McMillin Racing Wins BAJA 500 2010
Captivating the world of off road racing, Scott and Andy McMillin returned to the land they cherish to race the treacherous SCORE Tecate Baja 500. Driving the #31 McMillin Realty Ford F-150 race truck, together, the father/son racing duo conquered the 438.81-mile racecourse with a winning time of 9:15:13, earning them the SCORE Baja 500 OVERALL and Trophy Truck win. Not only did the McMillin Racing victory set the stage for this year’s 2010 SCORE Tecate Baja 1000, they also earned BFGoodrich Tires its 50th combined win at the SCORE Baja 500 (27 wins) and SCORE Baja 1000 (23 wins).
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BAJA 500 2010 PIC GALLERY
UPDATED JUNE 16, 2010
Baja Racing News.com BAJA 500 BULLETIN
Numerous Run-Overs, Traffic Disasters and Eleven Emergencies
As with most incidents, it was probably a combination of a lot of factors. Is there any one solution to making desert racing "safe" for all? Probably not. After all, racing, be it desert, rally, track, road or dirt, is inherently dangerous. however, there are probably a few "tweaks" that can be implemented that could significantly enhance safety and reduce the probability of such incidents while maintaining the essence of unique events like Baja. 3 trucks running together (passing, bumping, etc?) at 120+? A rider with no Baja experience and essentially no pre-run experience? A very dusty and rough course in high heat conditions? I don't suggest racing be "sanitized", and maybe this is one of those strange combinations that once in a blue moon occurs and tragedy strikes. but right now I'm at a loss of thoughts and words. It certainly has, and will cause serious reflection and re-evaluation of many future racing ventures.
Numerous Run-Overs, Traffic Disasters and Eleven Emergencies
and the usual stolen trucks, Mar the Baja 500 Desert Off-Road Race in Baja California
CLICK HERE FOR THE BULLETIN THAT ROGER NORMAN BAILS ON SCORE AND THE 2010 Baja 1000
CLICK HERE FOR THE BULLETIN THAT ROGER NORMAN BAILS ON SCORE AND THE 2010 Baja 1000
A Trophy Truck struck a passenger car, at least three people were run over by desert racers, here in Ensenada Mexico all associated with the "Animal House" event called the Baja 500.
Two of the run-overs were life-flighted to San Diego via helicopter to ensure their lives were protected. The injuries were so bad with one victim, two-broken legs, after being run-over by the #8 Trophy Truck driven by Roger Norman of Norman Motorsports, based in Alpine California, just outside of San Diego.
UPDATE: Baja Racing News.com received a voicemail message from the victim in one of these 'Animal House' incidents in this years BAJA 500, Tim Nugent.
He sounded groggy and slow (not surprising under the circumstances), yet as positive as one could be (again, under the circumstances). He said he was off to the right side when hit. There were 3 trucks, apparently at over 120 mph.
He has 2 broken legs, 5 broken ribs, a broken scapula, 3 broken vertabrae, and a hole in the back of his knee which is being investigated cleaned, etc. I'm no doctor, but it sounds as if he is lucky to be alive.
As with most incidents, it was probably a combination of a lot of factors. Is there any one solution to making desert racing "safe" for all? Probably not. After all, racing, be it desert, rally, track, road or dirt, is inherently dangerous. however, there are probably a few "tweaks" that can be implemented that could significantly enhance safety and reduce the probability of such incidents while maintaining the essence of unique events like Baja. 3 trucks running together (passing, bumping, etc?) at 120+? A rider with no Baja experience and essentially no pre-run experience? A very dusty and rough course in high heat conditions? I don't suggest racing be "sanitized", and maybe this is one of those strange combinations that once in a blue moon occurs and tragedy strikes. but right now I'm at a loss of thoughts and words. It certainly has, and will cause serious reflection and re-evaluation of many future racing ventures.
All of the sportsmen class guys that Baja Racing News.com has talked with including Tim Nugent 253x would prefer to start behind the four wheel vehicles. Some of them will not race again unless this rule is implemented. They all say the same thing, the only thing they are really concerned about is dealing with the unlimited class vehicles. I believe SCORE would have many more entries in the sportsman class if this rule change takes place.
A few years back during the SF250 we lost a rider that let one car pass him by moving to the side but then instantly got back on the course in front of the next car.
He was a 30 year old new to riding in a Baja race.
""A competitor killed in a roll-over accident during a Baja California road race was not wearing a seat belt, race authorities said Tuesday.
Chris Lokken, 31, of Carlsbad, was a rider in a buggy that had a transmission breakdown around the 196th mile of the Tecate SCORE 500 off-road rally early Sunday shortly after midnight. He had no radio communication but flagged down a passing truck that was competing in another race class while the buggy driver remained behind, SCORE officials said.
"They agreed to drive him to the next checkpoint ... and they could get assistance," race spokesman Dominic Clark said.
Lokken sat behind the seats inside the stretched cab -- and area without a seat or seatbelt. He wore his helmet but it was unbuckled, SCORE Chief Executive Officer Sal Fish said.
The truck was about a mile away from the checkpoint when the course went up a steep hill.
The truck couldn't make it up. It backed up to make another try but in doing so went over the side, rolling over and over down a 100-yard ravine, Fish said.
Lokken was thrown from the truck and his helmet came off. He died at the scene of head and internal injuries, Clark said.
The other two people in the truck were wearing helmets and seatbelts and were not hurt.
"It's a very bizarre incident. Nothing like this has ever happened," Clark said.
It was the 39th running of the desert race.""
"It's a dangerous sport," Joe Desrosiers acknowledged earlier this week.
"My wife (Kathy) would like to see me get out. She worries. We have two daughters. She would rather see me race a buggy. But . . . "
Here, the 34-year-old Desrosiers offers a litany of reasons why he should ride on.
"You could get hit crossing the street," he said. "I broke my leg skiing and twice broke my back sledding, but on motorcycles, I've had only one fractured ankle. Yes, I guess you could kill yourself. But I guess that's what makes us what we are."
Last year, Desrosiers experienced the extremes of desert racing.
He led a team that won both the 250cc class title in the Baja 1000 and the SCORE season championships. But as Desrosiers prepared for the Baja 1000, a member of his team, Andy Specht, was killed in a riding accident.
Two weeks later, the team decided to ride on.
"The show must go on," reasoned Desrosiers.
But it was in the middle of his 280-mile stage that he finally realized why.
"I was out in the middle of nowhere – out near Punta Canoas – in a very remote section. And there's these two guys holding this banner with Andy's name on it," he said. "Just a couple of enthusiasts. It was something that sticks with you."
Later that November night, when Desrosiers and his team had finished to win the race and the season championship, the events of the past several weeks finally struck them.
"It was pretty tough that night," he recalled. "Almost surreal. Almost like it was supposed to happen that we won. So much has to come together to win a desert race. There was always this dark cloud with Andy's loss. It seemed to spread across the Baja peninsula. Then it was like we were all sharing what we had done."
Saturday, the Desrosiers team will ride again in the 36th SCORE Tecate Baja 500. Desrosiers is again atop the season standings. But the team has again been reshuffled. Mark Daniels was injured two weeks ago when he hit a cow in Mexico while on a practice run.
This time, the quartet will be Desrosiers, San Diego's Jesse Sharpe and Larry Gross and Goleta's Julian Guerra.
"It's almost like you lose someone from the mix every race," said Desrosiers. "It's a tough business. There are so many variables. The terrain ahead of you, the trucks and buggies coming up behind you."
Desrosiers, who owns Joe Hauler Motorcycle Carriers in San Marcos, began riding motorcycles in Connecticut at the age of 10.
"Not a great place to ride," he says. "You couldn't ride for 10 minutes without hitting a fence or having someone threatening you."
So he relocated to Southern California to be near the wide-open range of Baja California.
"I tell my friends all the time and they just don't understand," said Desrosiers. "The Baja 1000 . . . a thousand miles is like them riding to the tip of Florida. And they have no concept of the nothingness."
Desrosiers does. He rides 5,000 to 6,000 miles a year in Baja California, much of the time without a map in this day of GPS. It's part of the challenge.
Desrosiers is one of five San Diegans leading their SCORE class in points going into the Baja 500.
Carlsbad's Adam Pfankuch and Acton's Brian Jeffrey lead the overall four-wheel points standings as well as the 1600cc buggy class. El Cajon's John Marking tops the open-buggy rankings, and is fourth overall. The son-father team of Andy and Scott McMillin of Poway are fifth overall in the four-wheel division and second in open buggies.
The patriarch of the McMillin racing organization, 74-year-old Corky, will miss the Baja 500 for medical reasons.""
""Paul Fish, vice president of SCORE International, said Thursday his organization will not make any snap decisions about the racing future of off-road driver Jason Baldwin.
Baldwin of Laguna Beach was the driver of a Trophy Truck that rolled into a crowd of people at the Tecate Baja 500 on Saturday, killing one and injuring eight.
Any decision about Baldwin's future in racing--he could receive sanctions that include a race disqualification, suspension from the series, both or neither--will be made after an investigation.
The final decision rests with Fish and his uncle, SCORE President Sal Fish.
"SCORE certainly is not in a position right now to say anything one way or the other about Jason Baldwin's conduct at the wheel of that Trophy Truck," Paul Fish said. "We're collecting all the evidence we can get our hands on. We don't want to compromise an objective review of this thing by putting any kind of deadline on it.
"To put us on a timeline is not fair to Jason and it's not fair to the process."
Fish said he talked to Baldwin's co-driver, Mike Laughlin of Irvine, and spoke with Baldwin's father, Jim, on Thursday. Jim Baldwin was racing in the truck that preceded Jason Baldwin through the crash site, a left-right turn combination across the Tecate Highway, 2.1 miles into the 447.6-mile race.
Fish has not talked to Jason Baldwin, who is recovering from neck and back injuries.
"Everyone's going through enough grief, we don't want the Baldwins or anyone who was injured to suffer anymore without knowing all the facts of the situation," Sal Fish said. "We're not trying to point the finger at anyone at this point."""
News Service has learned that Baldwin has been released from the hospital and is reported to be doing well, however Craig Stewart, son of race winner Ivan Stewart, and owner of Stewart Raceworks has undergone surgery to relieve a blood clot on the brain. Zack Greinve is listed as having undergone surgery for internal injuries and is in stable condition.
At News Service, our prayers go out to the families and people involved, and we can only hope for their full and complete recovery. We will have more on the situation as it develops.
