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G.O.A.T. Rob MacCachren Leading Newest Entries for SCORE Baja 400
ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico— August 3, 2022. Just one week into a very active online racer registration, the newest early entries for September’s 3rd SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels, include the G.O.A.T. of desert racing, two members of the Desert Assassins race team, Class 7 Master Daniel Chamlee and additional SCORE champion racers Craig Scanlon, RPM Racing’s Justin Matney, Jano Montoya and father/son duo Joe Bolton/Austin Bolton. WHEN The youngest race in the long and storied nearly 50-year history of the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization will be held Sept. 13-18 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. EARLY BIRDS Among the latest of the 64 of the over 225 official entries expected in this newest of the legendary SCORE Baja races are Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren, the winningest all-time off-road racer in SCORE Trophy Truck, Desert Assassins team members Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif. and Bobby Pecoy, Yorba Linda, Calif. in separate SCORE Trophy Trucks, Daniel Chamlee, Montecito, Calif., in Class 7, Craig Scanlon, Helena, Mont. (Orange, Calif.) in Pro UTV Open, Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn., in SCORE Trophy Truck, Jano Montoya, Winter Park, Fla. (Peru, Pro Moto 30) and Joe Bolton and his son Austin Bolton, both of Corona, Calif., in Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspirated). WHAT Online racer registration along with a detailed schedule of events both are available on the SCORE website for Round 3 of the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship. Entries from all across the United States and around the world are anticipated for the upcoming internationally-televised desert race in Mexico’s Baja California. Inaugurated in 2019, the SCORE Baja 400 was not held in 2020 because of the international pandemic and in 2021 started and finished without spectators Northeast of the central city. The two defending overall and SCORE Trophy Truck champions in this new race are Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif. (2019) and Las Vegas’ Bryce Menzies (2021). ONLINE RACER REGISTRATION Online registration, by class, for Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads, is ongoing through the SCORE website. Information on all SCORE races can be found on the home page under the Race Info tab. Online racer registration will close at 5 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Aug. 31. In person registration will be held in the SCORE Ensenada office until 5 p.m. PDT on Thursday, Sept. 8. For more info, visit https://score-international.com/raceinfo/2022-baja-400-sept-13-18-2022/ WHERE The race and pre-race festivities will be in the heart of Ensenada, the seaside port on the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of San Diego. All race festivities including racer registration, media registration pre-race contingency and the start/finish line compound will all be held in or adjacent to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Contingency and the start/finish line area will once again be the fantastic, fan-friendly Boulevard Costero. THE FIELD Nearly 225 vehicles are expected at the start line for this third-time SCORE race with racers from as many as 20 U.S. States and 10 countries anticipated. Pro and Sportsman Classes are offered for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads. In just one week since online registration opened, there are racers from 13 U.S. States, host country Mexico, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, New Zealand and Peru. DOUBLE DIGITS Leading the list of entries with double-digit lineups so far are SCORE Trophy Truck with 28 entries (including four in SCORE TT Legend for drivers over 50 years old) and Trophy Truck Spec with 14 entries. G.O.A.T.— ROB MAC Seeming to set another record each time he dons his driver’s suit and straps on his helmet, MacCachren, 57, the unchallengeable G.O.A.T. of this sport, is the winningest off-road racer in history with 314 career race wins in the desert, stadium and short-course racing. A driving force in the sport and proven winner since his youthful days in the early 1980s as a valet parking attendant at Michael Gaughan’s old Gold Coast Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, MacCachren has a SCORE-record 19 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins including the 1994, 2018 and 2021 SCORE Trophy Truck season point championships. He is also one of just nine all-time winners of the SCORE Triple Crown of Baja. The