King Shocks 37th SCORE San Felipe 250

Post-Race Quotes

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, [email protected]

Pro Cars, Trucks & UTVs
 SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Custom Trucks)
ALAN AMPUDIA, No. 10 (First in class. First overall. Alan Ampudia drove solo.) - -
It went really well. We had no problems at all. We kept it moving. We only had one main pit. That was the name of the game…just keep the truck moving and nobody would be able to get by us. The course was super, super fast and rough. That’s San Felipe! With the four-by-four in the silt it was pretty easy, but there were lots of rocks. We just had to be careful up to Borrego and then we could open it up a little bit. It was a good battle with Toby and the rest of the guys all day. We ran the last fifteen, twenty miles with only 9psi in the tires. My navigator, Kyle, absolutely killed it all day. He is an animal; glad to have him on the right seat. Toyo tires hooked up great and the King Shocks ate up all the whoops. Super stoked to get the win and get the monkey off our back. We can’t wait for the SCORE Baja 500.
 
LUKE MCMILLIN, No. 83 (Second in class. Second overall. Luke McMillin drove solo.) - - It was a tough day; we wrestled the truck all day. It was a handful. But we are here; we made it. I made a couple of mistakes but I just wrestled through. I earned two flat tires and had to stop twice, killing the fuel mileage. It was sketchy going up the lake bed with people parked right on the side, and we are driving through blind dust at 105mph. Extremely dangerous. Disappointing really that we even had to do that. But we are here at the finish line. I’m excited to put this race behind us, move forward and relax and go home and be with the family.
 
TAVO VILDOSOLA, No. 21 (Third in class. Third overall. Tavo Vildosola drove solo.) - - We started sixth off the line. We had an early flat. I think Luke got by me there. I got by him on his flat. I got by Bryce, Polvoorde, running physically third going into Morelia, but then going into Chanate wash we got a killer of a double flat. So that was about five minutes. Luke, Bryce, Polvoorde all got back by me. It was a heartbreaker. Then I saw Toby on the side of the road, so maybe we could have been in second without that, but that’s Baja. It nips you in the butt when you least expect it. It is what it is. We are here. There are always a lot of spectators here in San Felipe. The fans are amazing. Couldn’t be more proud to be at the finish line.
 
BRYCE MENZIES, No. 7 (Fourth in class. Fourth overall. Bryce Menzies drove solo.) - - It was going good. Then about race mile 40 we clipped a tree and got a flat. Two trucks got by us. Then about twenty miles later, we pitched a serpentine belt, so we lost power steering and that took us ten minutes to change. We got back on the track in about eighth place and just put our heads down. We almost got two people in the pits but got a stick flat. After that we just pushed really hard. We got Tavo and Polvoorde at the finish. Luck wasn’t on our side today, but that’s Baja. We are here at the finish line. Oren did an amazing job calling notes and fixing the truck. We will regroup and onto the SCORE Baja 500. Awesome race. The course was brutal, really rocky, but overall, had a lot of fun.
 
CAMERON STEELE, No. 16 (Fifth in class. Fifth overall. Cameron Steele drove with God by his side.) - - My co-driver Cody over here has been riding with my for like eighteen years. We are hearing rumors that we may be in the top three overall, which would be pretty fun. We started nineteenth and finished fifth or sixth, so we battled. It was warfare out there. San Felipe is one mean bitch. Every time we come here she gets more pissed off. She’s a good drivers course because there are lots of lines. We diced with people, went one way and came around and dove inside and passed. That’s what racing is all about. We had bad dust for the first twenty miles. We had some steering problems in qualifying, which put us so far back for the start. Once we got to race mile 40, we really starting going fast. Our Geiser is always top shelf. We came in with all the fenders; all the fiberglass is here.
 
DAN MCMILLIN, No. 23 (Sixth in class. Sixth overall. Dan McMillin started a drove to race mile 201.  Andy McMillin drove from race mile 201 to the finish.) - - CO-DRIVER ANDY MCMILLIN said: Dan started sixteenth and did a really, really good job all day, picking guys off. He was held up a little by slower traffic for the first part and then hit a rock and got a flat. Cameron got around us. I got in the truck at Borrego and just pedaled down all the way to the finish. I got within seconds of Cameron and came around a corner too hot and tagged a rock and got a right rear flat, so that put us down again. Then it was just keep it clean to the finish. And here we are. It is missing some cosmetics. Hats off to the guys. After the roll-over in qualifying, we went off line looking good. Roger prepped a great truck. First time riding with me. We had a lot of fun out there. Just pushing.
 
CHRISTOPHER POLVOORDE, No. 94 (Seventh in class. Seventh overall. Christopher Polvoorde drove solo.) - - It was tough. We had an early flat. Not ideal. But then we were just maintaining. Then with fifty miles to go we were told we were in second place and to start putting the hammer down. Me, Tavo and Luke were battling. About two miles from the finish we broke a drive shaft. When it broke, we got stuck and were able to get some locals to tow us out. And then we limped in with two-wheel drive. It doesn’t like front-wheel drive only. Every time we got stuck, locals would help us out. I don’t have good luck here. Last year I ran out of gas four miles from the finish so I don’t like the inbound race course right here. Super proud of my team. This is our first time in a SCORE Trophy Truck. We had a lot of ups and downs all day. My team was there the whole time, we had fast pits, Mike had extremely fast tire changes. That kept us in front all day. Thanks to Optimum Batteries, Ford Performance, Steel-It for making this happen. Just a 23-year-old with a dream. I’m pretty excited.
 
JUSTIN LOFTON, No. 41 (Eighth in class. Eighth overall. Justin Lofton drove solo.) - - We had a new navigator, Jack Tyrpin, one of the FOX shocks tuners. His first SCORE Trophy Truck race. So we had to learn our timing together. This race is so fast. Incredible race. We had transmission sensors going off and oil sensors going off. We had to just work on keeping the truck alive and getting to the finish line. In the silt section, we have all-wheel-drive and there are multiple lines, so if one guy went right, I just went left and we made our own trail and made the straightest line. It made it fun. I would think the Spec Trucks are having a heck of a time up there. But all in all, clean day. We had one flat tire. We had a lot of fun.
 
