Finish Line Quotes -- 2023 SCORE Baja 500

Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’ BFGoodrich Tires 55^th SCORE Baja 500 473.67 miles - Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico Finish Line Quotes June 3-4, 2023

  SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (Unlimited Custom Trucks) BRYCE MENZIES, No. 7 (First in class. First overall. Bryce Menzies drove solo.) – It started out pretty good and then I earned myself a flat. It set ourselves back a little and then we had to put a little charge on, which was fun at the beginning. We caught back up to Alan (Ampudia, No. 10) and he had an issue, he was pulled over, and Luke (McMillin, No. 1) was about two and a half minutes ahead, so I knew I had a long way to catch him. I ran up in his dust up and over the Summit (race mile 100) and then he started to slow down a little bit, I think he had an issue. When I went to go around him, I clipped a rock and bent my steering, so it was off all day. Once we got by him, we were very confident and we just put on a good charge and once we got Borrego (race mile 210) we heard we were about ten minutes ahead of everyone else, so I backed it off quite a bit going through San Felipe (race mile 240) because it was brutal there. When we got to Valle de la Trinidad (race mile 280) and made it to beach, it was super smooth. I took my eye off the ball for a second and clipped a massive rock. I thought I had broken something on the right rear, but fortunately it was just a rim and a tire. We got that back on and just cruised to the finish. The coast section, I hadn’t done it since 2015, and it was one of the coolest sections in my life. We had some close calls here and there, but overall, it was an awesome day. Coming to the finish to win my fourth SCORE Baja 500 was really special. I was looking for redemption and I redeemed myself today. MIKE WALSER, No. 87 (Second in class. Mike Walser started and drove to race mile 283. Ray Griffith drove from race mile 283 to the finish.) – It was a good race for us. We had a lot of slow trucks in front of us, so the first few guys got away from us and it took us a while to get through all of them. I passed four trucks coming down the Summit (race mile 100), which was huge, and then I got by Rob MacCachren (No. 24) twice because I had a flat and that’s the greatest of all-time. After I got by Roeseler (Larry, No. 43), we got some clean air. We made about three and a half minutes up on Bryce (Menzies, No. 7), but he had a huge lead and I then Ray got into the truck. We’re preparing to team up for the SCORE Baja 1000 and he needs some experience in race conditions, but he did pretty well in taking it to the finish. I really loved the course and I can’t say that about every course. There were some technical sessions, but after the Summit (race mile 100), I really had a good time. LARRY ROESELER, No. 43 (Third in class. Larry Roeseler drove solo) – It’s awesome to be in Ensenada right now. It was a really tough race. Every race is tough in its own way, but this one took it to another level. What made it a little bit tougher for us was that at race mile 80 I got a hit the corner really hard and it broke something on the steering wheel. I had very little feel of the road and I’d turn the wheel and nothing would happen. I really had a hard time steering it and couldn’t go as hard as I wanted to. We just dealt with it the best we could and kept pushing. We had no mechanics and no flats and we got to thank BFGoodrich for that. I’m pretty beat up, this was a tough race. With the steering issue, it was twice the effort on my part to keep it on the road. It was very stressful too. If we end up at the podium, I’ll be so pleased. LUKE McMILLIN, No. 1 (Fourth in class. Luke McMillin drove solo.) – It was a rough day, definitely not our best one. We were up front, just cruising along and doing our thing. Bryce (Menzies, No. 7) was coming after us and going down the Summit (race mile 100) and our power steering pump just went down and that was it. We had to change it and I don’t know how long it took, but once we got going again, we were in the very back of the pack. We just started charging through the desert and made up a lot of time, but then I hit a rock. We did the rest of the race on three breaks and ended up losing fourth and fifth gears. We had a little bit of everything, but the power steering pump issue was extremely disappointing. It’s just a reoccurring issue for many of us. Every race is a learning experience, so we’ll try and take what we learned and apply it in the next race. I really wanted to win the SCORE Baja 500 today and earn the Triple Crown, but it didn’t happen, Baja won this time. We’ll just go back, get back to work and try again. ROBERTO ROMO JR, No. 33 (Fifth in class. Roberto Romo Jr drove solo) – It was a very fast course and it demanded a lot from us. It was hard, but we’re here. The most difficult section was around race mile 77 because there were so many rocks and we had to take good care of the track. I had a lot of fun on the coast section. It was very fast and there were a lot of fans out there. We only had a flat tire and that’s all. STEVE OLLIGES, No. 51 (Sixth in class. Steve Olliges started and drove to race mile 255. Justin Lofton drove from race mile 255 to the finish.) – It was my first time doing the SCORE Baja 500 in several years and I thought it went pretty well. I was a little too aggressive going up the Summit (race mile 100) and hit a rock bigger than a fridge. We only had one spare to go 70 miles, so I probably backed down a little too much and that costed us some positions. But all in all, it was just a good day. Several other races had issues and that helped us came back and earn some positions. CO-DRIVER JUSTIN LOFTON said: It went well, we had a good day. Unfortunately we had one flat tire before the Summit (race mile 100) and lost a few positions, but it was early enough in the race that we were able to get us back in a position and let the race come our way. I’m really happy to be here and happy about the way the truck performed and the team performed. We started sixth and finish about the same spot, so we can’t complain. We’re looking forward to the SCORE Baja 400. DAN McMILLIN, No. 23 (Seventh in class. Dan McMillin started and drove to race mile 275. Josh Daniel drove from race mile 275 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER JOSH DANIEL said: It was a relatively uneventful day. When I got on the truck, Dan said something was bending the steering, but I was still able to drive it. We just dealt with it. We got down to the beach and the steering would only work one way, so we had to muscle it to Santo Tomas, where the team did a great job in getting the steering box changed. They could it changed as quickly as you expect and we just got going again. ANDREW MYERS, No. 69 (Eighth in class. Andrew Myers drove solo.) – It was a tough one for us. We started off and got a flat on our way to Ojos Negros (race mile 30) and it was so weird. We got behind a little bit, but made time back and got to third place, but ended up having power steering issues. We had to pull over and handle it and were going well, but then he had a drive shaft issue that stopped us for another 30 minutes or so. After that, we just pushed to the finish. Baja was perfect, everything was great. We just had some mechanical issues that slowed us down, that was it. ROB MacCACHREN, No. 24 (Ninth in class. Rob MacCachren drove solo.) – It was going well at the start, we were just going. We