SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1544512
Back To Back Jorge Sampietro Earns His Fifth SCORE San Felipe 250 Victory By Gabriel Garcia Photos by Get Some Photo jorge Sampietro has proven himself a specialist in the deserts of San Felipe. The Ensenada native captured his fifth career SCORE San Felipe 250 victory, including his most recent triumph in the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250 in the Trophy Truck Spec class. Facing extremely high temperatures along the 281.5-mile race course, Sampietro delivered a flawless drive aboard the No. 297 Mason-Chevy JS Racing, securing his second consecutive class win in the San Felipe 250. Just months away from becoming a father for the first time, Sampietro overcame an early setback after suffering a flat tire at race mile 34. The tire was changed by Bruce Yee, who joined the team this season as Sampietro’s new navigator. “It was a very demanding race because of the heat. I reached the finish line exhausted,” Sampietro said. “We did a great job from pre-running. During the race, we stuck to our lines and did our job to get to the checkered flag. It was a team effort to win the SCORE San Felipe 250 again.” Sampietro previously won the San Felipe 250 in Class 1/2-1600 in 2015, 2016, and 2017 alongside fellow Baja legend Missael Arambula. In 2025, he added a victory in the Trophy Truck Spec class. A key factor in JS Racing’s latest win was the durability of the 40-inch BFGoodrich tires, which withstood the punishing terrain of the Baja California peninsula. YEE, THE NEW JS RACING WEAPON Bruce Yee, Sampietro’s new navigator for the 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship, highlighted the team’s preparation from the first day of pre-running. “We pre-ran every day we were allowed on the San Felipe 250 race course. We made more than 10,000 notes, looked for creative lines to improve the truck’s performance, and maintained race pace, especially in the washes,” Yee said. The race required steadily working past competitors in their class, including a strategic decision to pit at race mile 155, while other teams stopped earlier at race mile 140. “We only had one flat. I made a couple of mistakes changing it — it took about three minutes — but from there on it was a clean race for us,” Yee added. Looking ahead, Yee said JS Racing is taking things step by step as the team prepares for the 58th running of the BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500, set to take place in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, this June.SJ