TRACY GRAF, No. 58 (Ninth in class. Twelvth overall. Tracy Graf drove solo.) - - This is the debut for this truck. We just made it an all-wheel-drive so this is the first race as one. I just got in for the first time at time trials. It only made it here at 2am the morning of time trials. We were confident in our guys though. We only had a couple little bugs. We lost our intercom at race mile 40 so it was all hand signals after that. It is what it is. We had a little bit of a heating issue. We could only do 100 miles an hour on the lake bed because it would get too hot, so we have to address that. My pumper hose kept coming off and every time I would mess with it, we would hit a tree or cactus. Just small things we have to work on. The four-wheel-drive worked awesome. Bean and his crew, Jake, Joe and Jack, did an awesome job building this truck. They burnt the midnight oil getting it here. Extra thanks to Frankie in my passenger seat for doing an awesome job, especially with the hand signals. I want to thank BFGoodrich, Fox shocks, Maxima Oil and all our sponsors and my crew. And thank my wife for letting me come play.
 
TIM HERBST, No. 19 (Tenth in class. Fourteenth overall.) - - We started in the back and the dust was pretty bad so we just worked our way up and cut our way through it. We had a couple of flats and lost a drive line so we had to change that. Other than that, it ran pretty well. It's just starting in the back is a little tough with the dust. That's why it’s so important that we qualify in a good spot. Other than that, I had a good day.
 
ROB MACCACHREN, No. 11 (Eleventh in class. Fifteenth overall. Rob MacCachren drove solo.) - - It was a good day. We didn’t qualify at all so we had to start 36th. With that being said trying to get through all of the dust all day. Really difficult. The leaders are running dust free full throttle and there were so many times I was half throttle. But all in all, this being the first race for the Jimco Fastball Racing Team, it’s a pretty good opportunity for me to be in an all-wheel-drive truck with a big block. I gotta thank all the partners on board with us, BFGoodrich tires, Vision Wheel, Fox Shocks, VP Fuels, KC Lights. All my partners from last years’ team came with me to this team. We will be there. We just need some test time and start up there. All the fenders are still good. I want to thank Jimco and Fastball for this opportunity and the BFG pits. We did good. A lot of positives from today.
 
DALLAS LUTTRELL, No. 87 (Twelfth in class. Sixteenth overall. Dallas Luttrell drove solo.) - - It was good. We had one flat tire and a throttle-position sensor issue but other than that we are here. We are happy. We struggled in qualifying and started 27th but I think we finished 13th or so, so we are happy. We are running the full 2024 SCORE season so we will be back for the SCORE Baja 500. We are here and excited to be running SCORE. CO-DRIVER BILLY GOERKE said: It was a good race. I got out of the truck once for a flat tire. Other than that I was in the truck for the whole time, relaxing.
 
MIKEY LAWRENCE, No. 85 (Thirteenth in class. Eighteenth overall. Mikey Lawrence drove solo.) - - It went fairly well for us. We didn’t have any flats. Only had to stop for fuel and tires. I didn’t have that great of pre-running because all our pre-runners kept breaking. We started 22nd so to finish ninth, that’s great.
 
JACK OLLIGES, No. 51 (Fourteenth in class. Jack Olliges drove solo.) - - It was a rough one. We unfortunately had some issues right off the start. Then we had low oil pressure at the end and limped it in. But all-in-all a fun day. A great experience. The SCORE San Felipe 250 is probably one of the best events. I’m super happy to be down here and super happy to finish. A good day. We had a couple flats; I couldn’t seem to miss rocks. My navigator did some of the fastest tire changes I’ve ever seen. Thank you to my mom and dad for letting me come down here and do this.
 
CHRIS HERTSCH, No. 66 (Fifteenth in class. Chris Hertsch drove solo.) - - It went good out there. No flat tires. We run BFGoodrich tires. I didn’t get stuck. I had a good, clean race, did well. It was rough. This is my first race in Baja and we finished it. So we conquered San Felipe. We had a bent driveshaft and just took it easy to the finish and finished.
 
 *SCORE TT LEGEND (Unlimited Production Trucks, Drivers over 50 years old)—
GUSTAVO VILDOSOLA SR, No. 1L (First in class. Eleventh overall. Ricky Johnson started and shared driving duties with Gustavo Vildosola Sr who drove to the finish.) - - We had an excellent run. Ricky gave me a truck in one piece, as usual. And here we are in one piece. Absolutely no problems, no mechanical failures. This team does a wonderful job. They are the best at prepping this truck. We are excited to start this season again and with a number one again. We want to keep that 1L plate. CO-DRIVER RICKY JOHNSON said: It went good. It was a little frustrating at first in the dust. I make a rookie move and got two flats. It’s our first race, we have more competition this year, we have Larry Roeseler, Rick D. and Clay and Rolf, so I felt like I had to push as hard as I can. I made a big mistake and got passed by a lot of guys. But I got back and recovered well. I have to give it to legend Gus. He carried this race. He went from second to first. I was the only one that got flats. This race was fast. Unbelievably fast. It looks like Alan Ampudia averaged 74 miles per hour. That is flying. I saw 135 miles per hour on the dry lake bed but then it started getting too hot so I backed it down. The course was great. The qualifying course was great. We are off to another great season. Looking forward to the 2024 season.
 
CLAY LAWRENCE, No. 85L (Second in class. Nineteenth overall. Larry Roeseler started and drove to race mile 160. Clay Lawrence drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - We have been just trying to get our run in here, make it clean. Long season ahead. Got to at least make the carbon fiber go two races. Having Larry on the team, there is a lot to learn. I just tried to have a clean run, fast when it was there and took it cautious. Tried not to hit too many cactus. I got a nice spider I picked up. We have to be one with the desert and not fight it too hard. We have to meet the challenge of the desert and then see where we stand with the rest of the racers. I have to thank Larry Roeseler for coming on the team this year and my mom and dad and everyone at Lawrence Equipment. I love all of you.
 