started having some temperature issues at race mile 50 or so, so we had to really manage the temperature, which got up to 340, 350. They didn’t see any problems in our first pit, so we kept going, but the temperature continued to go up. When we got to San Matias (race mile 270), I could feel we were hurting pretty bad, so we had to stop and get it changed. From there we lost quite a few spots. We got some of them back, but when you’re in the dust it’s hard to make the time back. I’d like to thank SCORE and the people of Baja, who were cheering us on. TIM HERBST, No. 19 (Tenth in class. Tim Herbst started and drove to race mile 270. Pat Dean drove from race mile 270 to the finish) CO-DRIVER PAT DEAN said: Tim lost the belts and some pulleys right after the start, at around Ojos Negros (race mile 30) and that put us in a really bad crowd. He got stuck after that and had a crazy day. After I got in, we had an issue with an alternator and had to replace it too. But we’re good now. I loved the course. It reminded me of the old days. It had some rough sections right off the start, but then it ended with a nice run at the beach. It was a great track. GARY MAGNESS, No. 45 (Eleventh in class. Gary Magness started and drove to race mile 270. Armando Oraway drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) – We’ve been coming down to Baja because we like to race and that’s our favorite place. We were in 19^th place at the start and we won about ten positions, but then our shocks started to heat up. I just carried it on and kept it cool. It was a rough race because when your shocks heat up, you need quite some time to get them cool down. When I gave it to Armando, I told him: ‘Enjoy, the shocks don’t work’. It’s just wonderful that he managed to bring it here. I had fun, he had fun and that’s why we come down here. GUSTAVO ‘TAVO’ VILDOSOLA JR, No. 21 (Twelfth in class. Tavo Vildosola Jr drove solo) -- The first half of the race went pretty well. We got off the start line in fifth place and passed Andrew Myers (No. 69), then caught Ampudia (Alan, No. 10) around race mile 80 and passed Luke (McMillin, No. 1) right after the Summit (race mile 100). We were running second behind Menzies (Bryce, No. 7), but we got a flat and it took us some time to get the tire off. We were just three minutes behind him, but then I lost a rear end. It took us more than an hour and a half, and we got going again. We had to stop again in the pit and made it here. Just wanted to thank the fans here, who keep cheering on me it doesn’t matter where I finish. KEVIN THOMPSON, No. 70 (Fourteenth in class. Kevin Thompson started and drove to race mile 270. Harley Letner drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER HARLEY LETNER said: We had a couple of drive shaft failures and had to drive it slowly to make sure we’d make it here and cross the finish line. I also hit a rock and got a flat tire. We didn’t want to finish it in 12 hours, it wasn’t a good SCORE Baja 500 for us, but as much as we wanted to win we wanted to finish, so, as long as we realized we weren’t going to win, our goal became making it here.   SCORE TT LEGEND (SCORE Trophy Truck drivers over 50 years old) GUSTAVO VILDOSOLA SR, No. 1L (First in class. Ricky Johnson started and drove to race mile 320. Gustavo Vildosola Sr drove from race mile 320 to the finish.) – I’m very happy. It was a very difficult race, but I feel like we’re at our best in races like this. If it was an easy race, we would be able to do it again without any issues, so this means a lot. We had an excellent day. The toughest part was around Ojos Negros (race mile 440). The course was really chewed up but the truck handed it pretty well. ROLF HELLAND, No. 37L (Second in class. Rick D. Johnson started and drove to race mile 273. Rolf Helland drove from race mile 273 to the finish.) – I had a great section. I ran the last 200 miles and I picked the right straw. My partner Rick was over in the rocks, the dust and the dry lakes while I got to go on the coast and see the whales and dolphins swimming out there. I really enjoyed my section. We put on a lot of miles pre-running this week and I wish we had the food they have here in Illinois. It’s really nice to see all the kids get so excited about the racing too, we run out of stickers every time. The car performed excellent too and we’ll be back for the entire SCORE series this year. CLAY LAWRENCE, No. 85L (Third in class. Steve Lawler started and drove to race mile 280. Clay Lawrence drove from race mile 280 to the finish.) -- Uruapan (race mile 400) was probably the most challenging part of the course. It was super rough by the time we got there. That’s what Uruapan was supposed to be and it didn’t’ disappoint. GREG ADLER, No. 65L (Fourth in class. Thomas Fichter started and drove to race mile 290. Greg Adler drove from race mile 290 to the finish.) -- Overall it was a good race. We only had a little problem with our radiator fan. Thomas got a really good pace in the first half of the course, but unfortunately he had to slow it down in some of the fastest desert sections to keep the engine cool with one fan until we got it fixed. We lost a little bit of time, but other than that, we have nothing to complain about. The final section near Ojos Negros (race mile 440) was very challenging. We have BFGoodrich Tires, so no flats. CO-DRIVER THOMAS FICHTER said: We did a bunch of new suspension changes before this race and they seemed to have worked well. We had a good pace until race mile 100, when we lost a radiator fan. We’re very happy with the truck and the BFGoodrich Tires. The Summit (race mile 100) was a little bit better than before. I wish we could have kept the pace we had before, but we brought it home and that’s what matters. DAVID PAYNE, No. 61L (Sixth in class. Damon Bradshaw started and drove to race mile 280. David Payne drove from race mile 280 to the finish.) – It was good, except that they tore the front of the car off before I got it. And then I bounced and tore up the steering. The reason we’re so late is that it took us three hours to get the car fixed around race mile 305. When we got going, it was super foggy. Sometimes I was doing 30 miles an hour just to see through it. But it was fun, it was worth it.   CLASS 1 (Unlimited open-wheel single or two-seaters) CODY REID, No. 168 (First in class. Cory Reid drove solo.) – The race was great. It was really, really dusty. We spent the first 190 miles until we got a bit of clean air and then we got up front. We had a good battle going with Brad Wilson (No. 153) for a while, we were going back and forth, it was a lot of fun. By the time we got to Borrego (race mile 210) we got the lead and just kept it there. We tried to fight through the trucks, but didn’t have much luck. The whole course was tough. The San Felipe portion (race mile 240) was much harder than I expected, we had some temperature issues there. But other than that, we had a really clean, flawless run. DAMEN JEFFERIES, No. 121 (Second in class. Damen Jefferies started and drove to race mile 271. Michael Duenas drove from race mile 271 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER MICHAEL DUENAS said: My section was technical and a lot of fun, I had a blast. We’ve had no brakes the entire race, but just kept it going. Going through the dark at the end was a little bit difficult, but my part was really fun. AL TORRES, No. 101 (Third in class. Javier Robles started and drove to race mile 280. Al Torres drove from race mile 280 to the finish.) – We had a lot of problems. Javier drove the first part and he had two flats and alternator issues. We had motor problems and we lost the brakes in the last 20 miles. It was just a brutal day. The course was tight and technical and we just wanted to finish. The vehicle is not in great shape. KEVY NOTT, No. 178 (Fourth in class. Kevy Nott drove solo.) – This truck had everything. We had a few mechanical issues and other things going on. Baja just threw everything at us, but this truck held it. I am super happy that we made it here. This is my second time Iron Manning a SCORE race and I’m excited about it.   TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (unlimited Truck/SUV, stock, sealed engines) JASON McNEIL, No. 234 (First in class. Jason McNeil drove solo.) – A lot of things happened today, but it was good. Besides all that, we had a flawless day and never got out of the truck. We ran into a SCORE TT Legend truck in an accident, he pulled over but was halfway on the course and I tried to get out of the groove and there was really nothing we could do. The hood was flapping in my face for like 80 miles and that was frustrating, but we cut it off during out pit stop. From there on, we were just cruising. We picked up quite a few cars and got a lot of cars between us and the second place. That was the big difference today. It’s a dream coming true. It’s really hard to win the SCORE Baja 500 in this class, there’s a lot of competition. There are nine or ten fast guys who can win on any day. We had some close calls and some risks we had to take, but that’s what you have to do here. No risk, no reward. RYAN MILLEN, No. 263 (Second in class. Ryan Millen drove solo.) – We had a wonderful day. EJ (Herbst, the Driver of Record) and I have been driving together these last couple of years, but unfortunately he couldn’t make it this time. He let me drive his truck for him and we had a very good day. It was super challenging all the way through, but I honestly had a blast. I got to pass some of my friends on course and it was a lot of fun. We had just one little flat going down the Summit (race mile 100) that costed us a position, but we got it back not long after. SCORE picked a wonderful course for this SCORE Baja 500. RYAN HANCOCK, No. 228 (Third in class. Dustin Grabowski started and drove to race mile 271. Ryan Hancock drove from race mile 271 to the finish.) – It was awesome today. We started in the back and Dustin pushed us way through. We got on two the coast time and just had a great time. My section was beautiful, it was a lot of fun racing it today. We didn’t have any problems at all, just kept it on going. THOR HERBST, No. 219 (Fourth in class. Thor Herbst started and drove to race mile 280. Pierce Herbst drove from race mile 280 to the finish.) – We had some temperature issues on the first half, but Pierce took over in the second half and absolutely wheeled it in. He got us a podium finish. I think the entire course was pretty difficult. I know that some cars got stuck and not a lot of them made it out. It was all very difficult, but we made it through. CO-DRIVER PIERCE HERBST said: I got some really fast and fun sections. We just ran our race, followed over our notes and did a very good job. Nothing really went very wrong for us. We got one flat and it was our mistake. Other than that, we had a very clean run. BRENT FOX, No. 282 (Fifth in class. Brent Fox drove solo.) – We lost our door, but made it here to the finish and are happy to be here. What a fun day it was. The truck is one piece. It got on fire right after Ojos Negros (race mile 30), so it took us some time to put it down and make some repairs, But we persevered, moved on and got to the finish line. MASON CULLEN, No. 207 (Sixth in class. Matt Cullen started and drove to race mile 280. Mason Cullen drove from race mile 280 to the finish.) – It sounds like there was some exciting stuff on the dust early on, so we lost our front bumper and all the lights. From there, we just battled from the back and had fun. CO-DRIVER MATT CULLEN said: We lost a lot of positions at around race mile 50, so we had to fight our way through the dust. We were able to put on a pretty good race after the Summit (race mile 100) and handed the car over in 11^th place. It was a pretty good day, it worked out good for us. MICHAEL MARSAL, No. 236 (Seventh in class. Michael Marsal started and drove to race mile 330. Troy Grabowski drove from race mile 330 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER TROY GRABOWSKI said: We had some small logistic issues that put us back maybe 15, 20 minutes. I got in the truck and we cruised to the finish from there. We’re just happy to be here in the finish lane. I got two flats in my section, but happy to have made it here. JUSTIN DAVIS, No. 285 (Eighth in class. Justin Davis started and drove to race mile 330. Cade Garcia drove from race mile 330 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER CADE GARCIA said: The race was really good. Justin did an amazing time and an awesome job. We started in 26^th place and he gave the truck in sixth. I had some ups and downs in my section but we’re just really glad to have made it here to the finish line. OLIVER FLEMATE, No. 244 (Twelfth in class. Oliver Flemate drove solo.) – We started 14^th and finish fifth, so we’re pretty happy. I had never seen as much dust as I saw in the first 100 miles of this race. It was very complicated to see through it and to pass other cars. But we eventually got into a good rhythm and kept moving up. We didn’t have a flat tire or anything, the car ran perfect all day. We’ll certainly be back for the SCORE Baja 400. DUSTIN SWANSON, No. 249 (Thirteenth in class. Eric Dollente started and drove to race mile 280. Dustin Swanson drove from race mile 280 to the finish.) -- It was very challenging, but also very fun. I got the faster part and I think we did a very good job. We had just one flat tire and dealing with the dust at the start was probably the most difficult thing today. CHRISTOPHER POLVOORDE, No. 204 (Seventeenth in class. Christopher Polvoorde drove solo.) – It was a rough day. It was looking good in the beginning. I started ninth, which was not really ideal, but I started picking up some people. We were feeling really good, but I made a couple of mistakes, I got a flat and started cruising through Valle de la Trinidad (race mile 280) when I lost a third member. Luckily it happened right in front of one of my chase trucks, so we got that fixed, but we had to stop every 30 miles or so to double check and make sure it was looking good. We made it here and I’m super stocked. It’s not where we wanted to be, but I’m always excited to drive this truck. This was my last Trophy Truck Spec race, but I’ll be here for the SCORE Baja 400 and the SCORE Baja 1000. SANTIAGO CREEL, No. 260 (Twentieth in class. Santiago Creel started and drove to race mile 285. William Hendrick drove from race mile 285 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER WILLIAM HENDRICK said: Santiago had a difficult start as she had to deal with a lot of problems with the car, which costed him some time. When we got in the car, we had a very clean race and had a lot of fun. We were driving up the coast and caught several cars from other classes. It was all going well around race mile 400, when I hit something, probably a tree, got a flat tire and did some damage to the car. It took us about eight minutes to get going again, but here we are at the finish line. JUAN C. LOPEZ, No. 226 (25^th in class. Juan C. Lopez started and drove to race mile 210. Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez drove from race mile 210 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER CARLOS ‘APDALY’ LOPEZ said: Since the start, we had some issues with our brakes and then with the radiators. We had some other issues and they ended up costing us a lot of time. It was difficult to get here with so many problems, but the course was really challenging. As a driver, we want to be challenged and that what we got here at the SCORE Baja 500.   CLASS 10 (Limited, sealed engine, single or two-seaters) FRANCISCO VERA, No. 1091 (First in class. Alexis Vera started and drove to race mile 210. Francisco Vera drove from race mile 210 to the finish.) – We started in second place, but got to pass Justin Buckley (No. 1064) right after the start and never lost our spot. We ran a perfect race. I had a minor issue at the coast when I tried to pass some Trophy Truck Specs and got a flat tire, but we got it replaced and kept going. It was my first SCORE Baja 500 in a car and it’s been very unique and different. In a car, you need to race really smart and take good care of the vehicle. BRUCE YEE, No. 1014 (Second in class. Bruce Yee drove solo.) – It was rough. We had a flawless day for the most part and both of us were in our seats all day, so that’s a plus. The only issue we had was the power steering reservoir getting lose at around race mile 77, so we lost about ten minutes getting that fixed. Besides that, we started in the back and made our way forward during the day. We went a little crazy at times, but got no flats thanks to BFGoodrich Tires. And no other issues at all. We’ll back for the SCORE Baja 1000. MANLIO F. DIAZ, No. 1079 (Third in class. Manlio F. Diaz started and drove to race mile 250. Eduardo Laguna drove from race mile 250 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER EDUARDO LAGUNA said: I think the section after Uruapan (race mile 400) was the most difficult one in my part. It demanded a lot from us and there were a lot of things that could get us out of the race, such as rocks. Luckily we managed to go through it and the entire section with no issues. We’re ready for the SCORE Baja 400. DALE EBBERTS, No. 1077 (Fourth in class. Dale Ebberts started and drove to race mile 290. Ezra Ebberts drove from race mile 290 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER EZRA EBBERTS said: It’s my first time driving in a SCORE race here in Mexico. My section was very technical and fun. It went really well. The car is in excellent condition now. The brakes are a little worn out, but that’s all. STAN POTTER, No. 1006 (Fifth in class. Stan Potter started and drove to race mile 275. Freddie Willter drove from race mile 275 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER FREDDIE WILLERT said: I believe we had a flat in the first half, but we didn’t have anything major other than that. It was a pretty smooth race and we’re happy we got fifth. It’s a competitive class, you can’t have any problems. SCORE has put on a great course. It was super tough and some of it was run during the SCORE San Felipe 250 and was still pretty beat up. I got the coast section and it was a good choice. JUSTIN BUCKLEY, No. 1064 (Sixth in class. Justin Buckley started and drove to race mile 330. Mavrick Gaunt drove from race mile 330 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER MAVRICK GAUNT said: Uruapan (race mile 400) is always the most difficult part. It is what it is, you just have to pick your way through it and make it to the finish without making too many mistakes and getting sucked in some of those gnarly ruts. We had a pretty clean run for the most part and here we are in Ensenada. We never had to get out of the car. J. DAVID RUVALCABA, No, 1000 (Twelfth in class. J. David Ruvalcaba started and drove to race mile 280. Esteban Cruz drove from race mile 280 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER ESTEBAN CRUZ said: The course was very good. It was technical and difficult, but very good, SCORE did a very good job in picking it. We had some problems this time and that made the race very difficult for us, but the course was great. We made it here to the finish line and got some points, so that’s good. PRO UTV OPEN (two-seat open UTV open-displacement) BROCK HEGER, No. 1896 (First in class. Brock Heger drove solo.) – We had a really good day. We started with four brand-new BFGoodrich Tires and we finished on the same four. We had some minor pit issues with the fuel, but we never got off the car and couldn’t have asked for a better day. This is my first year in this class and I Iron manned the SCORE San Felipe 250 and now the SCORE Baja 500. I’m planning on doing it again on the SCORE Baja 400 and still trying to figure out the SCORE Baja 1000. BRANDEN SIMS, No. 1886 (Second in class. Branden Sims drove solo.) – The race was good. We had the cooling fans shut off around San Felipe (race mile 240), so we had to stop and fix it. But that was really the only time we had to get out of the car. We also replaced an axle in one of the pits. It was brutal, but I really liked this course. I’ve been to many SCORE Baja 500s and I really like it. They had fast sections, they had tight and technical sections…It’s fun to be able to go fast every once in a while, and have a little break. I really liked the course, I think it tested the equipment really well, it had a little bit of everything. It tested everybody’s driving ability in different scenarios. KRISTEN MATLOCK, No. 1854 (Third in class. Kristen Matlock drove solo.) – It was a rough one, actually. But I had a great time out there, it was typical Baja. I ended up following Branden Sims (No. 1886) all the way from San Felipe (race mile 240) to the finish line. It was probably one of the best battles I’ve had in my career. I had a lot of downtime in the beginning because the car was overheating, but once we got that sorted out, we just got going. JUSTIN LAMBERT, No. 1869 (Fourth in class. Justin Lambert started and drove to race mile 330. Scott Trafton drove from race mile 330 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER SCOTT TRAFTON said: It was a fun course. It was actually a lot faster than we thought it was going to be after pre-running. We had a pretty clean run, no tires, no real major issues, I think we only broke one axle. The water crossings were a little more of a factor, but overall, we’re happy with the performance. We’re here to finish races and that’s what we did. WAYNE MATLOCK, No, 1871 (Fifth in class. Wayne Matlock drove solo.) – It was a rough race, but a very fun one. There was a lot of competition and lot of good drivers, just like any SCORE race. Both Kristen (Matlock, No. 1854) and I getting top-five finishes wasn’t bad at all. Getting here as the main thing and we’re all happy and safe. JOSH ROW, No. 1859 (Seventh in class. Josh Row drove solo.) – It was good. We had a great race, didn’t have any issues outside of two flat tires on the coast, which was kind of bizarre as we went through the Summit (race mile 100) and through the desert without any issues. When I thought I was going to be in the clear, I ended up getting a flat. It split the wheel in half so bad we couldn’t even re-rack it. We got our spare on and got going, but then got another one. This was our first race with this car and with this team, so it’s cool to be here at the finish line, I’m excited. AUSTIN WEILAND, No. 1827 (Ninth in class. Austin Weiland started and drove to race mile 270. Dylan Schmoke drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER DYLAN SCHMOKE said: We had some issues all day, but we finished. Breaking front diff really costed us some time, but we’re here. CAYDEN MacCACHREN, No. 1821 (14^th in class. Cayden MacCachren drove solo) – The SCORE Baja 500 was really cool this year. There was a good mix of fast and slow, bumpy and smooth, all those things we get to see in other races. Some areas of the course were really a curveball. We’re here at the finish line, perhaps a little later than we wanted, but it was still a good day.   