award honors the individuals who have won the overall victory at the all three traditional SCORE Baja races—the SCORE San Felipe 250, the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 1000. MacCachren is behind the wheel of his durable and dependable No. 1 BFGoodrich Tires Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy Truck built by Geiser Brothers of Phoenix. His race truck is prepped by Las Vegas’ Collins Motorsports. In this year’s season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250, mild-mannered Rob Mac finished fourth out of 42 starters in the marquee racing division for high-tech, 1000-horsepower, unlimited custom trucks. The ‘Mac Attack’ followed that finish by winning the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck class in the SCORE Baja 500 and currently leads the season point standings in his class of thoroughbreds. In the SCORE Baja 400, Rob Mac finished 11th in 2019 and on the podium in third place last year. DA—DESERT ASSASSINS… …STEELE He may not play a musical instrument or carry a note singing, yet he is another of the many second-generation SCORE desert racers. Cameron ‘Steely Cam’ Steele is not only a two-time SCORE Trophy Truck race winner he is also the affable leader of the Desert Assassins race team. He also finds time to help operate his SoCal Baja HQ aftermarket company, lead both an annual motorcycle and an annual truck tour down the Baja peninsula, emcee numerous events, host live stream internet shows, and is an action sport TV commentator who has announced a variety of competitions from IndyCar to the X-Games to SCORE race coverage shows. Steele is the regular intro announcer for the telecasts of the SCORE races. As far as racing is concerned, Steele, 54, of San Clemente, Calif., loves to stay busy and in years past has competed and had podium finishes in multiple classes in the same race, but now focuses on his No. 16 Monster Energy Desert Assassins Ford Raptor, built by Geiser Bros, in SCORE Trophy Truck. Steele won the last two SCORE Trophy Truck races of the 2018 season after finishing second in the iconic 50th anniversary of the legendary SCORE Baja 1000 in 2017. Steele’s second driver will be third-generation champion racer Ryan Arciero, 48, Foothill Ranch, Calif., who has four career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins. Steele finished sixth in the 2019 SCORE Baja 400 driving solo and sixth again in last year’s race, splitting the driving with Arciero. …PECOY After missing the first two races this year because of business commitments, Bobby Pecoy, Yorba Linda, Calif., a veteran DA racer returns for the SCORE Baja 400, driving the No. 14 Monster Energy Desert Assassins Ford Raptor, also built by Geiser bros. A prominent entrepreneur who spends much of his time in Texas, has several top finishes in SCORE Trophy Truck over the six years he has been racing in the sports’ premier racing class including finishing fourth place with Cameron Steele in last year’s SCORE Baja 1000. Pecoy finished 10th in SCORE Trophy Truck in the 2019 SCORE Baja 400 and 19th out of 30 starters in last year’s race. CLASS 7 MASTER Veteran SCORE champion Daniel Chamlee, 60, of Montecito, Calif. has entered again in Class 7 in his No. 700 The Factory Racing Ford Ranger in this year’s SCORE Baja 500. Chamlee has driven consistently to earn 17 SCORE Class 7 season point championships in the last 18 years. In this year’s season-opener in San Felipe, Chamlee was on the podium again, finishing third in Class 7. In June’s SCORE Baja 500, Chamlee earned another Class 7 victory to add to his legacy. In his career has also earned seven Rod Hall SCORE Milestone Awards, for racers who complete every required mile for that season. Chamlee enters this year’s SCORE Baja 400 undefeated in Class 7 in SCORE’s newest Baja race having won his class by large margins in both 2019 and 2021. SCANLON WANTS MORE Automotive industry key executive Craig Scanlon, 48, Helena, Mont./Orange, Calif., currently with 4 Wheel Parts, has moved to the Pro UTV Open class this season in his No. 1831 4 Wheel Parts Polaris RZR Turbo. His teammate who will drive once again is Keith Redstrom, 54, Glendale, Ariz. The pair won the Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class in the 2019 SCORE Baja 500 for the only SCORE race win to date. In the SCORE Baja 400, racing in the Pro UTV FI class, Scanlon finished 12th and was a DNF last year. So far in the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship, Scanlon has a pair of third-place podium finishes and is currently in third place in the Pro UTV Open class point standings. RPM RACING-MATNEY After a sabbatical of some time, RPM Racing’s champion Justin Matney, 36, is returning to SCORE Baja