  CLASS 1 (Unlimited open-wheel single or two-seaters)--
BRAD WILSON, No. 153 (First in class. Seventeenth overall. Brad Wilson started and drove to race mile 160. Justin Munyon drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - Today was a good day. I don't think we had the best car out there, but we managed, and it seemed like a couple other drivers just dropped off so we took advantage of that and just ran a conservative pace once we knew we had a decent lead. I drove to mile 160 and handed the car over to Justin Munyon in 2nd place. First place had an Issue so Justin was able to put the car in first. After that, we just kind of maintained it. My section was very rough. Zoo Road is a lot bigger than it was last year. It's good. That's what SCORE likes to throw at us and we like that. No problems with the car. BFGoodrich tires and Method Race Wheels were a perfect combo today.
 
CODY REID, No. 168 (Second in class. Cody Reid drove solo.) - - It was rough. It was a fun day. We had some unfortunate issues that held us back a little bit but we are here. We are going to have to do some work even right here in line. I don’t know if it was because I was bushwacking or what but we are leaking fluid out of the transmission. We had some slow leakers. One is because we lost all-wheel-drive and were in two-year-drive and we slid into a rock.
 
KYLE QUINN, No. 138 (Third in class. John Herder started the race and drove to race mile 160. Kyle Quinn drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - As soon as I got in, after about five miles an idler mount broke on the engine, so we were down for ten or fifteen minutes. We put a smaller belt on it and tried to drive the wheels off it. But unfortunately we missed the set up and it was like riding a bronco. The course was rough, but this car gave us trouble. I think our other car got the win and that is what we came down for. We were going for the one-two, we have already had a one-three, but to get two on the podium is still good. This race could have been it until that failure. Nothing we can do, happy to be done with this race.
 
  TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (unlimited Truck/SUV, stock, sealed engines)
THOR HERBST, No. 219 (First in class. Tenth overall. Thor Herbst drove solo.) - - We had a good day. We had some communication issues in the beginning for about ten miles. And then around race mile 160, we had a hood issue. A hood was blocking my vision. Other than that we had a clean day. No flats. These BFGoodrich tires ran great all day and the truck stayed together. We couldn’t have done it without Jeremy and the whole Terrible Herbst Team and Monster Energy. Everybody played a huge part in getting us to the finish line.
 
JUSTIN DAVIS, No. 285 (Second in class. Thirteenth overall. Justin Davis drove solo.) - - We battled. We got in the dust and went over a big tree and got a stick flat. Changed that and battle back and got to the silt and went over another big bush and got another stick flat. And then, since we had nothing to lose, we just started pushing hard. We clipped off a bunch of guys. We are third, maybe second. We will see. We will be happy with a top three at this race. We haven’t finished this race in two years. We look forward to the SCORE Baja 500.
 
SANTIAGO CREEL, No. 260 (Third in class. Ninteenth overall.) - - It was a really rough course with lots of whoops and really fun. It was very San Felipe and It’s what we expected. The truck did really well. We only had one flat getting to Borrego and it was our fault, because it was in the middle of the course and we couldn't avoid it. It was all really fun and it all went really well and it looks like we came in top five.
 
DUSTON SWANSON, No. 250 (Fouth in class. Twentieth overall. Dustin Swanson started and drove to race mile 158. Eric Dollente drove from race mile 158 to the finish.) - - CO-DRIVER ERIC DOLLENTE said: We ran the same tires the whole race. It was a fast, fast course. A lot of rocks. We tried to push a good pace, but we started to see some issues with temperatures on the transmission on the lake bed so we had to back it down a little. My section was very fast, very fun. This was a great course. This is one of the better SCORE San Felipe 250’s I have ever raced.
 
MICHAEL MARSAL, No. 236 (Fifth in class. Michael Marsal drove solo.) - - It was a good day. It was weird. We got a double flat around race mile 160 and we lost our antenna, but other than that, it was kind of a strange day. There was a ton of traffic and people all over the place. Today everyone just stayed in a line. It was a really fast race. The silt area was no where near as bad as I thought it would be. We had a great line through it. We went through it in one shot. We are excited to go to the SCORE Baja 500.
 
EJ HERBST, No. 263 (Sixth in class. Ryan Millen started and drove to race mile 120. EJ Herbst drove from race mile 120 to the finish.) - - It was a rough day, to say the least. We hit some difficulties. A couple of flats early on, and then we got stuck in the silt for a little while in an area that wasn't even silt. Ryan Millen started the race and he did pretty well, he kept a good pace, he was stuck in some dust for a little while and lost a spot or two but it was okay he kept a good pace. Better than I did and then I got in the car and pushed a little too hard. My section was good, a little torn up as the day went on but it wasn't too bad and we’d been practicing for it all week so nothing we didn't expect.
 
JASON MCNEIL, No. 200 (Seventh in class. Fifteenth overall. Jason McNeil drove solo.) - - It went as good as it could. We had some transmission overheating issues on the dry lake beds. We got two flats. You can’t win the SCORE San Felipe 250 with two flats. Not with this kind of competition. Other than that we had a great day. Eric called a great race. Congratulations to the Herbst’s. They deserve it. They had a flawless day. We were going back and forth there for a little bit.
 
ETHAN HAGLE, No. 245 (Tenth in class. Ethan Hagle drove solo.) - - It was fast. It was rough. It was typical Baja where you think you have it figured out and then you get smacked back a little. We had a couple of issues. We had a flat we fought with. We couldn’t get it off. First time with a new truck so the jack handle was a little too tight. So we lost probably ten minutes. We were on a burner run. It’s fantastic. We have done about 800 miles on this truck. First time out. We had some temperature issues we were monitoring. With those long, sandy straightaway’s. I was too dumb to back off. We lost our line going into the silt and bounced around, but we made it.
 