One point of specail note, the Mexican, American, and SCORE Medical / race / police / military officals and race team air support helicopters all pulled together to do an incredible job of attending to the injured, and keeping a very bad situation from becoming even worse. They all deserve our thanks.
Race highlights included Wins by Ivan, Johna,Vic Bruckmann, Doug Fortin Jr, John Kearney, George Seeley Jr., Dave Gasper, Jeff Lewis, Malcolm Vinje, Cisco Blo, Rick Ellison, Steve Greinke, Marc Stein, Rick Johnson, Jose Ruvalcaba, Mike Allsup, Elzadoro Karasawa, Dave Olen, Angel Garcia, Gilberto Santana, Joseph West, & Walter Prince.
News Service will have complete event coverage of the 1999 SCORE Baja 500 in our upcoming July issue, including photos, updates, and for the first time, streaming video of the race. SCORE MEDIA RELEASE
June 5, 1999 30th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Desert Race
Baldwin, 29, and Laughlin, 32, were at the point where the race course crosses the Tecate Highway (Highway 3), 2.1 miles north of the start/finish line of the 447.6-mile race in El Sauzal, a tiny village located four miles north of Ensenada.
"Our first priority was to attend to the injured, and our SCORE Medical Team aided the local Mexican medical personnel did an incredible job in responding to a very unusual incident at a SCORE race," said Sal Fish, CEO of the Los Angeles-based SCORE International, producers of the event. "'The Mexican authorities are conducting a thorough investigation of the incident and SCORE is able to commente at this time regarding only U.S. Citizens who were involved. By the very nature of motorsports, race participants are often part of incidents requiring medical assistance, but it is rare for spectators to be involved."
Baldwin and Laughlin were airlifted by the SCORE Medcal Team to San Diego area hospitals along with Craig Stewart, 30, of Santee, Calif., and Bob Ham, 56, El Centro, Calif. A fifth U.S. Citizen, Zack Greinve, 21, residence not determined, will be kept overnight in San Jose Hospital in Ensenada for observation and x-rays and will be airlifted to San Diego on Sunday.
All five were listed in stable condition by attending physicians.
Stewart, son of race winner Ivan Stewart of Alpine, Calif., and Ham were co-riders in another race vehicle but not racing at the time while Greinve was a spectator.
The incident occurred at 7:35 a.m., three and one-half minutes after Baldwin started his race. While the investigation continues, SCORE officials said Mexican nationals were also among the spectators involved.
Baldwin was entered in the featured Trophy-Thick division of the race, which had 221 starters competing in 23 classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. With a 17-hour time limit, slower classes will be in the Baja desert until the early morning hours on Sunday.""
San Diego Family Continues Desert Off-Road Dynasty
KORE wins Class 8 at Baja 500
San Diego , California
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He was a 30 year old new to riding in a Baja race.
This video was taken just before the accident involving the Norman Racing Trophy Truck and the moto rider. "No its not Dangerous".
The victims were racers and chasers themselves.
The moto-rider run-over by the SCORE International Trophy Truck,
was a registered racer in the event. The other known victim, was a chaser riding on an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). His head was run over as were his legs. One leg was known to be broken when the accident was reported, during the race.
The traffic disasters included a seven mile long wait to pass through Ojos Negros, a well known choke-point for racers and chasers in the northern section of the peninsula, seasonally used for desert off-road racing.
Eleven reported medical emergencies were identified during the event. Many more emergency events are not reported during the race. Many are reported after the event, focusing blame and demands for money, that the race organizer would rather hide from public view.
"I had a White Ford F-350 Crew Cab long bed with black trailer stolen from a payed parking lot in Ensenada near the start line. The truck has a large gold two tone stripe down the sides and new BFG 35in AT tires."
In past races, racers being shot by locals, racers ending up dead in vehicle accidents and multiple victims of racer trucks smashing into the big crowds of onlookers are not uncommon. Many deaths are associated with Baja racing.
Sal Fish, organizer of the races, has called this racing, "the most dangerous and notorious racing in the world".
The normal Baja attrition took place. Clyde Stout, before Race Mile 7, his Trophy Truck had two flats and hit a barbed wire booby-trap that sidelined his efforts far before Ojos Negros.
Kendall Norman mentioned he had a machine gun pushed in his face in Baja.
Andy McMillin mentioned his radiator hose that had to be fixed, with all the heat issues out on the back forty, along with Joe Bacal who talked about the course eating tires on his stock Lexus.
Pete Sohren admitted his team wasn't ready for this race. He was not going to run, until just minutes before that start, when his team figured out the trucks problem wasn't the transmission.
Sohren's truck ran so hot on the Laguna Salada, he had to drop his speed on the frying pan, down to 35 mph.
Past BAJA 500 "Animal House" Events
From 2007:
""A competitor killed in a roll-over accident during a Baja California road race was not wearing a seat belt, race authorities said Tuesday.
Chris Lokken, 31, of Carlsbad, was a rider in a buggy that had a transmission breakdown around the 196th mile of the Tecate SCORE 500 off-road rally early Sunday shortly after midnight. He had no radio communication but flagged down a passing truck that was competing in another race class while the buggy driver remained behind, SCORE officials said.
"They agreed to drive him to the next checkpoint ... and they could get assistance," race spokesman Dominic Clark said.
Lokken sat behind the seats inside the stretched cab -- and area without a seat or seatbelt. He wore his helmet but it was unbuckled, SCORE Chief Executive Officer Sal Fish said.
The truck was about a mile away from the checkpoint when the course went up a steep hill.
The truck couldn't make it up. It backed up to make another try but in doing so went over the side, rolling over and over down a 100-yard ravine, Fish said.
Lokken was thrown from the truck and his helmet came off. He died at the scene of head and internal injuries, Clark said.
The other two people in the truck were wearing helmets and seatbelts and were not hurt.
"It's a very bizarre incident. Nothing like this has ever happened," Clark said.
It was the 39th running of the desert race.""
From 2004:
""So far, rewards outweigh risks for motorcycle racer Joe Desrosiers as he gears up for the Baja 500.
By Bill Center
June 3, 2004
Almost everyone who races motorcycles across the desert knows someone who has been seriously injured or killed in a crash.
June 3, 2004
Almost everyone who races motorcycles across the desert knows someone who has been seriously injured or killed in a crash.
"It's a dangerous sport," Joe Desrosiers acknowledged earlier this week.
"My wife (Kathy) would like to see me get out. She worries. We have two daughters. She would rather see me race a buggy. But . . . "
Here, the 34-year-old Desrosiers offers a litany of reasons why he should ride on.
"You could get hit crossing the street," he said. "I broke my leg skiing and twice broke my back sledding, but on motorcycles, I've had only one fractured ankle. Yes, I guess you could kill yourself. But I guess that's what makes us what we are."
Last year, Desrosiers experienced the extremes of desert racing.
He led a team that won both the 250cc class title in the Baja 1000 and the SCORE season championships. But as Desrosiers prepared for the Baja 1000, a member of his team, Andy Specht, was killed in a riding accident.
Two weeks later, the team decided to ride on.
"The show must go on," reasoned Desrosiers.
But it was in the middle of his 280-mile stage that he finally realized why.
"I was out in the middle of nowhere – out near Punta Canoas – in a very remote section. And there's these two guys holding this banner with Andy's name on it," he said. "Just a couple of enthusiasts. It was something that sticks with you."
Later that November night, when Desrosiers and his team had finished to win the race and the season championship, the events of the past several weeks finally struck them.
"It was pretty tough that night," he recalled. "Almost surreal. Almost like it was supposed to happen that we won. So much has to come together to win a desert race. There was always this dark cloud with Andy's loss. It seemed to spread across the Baja peninsula. Then it was like we were all sharing what we had done."
Saturday, the Desrosiers team will ride again in the 36th SCORE Tecate Baja 500. Desrosiers is again atop the season standings. But the team has again been reshuffled. Mark Daniels was injured two weeks ago when he hit a cow in Mexico while on a practice run.
This time, the quartet will be Desrosiers, San Diego's Jesse Sharpe and Larry Gross and Goleta's Julian Guerra.
"It's almost like you lose someone from the mix every race," said Desrosiers. "It's a tough business. There are so many variables. The terrain ahead of you, the trucks and buggies coming up behind you."
Desrosiers, who owns Joe Hauler Motorcycle Carriers in San Marcos, began riding motorcycles in Connecticut at the age of 10.
"Not a great place to ride," he says. "You couldn't ride for 10 minutes without hitting a fence or having someone threatening you."
So he relocated to Southern California to be near the wide-open range of Baja California.
"I tell my friends all the time and they just don't understand," said Desrosiers. "The Baja 1000 . . . a thousand miles is like them riding to the tip of Florida. And they have no concept of the nothingness."
Desrosiers does. He rides 5,000 to 6,000 miles a year in Baja California, much of the time without a map in this day of GPS. It's part of the challenge.
Desrosiers is one of five San Diegans leading their SCORE class in points going into the Baja 500.
Carlsbad's Adam Pfankuch and Acton's Brian Jeffrey lead the overall four-wheel points standings as well as the 1600cc buggy class. El Cajon's John Marking tops the open-buggy rankings, and is fourth overall. The son-father team of Andy and Scott McMillin of Poway are fifth overall in the four-wheel division and second in open buggies.
The patriarch of the McMillin racing organization, 74-year-old Corky, will miss the Baja 500 for medical reasons.""
From 1999:
SCORE won't rush into decision on Baja 500 accident
""Paul Fish, vice president of SCORE International, said Thursday his organization will not make any snap decisions about the racing future of off-road driver Jason Baldwin.
Baldwin of Laguna Beach was the driver of a Trophy Truck that rolled into a crowd of people at the Tecate Baja 500 on Saturday, killing one and injuring eight.
Any decision about Baldwin's future in racing--he could receive sanctions that include a race disqualification, suspension from the series, both or neither--will be made after an investigation.
The final decision rests with Fish and his uncle, SCORE President Sal Fish.
"SCORE certainly is not in a position right now to say anything one way or the other about Jason Baldwin's conduct at the wheel of that Trophy Truck," Paul Fish said. "We're collecting all the evidence we can get our hands on. We don't want to compromise an objective review of this thing by putting any kind of deadline on it.
"To put us on a timeline is not fair to Jason and it's not fair to the process."
