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Ampudia Bros capture overall victory at 52nd SCORE Baja 1000
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com November 25, 2019 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts
Ampudia Bros blast to overall and SCORE Trophy Truck win, Gaughan in Class 1--BFGoodrich Tires 52nd SCORE Baja 1000
264 official starters in season finale of four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship
Morgan earns 11th straight SCORE overall motorcycle win,
Lambert first overall UTV, Arellano first Quad,
other 4-wheel class winners include
Helland in SCORE TT Legend, A.J. Jones, Warren, K. Matlock, Ruvalcaba, Clifford, Johnson, Shaffer, Currie, Cafro, Hollenbeck, Novelo;
other Moto winners include Septien, Babcock, Creel, Trubey, Kaplan
Airing on ABC TV Network’s World of X Games, syndicated internationally
ENSENADA, Mexico—Hometown heroes and brothers Alan and Aaron Ampudia made some lasting history Sunday by winning the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck title in the iconic BFGoodrich Tires 52nd SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, the iconic Granddaddy of All Desert Races.
52ND BAJA MIL
The world’s most iconic, oldest, prestigious and longest continuously held desert race, this year’s epic 52nd SCORE Baja 1000 was held over a rugged 800.50-mile race course over the Northern part of Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula, starting and finishing in Ensenada, Baja California Norte.
The race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on ABC TV’s World of X Games programming on Jan. 4, 2020. Produced by SCORE in association with award-winning BCII TV, announcers will be Hall of Fame racers Cameron Steele and Ricky Johnson. Bud Brutsman is the executive producer.
Ensenada, “The Off-Road Capital of the World” is a coastal city on the Bahia de Todos Santos area of the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of the U.S. border at San Diego.
FINAL FLAG
When the final checkered flag fell, a total of 264 vehicles left the start line early Saturday morning with racers from 39 U.S. States and 22 countries. When the course closed at 11:27:28 p.m. PT on Sunday, there were 145 official finishers for a 54.92 finishing percentage, especially good considering the difficulty of the race course that was made more difficult with a 24-hour delay to the start because of more than four inches of rain that fell in the Ensenada area and around the course on Tuedsay, Wednesday and Thursday of race week.
The results were made official following complete data tracking review of the devices on each vehicle in the event early Monday morning. The final results are still pending final racer inquiries today.
AMPUDIA TRIUMPH
Second generation desert racers from Ensenada, brothers Alan, 28 and Aaron, 26 split the driving in their No. 10 Monster Energy Papas & Beer Ford Raptor built by ID Design to a winning time of 16 hours, 10 minutes and 36 seconds while averaging 49.48 miles per hour over the rugged, rain-soaked race course. Their older brother Rodrigo Ampudia, 34, was a navigator for both his brothers during parts of the race.
Alan Ampudia started the race and drove to race mile 350. Aaron Ampudia then drove from race mile 350 to race mile to 695. Alan Ampudia got back in and drove from race mile 695 to the finish line.
Both class winners in different classes, it was their first career SCORE Trophy Truck race win as the Ampudia brothers became just the third team of Mexican Nationals to win the legendary race.
First to accomplish it was the father/son team of Gustavo Vildosola Sr/Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr in 2010 and the son/father team of Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez/Juan C. Lopez at the 50th anniversary race in 2017. Both of those first two accomplishments were races that started in Ensenada and finished in La Paz.
THE PODIUM
Joining the Ampudia brothers on the podium were 2019 Dakar Rally champions Nasser Al-Attiyah/Toby Price and Luke McMillin/Larry Roeseler.
Al-Attiyah, of Qatar and Australia’s Price, finished second with a penalty-free time of 16:21:06 (48.96mph) in Jesse Jones’ new Mason-Built No. 76 Ford F-250. Jones was scheduled to drive as well but a leg injury forced him to the sidelines.
Finishing third overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck after leading much of the race, San Diego’s McMillin and Roeseler, Imperial, Calif. covered the unforgiving course in a penalty-free 16:21:33 (48.93mph), just 27 seconds behind the Dakar Duo.
