SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1546613
ON THE RISE Navigator Blake Van De Loo Takes Over As Craig Scanlon Mounts A Charge In SCORE Pro Stock UTV By Larry Saavedra Photos by Get Some Photo Long before Blake Van de Loo decided to take the right-hand seat and navigate for Craig Scanlon’s new SCORE Pro Stock UTV effort, he was an accomplished rock crawler and a co-driver for Jagged X UTV racing in Baja. Van de Loo hung in there with Jagged X for many years. And he loved it. Then came the call from Scanlon out of the blue. “After Jagged X, I started co-driving for Scanlon’s Polaris SCI factory team,” he said. “When I was with SCI, it was like being involved with Formula One racing. They were committed and organized.” But after Scanlon left SCI to go on his own, Van de Loo’s days of racing with Polaris seemed over, at least initially. He got another call. Again, Scanlon had an offer. He wanted Van de Loo to join him as a full-time navigator for his latest effort in SCORE Pro Stock UTV in 2026. Obviously, Van de Loo didn’t need to think about it; he immediately jumped into the navigator seat of Scanlon’s latest factory RZR, and never looked back. It was a smart decision. Together they won the first two races in the SCORE World Desert Racing series this year, and now they have high hopes of taking the championship. As for what he does exactly as a navigator for a top factory effort, he puts it this way: “I’m navigating for Scanlon to remind him what’s about to happen at every point on the course. I talk to him very calmly. Sometimes we jab each other to lighten things up. Craig’s got a type-A personality, and I’m somewhere in the middle. But that’s why it’s such a good fit.” Van de Loo said, “In the heat of the moment while racing, anxiety and pressure happen when you start to lose complete visibility, and as a navigator it’s your job to step in and make sure your driver stays on course.” “Craig mostly sees the same things I do,” he said. “But if I spot something from my side of the race car and he can’t, then I make sure I communicate it to him. Craig looks out on the course as far as he sees, and I’m constantly looking at my monitor and calling out the lines. There are shorter races where I never look up.” It’s this tight bond of confidence between Scanlon and Van de Loo that makes them a force to be reckoned with in Baja. “As it gets closer to the SCORE Baja 400, Craig and I start to lay out our plans, but it is dependent on where we are sitting in the points,” he said. “Our strategy will be based on points and position at every race.” “Winning the first and second race has made it easier for us as a new SCORE Pro Stock UTV team for Polaris,” he said. But unlike some navigators, who simply jump and call out the obstacles, Van de Loo has another role to play. He also preps the No. 3931 Polaris RZR. “I’m prepping the factory racecar at my shop in between running my own business. All the racecars and chase trucks are there, and I do most of the work myself.” One might wonder how he finds the time and energy to run a business and race Baja, but Van de Loo says it’s the most therapeutic thing he could do. “I have more than 100 employees, and Craig oversees a giant company with hundreds of employees,” he said. “Racing for us is a stress reliever. We’re both on the same page about why we do this. Craig and I are pumped to be able to race again like in the old days. Because we are both businessmen, racing helps us forget about the day-to-day operations of running companies.” At the SCORE Baja 400 there will be a driver’s change, but Van de Loo will stay in the seat throughout the race. “You’re along for the ride, and if something happens, I know this racecar well, and I can work on it,” he said. Van de Loo says he does everything he can to stay calm and measured, but there are times when he’s completely exhausted during a race. “Craig and I talk a lot in a race, but the chase team only talks to me,” he said. “I take in the information and relay it to Craig and then back to the crew. Craig has been racing for so long that he and I can really talk about what’s happening at any given moment in a race. But ultimately, he always has really solid ideas.” SJ