Fish said he talked to Baldwin's co-driver, Mike Laughlin of Irvine, and spoke with Baldwin's father, Jim, on Thursday. Jim Baldwin was racing in the truck that preceded Jason Baldwin through the crash site, a left-right turn combination across the Tecate Highway, 2.1 miles into the 447.6-mile race.
Fish has not talked to Jason Baldwin, who is recovering from neck and back injuries.
"Everyone's going through enough grief, we don't want the Baldwins or anyone who was injured to suffer anymore without knowing all the facts of the situation," Sal Fish said. "We're not trying to point the finger at anyone at this point."""
The 1999 SCORE Baja 500
""The 1999 Baja 500 was an event of the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. Despite some WFO racing by Ivan Stewart and Team Duralast, and an upset win by Johna Street over Honda teammate Johnny Campbell, an accident involving Trophy Truck driver Jason Baldwin claimed the life of one Mexican spectator, and resulted in multiple injuries to fans and spectators from both sides of the border.News Service has learned that Baldwin has been released from the hospital and is reported to be doing well, however Craig Stewart, son of race winner Ivan Stewart, and owner of Stewart Raceworks has undergone surgery to relieve a blood clot on the brain. Zack Greinve is listed as having undergone surgery for internal injuries and is in stable condition.
At News Service, our prayers go out to the families and people involved, and we can only hope for their full and complete recovery. We will have more on the situation as it develops.
One point of specail note, the Mexican, American, and SCORE Medical / race / police / military officals and race team air support helicopters all pulled together to do an incredible job of attending to the injured, and keeping a very bad situation from becoming even worse. They all deserve our thanks.
Race highlights included Wins by Ivan, Johna,Vic Bruckmann, Doug Fortin Jr, John Kearney, George Seeley Jr., Dave Gasper, Jeff Lewis, Malcolm Vinje, Cisco Blo, Rick Ellison, Steve Greinke, Marc Stein, Rick Johnson, Jose Ruvalcaba, Mike Allsup, Elzadoro Karasawa, Dave Olen, Angel Garcia, Gilberto Santana, Joseph West, & Walter Prince.
News Service will have complete event coverage of the 1999 SCORE Baja 500 in our upcoming July issue, including photos, updates, and for the first time, streaming video of the race. SCORE MEDIA RELEASE
June 5, 1999 30th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Desert Race
ENSENADA, B.C., Mexico--Just two miles into Saturday's 3Oth Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race, the Trophy-Truck full size pickup of Jason Baldwin, Laguna Hills, Calif., rolled several times injuring several spectators, along with himself and his co-driver Mike Laughlin, Irvine, Calif.Race Truck Rolls into Spectators, Several Individuals Airlifted to San Diego Hospitals
Baldwin, 29, and Laughlin, 32, were at the point where the race course crosses the Tecate Highway (Highway 3), 2.1 miles north of the start/finish line of the 447.6-mile race in El Sauzal, a tiny village located four miles north of Ensenada.
"Our first priority was to attend to the injured, and our SCORE Medical Team aided the local Mexican medical personnel did an incredible job in responding to a very unusual incident at a SCORE race," said Sal Fish, CEO of the Los Angeles-based SCORE International, producers of the event. "'The Mexican authorities are conducting a thorough investigation of the incident and SCORE is able to commente at this time regarding only U.S. Citizens who were involved. By the very nature of motorsports, race participants are often part of incidents requiring medical assistance, but it is rare for spectators to be involved."
Baldwin and Laughlin were airlifted by the SCORE Medcal Team to San Diego area hospitals along with Craig Stewart, 30, of Santee, Calif., and Bob Ham, 56, El Centro, Calif. A fifth U.S. Citizen, Zack Greinve, 21, residence not determined, will be kept overnight in San Jose Hospital in Ensenada for observation and x-rays and will be airlifted to San Diego on Sunday.
All five were listed in stable condition by attending physicians.
Stewart, son of race winner Ivan Stewart of Alpine, Calif., and Ham were co-riders in another race vehicle but not racing at the time while Greinve was a spectator.
The incident occurred at 7:35 a.m., three and one-half minutes after Baldwin started his race. While the investigation continues, SCORE officials said Mexican nationals were also among the spectators involved.
Baldwin was entered in the featured Trophy-Thick division of the race, which had 221 starters competing in 23 classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. With a 17-hour time limit, slower classes will be in the Baja desert until the early morning hours on Sunday.""
San Diego Family Continues Desert Off-Road Dynasty
The son-father team of Andy and Scott McMillin won the overall four-wheel title in the 42nd Tecate SCORE Baja 500 off-road race.
The McMillin’s Ford F-150 TrophyTruck finished the 438.8-mile course, which started and finished in Ensenada, in 9 hours, 15 minutes and 13 seconds for an average speed of 47.20 mph.
Andy and Scott McMillin also teamed to win last November’s Baja 1000. It was the third win in the past four SCORE races for the 23-year-old Andy, who won the season-opening SCORE Laughlin Challenge driving solo.
It was the second Baja 500 class win for Scott and Andy as a team.
Scott McMillin, 50, claimed his third Baja 500 overall win and sixth Baja 500 class win. He previously won the overall title in 1983 and 1986 while co-driving with his late father, Corky McMillin.
Andy drove the first half of the race and Scott drove the return leg to Ensenada. Scott pulled away from his closest pursuers over the final 150 miles and won by seven minutes and one second over Gus Vildosola Jr. of Mexicali.
The Lakeside-based team of Roger Norman and Larry Roeseler finished fourth overall and Santee’s Mike Julson teamed with Steve Appleton to finish fifth overall and win the open buggy title.
Possibly The Biggest BAJA 500 Story is the San Diego Lite Buggy Team
Finishing 13th overall to win the SCORE Lite buggy title was the San Diego team of Steve Eugenio and Adam Pfankuch.
Honda Wins Again
The team of Kendall Norman and Quinn Cody gave Honda its 15th overall Baja 500 motorcycle win. It was Norman’s fourth Baja 500 win in the past five years.
El Cajon’s Wayne Matlock led the winning ATV team for the second time in three years. He teamed with Josh Caster of El Cajon and Wes Miller of Fallbrook, averaging 42.15 mph.
The speeds were lower this year on the boulder-strewn course. But 192 of the 289 starters finished — the 66.4 percent finish rate being the fourth-highest in history.
“We’re starting to click as a team and I think we’re the team to beat if we’re having a good day — and we’ve been having a lot of good days lately,” Andy McMillin said.""
Team Ensenada 305x dominates 30 pro class!
The Kenda Tire backed 450x Honda of Francisco (Poncho) Septien dominated the 30 pro class at this years Baja 500 with a winning time of 9:38:10. Over 40 minutes ahead of the next pro motorcycle and placing 4th over all. The Ensenada
Quotes
Francisco
Shane is one of the fastest starters in Mexico
Shane
I knew when I got on the bike the second time I had to really turn it up to catch O’Neal but I dropped into San Matias wash, their was the 307x bike on it’s side getting repairs so I backed off a little, I had a really scary moment heading down from Mikes when some dumb A#$@s was racing a truck up to the Honda pit the wrong way on the course almost ruined our day with a head on. I gave back to Poncho at the meadow and told him to take it easy cause our comp was down.
Brian
I got the bike at San Vicente from Francisco and was told to keep it on two so I did just that, the bike ran great and I had one of the finest rides of my life, just enjoying the beach. I got gas at Uruapan and the crew said we had a big lead so I took it easy up to mike mark 400 were Francisco got on and took it home,, It feels great to win this because we didn’t know if we could get the funds together in time. And if it wasn’t for Francisco’s La Famila and friends this could not have happened. Vivendo La Vida!!!
US Sponsors Mexico
Kenda Tire Victor Race Prep Francisco (Poncho)
CHM Exhaust Rob Machaca Shane Esposito
O’Neal USA
No Toil Filters Platero Ing. Mgr. Robert Hansen
Enduro Eng.
UFO Plastic
McDonalds (Hawthorne Nevada
Iron Man Sprockets/Dirt tricks
Barnett Clutch
Hot Cams/Pivot Works
Congratulations to Baja Lite, Pete Sohren & Ron and Lance in Class7-2
I had a great time racing the Motive Gear, Los Valientes Tequila BajaLite, or Bajalite, or BAJALITE...
The truck is really fun to drive, reminds me of the glory days of 125cc 2-stroke MX Works bikes! Great handling with enough power to get on top of the whoops. I've raced TT, Class 8, 4 and Jeepspeed. That first 40-5- miles was as much fun as I've ever had - not the power and travel of the TT, but none of the pressure or stress either! We were on a great pace for about 40-50 miles, passed a lot of cars, when electric gremlins bit us. Maybe the water crossings - not sure yet. We fought computer/wiring issues for the rest of the race. We had an epic battle of determination with 721 Reid Rutheford.
Before I get too far, I have to thank the 'Butt Pirates' guys and gal, Lance, Camo, and Charlene for the last minute effort to come down and help. Pete and I put this deal together very late, so they had less than 24 hours notice we were racing.
Also a HUGE shout out to the team from Corpus Christi Texas - Big Wes, his son Wes IV, Nick, Bryan, and Mark. These guys are regular customers of Pete's, and had the second half of the race. They are a great group of guys I'd be proud to race with anytime! Great job Wes!!
And of course Pistol Pete, Fast Eddie, Chad Bunch, Brian Riebbe and Craig Turman (if I butchered the last name it's just payback). That is a small but capable team to run a two truck attack on Baja! It was a difficult race to finish with the power issues we were having, in fact this was probably the hardest for me in 20 years. I think that's what is making it so hard to unwind from this race.
Last but not least: BFGoodrich for always having my back. We ran off the shelf (literally thanks to Greg Adler at 4 Wheel Parts) KM2 Mud terrain T/A's with no flats - they almost look new! Motive Gear for the best ring and pinions, and my wife Tracy and son Austin for still encouraging me to chase the dream!
Baja 500 Winner. I like the sound of that. Bruce, great to meet you and thanks again for the lifesaving food, lights and genny.""
For more information on the BAJALITE Racing Program stay tuned to Baja Racing News.com
CANIDAE Racing Trophy Truck Team Turns in Excellent Performance in Baja 500 Despite Rollover
""The CANIDAE All Natural Pet Foods Trophy Truck team took on all comers this past weekend at the 42nd annual SCORE Baja 500 outside of Ensenada, Mexico with good results.
