SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/929795
IGNITING THE SPARK Dana Brown Is SCORE International’s Person Of The Year By Dan Sanchez Photos by Get Some Photo Ask any of today’s Baja champions, and they’ll tell you they were inspired to race after watching the original Dust To Glory film in April of 2005. Directed by renowned documentary director Dana Brown, it brought SCORE Baja racing to a huge audience of off-road enthusiasts who were familiar with the sport but had not experienced what the race was really all about. With the recent release of the second Dust 2 Glory documentary in December 2017, Brown once again captured the SCORE Baja 1000 race from a new perspective, which will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of racers and enthusiasts to experience the challenges, beauty, and impossible odds of beating the Baja desert. It’s for this reason, that SCORE International announced its recognition of Dana Brown as SCORE International’s Person Of The Year. Brown is known for producing action sports dramas, a trait he learned from his late father Bruce Brown, creator of Endless Summer. “My dad and I rode motorcycles and when I was a teen, I raced in the desert,” says Brown. “We went surfing in Baja, and that’s how I was introduced to the beauty of the area. My dad had also covered the Mexican 1000 for the television program Wide World of Sports. When the opportunity came to tell the story, I had a respect and understanding for the race.” For the Dust 2 Glory film, Brown captured the 2015 SCORE Baja 1000 and the four races in the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship. “There’s something very mysterious about Baja,” said Brown. “I think that, combined with the SCORE Baja 1000 being a unique event, makes for telling a great story. There’s something very real about it.” Brown was very humbled at receiving the 2017 Person Of The Year award from SCORE and feels there’s a responsibility that comes with becoming a representative of the sport. “It’s an incredible honor,” said Brown. “I don’t feel worthy as I have so much respect for all the guys that race, and for all the incredible people who have received this award in the past. I’m very grateful and love what the SCORE events are about, and the people that surround it. I feel it’s my responsibility to tell a good story that is worth watching. It sounds simple, but it’s not always the easiest thing to do. We wanted to tell it accurately and make it last. If it makes people dig-it that’s great.” The amount of people Brown has reached with his latest film is still being counted. With its initial release in the United States in December 2017 to sold-out theaters across the country, the film was then released in January 2018 in Mexico, and in February will be released in Australia. All this seems fantastic to Brown who never thought it would be received so well. “When Roger Norman came to me and asked if I’d be interested, I thought it would be fantastic, but I also worried about making sure it wasn’t the same,” said Brown. “What happened is that with this film, we had more time and got to know the people better and to tell more of the stories. When we finally got down to Mexico again and started filming, I had no idea how big the other documentary was from down in Mexico. It was huge and got a great response. I feel blessed that it worked and that people like it.” While filming in Mexico, Brown shared an example of his realization of what the impact of the film has had not only for the sport but for the people in Mexico. “We were filming and I’m standing in Cabo waiting for guys to show up. We’re screwing up traffic with our big production trucks in the way and a cop comes by. I’m thinking we’re going to get in trouble but he asked if I was Dana Brown and if we had another Dust 2 Glory film coming out. He ended up taking a photo with me. I’ve always felt that responsibility to be a good dude, and I’m humbled by the people we meet and what they say to you.” SJ Brown once again captured SCORE Baja racing from a new perspective, which will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of racers and enthusiasts