MORGAN’S MOTORCYCLE MAGIC
Riding the No. 1x Honda CRF450X, Justin Morgan, 27, El Cajon, Calif. and his four-rider team raced to the overall motorcycle victory for his eighth consecutive overall motorcycle win in the SCORE World Desert Championship. The trio crossed the finish line in 17:34:28 with an average speed of 45.55mph.
Morgan split the riding with Shane Esposito, Temecula, Calif./Max Eddy Jr, Barstow, Calif. and David Kamo, Caldwell, Idaho.
Morgan started and rode to race mile 35. Shane Esposito rode from race mile 35 to race mile 200. Max Eddy Jr. rode from race mile 200 to race mile 350. David Kamo rode from race mile 350 to race mile 540 and Morgan rode again the final 260 miles to the finish line.
For Morgan it was his second overall win in the SCORE Baja 1000 while it was also the second for Esposito, third for Eddy Jr and fourth for Kamo.
Starting first among the motorcycles and never relinquishing the physical lead, the 1x team held off the field with Mexico’s Santiago Creel and his 66x team finishing second overall among the motorcycles in the elapsed time race.
Riding on KTM motorcycles, as rider of record, Creel’s teams also won the Pro Moto Limited class and were also second in Pro Moto 30.
The victory was also the 29th overall motorcycle win in this legendary race for American Honda.
7 OF TOP 10 OVERALL SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS
Besides podium finishers Ampudia, Al-Attiyah/Price and L. McMillin/Roeseler, eight of the top 10 overall four-wheel vehicle finishers were SCORE Trophy Trucks. SCORE Trophy Truck had a race-high 35 vehicles (including six in SCORE TT Legend for drivers over 50) start the race. SCORE Trophy Truck is the marquee racing division in the sport for high-tech, 950 horsepower unlimited custom trucks. The class was created by SCORE 26 years ago (1994).
Also among the top 10 overall four-wheel vehicle finishers after penalties were assessed, fourth in SCORE Trophy Truck and overall was Mike Walser, Comfort, Texas (No. 89 Chevy Silverado-Mason), fifth in SCORE Trophy Truck and overall was Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren (No. 11 Ford F-150-Geiser).
Finishing sixth in SCORE Trophy Truck and seventh overall 4-wheel vehicle was Ryan Arciero, Foothill Rancho, Calif. (No. 32 Ford F-150-Herbst-Smith), seventh in SCORE Trophy and eighth Overall was Robbie Pierce, Alpine, Calif. (No. 30 Ford Raptor-Jimco).
Sixth overall and winning the Trophy Truck Spec class was A.J. Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (No. 279 TSCO-Chevy), ninth overall and winning SCORE TT Legend was Rolf Helland, Morris, Ill. (No. 37L Ford Raptor-Geiser) and 10th overall and second in SCORE TT Legend was Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va. (No. 5L Chevy Rally Truck V-16-Geiser).
CLASS 1 SUPERLATIVE
Second generation SCORE desert racer and long-time NASCAR Cup racer Brendan Gaughan, Las Vegas, captured the unlimited Class 1 by over an hour while finishing 20th overall among four-wheel vehicles in the No. 127 Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car. His winning effort was completed in 20:57:38 (38.19mph). He defeated 12 starters in his class for his first class win in the SCORE Baja 1000.
Sharing the driving duties with Gaughan where two other desert racing veterans in R.J. Anderson, Menifee, Calif. and Buddy Feldkamp, Redlands, Calif.
OVERALL UTV
Defeating 27 starters in his class and 48 total UTVs to win the overall UTV win title in this year’s race was Justin Lambert, Bakersfield, Calif., with a winning time of 21:00:43 in his No. 2918 Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo. He also won his Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class .
