SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1544512
FAST COMPANY SCORE Trophy Truck Racers Go All-Out By Dan Sanchez, Ariana Medrano, Isaac Flores, and Beto Lopez Photos by Get Some Photo Some might think that, compared to the SCORE Baja 500 and Baja 1000, the SCORE San Felipe 250 is a quick and easy off-road race to win. Ask most racers, however, and they will tell you the opposite. For them, they see it as the toughest of all SCORE races, because it’s an all-out, pedal-to-the-metal race that can break vehicles due to the rugged terrain at high speeds in order to win. Today’s SCORE Trophy Truck classes require a high degree of mechanical ability and strength to get through the course, as well as the need to qualify up front, in order to stay with the fastest of the fast for a chance to win. The Method Race Wheels Qualifier proved this point, with SCORE TT Legend racer Ricky Johnson placed first overall, making it the first time a TT Legends class truck started the race first. That effort didn’t sit well with the truck, as the team had problems which led to a sixth-place finish in class and 102 overall. But taking it easy isn’t possible in the SCORE San Felipe 250. Right up front were the top SCORE Trophy Truck racers, including Luke McMillin in the No. 83 truck, Alan Ampudia in the No. 1 truck, and Tavo Vildosola in the No. 21 truck, placing some of the fastest racers up front. Included in the top six SCORE Trophy Truck starters were Justin Lofton in the No. 41 truck, Max Gordon in the No. 5 truck, and Bryce Menzies in the No. 7 truck. 2025 SCORE Baja 1000 winner Christopher Polvoorde in the No. 94 truck qualified poorly, starting in 45th position, but finished fifth overall. With the fastest of the fastest setting themselves up for a race that they hoped would be without any issues, Luke McMillin expected a flat and got one, but co-driver Jason Duncan quickly swapped it out for a spare and got them back on the course. Ampudia suffered engine heating problems, compounded by a broken shock and then a failed water pump. This left him at the rear of the pack, allowing Vildosola and Menzies to move up and take positions behind McMillin. Vildosola put up a challenge with McMillin but could not put up a faster time, finishing only three minutes behind McMillin, who took first place. “ I thought we were going to beat him, but that’s how races are,” said Vildosola. “Sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t. But we are in an excellent position for the championship.” Menzies pulled off a great race, moving up quickly and taking third in class. “We started eighth and sat in Robby’s dust all the way to race mile 40. And then we got Robby there. We had a pretty good line in Matomi. And we actually got Lofton and Hustead both on the same line. And then from there, it was about a four-five-minute gap up to the next truck. So, we just started pushing really hard. At race mile 140, we were leading on time over everybody. And then from there, we started pushing. And I started feeling that my foot was slippery, like something was leaking. And all of a sudden, we lost brakes. So, luckily, underneath the dash, I could turn a handle. And I turned it so I had the rear brake handle only. So, from race mile 170 to the finish, I had to drive with a rear brake handle. We’ve got three more races to go for the championship. And that’s what we’re shooting for. It’s a good start to the season.” PAYNE TAKES TT LEGEND CLASS After a rough race that left class champs Gus Vildosola and Ricky Johnson in the No. 1L truck fixing their truck on the course, David Payne in the 61L truck took advantage of some clean air and had a near-perfect run. Teamed up with co-driver Larry Roeseler, their chances were good, and the team was in the right place and with the right pace for the class win. “It was rough, nasty, and a great run,” said Payne. “I couldn’t be happier.” Disappointed in breaking their winning streak, Gus Vildosola got the truck repaired and crossed the finish line in sixth place, nearly five hours behind Payne. “The steering box broke, and the truck didn’t want to turn left anymore,” said Vildosola. “We stopped and were able to repair it, but it took hours. We knew that if we didn’t finish this race, we’d lose the championship. And the championship is very important. We’ve been with the 1L for four years. We already feel that it’s ours. So we have to defend it because we’re not going to let it go.” In addition to Payne finishing first, TT legend racers Clay Lawrence in the No. 85L truck finished second, and Shawn Runyon in the No. 99L truck finished third in class. MACCACHREN TAKES OVER THE 2WD CLASS In a turn of events that shook up the SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD class, Rob MacCachren entered with his old 2WD truck to win the class. After starting 27th Overall, MacCachren demonstrated why he’s the G.O.A.T. in SCORE Trophy Truck racing, driving the truck as if it were second nature during one of the toughest races of the season. “The way the qualifying worked out, it kind of was a problem for the 2WD trucks. The track was so torn up, we got bad times. We basically started 27th, and we had a lot of trucks and a lot of dust in front of us. I haven’t been in that much dust in a long time. But we just kept plugging along, not making any mistakes. In the middle, we had some dust-free running, but the last 50 miles or so, it was like dust the whole way in.” SCORE fans cheered on the legendary champion as he drove by on the course. “There were so many spectators out there, it was incredible, just amazing. All the fans that come down here to San Felipe, it seems like it just keeps growing and growing and growing. I want to thank BFGoodrich Tires, Fox Shocks, BP Racing Fuels, and Collins Motorsports in Vegas that helped prep my truck, and all of the Baja Fools who did our fuel pitting. We’ve been together for 14 years now, Baja Fools and McCachren Motorsports. They did an awesome job in the pit. I thank them and all the chase guys that came down, Jimmy Hook, Ken Stroud, Joey Westhoff-Ryden, LJ Kennedy, Pancho Bio, and Ramon Bio. We’ve won this race overall six times.” SAMPIETRO BACK ON TOP Backing up his 2025 SCORE San Felipe win, Jorge Sampietro in the No. 297 truck fought hard to drive fast enough and carefully enough to win the SCORE TT Spec Class once again. “We are pretty tired, and there was a lot of heat all over the track,” said Sampietro. “We had a puncture before leaving the speed zone of race mile 40. We changed it ,and we lost a little time. We raced our lines, used our notes, we worked at it, and here we are at the finish line.” Ray Griffith in the No. 253 truck finished second, followed by 2025 class champion Justin Davis in the No. 285 truck. “It was rough and super-hot,” said Griffith. It was a hard SCORE San Felipe 250, that’s for sure. But it was fun. The top three trucks right here, we were within seconds all day. And coming into the finish, I charged as hard as I could to catch Davis, as we had to be within a minute of him. This Mason Motorsports Trophy Spec Truck is badass.” “We led maybe 100 miles or so and then caught a flat, changed it, and then all the alternators went out,” said Justin Davis. “ And then Griffith, behind us, caught us on time. The course was rough, and we battled through it. I took my time, did everything right, but we got the flat in a shitty spot, and that’s what it is. Off to the SCORE Baja 500.” SJ