Scott Whipple started the day in the #95 CANIDAE Trophy Truck, leaving the start line in the 22nd position out of 41 entries. Whipple battled the rough Baja terrain and thick dust, steadily moving the truck up towards the front of the pack. Whipple and Co-Pilot Patrick Gailey had a perfect truck. From the awesome performance of the BFG’s, the incredible gear reduction by Tubeworks worked in unison with Cullhane turbo 400 running flawlessly. The Fox Shox were set up perfect enabling the T/T to fly over the gnarly Baja terrain. Lucas Oil fluids were ran in the entire truck from the rear end all the way to the 800hp LSX, all working without a glitch and never overheated. We never once touched the K&N filters that kept the beast clean and free of dirt and contaminants. The only unscheduled stops were when a front wheel blew apart when the truck hit a huge rain rut created by the intense Baja rains. By out-driving and through attrition, Whipple put the Chevy up as high as 7th place before turning driving duties over to Scott Gailey and Co-Pilot Johnny Stroschein at the halfway point of the race. Gailey kept up the swift pace and pointed the truck towards the west, up near the Pacific Ocean and back towards Ensenada for the finish. With trouble-free running, the team got as high as 5th before they ran into trouble with less than 30 miles to go.
As Gailey pushed hard for a top 5 finish, the #95 CANIDAE truck suffered a rollover in a section that racers were not allowed to see before the race started that was littered with ruts, rocks and washouts. With both the driver and co-driver unhurt and the damage to the vehicle assessed as “minimal,” and with the awesome help and support of the locals, the CANIDAE truck was put back on its wheels, replenished with Lucas Oils and back underway and almost home. Although several positions were lost during the incident, the team salvaged a solid 15th place finish in the 41 truck field and 21st overall out of 289 entrants. All in all, it was a great day for this young team, as the crew members were awesome and gelled together to make this great accomplishment possible.
View the CANIDAE Baja 500 Photo Album for some great pictures of the race and come back soon for updates on the team’s preparations for the next event, the BITD Vegas to Reno Race this August 19-21.""
FLASHBACK 2009
FLASHBACK 2007
G&R RACING SURVIVES MAYHEM AT SCORE BAJA 500
Race day excitement filled the streets of downtown Ensenada, Baja California, as the world’s top desert racers assembled at the start line of the prestigious SCORE Baja 500, awaiting their turn to charge across the majestic Baja Peninsula. This year’s race celebrated the 39th running of the SCORE Tecate Baja 500. A record field of 492 racers took to the start line in yet the biggest SCORE Baja 500 in the 39 year history of the race. Two of those racers were G&R Racing’s Garron Cadiente and Ron Whitton. Each racing in the elite SCORE Trophy Truck class, G&R Racing rolled out their meticulously prepped SCORE Trophy Trucks in anticipation of chasing victory through the rock-ladened and silt-filled 424.22 mile race course. Seated behind the wheel of the #38 SCORE Trophy Truck, only a few trucks back from the green flag, sat last year’s SCORE Rookie of the Year, Garron Cadiente. Focused and ready to get down to business from within the cockpit of the Geiser-built race truck, Cadiente’s thoughts outlined the first 122-miles to the Mike’s Sky Ranch turnoff. Likened to an Olympic downhill skier, Cadiente’s long stare told a silent tale of the mental preparation of the world’s top trophy truck racers. Garron explained, “The start of the race tends to be something out of the Wild Wild West. With 33 Trophy Trucks raging from the start line a mere minute apart, we expected the traffic to be heavy in the beginning. The #38 truck ran flawless and we stuck to our race plan strategy.
Back to the 2010 Baja 500 2010:
Matlock Racing Takes Baja 500
On June 5th over 280 entries started at the 42nd annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 with the expectations to finish the race and hopefully cross the finish line first. The Matlock Racing team once again covered the rough and boulder strewn course in the fastest time for the 3rd year in a row with a time of 10:24:35 with an average speed of 42.15 mph.
Matlock Racing prides themselves on working hard to train and prepare so the #1A Matlock
Racing Honda TRX700XX remains in the winner’s circle. This race was not only the 3rd time in a row they have recorded the fastest time at the Baja 500 but they also recorded the fastest Overall time for the 8th consecutive race in SCORE! Even with the impressive amount of wins the team understands anything can happen in Baja and this race was no exception.
The Matlock Racing team headed south of the border to Ensenada
The #1A Honda TRX700XX with Wayne Matlock aboard would start in the number 2 position just 30 seconds behind the #2A quad. On race day the early morning fog laid low over the town of Ensenada
Through the dust in Ojos Negros Matlock held the lead with the #5A of Javier Robles and #6A of Josh Edwards in hot pursuit. A fueling issue at the first pit held up Matlock which allowed the #5A and #6A quads to make the pass. During the pit, fuel was inadvertently dumped on Matlock and the quad flooding out the motor and killing the battery on the quad. Matlock would have to push start the quad and make multiple stops to pour water on his fuel covered skin loosing valuable time in the process. The #5A quad had gained 3 minutes before Matlock was able to hand the quad off to Josh Caster at race mile 74.
Caster was off in hot pursuit of the 2 quads, who now had a comfortable lead this early in the race. Before reaching check point #1 located at race mile 84, Caster was able to overtake the #6A quad and quickly move into the second place position. He would continue to chase the #5A quad over the rocky and dangerous summit without any communications with the chase crews due to the remote area of the course. Once reaching the dry lake bed of Laguna Salada he was back in contact with the chase crews who notified him that he was 4 minutes behind the lead quad. Caster turned up the pace for his last 25 miles into the rocky whoops of Borrego and was able to gain 2 ½ minutes on the lead quad before handing it off once again to Matlock.
Matlock would take the quad in Borrego at race mile 196 just 1 ½ minutes behind the lead quad. Once back on the quad he was able to chase down the #5A quad thru the deep sandy whoops on his way up San Matias Pass and before making the turn towards the Famous Mike’s Sky Ranch he could see the dust of the lead quad. Once spotting the dust, Matlock pushed even harder and was ready to make the pass for the lead just as the next fuel stop would come into view. This would allow the lead quad to pull away as it headed towards the coast. Just down the road from the fuel stop Matlock would hand the quad off to Wes Miller who would take the quad to race mile 402 in Ojos Negros.
Miller knew the lead quad was just seconds ahead of him and knew if he pushed hard enough he could make the pass before reaching the salty and rocky hills along the coast. Before reaching the coast Miller was nipping at the #5A quad’s heels and made the pass for the lead. Once in the lead Miller stayed on the gas to gain as much of a lead as possible knowing anything can happen in Baja. During Caster’s last few miles in Borrego the communication radio bolted to the race quad broke off due to the rough course. Because of this Miller had no communication with his chase crews along his ride up the coast and was unsure of how far behind the next quad was. Miller would continue to push hard not knowing where any of the competition was and would hand the quad off to Matlock in Ojos Negros at race mile 402 with a 45 minute lead on the next quad.
Matlock would make the final ride to the finish located back in Ensenada Ensenada
Not only did the #1A Matlock Racing Team finish a full 50 minutes ahead of the next quad but they also passed a total of 65 motorcycles that started ahead of them. Only 5 motorcycles were able to outrun the #1A Honda TRX700XX of Matlock Racing! This finish was good enough for the Class 25 Pro ATV win as well as the Overall ATV win.
The Matlock Racing Team would like to thank all of the chase crews and sponsors for their help. Without them these wins would not be possible and the team is very appreciative of all the support!
After months of technical and logistical preparation, Team KORE established itself in Baja, ready to take on “The 500”. Adding to the tension was the fact that KORE had made numerous changes to the race truck – major suspension and steering modifications that had yet to be put to the ultimate test.
Prerace preparation was going smoothly. Then while prerunning the race course on his dirt bike, driver Kent Kroeker got a flat front tire, crashed and suffered a compound fracture of his right thumb.
“The 500 has been my nemesis for over ten years. In various classes I’ve won every other race. But in the 500 I’ve taken second place at least five times, but never won – all because of bad luck. A little pain never hurt anyone, but I was thinking that with the bone hanging out, if it got infected my race would be over before it started,” said Kroeker.
After changing his tire and riding to his support vehicle, chase crew members Chris “Mongo” Williams and John Scripps extracted Kroeker to San Diego
Race day dawned hot and dry. A surprise heat wave brought 100 degree temperatures and no wind. “Heat is no problem – this is desert racing – but even a little wind helps increase visibility. We had no such luck,” said Kroeker’s navigator, Baja Design’s President, Alan Roach.
At 11am Kroeker launched the big Ram off the starting line. For 200 miles, Kroeker and Roach fought tremendous dust, stuck vehicles, rocks and loose terrain, bringing an undamaged race truck to Finnish WRC champion driver Harri Rovanperä and KORE navigator John Zambie. The Mopar 540 cubic inch Max Wedge roared off at full speed toward Mike’s Sky Rancho and into the night.
For the next 165 miles Rovanperä and Zambie made full use of 800 horsepower, 4.4 inch Fox bypass shocks, and no less than 14 Baja Designs HID lights, bringing Rodolfo Iribe and navigator Frank “Maximus” Martinek the big Ram in the physical lead by 12 miles.
“Being sideways in the air at triple digit speeds is interesting to say the least, but never once did I feel Harri was out of control. The guy can flat out drive,” said Zambie after the race. “I was having so much fun I didn’t want it to end.”
In Urapan, the KORE pit crew from NTG Racing put fresh Grabbers on the big Dodge, then Iribe and Martinek proceeded to tackle one of the most technical sections of the whole course. At one point a stuck race car blocked the trail, and Martinek, a Marine Corps combat veteran got out, pushed past the struggling drivers, then physically lifted the front of their car out of the way so Iribe could drive past.
At the finish line Team KORE waited with nervous anticipation. Last year’s Baja 1000 was heartbreaking. Thirty miles from the finish, while in the lead, an obscure part broke costing KORE the win.
“Until the very end, anything can happen – the trans could blow, Mexican ambush, log jam, whatever. This is the gnarliest racing on earth and it ain’t over ‘till it’s over,” said Crew Chief, Mike Kerr.
After about an hour of nail-biting anticipation, Iribe and Martinek came around the final turn in a full-thottle power slide, getting the checkered flag and the win by almost 3 hours.
“This win was the culmination of months of effort from our employees and volunteers. Many thanks to General Tire, Baja Designs, Fox Racing Shocks and Greer Brothers Racing for their continued support,” said Kroeker at the finish line. “Winning the Baja 500 is the second best feeling in the world. Team KORE can’t wait for the Baja 1000.”