AMPUDIA COMMENTS
Enjoying his joyous victory celebration with his father, brothers, team and family at the finish line, Alan Ampudia commented, “It was the gnarliest day ever. This is a dream come true. This has been a dream for us since we were little. Watching Ivan Stewart, Robby Gordon and all the legends in this sport has inspired us. To be able to come out here with a stacked field like it was today and come out on top through all the elements Baja threw at us this year with the rain and the mud, it was crazy. There are so many stories to be told and this is the greatest desert race in the world. Me and Tavo (Vildosola Jr) battled for miles. Our truck was amazing. It was on rails today. The puddles were insane.”
Aaron Ampudia said at the finish line, “Alan gave me the truck in first place physical and on time. When I got out we had a fourteen minute lead on Luke (McMillin) and about an hour on everyone else. We pushed and made a little mistake. We had to stop and got some help from the MacCachren team so we really appreciate those guys. We got back to our pit and fixed the issues. It was a great day. We knew we had to put in a clean, solid race to have a chance to win and that’s what we went out and did.”
MORGAN REFLECTIONS
Leading his team to its eighth consecutive overall win and the Pro Moto Unlimited race win in SCORE races over two years, Morgan reflected after the race, “It was really good conditions. I was expecting more mud but it was really good in the desert. I would never have thought I would have eight wins. We lost a lot of races to learn how to win them so it is finally paying off."
SCORE TT LEGEND
Earning their first class win in the SCORE TT Legend class for SCORE Trophy Truck drivers over 50 years old was the team of Rolf Helland, Morris, Ill. and Rick D. Johnson, Barstow, Calif. They won their class over a field of six starters in their No. 37L Ford Raptor (Geiser).
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC BATTLE
In a class with 22 starters, winning the Trophy Truck Spec class for the second time this season was A.J. Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz. in the 279 TSCO-Chevy. He finished the race with a penalty-free class-winning time 17:53:57 (44.72mph). Jones also finished sixth overall among four-wheel vehicles
Second was Sara Price, Canyon Lake, Calif. who drove solo the entire season earning four second-place finishes in the No. 204 Geiser-Chevy. A surprise third was Jeff Bader, Lader Ranch, Calif. in the No. 261 Brenthel-Chevy.
THREE TIMER
Winning for the third time in four races in the 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship was Jason Trubey, Henderson, Nev. (Pro Moto 40, No. 444x Husqvarna FE501).
SALIDA Y LA META
This year’s race started for the 45th time and finished for the 26th time in Ensenada, Baja California. The start/finish line compound will once again be adjacent to the picturesque Bahia de Todos Santos one side and to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero in the heart of Ensenada.
PRO MOTO IRONMAN
Winning the Pro Moto Ironman class over a field of 15 solo riders was Arthur Babcock, Las Vegas, in a Honda CRF450X. In earning his first SCORE race win Babcock covered the rugged 800.50-mile course in a penalty-free 23:14:13.
SPORTSMAN WINNERS
This year’s 52nd SCORE Baja 1000 included 31 Sportsman racers competing in six total classes. Fastest Sportsman class winners were Carlos Silva, Mexicali, Mexico (SPT M/C, Honda CRF450X), Danny Magdalena, Acton, Calif. (SPT Quad, Honda TRX450R) and Oscar Ramirez, Mexico (SPT UTV Stock, Can-Am X3).
GLOBAL PARTICIPATION
Officially in Ensenada, there were racers from 39 U.S. States and 22 countries competing.
In addition to the United States and host country Mexico, the other countries with racers competing were Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, England, Finland, France, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Qatar and Spain. .
