SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1547140
MATLOCK’S BIG MOMENT In A Twist, The Third-Place Finisher On The Course Wins It All By Larry Saavedra Photos by Get Some Photo The $50,000 Polaris SCORE Challenge prize was a great motivator,” Wayne Matlock said after capturing the SCORE UTV Overall and Class win at the SCORE Baja 400. “But honestly, my biggest motivation was winning.” Racing in the No. 1871 RZR, Matlock defeated Polaris Factory racers Brock Heger and Cayden MacCachren, who were both penalized for on-course rule infractions. Matlock emphasized that he doesn’t race off-road simply to win money but acknowledged that the huge prize purse from Polaris was incredible. It was created by Polaris for all non-Polaris Factory racers as a motorsports challenge for any competitor. Matlock started second in class with both Heger and MacCachren behind him. Matlock acknowledged that it’s always the first 100 miles and last 100 that seem to be the sections where bad things always happen. “They either get in too much of a hurry early on, or they make mistakes coming into the finish,” he said. Polaris Factory racers Ethan Groom in the No. 1874 RZR and Rodrigo Ampudia Jr. in the No. 1898 RZR both got by Matlock after the first 100 miles. Then he said that it was outside Urapan that MacCachren got by him after he experienced mechanical issues. “The pace was brutal at times, and these kids are racing really fast,” said the 48-year-old racer. It’s worth mentioning that all the while Matlock was seeing brake fade at nearly every turn in the road. As he caught Ampudia at the Goat Trail, Matlock was leaving Valley T when Heger got by him and pushed him back into third place after passing Groom. He held onto his position most of the way. It’s worth noting that Polaris racer Branden Sims in the No. 1886 RZR also took the same Redline that Heger did, and penalties were applied after the race. With so much chaos happening around him, Matlock ultimately ran a cleaner race, or so he said. The only thing he couldn’t do was chase down MacCachren and Heger to the finish. Yet, Matlock didn’t give up because he knew that the race wasn’t over until all the penalties were levied. “I stayed in it until I crossed the finish line,” he said. “I’ve been racing Baja for 25 years, and I’ve seen it all. The last thing you do is give up. I’ve won and lost the lead many times. You just never know. Baja is the great equalizer. I’ve been so close that I could see the lights at the finish and then something goes south, and your race is over. Anything can happen.” Matlock didn’t know how right he was until long after the finish. “There were a lot of rumors about Heger and MacCachren on the course,” he said. “I feel bad for both of them. They didn’t lose any respect from me. But they made mistakes, and they didn’t need to.” SJ