PRO UTV UNLIMITED (one/two-seat Unlimited UTV NA or FI) RICHARD FANT, No, 3993 (First in class. Richard Fant started and drove to race mile 170. Chapman Ducote drove from race mile 170 to race mile 330. David Ducote drove from race mile 330 to the finish.) – The first third of the race was great. There was a lot of dust, but we did well. This is our first time in our new car and we’re very happy. CO-DRIVER DAVID DUCOTE said: It was a beautiful sunset, we made it to the ocean when the sun was going down. There were some interesting conditions after that. I got dust and fog and some traffic up there. But it was a fun run. We had a couple of incidents and got lost once or twice, but it was about it. Mechanically the car was great. CO-DRIVER CHAPMAN DUCOTE said: Richard had a very good start in very good shape, he drove flawlessly. My section went great too, no incidents at all. The car was perfect, can’t complain. It was a good course, it had a little bit of everything, sand, washes, whoops…   PRO UTV FI (two-seat Forced Induction, OEM engine UTVs) PHIL BLURTON, No. 2944 (First in class. Phil Blurton drove solo.) -- The race was very good, it was a full SCORE Baja 500 experience. We changed a couple of axles about halfway through the race, but other than that, we just kept going. It was a really fun day out there. The course was awesome, that’s what I love about Baja. Going over the Summit (race mile 100) you have all the rocky stuff there, and then you get to San Felipe (race mile 240) and it’s big whoops all the way. The coast if fun, it was easier there. We were stuck behind a truck, but we had a pretty big lead over the second-place, so we just cruised it. We had no flats, that’s what BFGoodrich Tires do for you. JASON MURRAY, No, 1917 (Second in class. Derek Murray started and drove to race mile 270. Jason Murray drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) – We started eighth and Derek did a very good job of working his way up to the front. We were fourth or fifth when we got on the car. The course just deteriorated like it always does, the ruts on race mile 400 were gnarly. That’s’ what makes it fun, the challenge is what we’re here for. We’re looking forward to coming back for the SCORE Baja 400. MATT BURROUGHS, No. 2948 (Third in class. Matt Burroughs started and drove to race mile 290. Bradley Howe drove from race mile 290 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER BRADLEY HOWE said: Matt got off to a great start. We were sixth, he held that spot and when I got in, we moved up to fifth. We had a couple of issues with our rear shocks and had to make some adjustments in every pit stop. Near the end, the car wouldn’t go over 30, but we recycled it and powered through. My section was awesome, it was rough and challenging. We got to the coast at sunset, which was amazing. It was a tough, challenging area, but it was beautiful at the same time, it was a lot of fun. CARLOS QUEZADA, No. 2928 (Fourth in class. Carlos Quezada drove solo.) -- Starting well is always a challenge. We started in 18^th place and had to be very cautious and focused to get by the other cars of our class at the start. We kept pushing and fighting and had some trouble at the Summit (race mile 100) and El Saldaña (race mile 150). The coast section was pretty clean and we didn’t get a flat or anything. The car did well and didn’t have any mechanical or electrical issues. AUSTIN JONES, No. 2985 (Fifth in class. Seth Quintero started and drove to race mile 270. Austin Jones drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) – We had a pretty good day. Seth did a great job and gave the car in a perfect spot, basically set up for a win. But when I got in the car, we have a bunch of problems, a lot of technical issues, which was a bummer. We got that fixed as fast as we could and got to finish. That’s Baja.   CLASS 7 (unlimited, six-cylinder, production appearing trucks or SUVS) ETHAN EBERT, No. 709 (First in class. Ethan Ebert started and drove to race mile 210. Richard Glasczak drove from race mile 210 to race mile 440. Ethan Ebert drove from race mile 440 to the finish.) – We tagged a few bushes on our way here, but it overall it was really good. We got over all the rocks we needed to get over and everything held up, so that was good. Our car brought us all the way here with no issues. SCORE LITES (Limited single-1776cc- or two-seaters-1835cc VW engines) OSCAR R. ALVAREZ, No. 1211 (First in class. Doug Satterfield started and drove to race mile 250. Oscar R. Alvarez drove from race mile 250 to the finish.) – It was fun. The SCORE Baja 500 had a fast course in some sections, but it was difficult in some others. There were some hill climbs in Doug’s section and the car did great. We didn’t have any issues or flats, it was just a clean race. When that happens, we usually bring it home in first and the team preparation paid off. Thanks SCORE for all the effort, it was a fast and fun race. CO-DRIVER DOUG SATTERFIELD said: My section was a lot of fun. The car worked so well that is just made it a really enjoyable experience. There was a lot of dust and that was a first for me. Someone ran me super hard when I was in a wash and I kind of got mad. I ended up chasing him down and I got him back. That made it really exciting. OLIVER FLEMATE, No. 1203 (Second in class. Oliver Flemate, Patricio Flores, Oscar Guevara and Jouth Ochoa split the driving duties.) CO-DRIVER PATRICIO FLORES said: It was a difficult race. The first 210 miles were rough, there were so many rocks and we saw lot of cars getting fixed there. We had to deal with some mechanical issues, but we fixed them and kept going. Our goal was to finish it and we’re happy to be here.   PRO UTV NA (two/four-seat Normally Aspirated OEM engine UTVs) ZACH SIZELOVE, No. 1925 (First in class. Zach Sizelove started and drove to race mile 210. Wayne Lambert drove from race mile 210 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER WAYNE LAMBERT said: Zach had a really good, clean run. They gave us the car in second place and we were able to move into first place and held it all night. The car never missed a beat and we’re glad to be here. We never got out of the car and just progressed all night. LARRY JANESKY, No. 1914 (Second in class. Victor Abitia started and drove from race mile 43. Larry Janesky drove from race mile 43 to the finish.) – I drove a huge portion of the course today and this was a fun course. It had a mix of everything and I wish all the courses were like this one. We had two flat tires during the day and lost some day. We were in the lead at one point, but we couldn’t catch them in the open washes, they were pulling on us. We’re really excited about our car. It’s our fourth race in it and it feels like we finally figured it out and it’s working really fine for us.   