams, winning at the SCORE Baja 1000 is a must for both teams. Finishing the class in third place was Eric Holt and the 15x team. A Third Win For Ramani Another team that has so far dominated their class is the No. 127x team of Bhaskar Ramani. This is their third win in the Pro Moto Limited Class, finishing nearly 17 minutes ahead of the second-place finishers, the 119x team of Ana Rivas. “We stuck to the plan and it came all the way,” said Ramami. “It’s a great job from the team. I’m awfully proud of them. Three out of three. It’s incredible.” Alosi Makes It Three-For-Three Dominating the SCORE Pro Moto 30 Class once again was Jason Alosi and the 308x team, who had a near-perfect race. “The goal was to stay on the bike and have no crashes,” said co-rider Tucker Hopkins. “All the prep, everything was good, and we’ve got suspension pretty squared away. We’ve all raced down here for a long time on different, varying teams and levels.” Edgar Najar and the 324x team had been following the 308x team all season in second place. Although they had brake problems, they managed to add another second-place finish in this race. “There were a few problems in the beginning with no brakes, but it was solved, and we started to move forward,” said Najar. “The route was very demanding, as always, on the downhills, but everything went well. Right now, we have been winning second place in San Felipe and at the SCORE Baja 500, but we will see what happens at the SCORE Baja 1000.” The tight race between these two teams is another “must win” scenario at the SCORE Baja 1000 for either to take home the Class Championship. A Third Win For Esposito In Pro Moto 40 No one is challenging the 400x Champions Shane Esposito and his team of legendary riders, which includes Jim O’Neal and Francisco Septian. They’ve won each race this season with only one other team competing against them at the SCORE Baja 500. To take the SCORE Pro Moto 40 Championship, they would need to finish the SCORE Baja 1000, no matter who they might compete with in the upcoming race. Aguirre And Serna Battle In Ironman Larry Serna was looking for a third win this season in Pro Moto Ironman. Riding the 715x bike, he got lost and had to make up time on the course. Then hurt his hand during a fall. He recovered and continued on the course, but in pain. In the meantime, Angel Aguirre on the No. 716x bike had trouble seeing in the fog and in the dark, but managed to finish ahead of Serna for the win. Serna came in second place with Erick Estrada Jr. on the 790x bike close behind for third place. It was a very interesting day for me,” said Serna at the finish. “At the beginning, I got lost because I was on the dust of another bike. I was behind everyone for about an hour. It was a total loss. All day I was playing to try to recover time. I did it, and when I was in a good place, I fell and hurt my hand. I managed to pass the second-place rider on the course, and I made my effort and dealt with the pain until I made it here. I saved a good second place, and I am very happy with that.” Serna has a good lead in season points towards the class championship, but close behind is Estrada Jr., who could take it away if he has the chance at the SCORE Baja 1000. Prunty And Harris Take Top Wins Pro Moto 50 winner Mike Prunty on the 500x bike was victorious once again, taking his second class win of the season. Adding his second-place finish at the SCORE Baja 500, Prunty has a clear lead to take the class championship by merely finishing the SCORE Baja 1000. “Our race went fantastic, and our team of Jason Truby, Rob Barnum, Lester Lehigh, everybody put it together,” said Prunty. “ Having the deviations for the bikes and the motos was fantastic. The course was challenging, yet still manageable. And I’m looking forward to doing it again. We’re 500X this year, so we’re defending the number one plate from last year. So this year, we’re in it to win it.” Harold Harris and his 600x team of talented riders added a third class victory this season and are also running away with the class championship with a tremendous points lead. “A little interesting story,” said Harris. “I hit a cow this morning at race mile 121. That was kind of new to me. I mean, I’ve run into cows before, you know, get in the mix of them, but I never actually hit one, and so it knocked me off pretty good. But it didn’t hurt the bike, and it didn’t hurt me. I landed on my back, and my hydration pack blew all the water out of it. So it was like landing on a water bed, I guess, so I was lucky.”