MORE CLASS WINNERS
Among the other class winner in 4-wheel vehicle classes were: Casey Currie, Norco, Calif. (Hammer Truck Unlimited, Jeep Wrangler), Darren Skilton, Long Beach, Calif. (SCG Boot-Chevy), Chase Warren, Phoenix (Class 10, Alumi Craft-Chevy), Greg Sullivan, Helena, Mont. (Class 5, unlimited VW Baja Bug), J. David Ruvalcaba, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 1/2-1600, VBR-VW), Jim Butler, Buena Vista, Colo. (SCORE Lites, Jimco-VW), Kristen Matlock, Alpine, Calif. (Pro UTV NA, Polaris RZR XP4 1000), Herman Johnson, Rio Rancho, N.M. (Pro UTV Unlimited, Can-Am X3), Lance Clifford, Hurricane, Utah (Baja Challenge, BTC-Subaru), Mike Cafro, Fallbrook, Calif. (Pro UTV Stock), Gerardo Novelo, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 7SX, Nissan Frontier), Ruben Garcia, Downey, Calif. (Class 5-1600, VW Baja Bug) and Dennis Hollenbeck, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 11, VW Sedan).
Among the other motorcycle class winners were: Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico (Pro Moto 30, Honda CRF450X) and Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Pro Moto 50, Honda CRF450X).
Winning the Pro Quad class for the second straight race was Adolfo Arellano, Tijuana, Mexico (Pro Quad, Honda TRX450R).
CHALLENGING COURSE
As it has for over four and one-half decades, SCORE has put together another memorable race course for the 52nd anniversary, this one a loop race, with all of the foreboding, unforgiving terrain and inspiring beauty that the northern state of the majestic Baja California peninsula has to offer.
SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva has designed and finalized this year’s race course of 800.5 miles. The course has three physical checkpoints and approximately 281 virtual checkpoints along the way to the finish line.
Starting and finishing in the heart of Ensenada adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, the course traveled East to Ojos Negros and then ran counter-clockwise in a weaving route around both the West and then the East side of the northern part of the peninsula.
The course ran in a counter-clockwise direction after the two-way section to the Ojos Negros area and down along the Pacific Ocean through Uruapan, Santo Tomas, Erendira, Santo Domingo Wash and San Quintin.
From there it traveled Northeast going by Rancho El Coyote, across and around Mike’s Sky Rancho, down by Simpson’s Ranch. The route then continues up to a speed zone on Highway 3 before going down over Laguna Del Diablo through Morelia Junction down and back up past San Felipe before heading back up through Laguna Salada, then South back through Santa Catarina to Ojos Negros and the finish on the two-way section back into Ensenada.
The course also went through two of Baja California’s infamous washes on the east side of the course—Matomi Wash and Amarillas Wash.
The three physical checkpoints were located starting with Checkpoint 1 which was near Vicente Guerrero (race mile 224.25), Checkpoint 2 was at the El Chinero Highway 3 Road Crossing (rm535.94) and Checkpoint 3 was near Santa Catarina (rm 708.47).
Because of two extremely challenging areas on the course, Class 7SX, Baja Challenge, Class 9, Class 11, Vintage Classes and all Sportsman classes ran a reduced course of 701.48 total miles.
SCOREscope
2020 SCHEDULE