CLASS 1/2-1600 (VW-powered, single or two-seaters to 1600cc) PABLO JAUREGUI, No. 1685 (First in class. Pablo Jauregui started and drove to race mile 170. Edson Cruz drove from race mile 170 to race mile 330. Marco Garcia drove from race mile 330 to the finish.) -- We’re very happy. We had some problems with the brakes and the oil filter early today and didn’t even know if we would be able to start, but here we are in first place. The three of us made a very good team today. The course was very heavy and the Summit (race mile 100) was challenging, but we made it through it. CO-DRIVER EDSON CRUZ said: To win the SCORE Baja 500 is a dream coming true. We fought so hard for it and fortunately we’re here. It’s my first SCORE Baja 500 and my first victory. CO-DRIVER MARCO GARCIA said: It was a great course, difficult but fun. The car had some hiccups, but we made it here. We want to keep pushing in the next races. ERIC PAVOLKA, No. 1625 (Second in class. Eric Pavolka started and drove to race mile 330. Andy DeVercelly drove from race mile 330 to the finish.) – SCORE races are always rough and tough. The first portion of the race was very challenging. We’ve driven lots of SCORE Baja 500s and the courses are always great. This one was rough and fun, which is how we like. I got the car flipped over once, but we only figured out a way to get back in place and go. CO-DRIVER ANDY DEVERCELLY said: The coast part was the easier one. But going through the hills after it, that was something else.   PRO UTV STOCK (Stock UTVs, FI or NA) SARA PRICE, No. 3938 (First in class. Sara Price started and drove to race mile 270. Mitchell Alsup drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) -- This all just came about last-minute at Chula Vista with Cameron Steele. We built the car in about three days and decided to split driving here. We’ve been driving together for the last two months and we’re very similar in so many ways. This is really the Dream Team. I’m super stocked to have it. CO-DRIVER MATT ALSUP said: I have to thank Sara for only letting me say yes. It’s become a great partnership and we’ve found some great success over the last two months. We had zero issues all day and we’re both very happy. ENDY CHAVEZ, No. 3978 (Second in class. Endy Chavez started and drove to race mile 250. Yoshua Mardecho drove from race mile 250 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER YOSHUA MARDECHO said: We got the car in second place and were able to maintain it. The race was very fast overall, but the last 70 miles were a lot slower. We had a good day, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for us to win it. NICK BRUCE, No. 3953 (Third in class. Nick Bruce started and drove to race mile 270. Juan Dominguez drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) CO-DRIVER JUAN DOMINGUEZ said: Nick had a lot of problems during his half of the race. The car overheated and her had a few little crashes that forced him to replace some parts. After we got the car, we had no issues at all. The lights did very well in the dark and helped us get here. But it wasn’t easy, there were rocks and whoops everywhere.   CLASS 5 (Unlimited Baja Bugs, VW concept engines allowed) ELI YEE, No. 511 (First in class. Eli Yee drove solo.) – It was a very exciting race for us. We started in last place and had taken the lead even before we got to Ojos Negros (race mile 30). But around race mile 210 we had problem and lost like 15 minutes finishing it. After that, we had a lot of back and forth with Sullivan (Mike, No. 508) and we were within a minute from each other for 180 miles. This race was difficult from the start. The Borrego loop (race mile 210) was really tough. But the coast was really fast and fun. We never left the car, that was very good.   BAJA CHALLENGE (Spec, Subaru-powered Baja Touring Cars equipped with BFGoodrich Tires) EDWARD MUNCEY, No. BC4 (First in class. Edward Muncey started and drove to race mile 210. Joe Durier drove from race mile 210 to race mile 325. Dominic Muncey drove from race mile 325 to the finish.) – We had a great race today. It was super technical and rough out there, but we had a good pace and caught a lot of cars. All we got all day was one flat. CO-DRIVER DOMINIC MUNCEY said: It was a long day and my first time going through the entire day. I was on the passenger seat for the first 325 miles and got to drive the final stretch. It was a rough course, but we had no problems. My section was really fun with runs and ups and downs. CLASS 7F (Stock frame, 2 or 4-wheel drive mini or mid-size trucks) GERARDO NOVELO, No. 700F (First in class. Gerardo Novelo started and drove to race mile 270. Jose Castro drove from race mile 270 to the finish.) – I wanted to start by thanking SCORE for doing an excellent job with this race. You guys really organize the best races in the world. I’ve been racing for 35 years and this race was particularly challenging. It was difficult, but very fun to be a part of. We got the car in first place at race mile 20 and handed it with a 20-mile lead at race mile 270. Things changed a bit in the second half, but Jose stuck to our strategy. Our difference was shrinking and we had to push to finish in first place. The entire team is very happy with this experience, even more here in Ensenada.   TROPHY LITE (short wheel-base, production, 2.2/2.4-Liter GM Ecotec engine) CHASE SWANSON, No. 6049 (First in class. Rhyder Swanson started and drove to race mile 70. Chase Swanson drove from race mile 70 to race mile 280. Rhyder Swanson drove from race mile 280 to race mile 400. Chase Swanson drove from race mile 400 to the finish.) – It was a pretty long course, but we had some fun out there. The coast section was definitely our favorite having those wide-open roads where we could just go fast.   CLASS 11 (stock VW sedans, safety modifications) OLIVER FLEMATE, No. 1105 (First in class. Oliver Flemate drove solo in Trophy Truck Spec and the last part of the race in Class 11.) – We’re glad and so happy with all the team. Antonio Espinoza drove perfectly and we only had a minor crash on a tree. The course was awesome and very difficult, as it’s always here in Baja. Class 11 is one of the toughest classes. That’s our third-straight victory in SCORE races in this class and we’re very happy about it.   PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (400cc or more) ARTURO SALAS, No. 11x. (First in class. First overall. Arturo Salas started and rode to race mile 210. Clayton Roberts rode from race mile 210 to the finish.) -- It was very good. It took us a lot of time and effort to make it possible and this would never have been such a good race without the support of our incredible team and our amazing families. The race was awesome, full of competition. We battled 9x (Connor Eddy), 3x (Ciaran Naran) and 1x (Juan Carlos Salvatierra) until the very last mile and I want to give them props for a great race and for keeping it fun. We had a perfect bike the entire race, I bet it could still run another 500 miles if we had to. I have no complaints at all and am very happy about how it turned out. CO-RIDER CLAYTON ROBERTS said: It was a good day. Arturo and I did this just the two of us, so it was a lot of miles today. We rode hard, rode strong and definitely felt good on the bike. Everything went as planned and it was a great day overall. We didn’t have any issues with the bike and we burned up that last tire pretty good, so we finished with not much of a real tire left, but it held strong for at least 300 miles. CONNOR EDDY, No. 9x (Second in class. Bryce Stavron started and rode to race mile 70. Matt Eddy rode from race mile 70 to race mile 160. Matthew Combs rode from race mile 160 to race mile 220. Bryce Stavron rode from race mile 220 to race mile 280. Connor