MASON CULLEN, No. 207 (Twelfth in class. Mason Cullen started and drove to race mile 160. Matt Cullen drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - I started and went to race mile 160. Then my Dad jumped in and did 160 to the finish. My section was good, really fast. The dust was insane this morning but other than that it was good. We got two flats before I made it to mile 80. I got reracks at BFG Pit 1 and had a clean run through there. Made it through the silt no problem, and then my Dad had a really clean run and picked off a bunch of people. I think we rolled across sixth.
 
CADE GARCIA, No. 204 (Thirteenth in class. Cade Garcia drove solo.) - - The day was going fantastic. We left fourth off the line and things were going well for the majority of the morning. Then about half-way we lost communication so we had to do hand signals. Shortly after that we lost brakes, mid-corner, of course coming in too hot. So we blew that corner and took out a tree the size of Texas. That is what happened to the hood. Other than that, no communication and no brakes, we managed and limped across the finish line and at least made it. We are in beautiful San Felipe.
 
JOSE RUVALCABA, No. 209 (Fourteenth in class. Jose Ruvalcaba drove solo.) - - I drove solo in this race, this is the first race that we run in the Spec. I don't know what place we came in but we’re here. The course was good, we didn't have any problems, we’re still just learning. My only issue is that there were no tacos out there. The truck was great. I’m really happy and the truck came across in one piece, which is all you can ask.
 
  CLASS 10 (Limited, sealed engine, single or two-seaters)
BRUCE YEE, No. 1014 (First in class. Bruce Yee drove solo.) - - The course was really complicated. After about 80 big pickups the course was in pieces. Yesterday we ran part of the course and today it's completely different, but thank God everything went well. We had no mechanical problems or flats, just two fuel stops. It's a new car for us. First race and first place. Thursday, we dedicated about five hours at race mile 130 looking for the perfect line that would work for us today and we found it. It was worth it.
 
STAN POTTER, No. 1006 (Second in class. Stan Potter drove solo.) - - To win this race, you have to be perfect and we didn’t have a perfect race. We had fuel issues and kept almost running out of gas and kept having to stop, so we had our fuel strategy messed up. But other than that the car was awesome. All our crew did an incredible job. All of our sponsors, all our partners, King Shocks, BFGoodrich tires, our Raceline Wheels are awesome. No flats. I set out this race to just race clean, because the last couple races I made mistakes that cost us a lot. I want to thank SCORE for doing an awesome job. Thank the town of San Felipe and all the fans.
 
FRANCISO VERA, No. 1000 (Third in class. Francisco Vera and Juan Sachotena shared driving duties.) - - The course was fast. There were some bad sections with a lot of dust and rocks. This race had a lot of everything. A little different to what we are accustomed to, where it's just pure whoops. This was a well sorted race course. We didn't have any mechanical problems, but we did have a flat and a broken rim around race mile 188. The car was excellent and it was prepared excellently by Alejandro. I’m really tired; I’ve been riding a motorcycle and riding in the car all week. Having ridden the motorcycle 80 to 90 miles and jumping in the car is really exhausting, but I’m very satisfied to be at the finish line. If God is willing, we’ll see you at the SCORE Baja 500.
 
JASON SHIPMAN, No. 1044 (Fourth in class. Jason Shipman drove solo.) - - We had a pretty good day. We didn’t stop for anything but fuel. AlumiCraft built us a really good car and our BFGoodrich tires were good. We didn’t have any flats. If our bodies could have taken it we would have run a little bit faster pace. It was a fun day. We didn’t have any problems in the silt; we had pre-run that a lot and knew where we were going so we didn’t have to slow down. We ran over some cactus but we have a cactus permit for that. God protected us; we had a safe race. I appreciate the people of Mexico for letting us come down here and do this.
 
TED BAKER, No. 1060 (Sixth in class. Ted started and drove to race mile 160. Tim Morton drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - CO-DRIVER TIM MORTON said: The race was pretty uneventful. No flats. We took it pretty easy. The car is having some issues. We need to work on the suspension. We had to slow down where wasn’t expecting to. We were just rubbing the belly all the time. The car would just quit randomly and we would just pull over and then it would come back on. I think all the trails down here need a big bulldozer to smooth them out.
 
  PRO UTV OPEN (two-seat unlimited UTV open-displacement) --
CAYDEN MACCACHREN, No. 1821 (First in class. Cayden MacCachren drove solo.) - - The race started last week when we found out we drew last place starting position. There were two rear-starts behind me. We knew with all the pre-running the dirt was breaking down into fine powder. It was really dusty even pre-running. We knew we would have our work cut out for us, not just with our class but with the Class 10’s starting in front of us as well. That was the name of the game for us today, we kept catching either a UTV or a Class 10, sit behind for five or ten minutes until we could find a place to get around them. In the dust the whole time. I kept thinking about my BFGoodrich tires and how they are helping me avoid rocks and when I did hit them, they just took it. No flats today. It was a good day. I kept it simple at first, then when I got to within minutes of my teammate, Brock Heger, I decided to try to go for the win. We wanted to get our Polaris factory RZR a 1-2-3 finish. I know that is hard to do. So wherever we finished today, we are in a lot better position for the start of the SCORE Baja 500. I don’t think I want to start in the back anymore. I love coming down to San Felipe. I’m staying right on the beach, eating good food and all these people are cheering me on and that makes my heart happy.
 
BROCK HEGER, No. 1896 (Second in class. Brock Heger drove solo.) - - It was great. We started ninth and by about race mile 50 we were first car on the road. And then all we were physical first. We had some problems with the gas pedal going out, but we got it back going pretty quick. I think we ended up second to my teammate, Cayden MacCachren. And I think our other teammate ended up third, so overall as a team effort, a very good day. The BFGoodrich tires were awesome. It was a good day. I think the UTVs averages 55 miles per hour all day. The silt wasn’t bad with our all-wheel-drive. This is probably the roughest SCORE San Felipe 250 I have ever run.  We are looking forward to the SCORE Baja 500.
 