racing, having entered his No. 4 RPM Racing Chevy V16 in SCORE Trophy Truck built by Geiser Bros for the SCORE Baja 400. With team partner Clyde Stacy, RPM Racing has been a dominate team for over a decade in SCORE racing. Matney has earned six career SCORE season point championships with one in 2009, three during the 2011 season and one each in the 2012 and 2014 SCORE World Desert Championship. Their absence has been from a combination of reasons including some health-related issues, expanding business operations as well as waiting for new vehicles to be built. REID READY Cody Reid is officially racing without his mother Shelby Reid as a teammate again for the SCORE Baja 400. After racing in separate classes for a several years, Cody Reid, 29, Yucca Valley, Calif. was reunited last year with his mom to form a very formidable unlimited Class 1 team. The Reids debuted their No. 168 Chevy-powered Alumi Craft AWD open-wheel desert race car by winning their class in the 2021 SCORE San Felipe 250 Shelby Reid, 54, is also a former SCORE class point champion and has decided to retire from behind the wheel. After a DNF in this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250, the Reids were scheduled to split the driving in the SCORE Baja 500, but Shelby dropped out because of a family issue that came up during race week and Colby Reid roared to the Class 1 victory driving solo at this year’s SCORE Baja 500. In the 2019 SCORE Baja 400, Cody Reid finished second in Class 10. In last year’s SCORE Baja 400, Cody Reid drove solo and finished on the podium in third place in Class 1. BOLTON FATHER/SON Another successful paring of a father and son team in SCORE racing, former vet motorcycle champion Joe Bolton, 65, and his son Austin, 27, are leading the SCORE point standings this year in the Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspirated) class. So far in 2022, the Boltons won the season opener in their class and finished second in this year’s SCORE Baja 500. Joe Bolton raced SCORE motorcycles when he was younger and his biggest class win was when he won the Pro Moto Limited class in the 1985 SCORE Baja 1000. The Boltons are sharing the driving in the No. 1957 Polaris RZR XP1000 UTV this season. MONTOYA Veteran SCORE motorcycle champion Jano Montoya, 50, enters this year’s SCORE Baja 400 leading the points as the rider of record with his team in the Pro Moto 30 class for riders over 30 years old. In the 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship, Montoya and company have won both races so far. Montoya has three career SCORE season class point titles (2016, 2017 and 2018). Riding as teammates with Montoya for this year’s race will be Bryce Stavron, 32, San Clemente, Calif., Kyle Tichenor, 31, Mesquite, Nev. and David Zarate, 35, La Paz, Mexico. In the SCORE Baja 400, Montoya finished sixth in class in 2019 and second in last year’s race. Montoya and his team will be riding on the No. 325x KTM 450EXC motorcycle. GREEN FLAG It is an elapsed-time race with staggered starts with the green flag dropping on Saturday (Sept. 18). Ceremonial start in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center will be 5:30 a.m. PT for Motorcycles and Quads and 9:15 a.m. PT for the Cars, Trucks and UTVs. here will be a minimum of three and one-half hours between the last SPT Quad and the first SCORE Trophy Truck. Car, Truck and UTV classes will have a course of approximately 394 miles while motorcycle and quad classes will have a race course of approximately 370 miles. All classes will have a time limit of 19 hours from the time each vehicle starters to become an official finisher in the race. TV The race will air domestically on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the World of X Games program on ESPN2 and will be syndicated internationally to nearly 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, South America and Asia. Co-producing the shows with SCORE is the award-winning BCII TV of Los Angeles led by executive producer Bud Brutsman. START GRID-SCORE BAJA 1000 The results of the SCORE Baja 400 also will determine the start order within each class for November’s iconic season-ending BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. DRAW DEADLINE The starting order within each class for this race (except for the classes that are qualifying), will be determined by a random drawing for those entries received online and paid in full by 5 p.m. (PDT) on Wednesday, August 31. No additional online entries will be accepted after 5 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, August 31. Late, on-site racer registration will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Sept. 13-16). In person registration is also being held in the SCORE