Here is the four-race 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the fifth consecutive year all races will be held in Baja California, Mexico:
- 34th SCORE San Felipe 250, March 25-29, San Felipe, Mexico
- BFGoodrich Tires 52nd SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, June 3-7, Ensenada, Mexico
- 2nd SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 16-20, Ensenada, Mexico
- BFGoodrich Tires 53rd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.16-21, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, Ensenada, Baja California to La Paz, Baja California Sur
SCORE Baja 1000 All-Time Overall Champions
(4-wheel and 2-wheel vehicles--1967 through 2019)
YEAR DRIVERS/RIDERS VEHICLE TIME
1967 Vic Wilson/Ted Mangels Meyers Manx-VW 27:38
J.N. Roberts/Malcolm Smith Husqvarna 28:48
1968 Larry Berquist/Gary Preston Honda 20:38:28
Larry Minor/Jack Bayer Ford Bronco 21:11:32
1969 Larry Minor/Rod Hall Ford Bronco 20:48:10
Gunnar Nilsson/J.N. Roberts Husqvarna 21:35:52
1970 Drino Miller/Vic Wilson Miller-VW 16:07
Mike Patrick/Bill Bowers Yamaha 18:31
1971 Parnelli Jones/Bill Stroppe Ford Bronco 14:59
Malcolm Smith/Gunnar Nilsson Husqvarna 16:51
1972 Parnelli Jones/Bill Stroppe Ford Bronco 16:47
Gunnar Nilsson/Rolf Tibblin Husqvarna 19:19
1973 Bobby Ferro/Johnny Johnson Funco-VW 16:50:25
Mitch Mayes/A.C. Bakken Husqvarna 18:42:51
1974 NO RACE
1975 Al Baker/ Gene Cannady Honda 18:22:55
Malcolm Smith/Dr. Bud Feldkamp Hi-Jumper-VW 18:55:49
1976 Larry Roeseler/Mitch Mayes Husqvarna 11:30:47
Ivan Stewart Chenowth-VW 12:17:28
1977 Brent Wallingsford/Scot Harden Husqvarna 14:37:07
Malcolm Smith/Dr. Bud Feldkamp Funco-VW 15:10:42
1978 Larry Roeseler/Jack Johnson Husqvarna 10:23:47
Mark Stahl Chenowth-VW 12:55:42
1979 Larry Roeseler/Jack Johnson Husqvarna 19:48:04
Walker Evans/Bruce Florio Dodge pickup 20:48:27
1980 Larry Roeseler/Jack Johnson Yamaha 12:45:13
Mark Stahl Chenowth-VW 13:33:55
1981 Scot Harden/Brent Wallingsford Husqvarna 17:14:05
Mark McMillin/Thomas Hoke Chenowth-VW 20:29:14
1982 Al Baker/Jack Johnson Honda 17:25:27
Mickey Thompson/Terry Smith Raceco-VW 19:40:23
1983 Dan Smith/Dan Ashcraft Husqvarna 14:48:10
Mark McMillin/Ralph Paxton Chenowth-VW 17:35:06
1984 Chuck Miller/Randy Morales Honda 14:34:34
Mark McMillin/Ralph Paxton Chenowth-VW 16:27:09
1985 Randy Morales/Derrick Paiement Honda 17:44:42
Steve Sourapas/Dave Richardson Raceco-VW 17:54:55
1986 Bruce Ogilvie/Chuck Miller Honda 18:05:52
Mark McMillin/Ralph Paxton Chenowth-Porsche 18:26:28
1987 Dan Ashcraft/Bruce Ogilvie Honda 12:02:14
Bob Gordon/Malcolm Smith Chenowth-Porsche 13:15:04
1988 Paul Krause/Larry Roeseler/Danny LaPorte Kawasaki 11:33:45
Mark McMillin Chenowth-Porsche 13:07:09
1989 Larry Roeseler/Danny LaPorte/Ted Hunnicutt Jr. Kawasaki 17:53:16
Robby Gordon Ford Truck 18:04:07
1990 Larry Roeseler/Ted Hunnicutt Jr./Danny LaPorte Kawasaki 11:11:45
Bob Gordon/Robyn Gordon/Robby Gordon Chenowth-Chevy 12:30:45
1991 Larry Roeseler/Ted Hunnicutt Jr./Marty Smith Kawasaki 13:35:25
Larry Ragland Chevrolet pickup 16:37:35
1992 Danny Hamel/Garth Sweetland/Paul Ostbo Kawasaki 16:50:12
Paul & Dave Simon Ford truck 16:53:02
1993 Ivan Stewart Toyota SR5 13:29:11
Danny Hamel/Larry Roeseler/Ty Davis Kawasaki 13:57:23
1994 Danny Hamel/Larry Roeseler/Ty Davis Kawasaki 10:20:47
Jim Smith (SCORE Trophy Truck) Ford 10:28:56