BRANDEN SIMS, No. 1886 (Third in class. Branden Sims drove solo.) - - I am a little frustrated because I wanted to hit the podium and we may have ended up fourth. But we are here. The course was rough but good. There were some smooth sections to enjoy for a second and drink some water. I really like the layout of the course this year. My biggest issue was trying to find better lines. I only had two days of pre-running. That was my biggest disadvantage. I don’t think I had the best lines. Other than that, we had a good day. Just fuel and go. No issues with tires. We are ready for the SCORE Baja 500.
 
KRISTEN MATLOCK, No. 1854 (Fourth in class. Kristen Matlock drove solo.) - - It’s the SCORE San Felipe 250 so you never know how it is going to end. I’m just excited to be across the finish line. It didn’t go exactly as planned, because I didn’t finish first. But a top ten with all these fast, incredible guys out here, I feel pretty honored to be out there running, battling up front with them. Happy to be here. We had a few mechanical issues here and there but we were able to make the repairs and continue on. And we are happy to be here at the finish.
 
MAX EDDY, No. 1841 (Fifth in class. Max Eddy drove solo.) - - I got my twin in my navigation seat. We are here. It was brutal. The course is more torn up than I have ever seen it. I know we say that every year. But truly, it is beat up. Our BFGoodrich tires were amazing. This Polaris RZR got the crap beat out of it all day, our Fox shocks did amazing. All we had to do is fuel.
 
VITO RANUIO, No. 1825 (Sixth in class. Vito Ranuio drove solo.) - - First time in Baja. First race. The race went good for us. We had some little issues to deal with. It’s a tough race. Probably the most challenging race I’ve been in. The terrain, the size of the bumps, nothing else compares. Everything is ten times bigger here. Definitely a disadvantage to not have experience down here but this is how you get experience. I’d like to thank SCORE and the people of San Felipe.
 
WAYNE MATLOCK, No. 1871 (Ninth in class. Wayne Matlock drove solo.) - - It was a blast. We had a lot of fun out there. We got short-fueled in our pit and we were running top three and ran out of fuel. I know my guys are trying their hardest. So we will learn from it and be back better for the SCORE Baja 500. Overall, it was a great day of racing. I want to thank our crew and navigator and all our sponsors. We are here at the Malecon and it’s the end of a great day.
 
  PRO UTV FI (two-seat Forced Induction, OEM engine UTVs)
PHIL BLURTON, No. 2944. (First in class. Phil Blurton drove solo.) - - We started in fourth and came across the line first in our class. It was fun. A good San Felipe day full of whoops. We are in the new Maverick. We have only raced this car three times. There is no belt now so you can go really fast across the dry lake beds. There were sections that were rocky, but it’s San Felipe so it’s rough all day. We just had a couple of gas stops. No other issues.
 
EDGAR GARCIA, No. 2987. Second in class. Edgar Garcia drove solo.) - - The course was fast with a lot of rocks. We had three flats during the whole race. Besides the flats there were no other mechanical issues. We are happy to be finished. We think we came in third and we plan on using the same UTV all season. We’ll see you at the SCORE Baja 500.
 
MATT BURROUGHS, No. 2948 (Third in class. Matt Burroughs started and drove to race mile 160. Bradley Howe drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - It went good. We barely got this car three weeks ago. We were a little bit off on suspension tuning. This is a race you don’t want to have your shocks not working perfectly. But all-in-all we are pretty happy to get second. CO-DRIVER BRADLEY HOWE said: I’d like to thank SCORE on the course this year. It was different than normal, challenging and fun. Matt gave me the car in great shape in second and we just carried it forward to the end. We look forward to the SCORE Baja 500.
 
RICKY ARSLANIAN, No. 2915 (Fourth in class. Brian Cooper started and drove to race mile 200. Ricky Arslanian from race mile 200 to the finish.) - - We didn’t have any flats or any belt issues. It was a very fast course. Competitive. We had a great time out there. The washes were fun and fast. The silt beds were deep. A lot of silt coming into San Felipe. The suspension felt good. We will be at the SCORE Baja 500.
 
ERICK KOZIN, No. 2940 (Fifth in class. Erick Kozin drove solo.) - - It was good. It was fast. A good San Felipe course full of whoops and rocks. It is always a challenge to get to the finish. We are always happy to be back to the Malecon. We blew three belts, but didn’t have any tire issues. We will be back for the SCORE Baja 500.
 
BOGART ESCANDON, No. 2956 (Sixth in class. Bogart Escandon and Adrian Escandon shared riding duties.) - - The course was really difficult and demanding. We pre-ran the course yesterday and it was really fast. Today, it was completely different. It was torn apart with a lot of deep holes. It gave us problems and caused a flat at about mile 80. We were able to change the tire fast and get back on course until about mile 230 where we broke a belt. Once that was changed, we had a clean race. We plan to run the same class for the SCORE Baja 500.
 
CARLOS VILLARINO, No. 2909 (Seventh in class. Carlos Villarino drove solo.) - - The course was really fast and difficult with a lot of whoops. It was really fun and the car ran really well. We didn't have any mechanical problems or flats. We hope to come back for the SCORE Baja 500 to compete.
 
MARC BURNETT, No. 2905 (Thirteenth in class. Marc Burnett drove solo.) - - In the beginning of the race, we were passing people. When we got to about race mile 80, we were leading in our class. Then we messed up on a line and Phil Blurton passed us and we were chasing him down again and then had an axle go bad. And then another. And we didn’t have any tools so it was a rough day for us. Rodrigo Ampudia actually lent us some tools and we fixed it. I’m not happy but we are here. I wanted to go faster. It was a rough course but fast. SCORE did a wonderful job on the course.
 
  PRO UTV (two-seat Normally Aspirated, OEM engine UTVs)--
EVA MALABANAN, No. 1919 (Second in class. Eva Malabanan started and drove to race mile 160. Daniel Gutierrez drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - The race went really good. The CV boot came off and they put a seal saver on at the driver change. I want to thank my sponsors and my crew for helping me get to this race. CO-DRIVER DANIEL GUTIERREZ said: Eva drove an excellent race. For me to get in the car within minutes of the leader, and for her to be just 16-years-old and to drive in this San Felipe terrain, this is very impressive. We ran an excellent race in a well-prepped car by Eva and her family, her dad. We broke a CV at race mile 270 but brought it in intake on three-wheel drive. I want to thank Eva and the Malabanan’s to let me race with them. Eva has an amazing future ahead of her in off-road racing.
 