Eddy rode from race mile 280 to race mile 390. Matt Eddy rode from race mile 390 to the finish.) – The start was pretty rough with all the dust, especially starting dead-last, but went smooth all day. We all rode well and hit our marks and made it here for the finish. The bike was awesome all day and we did a good job. I made a stupid mistake and went down, but other than that, we did very well. CIARAN NARAN, 3x (Third in class. Ciaran Naran started and rode to race mile 170. Derek Ausserbauer rode from race mile 170 to race mile 270. Forrest Minchinton rode from race mile 270 to race mile 370. Nick Lapaglia rode from race mile 370 to the finish.) – It was a good day. Everybody has put on a hell of ride and I’m stocked on the boys’ performances. I’m just a little bit disappointed about my performance today, I definitely didn’t ride my best. So, a little bit bummed about that, but everyone has an off day. The bike was awesome, Forrest was the only one to mention he had some issues with it. We have to do a little bit of homework and a little bit of training when we get back home, but we’ll come back stronger for the SCORE Baja 400. We’re already looking forward to it. We’re chasing 1x (Juan Carlos Salvatierra) right now, so I think we’re doing pretty well. A first and a third is not too bad, we’re looking long term. JUAN CARLOS SALVATIERRA, No. 1x (Fourth in class. Shane Logan started and rode to race mile 70. Corvin McPherson rode from race mile 70 to race mile 170. Diego Llanos rode from race mile 170 to race mile 220. Juan Carlos Salvatierra rode from race mile 220 to race mile 280. Colton Aeck rode from race mile 280 to race mile 360. Shane Logan rode from race mile 360 to the finish.) -- It was a very intense race. The rhythm was very strong since the first mile and there were a lot of teams in the mix. The area of the Valle de la Trinidad (race mile 280) is always challenging because it very rocky and technical and it requires a lot of attention. But there are no easy courses in Baja, it’s always difficult here. The bike ran excellent all day. Unfortunately we a broke a rain when we hit a rock and cost us a lot of time, but the team did a great job in coming back after being almost 15 minutes behind and going from fifth to second. PRO MOTO 30 (Riders over 30 years old) JANO MONTOYA, No. 300x (First in class. Kyle Tichenor started and rode to race mile 77. David Zarate rode from race mile 77 to race mile 160. Jano Montoya rode from race mile 160 to race mile 240. David Zarate rode from race mile 240 to race mile 270. Jano Montoya rode from race mile 270 to race mile 300. David Zarate rode from race mile 300 to race mile 330. Kyle Tichenor rode from race mile 330 to race mile 440. Jano Montoya rode from race mile 440 to the finish.) – We’re very happy that we made it to the finish line here at the SCORE Baja 500. It was an interesting race. We had to work a little bit on the bike during the race to adjust the suspension, but overall it did pretty well. There were a lot of rocks and a lot of whoops in my section, but we know that area pretty well and didn’t have any major issues. It was fun. We’re ready for the SCORE Baja 400. CO-RIDER KYLE TICHENOR said: The start was a little wild, with a lot of fog and dust. I couldn’t pass the Pro Moto Unlimiteds, but it was good. I didn’t have any problems in my two sections, so I was just cruising all day. CO-RIDER DAVID ZARATE said: My section was pretty hard. I had a fall right before the Summit (race mile 100) and that hurt my hands a little bit and cost us some time. Fortunately I was still able to hand the bike to Jano in first place. I think we all did a good job and the bike was fine too. PRO MOTO LIMITED (less than 450cc) JEFFREY ROW, No. 117x (First in class. Jeffrey Row started and rode to race mile 70. Wyatt Brittner rode from race mile 70 to race mile 170. Brad White rode from race mile 170 to race mile 220. Wyatt Brittner rode from race mile 220 to race mile 250. Jeffrey Row rode from race mile 250 to 285. Brad White rode from race mile 285 to race mile 330. Travis Dillon rode from race mile 330 to race mile 400. Jeffrey Row rode from race mile 440 to the finish.) – The start was pretty smooth and I got to pass a few bikes despite the dust. The bike started having some issues with the suspension close to San Felipe (race mile 240) but when I got back on it, it was perfect, I couldn’t have asked for a better machine. Overall we did well, didn’t have any major issues and everything went fine. ELY RAMIREZ, No. 114x (Third in class. Pichitos Gomez started and rode to race mile 35. Marco Guizar rode from race mile 35 to race mile 100. Alexander Lopez rode from race mile 100 to race mile 170. Ely Ramirez rode from race mile 170 to race mile 210. Alexander Lopez rode from race mile 210 to race mile 250. Ely Ramirez rode from race mile 250 to race mile 290. Pichitos Gomez rode from race mile 290 to race mile 340. Marco Guizar rode from race mile 340 to race mile 400. Pichitos Gomez rode from race mile 400 to race mile 440. Ely Ramirez rode from race mile 440 to the finish.) --Pichitos had a really good start and had us in the mix, but unfortunately Alexander had a fall that cost us some time. My first section was the most difficult because there were so many rocks. It was a little bit warm, but not as much as last year. We lost our brakes during the race and had some other little issues that cost us some time. CO-RIDER ALEXANDER LOPEZ said: I had this fall when I started to go down the Summit, at around race mile 105. I had three falls, actually, and they were all very light, but my CamelBak (water supply) broke, so I was without water for quite some time and had to slow down a little bit. I tried to push it a bit, but ended up falling twice and losing more time. After we got to the pit, we were able to push a little bit more and pass some people, but we had quite a few stops to deal with some minor issues and that pushed us back a bit again. When we got it all sorted out, the bike was great again and we were able to win some spots back. ERICK RAMIREZ, No. 137x (Fourth in class. Jason Lopez started and rode to race mile 30. Joshua Alvarado rode from race mile 30 to race mile 70. Erick Ramirez rode from race mile 70 to race mile 100. Andre Enriquez rode from race mile 100 to race mile 170. Jason Lopez rode from race mile 170 to race mile 260. Erick Ramirez rode from race mile 260 to race mile 290. Alejandro Cazares rode from race mile 290 to race mile 395. Andre Enriquez rode from race mile 395 to the finish.) CO-RIDER ANDRE ENRIQUEZ said: The Summit (race mile 100) was the most challenging part of my section, for sure. We didn’t have any accidents, but had to go part of the race without brakes. It was a good race and it got us excited for the SCORE Baja 400 already. PRO MOTO 40 (Riders over 40 years old) ALIRIO AMADO, No. 441x (First in class. Adrian Valdez started and rode to race mile 90. Gaston Vazquez rode from race mile 90 to race mile 170. Manuel Vazquez rode from race mile 170 to race mile 213. Pedro Gonzalez rode from race mile 213 to race mile 255. Manuel Vazquez rode from race mile 255 to race mile 330. Jim Jaros rode from race mile 330 to race mile 401. Adrian Valdez rode from race mile 401 to race mile 440. Gaston Vazquez rode from race mile 440 to the finish.) – The bike did very well. We had a little issue with a fall, Jim hurt his shoulder, but he’s ok. The race course was technical, but really fast and we like it when it’s a fast course. It’s always challenging, it’s Baja. Thank you SCORE for