ROCKSTAR's Rob MacCachren Endures Tough Race at SCORE Tecate Baja 500
LAS VEGAS, Nevada --Winning 19 season championships over the past 28 years has not come easy for off road racing champion, Rob MacCachren, and being sidelined by mechanical failure at this year's SCORE Baja 500 isn't easy to swallow either. Drawing the second starting position in the elite SCORE Trophy Truck class, ROCKSTAR's Rob MacCachren arrived to the Baja Peninsula like he has every other year, ready to get down and dirty while prerunning every possible moment of daylight.
With nearly 10-days of prerunning behind him, Rob MacCachren, idled the #20 ROCKSTAR Energy Drink / Mastercraft Safety sponsored JIMCO to the green flag, situated in the heart of the seaside town of Ensenada. With over 100,000 fans lining the 438-mile racecourse, the well-known Baja racing veteran roared off the start line 30 seconds behind lead Trophy Truck racer, Clyde Stout.J Focusing on the task at hand, MacCachren drove a steady pace as he weaved through the outskirts of Ensenada. A SCORE International record 39 Trophy Trucks took to the starting line in search of victory at the 2010 SCORE Tecate Baja 500. Heralded as the second-oldest desert race in the world and the second component of the three SCORE Baja races each season, Rob MacCachren is no stranger to winning the SCORE Baja 500. Over nearly three decades of racing, MacCachren has five SCORE Baja 500 titles to his name, however on this day, he would end up succumbing to a mechanical failure that stopped his race to victory.
The #20 Jimco-built SCORE Trophy Truck got by the lead truck early and by the time MacCachren reached race mile 33, he had lengthened his physical lead by 1:22 seconds over the pack of charging trucks. Without the hinderence of the standing dust, MacCachren continued to open up his initial physical lead over the field. Rob's devotion to days and days of intense prerunning and knowing the racecourse and its obstacles definitely paid off.
"We had a fairly easy run over the top of the summit and down to Laguna Salada. But on the lakebed, I noticed a vibration in what I believed to be the driveline, but it wasn't too bad. Little did I know what was about to happen," said Rob.
He continued, "I was nearly at race mile 186 in a deep sand wash heading towards Borrego and all of a sudden, I felt the transmission let go. I knew inside that was the end of our race to the win."
"Disappointment does not describe my thoughts. I race for a living and suffering mechanical failure in a race like this is heart stopping. Everything was going well in the race. I hate the thought of letting down the team and my sponsors, who have all partnered together in a joint effort towards success in the SCORE Desert Series. Today was not our day, but we finished and you know we'll be back," said MacCachren.
Although the ROCKSTAR Energy backed racer suffered a sheared intermediate shaft in the transmission, he was not throwing in the towel. In fact, Rob MacCachren and his team changed out the transmission and continued through the night taking the checkered flag well past midnight with a time of 14:05:03 and claiming the 22ndposition in the SCORE Trophy Truck class.
"The #20 ROCKSTAR Energy race team does not give up. We rallied to the finish line, but I really wanted to be cautious of the other racers in the limited classes. We were well behind in time, while the limited class racers were still dicing it out for the race win. I've been there in the past and I know how it is, so the last thing I wanted to do was to jeopardize anyone's race," commented Rob.
Racing in 30 race weekends a season is what Rob MacCachren does. Partnering with companies that provide support like no others and who are as passionate about winning championships as he is.
Rob commented, "The transmission failure is a one off thing. I've been partnered with Rancho Drivetrain Engineering for a very long time. Together, we've won some of the biggest races in off road racing, but this time we got a bit unlucky. RDE had 9 other SCORE Trophy Trucks out there that finished with the same transmission and no issues. We'll be back stronger than ever."
Rob MacCachren and his Rockstar Energy Racing team kick off the 2010 TORC Series with the season opener at Crandon International Raceway in Crandon, Wisconsin on June 19-20, 2010. Rob will defend his 2009 TORC Series Pro 2 Championship and his goal is to win back-to-back championships.
What happened to Robby?
ROBBY GORDON, No. 1 (12th in class. Gordon drove the entire race.) – We broke a transmission on Mike’s Sky Ranch Road. I haven’t broken a transmission in years. It’s a disappointment. The guys did a good job and we got it changed in about an hour and a half and I think that’s what we got beat by. I was the second car on the road and on the Mike’s Road we were maybe 15 seconds behind (the leader at the time) and unfortunately it broke. That’s kind of the way it goes, though. We’re obviously working hard but it’s kind of one of those years. Last year we couldn’t do anything wrong and this year we can’t do anything right. It’s always fun to come down here and race and we had a good time.
Joe Bacal Captures another Top Finish at the Baja 500
For the sixth time in six races, Joe Bacal and his Cancer Treatment Centers of America Lexus LX 570 with direct bolt-on OEM Performance Series King truck shocks completed their off-road racing mission, this time taking a hard-earned second place in the Stock Full class on a weather and earthquake-ravaged course in the 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 on Sunday morning.
“The course was extremely rough—worse than the (Baja) 1000,” said Bacal after driving more than 20 hours without relief. “A lot of racers got stuck on the course in front of us and it really slowed us down for a while.” The stranded vehicles created a bottleneck on parts of the course with only one way through, creating an unusual situation for Bacal and co-driver Bob Ditner. “We freed at least five rigs on the course with our tow strap,” recalled Bacal. “We really had no choice. It was faster to pull them out than wait for them to dig themselves out, but we still lost a lot of time in the process.”
The combination of a rough course and the continually-increasing pace of Bacal and his LX 570 also created something neither had experienced in any race since starting in 2009: flat tires.
“I have been pushing my truck harder every race to see where my limits are,” noted Bacal. “The BF Goodrich Baja TA tires had been perfect all this time, but we finally met our match. These are not purpose-built race tires like other racers use, yet they’ve been amazing considering the beating they’ve taken.”
Once again, the Long Beach Racers provided quick and effective race support. Early in the event, Bacal realized that the unexpectedly rough conditions demanded a different shock absorber set up and the support crew made adjustments at a couple of pit locations along the route. “The King Racing shocks were awesome and never faded—just a little tied down,” said Bacal. “Relaxing the settings a bit made for a quicker and much more drivable truck. Then we could really fly.”
In addition to extending his finishing record, the second place result expands Bacal’s lead in the SCORE Stock Full-class championship to 100 points, a lead firmly established by winning the first two races of 2010 at Laughlin, Nevada and San Felipe, Mexico. Bacal also continues do drive every mile of every race, giving him an advantage toward the SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards
Bacal and his JTGrey team see their next racing action at the SCORE Terrible’s Las Vegas Primm 300 on September 10-12.
For more information and updates on Joe Bacal, visit www.controlamidchaos.com
Bacal and the JTGrey Racing team acknowledge the following companies for their outstanding products,
services and support:
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (primary sponsor)
Lexus (LX 570, original parts)
F-Sport (wheels, performance parts)
BF Goodrich (tires)
King Shocks (suspension components)
KC HiLiTES (lighting)
Head First Design (graphics and marketing support)
ARB and Old Man Emu (off road accessories)
Sparco (seats, safety equipment)
Mechanix Wear (mechanic gloves)
Geiser Brothers Racing (vehicle build and prep)
Powertank (CO2)
Tomo Therapy (Joe’s radiation treatment)
“The course was extremely rough—worse than the (Baja) 1000,” said Bacal after driving more than 20 hours without relief. “A lot of racers got stuck on the course in front of us and it really slowed us down for a while.” The stranded vehicles created a bottleneck on parts of the course with only one way through, creating an unusual situation for Bacal and co-driver Bob Ditner. “We freed at least five rigs on the course with our tow strap,” recalled Bacal. “We really had no choice. It was faster to pull them out than wait for them to dig themselves out, but we still lost a lot of time in the process.”
The combination of a rough course and the continually-increasing pace of Bacal and his LX 570 also created something neither had experienced in any race since starting in 2009: flat tires.
“I have been pushing my truck harder every race to see where my limits are,” noted Bacal. “The BF Goodrich Baja TA tires had been perfect all this time, but we finally met our match. These are not purpose-built race tires like other racers use, yet they’ve been amazing considering the beating they’ve taken.”
Once again, the Long Beach Racers provided quick and effective race support. Early in the event, Bacal realized that the unexpectedly rough conditions demanded a different shock absorber set up and the support crew made adjustments at a couple of pit locations along the route. “The King Racing shocks were awesome and never faded—just a little tied down,” said Bacal. “Relaxing the settings a bit made for a quicker and much more drivable truck. Then we could really fly.”
In addition to extending his finishing record, the second place result expands Bacal’s lead in the SCORE Stock Full-class championship to 100 points, a lead firmly established by winning the first two races of 2010 at Laughlin, Nevada and San Felipe, Mexico. Bacal also continues do drive every mile of every race, giving him an advantage toward the SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards
Bacal and his JTGrey team see their next racing action at the SCORE Terrible’s Las Vegas Primm 300 on September 10-12.