  CLASS 7 (unlimited, six-cylinder, production appearing trucks or SUVS) –
SCOTT BRADY, No. 703 (First in class. Scott Brady drove solo.) - - The race went excellent. We earned this one. We didn’t even have a truck until last Friday. They just finished the wiring and the tuning then. I didn’t even get to drive the truck until we crossed the border on Tuesday. So I’m super happy with the team, and the tuner stayed, I’m worried he will be divorced, he stayed with us all night getting this thing going. A big shout out to all our sponsors who help us get here and our families who support us. We only had one flat but that was my fault. We have those new Geiser on-board jacks so just push a button and the truck goes up and replace the tire and away you go with very little downtime. This was our ugly duckling on the outside but I’m happy that we finished and happy to be down here. Thank you to SCORE and San Felipe.
 
RICHARD FANT, No. 711 (Second in class. Richard Fant started and drove the first section. Jeff Stone drove the second section to the finish.) - - I drove the first section of hell. It was more whoops than I’ve seen in my whole life. Then Jeff Stone did a good job and brought us home second. The fender got beat up from just so many whoops. The tires were great. The truck held up really well. This is a great event. Thank you SCORE, thank you San Felipe.
 
  SCORE LITES (VW-powered, Limited single - 1776cc-or two-seaters-1835cc)
MARIO ALCALA, No. 1277 (First in class. Mario Alcala drove solo.) - - The course was very demanding and difficult. You have to be very careful not to make mistakes because it's really easy to get a flat or do some damage to your car. There were a lot of rocks and silt. We worked really hard to go around the silt. The car had zero problems. We didn't have to get out of the car until the finish line. We plan to run the whole season with the same car.
 
DAVID CASPINO, No. 1201 (Second in class. David Caspino started and drove to race mile 158. Jason Davis drove from race mile 158 to the finish.) - - CO-DRIVER JASON DAVIS said: The car ran flawless. There were a lot of silt beds. The worst for me was there is now a silt bed right at the end where there wasn’t before so the sand track turned into a second-gear silt bed almost all the way to the end. It was a good race. The rocks were pretty rocky. 285 miles is a long 250. It was a great race; pretty fast too. It was a combination of hard and fast.
 
  CLASS 1/2-1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc)
RAUL OJEDA, No. 1656 (First in class. Ernesto Medina started and drove to race mile 98. Alonso Angulo drove from race mile 98 to race mile 200. Raul Ojeda drove from race mile 200 to the finish.) - - My section went really well. The car drove really well, there was a lot of silt and that was our biggest problem. The car was fantastic, we didn't have any problems or inconveniences. We made a couple of adjustments and finished well. We’re going for the SCORE championship this year.
 
DANIEL REYES, No. 1643 (Second in class. Daniel Reyes drove solo.) - - We didn’t sleep yesterday because we had issues with the car. We just finished at 10am. Thank God we are at the finish line. Because we didn’t have time to test, and we had new torsion bars, we had to stop and adjust every so often. Thank you to this team. We made it to the finish.
 
  PRO STOCK UTV (Stock UTV’s FI or NA) –
KADEN WELLS, No. 3925 (First in class. Kaden Wells drove solo.) - - It was going well until the dry lake bed where I lost an axle boot. So we had to change that. From there it was smooth. We are running a stock fuel tank so we had to stop every fifty miles for fuel. My girlfriend, Emma, did an awesome job navigating. We just took it to the finish.
 
JORGE CANO, No. 3900 (Second in class. Jorge Cano started and drove to race mile 160. Panchito drove from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - We had a lot of fun. We had some suspension struggles at the start, but we were able to overcome them. We had one flat towards the end, but that’s it. We want to thank SCORE. They always take care of us. We had a good time.
 
JEREMY DAVIS, No. 3907 (Third in class. Jeremy Davis drove solo.) - - We had a couple of issues. At race mile 75, there was branch sticking out perfectly into the course and we got a flat. We get out to change it and there was fishnet wrapped all around the axle, so the axle boots were both ripped off. We changed the flat and got back going and was catching the leader. But then we stopped in the pits to change the axle. Then we got going again and then heard a noise around race mile 160 and my skid plate ripped off. So I’m getting a shovel effect so I had to rip that off. Then I got going again and was starting to catch them and then got a random flat. Changed it as fast as I could. Catching the guy back again, but then there was a big boulder in the course and I hit that and got another flat. Luckily my pit was right there and we got that changed right away. For our first in this, this is good. For San Felipe, I’ll take it. Now we will go to the SCORE Baja 500. I want to thank my sponsors.
 
ANIBAL LOPEZ, No. 3919 (Fourth in class. Anibal Lopez drove solo.) - - The course was relatively fast and we all thought it would be a really fast course but the course was completely different from what we pre-ran. After all the Specs ran through the course they left everything in shambles. From race mile 125 to about race mile 200 it was a really demanding course, where you had to really pay attention to what you were doing. After that though everything went really fast and everything went well. The silt got really bad in some sections but we’re here and have made it to the finish line. It’s the first time I do all the prep on our own, with my son. We decided to run so that we could see what we can do and how far we can push it. We had no mechanical problems or flats. We only stopped twice to get fuel. As soon as we get home we plan on taking it apart and starting all over to prep it for Ensenada. We plan to keep prepping everything together. See you at the SCORE Baja 500.
 
  CLASS 5 (Unlimited Baja Bugs, VW concept engines allowed) –
ELI YEE, No. 511 (First in class. Eli Yee drove solo.) - - We were the last car to start. I think I passed all the cars by race mile ten. I didn’t have any problems. I didn’t have to get out of the car. We are very happy. I think this is my fifth or sixth time winning this race. Thank you to all the people who always help up and my team, my family and SCORE. See you at the SCORE Baja 500.
 