letting us have this great memory from Juan Zunino here at the finish line. He was with us the entire race. CO-RIDER JIM JAROS said: We had a dirty air filter in my section and doing a long hill climb, the bike just took off and I fell over my left arm. I don’t think it’s broken, I still rode another 30 miles after that. We want to dedicate this race to our friend Juan Zunino. He passed away during pre-running and he brought so much joy to everyone he met. We all know what we’re doing and the risks we take, but I really feel for his family. I feel sorry for what they’re going through. CO-RIDER MANUEL VAZQUEZ said: I had no major incidents in my part. We probably lost 15-20 minutes with some minor stuff, but it was a very clean run for all of us. PRO MOTO 50 (Riders over 50 years old) ROBERT CREEMERS, No. 501x (First in class. Robert Creemers started and rode to race mile 90. Kevin Archer rode from race mile 90 to race mile 280. Sean Clarke rode from race mile 280 to the finish.) – It was a good day. It had everything. We had a night start, fog, cold at night and then really hot in the desert. We had silt, coast, mountain. The only thing we didn’t have was rain. SCORE did a really good job organizing this race. CO-RIDER SEAN CLARKE said: It was a really technical course, it had a little bit of everything. It was really technical at times, but there was some really fast stuff as well, so it was a good mix. We had no problems at all, the bike went perfect and we had a great day.   PRO MOTO IRONMAN (Solo Riders) BRANDON WRIGHT, No. 700x (First in class) -- I tried to be very patient at the start. I knew it was going to be dark for about one hour and a half, so I just tried to be patient and put on some work when the conditions allowed. I got down to the desert, tried not to overheat, just kind of keep a good pace over to the beach and, before I knew it, I was here. The Borrego loop (race mile 210 to race mile 250) is always hard, it’s very hot there and rough and rocky. At that point of the race, you know you still got a lot of desert left, so it’s always tough. The coast was beautiful and fast, so you can’t really relax there. Everything went well with the bike, I only had one little tip over, but no big deal. I’ll be back for the SCORE Baja 400 and the SCORE Baja 1000. JASON ALOSI, No. 795x (Second in class) – It was a rough day. Starting off with the Summit (race mile 100) and getting over to San Felipe (race mile 240) was a challenge. I’m not going to lie, I was definitely taxed, but once we made it to San Matias (race mile 270) and started to head towards the Pacific I was able to regroup and put on another charge. The most difficult for me was just the whoops in San Felipe. It wasn’t terribly hot today, but it got to me too. The weather was nicer on the coast and that made things a little bit easier. The bike went great all day. We only had one unscheduled pit stop to replace a tire that worn out sooner than we thought it would, but no big deal. I had a couple of wrecks, but luckily, I didn’t get hurt and the bike was fine too. EDGAR COTA, No. 723x (Third in class) – This race was a lot of fun. Starting during the night with all the fog and seeing the people on the course making bonfires was fun and before I knew it, the sun was out. That was when the real race started for me. The Summit (race mile 100) and Borrego (race mile 210) were difficult parts because it was too hot there, but San Felipe (race mile 240) was probably the most challenging because of the sand, the whoops and the sand. When I saw the beach after crossing the peninsula made me forget of the weather for a while. The bike ran perfect all day, didn’t have any problems. On Monday I’ll start preparing for the SCORE Baja 400 already. KURT STEEVER, No. 718x (Fifth in class) – A finish is a finish. I was going up the Summit (race mile 100) and there some bikes and quads in front of me when I saw an accident involving one of the quads and the rider was on the ground. I hopped off to check on him and started talking to him. He thought he had broken his arm, we cut his sleeve and saw there was a fracture. I’m a firefighter paramedic, so we made a splint with a stick to stabilize it and moved him a little bit further away from the course. I made some calls from my handheld radio to let SCORE know about his injury. I couldn’t get radio contact there because of the mountain, but was able to alert people about it in the next pit. This is about people helping people, we’re all family here racing. It doesn’t matter what vehicle we’re in, we don’t like to see each other injured, so we’ll always get the help they need. RISTO NIEMI, No. 771x (Sixth in class) – It was tough. The race was going pretty well until around San Matias (race mile 270), but then the heat got to me. I tried to stay competitive and I wanted to finish by sundown, but didn’t quite make it. I lost my headlight in the morning already and was riding with the helmet light. At least I finished it in one piece and I’m happy about it. The course was super beat up and super rough. I also hit a big rock, but luckily that didn’t create any issues for us. PRO MOTO 60 (Riders over 60 years old) KEVIN WARD, No. 644x (First in class. Kevin Ward started and rode to race mile 96. Jeff Kaplan rode from race mile 96 to race mile 210. Kevin Ward rode from race mile 210 to race mile 270. Jeff Kaplan rode from race mile 270 to race mile 340. Doug Smith rode from race mile 340 to race mile 400. Jeff Kaplan rode from race mile 400 to race mile 440. Kevin Ward rode from race mile 440 to the finish.) – I started the race and the dust was insane and it mixed with the fog. I don’t think this bike tipped over all day. Doug did a great job in his section because it’s difficult logistically when you get to the coast. I think the start was the most difficult part of the day because I couldn’t see anything. Jeff had a nice, clean run over the Summit (race mile 100) and I think the whoops were really tiring. We’re going to race the entire SCORE season and we’ll try to get the title. PRO QUAD (Open engine displacement) NICOLAS VELEZ, No. 1a (First in class. Nicolas Velez started and quickly switched to Luis Meza Velez. Luis Meza Velez rode to race mile 100. Felipe Velez rode from race mile 100 to race mile 170. Said Velez rode from race mile 170 to race mile 220. Nicolas Velez rode from race mile 220 to race mile 270. Felipe Velez rode from race mile 270 to race mile 290. Nicolas Velez rode from race mile 290 to race mile 400. Luis Meza Velez rode from race mile 400 to race mile 440. Said Velez rode from race mile 440 to the finish.) – It was an excellent race for us. I think the San Felipe area (race mile 240) was the most difficult part of the course. I was tired when I got there, so it was a little bit challenging. Coming up the coast, on the other hand, was very good. The quad ran great and we have really nothing to do on it now. CO-RIDER LUIS MEZA VELEZ said: The entire course was tough. There was a lot of fog early on and it was pretty dark. It was a nice adventure and we’re happy to be here and to have finished well. PRO QUAD IRONMAN (Open engine displacement, solo Rider) FAELLY LOPEZ, No. 83a (First in class) – It wasn’t easy, but we made it here. We prepared really well and fortunately it all went all. The quad ran great all day, we didn’t have to do anything with it outside regular maintenance. I wanted to improve my time from last year and I’m going back home very happy. I didn’t pre-run at all and am really grateful for the team, they’re the real champions.