For more information and updates on Joe Bacal, visit www.controlamidchaos.com
Bacal and the JTGrey Racing team acknowledge the following companies for their outstanding products,
services and support:
Cancer Treatment Centers of America (primary sponsor)
Lexus (LX 570, original parts)
F-Sport (wheels, performance parts)
BF Goodrich (tires)
King Shocks (suspension components)
KC HiLiTES (lighting)
Head First Design (graphics and marketing support)
ARB and Old Man Emu (off road accessories)
Sparco (seats, safety equipment)
Mechanix Wear (mechanic gloves)
Geiser Brothers Racing (vehicle build and prep)
Powertank (CO2)
Tomo Therapy (Joe’s radiation treatment)
More Press Releases LOADING NOW>>>
42nd BAJA 500 2010 RACE RESULTS
June 3-6 -- Ensenada, Mexico (438.81 miles)
TOP OVERALL FINISHERS
Pro Cars & Trucks
1. Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, National City, Calif., Ford F-150, 9:15:13 (47.42miles per hour) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
2. Gus Vildosola Jr., Mexicali, Mexico, Ford F-150, 9:22:14 (46.83mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
3. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, 9:34:21 (45.84mph) SCORE Trophy-Truck)
4. Roger Norman, Reno, Nev./Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., Ford F-150, 9:34:54 (45.80mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
5. Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 9:40:29 (45.36mph) (Class 1)
6. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif./Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Chevy Silverado, 9:45:46 (44.95mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
7. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./John Herder, Tucson, Ariz., Jimco-Chevy, 9:48:29 (45.09mph) (Class 1)
8. Rick D. Johnson/Bob Shepard, Phoenix, Ford F-150, 9:49:49 (44.64mph) SCORE Trophy-Truck)
9. Bryce Menzies/Larry Job, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 10:23:29 (42.23mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
10. Kory Halopoff/Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, 10:25:35 (42.09mph) (Class 1)
11. Gary Weyhrich/Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 10:25:41 (42.08mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
12. Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif., Ford F-150, 10:26:43 (42.01mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
13. Steve Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., Prill, 10:28:11 (41.91mph) (SCORE Lite)
14. Joe Arzate/Duvalier Alvarez/Adan Leggs, Irvine, Calif., BTC-Subaru, 10:29:18 (41.84mph) (Class 1)
15. Chet Huffman, Northridge, Calif./Jerry Whelchel, Portola Hills, Calif., Chevy C1500, 10:36:08 (41.39mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
16. Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 10:40:47 (41.09mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
16. Adam Householder/Terry Householder, Orange, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 10:40:47 (41.09mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
18. Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., Chevy CK1500, 10:54:19 (40.24mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
19. Dennis Boyle, Ventura, Calif./Ross Devlin, Paso Robles, Calif., HMS-Chevy, 10:58:08 (40.01mph) (Class 1)
20. Jason Voss/Rich Voss, Cupertino, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 11:02:51 (39.72mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
Pro Motorcycles
1. Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 8:47:00 (49.96mph) (Class 22)
2. Colton Udall/Jeff Kargola, San Clemente, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 8:47:26 (49.92mph) (Class 22)
3. Robert Underwood, Reno, Nev./David Pearson, Panaca, Nev./Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, KTM 450XCW, 9:01:24 (48.63mph) (Class 22)
4. Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico/Shane Esposito, Lake Elsinore, Calif./Brian Pinard, Sun City, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 9:38:20 (45.53mph) (Class 30)
5. Louie Franco, Sherman Oaks, Calif./Ricky Johnson, Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Brett Helm, Poway, Calif./Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Scott Myers, Menifee, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:10:25 (43.13mph) (Class 40)
6. Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas/Rex Cameron, Albuquerque, N.M., Honda CRF450X, 10:27:45 (41.94mph) (Class 30)
7. Sol Saltzman, Vail, Colo./Matthew Karlsen, Denver/Pete Schmidtmann, San Felipe, Mexico/Bill Boyer, Lomita, Calif./Ryan Kudla, Victorville, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:29:11 (41.85mph) (Class 21)
8. Mark Fillebrown, Allentown, Pa./Brandon Prieto, Ensenada, Mexico, Honda CRF450X, 10:37:35 (41.29mph) (Class 21)
9. Jim O’Neal, Simi Valley, Calif./Doug Heil, Monrovia, Calif./Andy Kirker, Santa Ana, Calif./Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Steve Willis, Tehachapi, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:40:11 (41.13mph) (Class 50)
10. A.J. Stewart, Jamul, Calif./Bryce Stavron, Palmdale, Calif./Jesse Casillas, Jamul, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:40:17 (41.12mph) (Class 22)
Pro ATVs
1. Wayne Matlock/Josh Caster, El Cajon, Calif./Wes Miller, Fallbrook, Calif., Honda 700XX, 10:24:35 (42.15mph) (Class 25)
2. Javier Robles, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico/Adolfo Arellano, Tijuana, Mexico/Felipe Velez, San Felipe, Mexico/Gilberto Ramirez, Tecate, Mexico, Honda TRX450R, 11:14:30 (39.03mph) (Class 25)
3. Craig Christy, Burbank, Calif./Dave Scott, Belen, N.M./Andy Lagzdins, Burbank, Calif./Cody Mitchell, Las Vegas, Honda TRX700XX, 11:33:40 (37.96mph) (Class 25)
4. Josh Edwards, Peoria, Ariz./ Travis Dillon, El Cajon, Calif./Robbie Cockrell, Barstow, Calif., Honda TRX450R, 11:40:46 (37.57mph) (Class 25)
5. Roberto Villalobos, Dulzura, Calif./Jorge Acosta, San Diego/Christian Vera, Lemon Grove, Calif., Honda TRX450R, 11:40:50 (37..57mph) (Class 24)
SPEED MEX Racing Baja Pits Mileages
Pit 1. RM 34 miles
Pit 2. RM 75 miles
Pit 3. Cohabuso Jt. RM 125 miles
Pit 4. Saldana RM 156 miles
Pit 5. Bitter lake RM 196 miles / sheep crossing
Pit 6. San Matias RM 222 miles restaurant
Pit 7. RM 260 miles Valle Trinidad abandoned block house
Pit 8. RM 310 miles
Pit 9. RM 365 miles Alcambaro restaurant
402 Pit 10 miles
RM=Race Mile
June 3-6 -- Ensenada, Mexico (438.81 miles)
TOP OVERALL FINISHERS
Pro Cars & Trucks
1. Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, National City, Calif., Ford F-150, 9:15:13 (47.42miles per hour) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
2. Gus Vildosola Jr., Mexicali, Mexico, Ford F-150, 9:22:14 (46.83mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
3. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, 9:34:21 (45.84mph) SCORE Trophy-Truck)
4. Roger Norman, Reno, Nev./Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif., Ford F-150, 9:34:54 (45.80mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
5. Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho/Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 9:40:29 (45.36mph) (Class 1)
6. Nick Vanderwey, Phoenix/Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif./Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Chevy Silverado, 9:45:46 (44.95mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
7. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./John Herder, Tucson, Ariz., Jimco-Chevy, 9:48:29 (45.09mph) (Class 1)
8. Rick D. Johnson/Bob Shepard, Phoenix, Ford F-150, 9:49:49 (44.64mph) SCORE Trophy-Truck)
9. Bryce Menzies/Larry Job, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 10:23:29 (42.23mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
10. Kory Halopoff/Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., Alpha-Chevy, 10:25:35 (42.09mph) (Class 1)
11. Gary Weyhrich/Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., Ford F-150, 10:25:41 (42.08mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
12. Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif., Ford F-150, 10:26:43 (42.01mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
13. Steve Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., Prill, 10:28:11 (41.91mph) (SCORE Lite)
14. Joe Arzate/Duvalier Alvarez/Adan Leggs, Irvine, Calif., BTC-Subaru, 10:29:18 (41.84mph) (Class 1)
15. Chet Huffman, Northridge, Calif./Jerry Whelchel, Portola Hills, Calif., Chevy C1500, 10:36:08 (41.39mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
16. Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 10:40:47 (41.09mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
16. Adam Householder/Terry Householder, Orange, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 10:40:47 (41.09mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
18. Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C., Chevy CK1500, 10:54:19 (40.24mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
19. Dennis Boyle, Ventura, Calif./Ross Devlin, Paso Robles, Calif., HMS-Chevy, 10:58:08 (40.01mph) (Class 1)
20. Jason Voss/Rich Voss, Cupertino, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 11:02:51 (39.72mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
Pro Motorcycles
1. Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 8:47:00 (49.96mph) (Class 22)
2. Colton Udall/Jeff Kargola, San Clemente, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 8:47:26 (49.92mph) (Class 22)
3. Robert Underwood, Reno, Nev./David Pearson, Panaca, Nev./Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, KTM 450XCW, 9:01:24 (48.63mph) (Class 22)
4. Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico/Shane Esposito, Lake Elsinore, Calif./Brian Pinard, Sun City, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 9:38:20 (45.53mph) (Class 30)
5. Louie Franco, Sherman Oaks, Calif./Ricky Johnson, Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Brett Helm, Poway, Calif./Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Scott Myers, Menifee, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:10:25 (43.13mph) (Class 40)
6. Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas/Rex Cameron, Albuquerque, N.M., Honda CRF450X, 10:27:45 (41.94mph) (Class 30)
7. Sol Saltzman, Vail, Colo./Matthew Karlsen, Denver/Pete Schmidtmann, San Felipe, Mexico/Bill Boyer, Lomita, Calif./Ryan Kudla, Victorville, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:29:11 (41.85mph) (Class 21)
8. Mark Fillebrown, Allentown, Pa./Brandon Prieto, Ensenada, Mexico, Honda CRF450X, 10:37:35 (41.29mph) (Class 21)
9. Jim O’Neal, Simi Valley, Calif./Doug Heil, Monrovia, Calif./Andy Kirker, Santa Ana, Calif./Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Steve Willis, Tehachapi, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:40:11 (41.13mph) (Class 50)
10. A.J. Stewart, Jamul, Calif./Bryce Stavron, Palmdale, Calif./Jesse Casillas, Jamul, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:40:17 (41.12mph) (Class 22)
Pro ATVs
1. Wayne Matlock/Josh Caster, El Cajon, Calif./Wes Miller, Fallbrook, Calif., Honda 700XX, 10:24:35 (42.15mph) (Class 25)
2. Javier Robles, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico/Adolfo Arellano, Tijuana, Mexico/Felipe Velez, San Felipe, Mexico/Gilberto Ramirez, Tecate, Mexico, Honda TRX450R, 11:14:30 (39.03mph) (Class 25)
3. Craig Christy, Burbank, Calif./Dave Scott, Belen, N.M./Andy Lagzdins, Burbank, Calif./Cody Mitchell, Las Vegas, Honda TRX700XX, 11:33:40 (37.96mph) (Class 25)
4. Josh Edwards, Peoria, Ariz./ Travis Dillon, El Cajon, Calif./Robbie Cockrell, Barstow, Calif., Honda TRX450R, 11:40:46 (37.57mph) (Class 25)
5. Roberto Villalobos, Dulzura, Calif./Jorge Acosta, San Diego/Christian Vera, Lemon Grove, Calif., Honda TRX450R, 11:40:50 (37..57mph) (Class 24)
Post-race quotesPRO CARS & TRUCKS
SCORE TROPHY-TRUCK