MARTIN ANGUIANO, No. 525 (Second in class. Colin Cline started and drove to race mile 220. Martin Anguiano drove from race mile 220 to the finish.) - - We had no incidents. It was a fun course, like it always is in San Felipe. The car was running really good. It is a new car from Jakes. We had an excellent race. No issues. We are happy to be here. We are happy that SCORE puts on this race and we are happy to participate.
 
  CLASS 8
JOSH KLENSKE, No. 809 (First in class. Josh Klenske drove solo.) - - The course was rough, but I liked it. The silt scared me but I pre-ran it, but I chose to skip some of that and miss some VCPs and I’m glad I did. I was only getting about 25 percent throttle and I barely made it through that area. I had to back up once but I didn’t get stuck. I’m not complaining; it is off-road racing. That is what we sign up for. I spent about an hour trying to figure out what the carburetor issue is but couldn’t but it ran so I just got in it and drove it. No flat tires though.
 
  BAJA CHALLENGE (Spec, Subaru-powered Baja Touring Cars equipped with BFGoodrich Tires) –
FRANK OLAGARY, BC2 (First in class. Frank Olagary started the race and shared driving duties with Diego Olagary.) - - I started the race and drove until I got a flat, around race mile 60. Then we did a driver change. The car was good. They did a good job setting up the car. Plenty of power. We are very happy.
 
  CLASS 7F (Stock frame, 2 or 4-wheel drive mini or mid-size trucks) –
CESAR GUTIERREZ, No. 719F (First in class. Cesar Gutierrez drove solo.) - - The course was really fast and technical. There were a lot of rocks. The goal today was to finish and we finished in a good spot. The first 200 miles were run very carefully, trying to take care of the car as best as we can. From race mile 200 to the finish line was really fast. We just had one flat, but other than that, no issues. My co-drivers did an excellent job. They were essential in helping win this first place.
 
  CLASS 7SX (2 or 4-wheel drive mini or mid-size trucks) - -
ARMANDO DURON, No. 740 (First in class. Armando Duron Sr. started the race and drove to race mile 85. Israel Duron drove from race mile 85 to the finish.) - - We had minor issues, like San Felipe usually gives us. It is a back breaker, but we persevered and here we are, in first place. We are tired but it is good.
 
  CLASS 11 (stock VW sedans, safety modifications) –
OLIVER FLEMATE, No. 1105 (First in class. Antonio Espinoza started and drove to race mile ) - - It was a real tough race. Antonio started in this car and I started in my SCORE Trophy Truck but I had an issue and had to DNF. After that, I took over here at abour race mile 230. It was tough. Really gnarly. After all the cars have come through it is hard for these VWs to get through. Our transmission started to make noise. We only have 75 hp so this is challenging. We are taking the Trophy Bocho to the SCORE Baja 500.
 
 
PRO MOTORCYCLES
    PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (400cc or more)
ARTURO SALAS JR, No. 11x (First in class. Arturo Salas Jr started and rode to race mile 160. Carter Klein rode from race mile 160 to the finish.) - - CO-RIDER CARTER KLEIN said: The course was good, rocky; kind of like what we race back home. Arturo rode well in the beginning. I had to do some catch up on our section. With a two-man team we have to push hard. When Arturo came into the first pit in Chinero, the bike shut off and we had to bump it and lost 20-30 seconds.
 
AUSTIN EDDY, No. 9x (Second in class. Connor Eddy started. Jerett Megla rode the middle section to race mile 195. Austin Eddy rode from race mile 195 to the finish.) - - It was awesome. My section had like an endure-cross section, a wide-open section, a super gnarly section. It was fun chasing all these other guys around. So I’m excited to see the results, where we stand. We had an awesome motor. I prepped the bike. It was a good race. It was awesome. I love it down here.
 
FERNANDO BELTRAN, No. 8x (Third in class. Luis Flores started and rode to race mile 40. Mauri Herrera rode from race mile 40 to race mile 160. Chad Goodsell rode from race mile 160 to race mile 215. Flores rode from race mile 215 to the finish.) - - My section was rough because the first 40 miles are just whoops and rocks. They are the famous towers, the trash can, the little tree, 3 sticks. But thank God we didn't have any problems with the motorcycle or have any falls.
 
  PRO MOTO LIMITED (less than 400cc)
ARMANDO ORTIZ, No. 110x (First in class. Armando Ortiz, Andre Enrique, Tyler Perrin, and Ricardo Meza shared riding duties.) - - CO-RIDER ANDRE ENRIQUE said: t was fun. My sections were good but a little dangerous, I did have a couple of close calls on the course, like a spectator in a brown Silverado almost running me off the road and I ran into a tree. I'm still covered with twigs and leaves. Other than that, we all had a really good clean race and the bike had no issues.
 
NEITHAN DAVIS, No. 150x (Second in class. Neithan Adams, Jason Lopez, Angel Aguirre and Manuel Lopez Shared riding duties.) - - To be honest this was a very difficult course. One of our teammates had an accident ,but thank God, he’s doing alright and we're in a good position. The bike had a couple of problems. We had to switch fuels and clean out the injector, but after that things worked out. I’d like to thank all of my teammates who did a lot to be here.
 
  PRO MOTO 40 (Riders over 40 years old)
FRANCISCO SEPTIEN, No. 411x (First in class. Francisco Septien, Shane Esposito, and Jim O’Neal shared riding duties.) - - My section was really difficult and full of rocks, there were a lot of broken down vehicles along the way. CO-RIDER SHANE ESPOSITO said: My section was rough, but that's San Felipe. My first section, I wasn't feeling good. I had arm pump and didn't ride well, but the second section, and last section, rode good. We're riding a new bike and we've got some things we’ve got to learn. Definitely, for the next race, we’ll have it better. No problems with the bike; Just set-up, because it’s a new bike and we’ve never raced it down here.
 