Ensenada office until 5 p.m. PDT on Thursday, Sept. 8. PRE-RUNNING Official practice, or pre-running, on the official 394-mile race course for this year’s 3rd SCORE Baja 400 will open at 8 a.m. PDT on Saturday, Sept. 3. Pre-running will start at race mile 33.14. The first 33.14 miles, which will be used in both directions during the race, will be available for pre-running only on Thursday (Sept. 15) and Friday (Sept. 16) and only in the outbound direction. QUALIFYING Qualifying for starting positions within their respective classes will be held on Wednesday (Sept. 14), starting at 8 a.m. PDT. Classes that will be qualifying for the 3rd SCORE Baja 400 are SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, the unlimited Class 1 and the Trophy Truck Spec class. MAIN COURSE The race will feature a course, when fully plotted and then marked over the next several weeks by SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva, of 394 miles of rugged Baja California terrain (370 for motorcycles and quads). The challenging race course will be another memorable example of all that Mexico’s Baja California has to offer, including high-speed dirt trails, sandy, rocky and silty natural terrain, majestic Baja washes and canyons, stretches along the seashore with elevations from sea level to over 3,000 feet. The course will be another jewel reflecting the stark beauty of Baja California. A HAPPENING… Colorful race week festivities will start on Tuesday, Sept. 13 to help celebrate this newest SCORE Baja race. They will be held in or adjacent to the landmark Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada. Chassis inspections and pre-tech/Stella devise check and installation will be held on Wednesday (Sept. 14) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT by appointment and on Thursday (Sept. 15) chassis inspection/pre-tech/Stella bracket check and installation will be held at a location to be determined. Friday (Sept. 16) will see the colorful day-long, pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and contingency festival in the start finish line area in Ensenada. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT contingency row will be held for all classes. Tech inspection/Transponder checks/Stella/SPICA device pickup will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PDT on Friday as well at the end of the manufacturer’s row. During the race on Saturday, Sept. 17 until the course closes on Sunday morning, Sept. 18, the start/finish line compound will include the massive double-sided SCOREvision LED screen broadcasting race festivities, the start, live race action from around the course and finish line interviews. Popular Rat Sult will once again serve as host of the SCORE Live streaming. Assisting Sult will be veteran voice Dave Arnold. Contingency and the race itself will be streamed live, airing via the internet on the SCORE website. Included in the exclusive race coverage, along with vehicle tracking, will be live drone and in-car camera footage from various locations around the race course. AT THE RIVIERA… The historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, in the heart of Ensenada, will again be the site of many of the activities surrounding the 3rd SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels. Racer registration and media registration will both be held in Salon Rojo on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Sept. 13-16). On Tuesday (Sept. 13 for qualifying teams only) racer registration will be held from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT. On Wednesday (Sept. 14) it will run from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT, Thursday (Sept. 15) it will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT and on Friday (Sept. 16) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday, no new entries will be accepted after 7 p.m. PDT, on Thursday after 4 p.m. PDT and on Friday, no new entries will be accepted after 3 p.m. PDT. SCORE Media Registration will be held in Salon Rojo at the Riviera on Tuesday and Wednesday (Sept. 13-14) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PDT and on Thursday and Friday (Sept. 15-16) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT. The start/finish line for the race will once again be adjacent to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero. SCOREscope 2022 SCHEDULE Here are the remaining two dates in the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship which is being held exclusively in Baja California, Mexico for the seventh consecutive year:
- 3rd SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels—
- BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
- Schedule of Events• (as of 8/3/22) (all times PDT)