Dave Ashley/Dan Smith Ford truck 10:43:43
1995 Paul Krause/Ty Davis/Ted Hunnicutt Jr. Kawasaki 19:31:19
Larry Ragland (SCORE Trophy Truck) Chevy 20:14:12
Dale White Chevy Truck 21:57:03
1996 Paul Krause/Ty Davis/Greg Zitterkopf Kawasaki 14:11:02
Larry Ragland (SCORE Trophy Truck) Chevy 14:38:59
Ryan Thomas Chenowth-VW 15:53:56
1997 Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab/Greg Bringle Honda 13:19:59
Larry Ragland (SCORE Trophy Truck) Chevy 13:53:46
Doug Fortin Chenowth-VW 14:31:02
1998 Johnny Campbell/Jimmy Lewis Honda 18:58:48
Ivan Stewart Toyota truck 19:08:20
1999 Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab Honda 14:15:42
Larry Ragland Chevy truck 14:26:36
2000 Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab/Craig Smith, Steve Hengeveld Honda 30:54:12
Dan Smith/Dave Ashley Ford truck 32:15:39
2001 Johnny Campbell/Tim Staab Honda 13:51:40
Doug Fortin/Charlie Townsley Jimco Chevy truck 14:35:42
2002 Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell/Andy Grider Honda 16:17:28
Dan Smith/Dave Ashley, Ford truck 16:19:03
2003 Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell/Bruce Ogilvie Honda 15:39:52
Doug Fortin/Charlie Townsley Jimco-Chevy 16:24:02
2004 Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell/Kendall Norman, Honda 15:57:37
Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler, Smithbuilt-Ford 16:18:14
2005 Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell/Mike Childress, Honda 14:20:30
Larry Roeseler/Troy Herbst, Smithbuilt-Ford 15:06:19
2006 Steve Hengeveld/ Mike Childress/Quinn Cody, Honda 18:17:50
Andy McMillin/Robby Gordon, Chevy truck 19:15:17
2007 Robby Bell/Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell/Kendall Norman, Honda 24:15:50
Mark Post/Rob MacCachren/Carl Renezeder, Ford truck 25:21:25
2008 Robby Bell/Kendall Norman/Johnny Campbell, Honda 12:29:18
Roger Norman/Larry Roeseler, Ford truck 12:40:33
2009 Kendall Norman/Timmy Weigand/Quinn Cody, Honda 13:27:50
Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, Chevy truck 14:19:50
2010 Gus Vildosola Jr./Gus Vildosola Sr., Ford truck 19:00:04
Kendall Norman/Quinn Cody, Honda 19:20:52
2011 Kendall Norman/Quinn Cody/Logan Holladay, Honda 14:14:25
Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, Ford truck 14:51:36
2012 B.J. Baldwin, Chevy truck 20:00:59
Colton Udall/Timmy Weigand/David Kamo, Honda 20:09:30
2013-Tim Weigand/Colton Udall/David Kamo/Mark Samuels, Honda 18:29:14
B.J. Baldwin, Chevy Truck, 18:36:30
2014-Rob MacCachren/Andy McMillin/Jason Voss, Ford truck 22:31:28
Ricky Brabec/Robby Bell/Steve Hengeveld/Max Eddy Jr., Kawasaki 24:24:01
2015-Rob MacCachren/Andy McMillin, Ford truck 15:58:32
Colton Udall/Mark Samuels/Justin Jones, Honda 16:29:08
2016- Rob MacCachren/Jason Voss, Ford truck 17:12:58
Colton Udall/Mark Samuels/Justin Jones/Daymon Stokie/David Kamo, Honda 18:16:42
2017- Carlos ‘Apdaly Lopez/Juan C. Lopez, Chevy truck 19:53:36
Francisco Arredondo/Shane Esposito/Justin Morgan/Max Eddy Jr/Ty Davis, Honda 21:07:17
2018- Justin Morgan/Mark Samuels/Justin Jones, Honda 16:23:26
Cameron Steele/Pat Dean, Ford truck 16:24:02
2019-Alan Ampudia/Aaron Ampudia/Rodrigo Ampudia, Ford truck 16:10:36
Justin Morgan/Shane Esposito/David Kamo/Max Eddy Jr, Honda 17:34:28
NOTE: 1994-1997, SCORE Trophy Truck competed as its own series