  PRO MOTO 30 (Riders over 30 years old)
ETHAN WHEELER, No. 317x (First in class. Ethan Wheeler started and rode to race mile 90. Ryan Johnson rode from race mile 90 to race mile 200. Dustin Ashe-Everest rode from race mile 200 to the finish.) - - CO-RIDER DUSTIN ASHE-EVEREST said: Hey, it’s San Felipe. You know, it's whoops and rocks, Cholas, and more whoops and more rocks. But we wouldn't have it any other way. The motorcycle is great, got a little hot going through Huatamote Wash, but you can't beat these old carbureted kick start bikes.
 
  PRO MOTO IRONMAN (Solo Riders)
KADIN GUARD, No. 719x (First in class.) - - It was fun. It was really fast. Really sandy. Very dusty. The first half of the race we had some pretty good wind, which was hard on the bike because it kind of pushed you from side to side in the whoops. But we overcame that. It was kind of nice being a little overcast. I had one get-off around race mile 260. Nothing serious. Just got back up. Ready for more miles.
 
PATRICIO CABRERA, No. 745x (Second in class.) - - I’m really happy, I didn’t have any falls during the whole race. It was a really hard race with a lot of whoops. It was a very physical and psychological race but I’m happy to be at the finish line and I think I came in a good position. I’m healthy and safe, feeling excited for the upcoming races. The course was difficult in the beginning with lots of whoops. There was also a section with a lot of rocks that was really difficult, but I’m really happy. My objective is to win this category and to win the championship. They've told me San Felipe is the hardest and it truly felt that way. The bike ran spectacularly thanks to my mechanic Beto. I’d like to thank all of my sponsors and my dad, Mauricio, that are accompanying me from Chile.
 
MIKE FERMOILE, No. 732x (Third in class.) - - It was rough. It was everything you would expect San Felipe to be. Bob from SD Powerhouse built the bike and that was the one thing I knew was a guarantee. All I needed was gas. Bob builds a bullet-proof bike. I had no issues with it. I just had to ride it. And that was hard enough. Overall it was rough, no time to rest.
 
BRIAN ROBERTS, No. 788x (Fourth in class.) - - It's probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was good. well worth it, It's been something that we've wanted to do in the family for a long time, and we finally got to a point where we just had to pull the trigger and one of us had to do it. San Felipe is special. There is nothing easy about that track. It was so tough, but if we can do this one, we're going to keep pushing and do the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 400. We had issues during pre-running. but during the race we got it all worked out. The roads and washes were really nice. There was about ten miles where you could go about 90 miles an hour.
 
DAVID TOPETE, No. 716x (Fifth in class.) - - I really liked it I had a lot of fun. It was tiring and tough, but I enjoyed it. During my pre-running I was doing really well from race mile 200 to finish but today I got stuck in that same section for about 15 minutes. I was battling it out with two other Iron Man competitors and going up a hill. I got bad traction and fell. The motorcycle itself was excellent. I couldn't have asked for better. I’d like to thank my family and friends. I’d also like to thank all of my sponsors.
 
  PRO MOTO 50 (Riders over 50 years old)
MIKE PRUNTY, No. 547x (First in class. Mike Prunty started and handed it off to Dennis Belingheri who rode to race mile 40. Riding duties were then shared between Dal Truby, Lester Lehigh, Jeff Kelly, Nick Martin and Prunty.) - - I immediately handed the bike to Dennis Belingheri who proceeded to do a whole bunch of work and brought it to race mile 40 in front of a whole bunch of 30-year olds and second in the 40-year-olds. He was way out front, approximately a thirty minute lead. All of our riders did a great job. We had no problems at all. Lester up in the rocks; Dal up in the bike-only section up on top; Nick Martin and Jeff Kelly…everyone did their job and that’s why we won. The motorcycle was great. It’s another great SCORE San Felipe. Great people. I love this race; it is my favorite race. We start during the day and we end during the day. Everyone is together. We all go out to dinner. People are wonderful.
 
  PRO MOTO 60 (Riders over 60 years old)
MIKE KAY, No. 628x (First in class. Scott McIntosh started and rode to race mile 30. Riding duties were then shared with Mike Whitman, Mike Kay and Dave Kwast) - - Our competition smoked us at first. We were a little worried. I had pre-run the canyons and piled rocks and made a secret trail. In pre-running I could do it in five seconds but in the race it took me five minutes. It was a good line. The suspension was probably the best I have ever ridden. It was a perfect race.
 
PRO QUADS
   PRO QUAD (Open engine displacement)
SERGIO JIMENEZ, No. 39a (First in class. Sergio Jimenez, Luis “Luigi” Meza, and Nicolas Velez Shared riding duties.) - - It was a really demanding race and a really rough course, but really fast and technical. I got on the bike from mile 240 to the finish line. My section was a bit rough. It was a motorcycle section but the last 10 miles was through the regular course that had already been run through by a lot of other vehicles, so that made it difficult. I think that we, as a team, did an excellent job in getting the bike to the finish in first place. The bike was great. Various Suspensions did an excellent job. We had no problems and a clean race. I’d like to thank all our sponsors.
 
ESTEBAN RAMIREZ JR, No. 31a (Third in class. Esteban Ramirez started and shared riding duties with Hector Chavez and Omar Murillo.) - - CO-RIDER OMAR MURILLO said: First I’d like to thank everyone for all of their support. Estevan Ramirez started the race then handed off the bike to Hector Chavez and Hector Chavez Handed over the bike to me so I could bring it to the finish line. The bike ran excellently, Thanks to Tuki Prep and Various suspensions for getting everything ready. The course had a lot of everything from rocky sections to whoops. It was a really fun race.
 
   PRO QUAD IRONMAN (Open engine displacement, solo Rider)
JORGE LOPEZ, No. 91a (First in class.) - - I ran the Pro Quad Ironman and I didn't actually have competition. It was a really clean race. My goal was just to make it to the finish line. Morelia never changes, in all the time I've been racing. Just miles of whoops. It all went really well; the quad is doing great. I ran the SCORE Baja 1000 with the same motor and completed the SCORE San Felipe 250 with the same motor.