ANDY McMILLIN, No 31 (First in class and first overall four-wheel vehicle. Andy McMillin started and drove to race mile 260 and his father, Scott McMillan, drove from mile 260 to the finish.) – It was a smooth day, no problems. I just kind of followed in the dust and waited for the dust to clear and waited for my opportunities to open up. Sooner or later, I was third truck on the road behind Jesse (Jones) and Robby (Gordon) and Robby went out with a tranny and I was behind Jesse, just trying to make up time on him and get my dad in a good position to capitalize on whatever mistake Jesse did make, if he made one. Jesse drove a stellar race up to where my dad passed him – I think he had a flat or some issue and he was pulled over. We’re starting to click as a team and I think we’re the team to beat if we’re having a good day – and we’ve been having a lot of good days lately.SCOTT McMILLIN said: It’s great to be in Ensenada and Andy did a great job. We just make a good team because we love to drive together. He did all the work and he gave the truck to me and I think I was the second truck on the road and didn’t have much dust so I was able to run a clean run. I’m glad to hear that he was a little nervous (waiting at the finish line) because normally I’m waiting at the finish line for him and I hate it.GUS VILDOSOLA JR., No. 21 (Second in class and second overall four-wheel vehicle. Vildosola drove the entire race.) We had a good pace going and by the time we got to where the driver change was programmed, I think I was eight minutes behind (Jesse) Jones and five minutes behind Andy (McMillin) so we decided if the horse is doing well, then don’t change it. Our biggest disadvantage here was starting 24th. Andy started in the top 10 and Jesse Jones started in the top 10 so going through that many cars in the beginning, I think, kind of wore us down a little bit and it allowed them to escape. Closing that gap on such good drivers and the McMillins and Jesse Jones is difficult but we did what we could but in the end, we’re in second place. We accomplished what we came down here for, which was to finish and finish at our own pace. We had a couple of bad-luck races in Laughlin and San Felipe, where we were doing very well and it’s nice to be at the finish line for a change.B.J. BALDWIN, No. 97 (Third in class and third overall four-wheel vehicle. Baldwin drove the entire race.) It could have gone much better. This truck just beat the heck out of me all day long. We didn’t have much test time and we couldn’t get the stiffness in the front end worked out of it. I knew it was going to be rough but I didn’t know it was going to be THAT rough. Everybody just left me in the bumps and once I got on the roads, I got them back but there weren’t enough roads for me to get all the way to the front. The nice part is that this thing can be fixed and it can be massaged and it’s going to be killer fast for the SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300 (in September). But for a truck that was kind of scraped together in the last 30 days and was barely even done, it did a great job.ROGER NORMAN, No. 8 (Fourth in class and fourth overall four-wheel vehicle. Larry Roeseler started and drove to race mile 198 and Norman drove from mile 198 to the finish.) That’s awesome – I’m so happy to have a good finish after starting 37th. The dust was unbelievable and we just couldn’t get by it. We had a little down time – stopped for about 10 minutes – and (co-driver Larry Roeseler) had one flat tire. Besides that, there were really no issues. After my incident, I really wasn’t in the best of shape mentally so I wasn’t driving real fast. We were going up Mike’s Sky Ranch Road ... and I hit a motorcycle. It was just a real bummer (but) I’m very, very happy to hear he’s OK, though.NICK VANDERWEY, No. 84 (Fifth in class. Larry Vanderwey started and drove to mile 150; Curt LeDuc drove from mile 150 to mile 290 and Nick Vanderwey drove from mile 290 to the finish.) We started 34th for the day and we just had a lot of traffic. Larry cut the number of cars in front of him in half and Curt LeDuc got in with 24 and came in with 12 (ahead of him) and now we’re back in fifth. It really felt like the Class 8 days, starting in the back and just working through all those buggies – but in this case it was all SCORE Trophy-Trucks. The course was technical and there was a lot of traffic so that Class 8 experience really paid off. I had no rear brakes since the time I got in the truck. It made it very hard for those tight 90-degree turns out there. But it was a lot of fun and a great day.RICK D. JOHNSON, No. 71 (Sixth in class. Bob Shepard started the race and drove to race mile 156 and Johnson drove it to the finish.) It was a lot of dust frustration all day. We had no problems -- just being in the back and maybe not being aggressive enough. Other than just a lot of dust, we didn’t have a flat or any other problems today. It’s just hard being back there because you get caught up in traffic ... but that’s the luck of the draw.BRYCE MENZIES, No. 70 (Seventh in class. Menzies started and drove to race mile 360 and Larry Job drove to the finish.) Larry Job said: My teammate, Bryce, did a fantastic job for his first Tecate SCORE Baja 500. He got a little tired and I got in at Santo Tomas and didn’t do anything stupid and here we are with a good finish for the Menzies Motorsports desert program. The first time I drove it was when I got in it at Santo Tomas. It was a great truck.ROBBY GORDON, No. 1 (12th in class. Gordon drove the entire race.) – We broke a transmission on Mike’s Sky Ranch Road. I haven’t broken a transmission in years. It’s a disappointment. The guys did a good job and we got it changed in about an hour and a half and I think that’s what we got beat by. I was the second car on the road and on the Mike’s Road we were maybe 15 seconds behind (the leader at the time) and unfortunately it broke. That’s kind of the way it goes, though. We’re obviously working hard but it’s kind of one of those years. Last year we couldn’t do anything wrong and this year we can’t do anything right. It’s always fun to come down here and race and we had a good time.CLASS 1
STEVE APPPLETON, No. 101 (First in class and fifth overall four-wheel vehicle to finish. Appleton started and drove to race mile 220 and Mike Julson drove from mile 220 to the finish.) – It feels great. Mike (Julson) did a great job. I drove the first half and the car, from Jimco, was working awesome. It was a race to the finish. (Ronnie) Wilson, when (Julson) came into the last pit, they were within one minute of each other and Wilson was taking fuel and he only took one can and took off as soon as Mike was about to pass him and they raced all the way to the finish. Mike passed him somewhere when they got into town. It was awesome – a lot of fun.RONNY WILSON, No. 117 (Second in class. John Herder started and drove to race mile 200 and Wilson drove from mile 200 to the finish.) About five miles (from the finish), we made a wrong turn and lost over a minute. It would have been a heck of a shortcut; the locals kind of cleared the way for us – the kids are holding the (course) markers the wrong way. We knew it wasn’t right so we turned around, went back and found the course and that’s when Mike (Julson) got by us. It’s just another Baja race.KORY HALOPOFF, No. 108 (Third in class. Halopoff started and drove to race mile 260 and Harley Letner drove from mile 260 to the finish.) Harley had one flat and we had one bad pit stop at (race mile) 95 that put us back a little back. Then, towards (race mile) 170 or 180, the car shut off and I couldn’t figure it out. I don’t know exactly what it was but I switched to the second fuel pump and it ran great from then on. It was pretty rough, dusty ... it was a really tough course compared to other years. It was dustier and rockier.CLASS 1-2/1600
BRIAN WILSON, No. 1606 (First in class. Wilson started and drove to race mile 210 and Sammy Ehrenberg drove from mile 210 to the finish.) I got one flat tire – actually, it wasn’t a flat tire; I blew the rim out. I got the lead about 50 miles into and we kept it all the way. I gave it to (Ehrenberg) in first place and he brought it around. Besides my mistake, blowing the wheel apart, it was an awesome day. At one pint, they said we had a 23-minute lead and then about mile marker 170 or 180, we ran out of water in the car and I got dehydrated so we cruised and lost some of the lead, but (Ehrenberg) was able to get in the car and keep the lead the entire way.SCORE LITE
STEVEN EUGENIO, No. 1203 (First in class. Eugenio started and drove to race mile 290 and Adam Pfankuch drove from mile 290 to the finish.) I was by all the (Class) 10 cars by Ojos and just cruised it from there. I gave the car to Adam and he brought it in with no problems. This is my second win in Baja – I don’t know how many Adam has. We’re going to be back all next year doing it again. We’ll have an all-new car and an all-new team.
PRO MOTORCYCLES
CLASS 22
KENDALL NORMAN, No. 1x (First in class and first overall motorcycle to finish. Norman started and drove to race mile 95; Quinn Cody drove from RM 95 to RM 200 and Norman rode from RM 200 to the finish.) I got the physical lead before I left the wash. There was one bike in front of me and I was able to get him and then I had really clean air. We didn’t have a single problem all day – which is pretty darn amazing considering how tough and gnarly this course is. I’m just really tired but it feels to be here in one piece and then to get my fourth Baja 500 win. When things are going good it seems like things just keep going good. Our JCR Honda was unreal out there – we didn’t miss a beat. I can’t say enough about my team; I wouldn’t be here without them. There was a lot of traffic, a lot of spectators – pretty much every obstacle imaginable but I dealt with it today.COLTON UDALL, No. 12x (Second in class and second overall motorcycle to finish. Udall started and rode to race mile 96; Jeff Kargola rode from mile 96 to 260 and Udall rode from mile 260 to the finish.) – We had a real quick tire change that helped us pass (third-place bike No. 10x). It probably took them a minute to change the tire whereas is took us about 30 seconds. It was really rough out there, it was really long and it took it out of me. We got whooped by the ‘A’ team (teammate Kendall Norman) and I’m kind of bummed about that, but congratulations to them.ROBERT UNDERWOOD, No. 10x (Third in class and third overall motorcycle to finish. Ivan Ramirez started and rode to race mile 100. David Pearson rode from mile 100 to 200. Ramirez rode from mile 200 to 260. Pearson rode from mile 260 to 290. Underwood rode from mile 290 to 370 and Ramirez rode from mile 370 to the finish.) I was in the dust and I kept on telling myself that anyone can finish second down here to Honda so I wanted to win. I was riding over my head, I guess, and hit a rock and went through a barbed-wired fence. My knee hurts real bad – I think I tore some stuff up in there.CLASS 21
SOL SALTZMAN, No. 101x (First in class. Saltzman shared riding duties with Matthew Carlson, Pete Schmidtmann, Bill Boyer and Ryan Kudla.) It was awesome out there. The only problem I had was losing my muffler – that, and my rear tire (which was chewed up). That explains why I was sliding everywhere on the way (to the finish line).CLASS 20
JASON TRUBEY, No. 151x (First in class. Trubey shared riding duties with Carl Maasberg, Jermey Purvines and Ron Purvines.) It was an up and down day. We had some issues, a crash, but the bike ran perfectly all day. We’re trying to figure out what we have to do to make that thing last for 1,000 miles for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. It’s a little tired right now so we’ve got some logistical issues to work out before the next race. We would have liked to have had a better overall finish ... but two wins in a row in our class is pretty good.CLASS 30
FRANCISCO SEPTIEN, No. 305x (First in class and fourth overall motorcycle to finish. Septien shared riding duties with Shane Esposito and Brian Pinard.) I think that the luck was on our side this day because (the other riders in the class) were running pretty fast. I haven’t gone through the summit in a couple of years so it was like new to me. I’m not that good in the rocks but I couldn’t do it without Shane.CLASS 40
LOUIE FRANCO, No. 407x (First in class and fifth overall motorcycle to finish. Franco shared riding duties with Ricky Johnson, Brett Helm, Jeff Kaplan and Scott Myers.) It was rough, dusty and miserable but all my boys did their job and we got the thing to the finish and nobody flipped it. Everybody had a prefect ride. I did the best I could because it was so dusty and I couldn’t see anything and I didn’t want to throw it away. The track wasn’t nasty but you just couldn’t see because of all of the dust.CLASS 50
JIM O’NEAL, No. 500x (First in class. O’Neal shared riding duties with Andy Kirker, Doug Heil, Jeff Kaplan and Steve Willis.) Andy Kirker said: I wear contact lenses and one of them fell out and I could hardly see so I was struggling. But this Honda ran great all day. I wasn’t scheduled to the finish; I was supposed to give up the bike earlier but they weren’t ready for the change and they waved me on. I fell once. The rear tire was down to the cords and I was sliding everywhere; I ended up sliding into a ditch. But the whole package is really all about getting across the finish line first and that’s what we did.PRO ATVs
CLASS 25
WAYNE MATLOCK, No. 1a (First in class and first overall ATV to finish. Matlock started and rode to race mile 77. Josh Caster rode from mile 77 to mile 200; Matlock rode from 200 to 250; Wes Miller rode from mile 250 to 402; and Matlock rode from mile 402 to the finish.) The race was really good. It was definitely a challenging course. We had some problems in the beginning of the course and had some slip-ups in the pits. After that, we put our heads down and everybody did their job and here we are. It was a pretty beat-up course this time but it was fun. I’d like to thank all of my teammates for getting the quad back up there and working hard and got us up into first place.CLASS 24
ROBERTO VILLALOBOS, No. 117a (First in class and fifth overall ATV to finish. Villalobos shared riding duties with Jorge Acosta.) Jorge Acosta said: When Roberto was out there around race mile 160 or 170, he passed every single (Class 24 ATV) but then he fell and we had a little problem with the suspension. We got that fixed and had no other problems. The engine worked great. This is my first SCORE win in Baja and it feels good. (Were you surprised you were able to start 17th and still win?) I obviously know Roberto is a good rider and I have a good bike and I don’t think I ride bad at all.
