SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/777057
48th SCORE Baja 500 Vildosola Emerges Victorious By the time June arrived, off-road racers from around the world gathered in Ensenada, Mexico for the SCORE Baja 500. Record breaking temperatures in the triple digits hindered many competitors, but those that prepared for the heat earned valuable points during one of the most prestigious competitions in all of off-road racing. In the SCORE Trophy Truck division, Tavo Vildosola won the overall race, while Rob MacCachren finished second, followed by yet another third place finish by Apdaly Lopez. Finishing ninth overall in Class 1, Ronny Wilson earned his second victory in a row after winning the class in San Felipe, putting the veteran racer well into the points lead. Larry Connor re-appeared in Trophy Truck Spec, teaming up with Steven Eugenio to win this class at the SCORE Baja 500, while Patrick Daily made an appearance to win the Class 10 division, which would be his only SCORE race win this season. In other four-wheel classes, the expected winners again showed their dominance over the competition and the tough Baja race course. Victor Cesena and Gerardo Iribe took home another Class 5 win, while the Ampudias won Class 8 making it two races in a row. Class 11 had one of its largest fields of the season with 12 starters, but despite tough competition, Alejandro Gutierrez in the number 1103 VW sedan took his second race win of the season, after a first place class finish in San Felipe. A total of 28 UTVs competed in combined classes at the SCORE Baja 500, which made for one of the largest fields of UTV competitors this season. In the Pro UTV FI class, it was Wayne Matlock who won by soloing the race in his Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo. Alonzo Lopez and Francisco Rodriguez teamed up to win the Naturally Aspirated Class in their Polaris RZR XP1000. The heat in Ensenada, however, had the hardest impact on the motorcycle and quad classes. Nevertheless, Pro Moto Unlimited saw Colton Udall and Mark Samuels team up again and win the class in their 1X Honda CRF450X. Mark Winkelman and his team again competed in two classes, winning the Pro Moto 50 division and the Pro Moto Limited division simultaneously. With little competition in Pro Quad during the SCORE Baja 500 (only three other competitors entered) Javier Robles Jr. once again dominated the division and was smart enough to share riding duties with Josh Row, Felipe Velez, Jose Meza Velez, and Julio Banda, in order to withstand the heat and difficulty of the course. Those who braved the elements, came away with the knowledge they could compete in one of the toughest races in all off-road racing but also earned valuable points towards a championship that would still be up for grabs depending on how some racers finished the next two races in the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship Season. SJ