McMillins master field for Overall, SCORE Trophy-Truck titleAppleton/Julson win Class 1 at 42nd Tecate SCORE Baja 500Kendall/Cody earn Honda’s 15th overall motorcycle title with 26-second win over JCR teammates;Matlock and team capture overall ATV victory for the second time in last three yearsENSENADA, Mexico—Continuing to add to the legacy of one of the sport’s legendary family of racers, third-generation desert racer Andy McMillin and his father Scott, of San Diego, split the driving in their No. 31 McMillin Realty Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck Saturday to master the world’s best desert racers in the 42nd Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500.Dicing over the rugged 438.81-mile with several of the top competitors for the majority of the race, the McMillins stayed focused and consistent to outlast all challengers in finishing the grueling test in nine hours, 15 minutes and 13 seconds, averaging 47.20 miles per hour to win the overall 4-wheel and the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division, which had a SCORE-record 39 of the 850-horsepower, high-tech, unlimited production trucks leave the starting line Saturday morning in Ensenada.Round 3 of the five-race 2010 SCORE Desert Series, the second-oldest desert race in the world and part of the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, was held in Ensenada, Mexico. Traditionally one of the most popular events on the SCORE schedule, over 100,000 spectators enjoyed the world’s best desert racers in action at the 42nd anniversary of the Tecate SCORE Baja 500.Entries came from 26 U.S. States from Hawaii to Connecticut along with the additional countries of Mexico, Austria, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Uruguay and the U.S. territory-Guam.With racing continuing in the elapsed-time race that had a 22-hour time limit until 9:20 a.m. Pacific Time Sunday, both the start and the finish line were located in the heart of Ensenada, Mexico on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. It was the third time in race history that the pre-race activities and the finish were all held on this historic boulevard. SCORE officials released the official results following complete data tracking review Sunday morning after the course closed.The total number of starters (289) was tied for the 12th highest total with 2008 in the 42-year history of the popular race. The starting list included 164 cars and trucks and 125 motorcycles and ATVs. The total of 192 finishers is the fourth-most number finishers in the event’s 42-year history, for a tremendous 66.4 percent finishing rate.Johnny Campbell Racing gave American Honda the top two overall motorcycle finishing positions as Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif., and Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif., gave Honda its 15th overall motorcycle victory in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 with their winning time of 8:47:00 at 49.96mph on a JCR Honda CRF450X. In the elapsed-time race, they edged the twin Honda CRF450X of teammates Colton Udall and Jeff Kargola of San Clemente, Calif., by just 26 seconds.It was the fourth overall victory in this race for Norman in the last five years.For the second time in three years, Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif., rode the fastest ATV in the race, recording a winning time of 10:24:35 on a Honda TRX700XX. Sharing riding duties this year with him this year were Josh Caster, also of El Cajon, and Wes Miller of Fallbrook, Calif. Their average speed over the boulder-strewn course was 42.15mph.Andy McMillin, the budding 23-year old superstar has now won three of the last four SCORE races, the 2009 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 and this Tecate SCORE Baja 500 with his father Scott, and this past January’s SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge driving solo. This victory was also the fourth career SCORE Trophy-Truck race win in his young desert racing career. It was also Andy McMillin’s second class win in this race as he won the unlimited Class 1 with his father in 2005.For Scott McMillin, 50, who drove the second half of the race, the victory earned him his sixth class win in this race and his third overall victory have won the overall with his late father Corky McMillin in 1983 and 1986 in Class 1. It was also Scott McMillin’s second career SCORE Trophy-Truck race win, adding to the victory he had in last year’s Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 with his son Andy.After battling closely during the first half to three-quarters of the race with several racers including Rob MacCachren, Robby Gordon and Jesse Jones, the McMillins gradually pulled away and held off Gus Vildosola Jr., B.J. Baldwin and Roger Norman at the end to earn their overall four-wheel victory. The win gives BFGoodrich Tires is 50th SCORE Baja overall race title.“It was a smooth day, no problems,” said Andy McMillin at the finish line waiting for his father to finish the race. “I just kind of followed in the dust and waited for the dust to clear and waited for my opportunities to open up. Sooner or later, I was the third truck on the road behind Jesse (Jones) and Robby (Gordon) and Robby went down with a tranny and I was behind Jesse, just trying to make up time on him and get my dad in a good position to capitalize on whatever mistake Jesse did make, if he made one. Jesse drove a stellar race up to where my dad passed him – I think he had a flat or some issue and he was pulled over. We’re starting to click as a team and I think we’re the team to beat if we’re having a good day – and we’ve been having a lot of good days lately.”The only remaining undefeated car and truck class driver following his third consecutive class win in the 2010 SCORE Desert Series was Dave Caspino, Tarzana, Calif., in a Ford Ranger in Class 6.Winning their respective motorcycle and ATV classes for the second of three SCORE Baja races here were the teams led by: Matlock, Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 30, Honda CRF450X), Lou Franco, Sherman Oaks, Calif. (Class 40, Honda CRF450X), Jason Trubey, Henderson, Nev. (Class 20, Honda CRF250X), Jim O’Neal, Simi Valley, Calif. (Class 50, Honda CRF450X) and Rob Ransford, Chicago (Class 26, Can-Am 4X4).O’Neal now has 13 class wins in this race.Winning the unlimited Class 1 and finishing fifth overall among four-wheel vehicles was the team of Steve Appleton, Boise, Idaho and Mike Julson, Santee, Calif., in a Jimco-Chevy.
SPEED MEX Racing Baja Pits Mileages
Pit 1. RM 34 miles
Pit 2. RM 75 miles
Pit 3. Cohabuso Jt. RM 125 miles
Pit 4. Saldana RM 156 miles
Pit 5. Bitter lake RM 196 miles / sheep crossing
Pit 6. San Matias RM 222 miles restaurant
Pit 7. RM 260 miles Valle Trinidad abandoned block house
Pit 8. RM 310 miles
Pit 9. RM 365 miles Alcambaro restaurant
402 Pit 10 miles
RM=Race Mile
BAJA 500 2010 COURSE:TOTAL MILEAGE: 438.81 miles (4 checkpoints, 22 virtual checkpoints). Starts and finishes in downtown Ensenada on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, marking the third time and third straight year this race has ever FINISHED on Blvd. Costero. Starting and finishing in Ensenada, this year’s tight and technical course will run in a clockwise direction for the fifth straight year. It includes a wide variety of terrain and will the overall course is similar to last year, significant rainfall has caused significant change in the terrain. The course runs East to Ojos Negros area (race mile 35.18), South to Lllano Colorado (rm70) then East and Northeast up over the top of the 5,000-foot Summit (rm106.34), South into the Laguna Salada desert (rm 150) running parallel to the Sea of Cortez to Borrego (rm196.17) and then back Northwest, Southwest past the Mike’s Sky Ranch turnoff, North to near Valle de la Trinidad (rm255.32), followed by a West travel section, turning north,at the Pacific Ocean (rm307.30) then East, North and back West for the final charge back into Ensenada. The first 35.18 miles will be used both outgoing and incoming. The course also includes the traditional 30-plus mile run along the shores of the Pacific Ocean from race-mile 307.30 to 344.64. There are six pavement areas on the course, totaling 13.86 miles, with a maximum speed limit of 60 mph.Checkpoints: CK1-Santa Catarina, rm84.03; CK2-South of Borrego, rm196.17;CK3-Norwest of Colonet, rm307.30; CK4-West of Ojos Negros, rm397.53.RACE DAY SCHUDLE:SATURDAY/SUNDAY, June 5-6, 2010 (all times PDT)START/FINISH:In front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard CosteroLate Registration AND Late Tech, start line, 5:30a.m.RACE STARTS:Motorcycles & ATVs-6a.m.; Cars & Trucks-10 a.m. (Approx)CLASS STARTING ORDER: (30-second intervals)Motorcycles/ATVs:22, 30, 40, 21, 20, 50, 60, 25, 24, SPT M/C>, SPT M/C<, SPT ATV, 26Cars/Trucks:TT, 1, 10, SL, 8, PT, 1-2/1600, 4, 5, 6, 7, 5/1600, 7SX, 2, 3, 7-2, SF, SM, 9, 17, SPT TRUCK, SPT CAR, 11, SPT UTVTIME LIMIT:All vehicles have a 22-hour time limit to cover the course.