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June 1, 2008
By mere 7 seconds After 441.15 miles, B.J. Baldwin beats Post/MacCachren For 4-wheel Overall victory at 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Bell/Norman ride Honda CRF450X to 3-peat Overall Motorcycle Desert racing victory over 289 starters in Ensenada, Mexico ENSENADA, Mexico—In what will likely go down in history as one of the most classic battles in desert racing history, solo driver B.J. Baldwin held it all together for 441.15 miles of the rugged Baja peninsula to capture the Overall 4-Wheel victory Saturday by a mere seven seconds over the veteran team of Mark Post/Rob MacCachren at the 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada, Mexico. Driving the No. 97 Baldwin Motorsports Chevy Silverado SCORE Trophy-Truck, Baldwin, of Las Vegas, covered grueling desert race course in nine hours, 10 minutes, 47 seconds, averaging 48.06 miles per hour to win the closest overall 4-wheel vehicle finish in the 40-year history of the second oldest desert race in the world. Post of Laguna Beach, Calif. and Las Vegas’ MacCachren, the reigning SCORE Trophy-Truck point champions finished first physically in the elapsed-time race but the corrected-time results revealed their second place finish as Baldwin started 60 seconds behind Post/MacCachren No. 1 Riviera Racing Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck, but came into the finish line just 53 seconds after MacCachren had crossed it. With racing continuing in the elapsed-time race that had a 20-hour time limit until 6:35 a.m. 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 first time in race history that the pre-race activities and the finish were held on this historic boulevard. Mexican tourism officials estimated the race-day crowd spread out along the course at more than 100,000. Round 3 of the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series, featured 289 starters, competing in 27 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs over the rugged 441.15-mile course. Entries came from 24 U.S. States from Hawaii to Connecticut as well as Mexico, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan and Uruguay. The total number of starters was the 12th most in the 40-year history of the popular race. The starting list included 150 cars and trucks and 139 motorcycles and ATVs. There were a total of 195 finishers, the third most in the event’s 40-year history, for an impressive finishing percentage of .675. “This win is massive. It is very important to me,” said Baldwin, the 2006 SCORE Trophy-Truck season point champion. “I have a hand full of trophies, but what I don’t have is that Montezuma thing, the first overall in a SCORE Baja race. That’s what I always wanted.” “The truck is hurt,” added Baldwin. “It’s been hurt since the beach. The brakes on this thing are shot. When I rev it out really hard, the power steering belt slips. It’s been a lot of hard work to get it here. I really sucked it up. I’m going to have to go back to the hotel for some beer and some advil.” “For 60 miles I was stuck behind Ron (Whitton). We had a little bit faster pace than him, but I could get around him because of the dust. Every time we got close, I just didn’t want to take the chance.” For Baldwin, who finished second to Post/MacCachren in the 2007 SCORE Trophy-Truck points, it was his third career SCORE Trophy-Truck win and his first in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500. With a second and seventh place finish this season prior to this victory, Baldwin will increase his season point lead in the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck racing division for 800-horsepower, high-tech, unlimited production trucks. “We’ve been running hard ever since the beach,´ said MacCachren, who took over driving from Post at race mile 206 to the finish line. “He (Baldwin) kind of had the advantage because he could stick to me and follow me. “The last 30 miles we tried to pick it up and put time on him. We did the best we could. We tried to get away from him. We just couldn’t.” “Mark had some flat tires,” MacCachren added, But it doesn’t matter if you get them or not. Ultimately, it’s like a chess game. You’re cruising along trying to stay somewhere near the front of the pack and pick your battles at the end. The course was torn up a little bit.” “I’d like to have made it here eight seconds faster,” said Post whose Riviera Racing team now has two second-place finishes in 2008 following a rare did-not-finish in the season opener. “I was 40 seconds behind B.J. when I gave the truck to Rob, so we got back on the pace. I had three flats otherwise we would have had a nice truck today. That was a heck of a run. It’s the SCORE Baja 500, a technical race. It’s just a great race.” Hoping for a 3-peat victory, Las Vegas’ Brian Collins came up a bit short, finishing third Overall and in SCORE Trophy-Truck with new teammate Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif., crossing the line 15 minutes behind Baldwin in a time of 9:25:47 in the No. 12 Collins Motorsports Mopar Dodge Ram 1500. Driving solo, Collins won this year’s Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 in March and this was Hovey’s first SCORE race with Collins Motorsports after driving several years for his own team in the unlimited Class 1 for open-wheel desert race cars. Earning a third consecutive overall motorcycle victory was the team of Robby Bell, Murrieta, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif., on the No. 1x Johnny Campbell Racing Honda CRF450X. The defending SCORE Desert Series Class 22 point champions used their experience and factory-sponsored motorcycle held off the team led by Ryan Penhall, completing the course in 8:43:38, averaging 50.55mph, three miles per hour quicker than their average speed last year. Riding the fastest ATV in the race for his second win of the season and first in this race was the team led by Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif./Marc Spaeth, Ramona, Calif./Wes Miller, El Cajon, Calif., on a new Honda TRX700XX. Matlock and his team finished in 10:10:40, beating the team led by Javier Robles, Mexicali, Mexico, by just 21 seconds and the two-time defending ATV race winning team led by Danny Prather, Ramona, Calif., by eight minutes, 25 seconds. Bell and Norman each rode three separate sections of the course on the way to the overall motorcycle win. Bell started and rode to race mile 103, Kendall rode from rm 103 to rm 206, Bell from rm 206 to rm 207, Kendall from rm 270 to rm 398.5 and Bell from rm 398.5 to the finish line. “It was just experience, just knowing not to get too excited with them (Penhall) riding with us,” said Bell, who won this year’s Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 with SCORE Baja legend Johnny Campbell while Norman was recovering from knee surgery. “We didn’t get too nervous. As soon as you start to worry about the team behind you, you start making mistakes. Around Valle de Trinidad (race mile 260) was the closest they got. I had to do a quick repair on the bike and they came in one second behind me. From there, we kind of kept pulling away.” Luis Ramirez Jr. of Cabo San Lucas was the first Mexican national to win the unlimited Class 1 in this race, finishing fourth overall among 4-wheel vehicles in a Chevy-powered HMS open-wheel desert race car in 9:36:55. Fifth overall and fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck was Roger Norman, Reno, Nev., who split driving with his new teammate Larry Roeseler, Irvine, Calif., in the No. 8 Roger Norman Racing Ford F-150 in 9:44:55. For Roeseler, who has a race-record 11 overall victories among his 16 total class wins in this race, it was his first race with Norman, the Northern Nevada casino owner and developer. Venerable veteran Rod Hall, Reno, Nev., became the all-time winningest driver in the history of this race by earning his 18th class win and remaining undefeated in three SCORE races this year. Hall and Mike Winkel, also of Reno, piloted his Rod Hall Racing Hummer H3 to first place in Stock Mini in a time of 14:42:54. Hall, 70, finished an hour and a half after his youngest son Chad Hall, also of Reno, won the Stock Full class in a Hummer H3Alpha for Team Hummer in 13:09:53 for his first win in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 and second class win this season. With co-riders Brent Harden, Sun City, Calif. and Mike Childress, Wrightwood, Calif. splitting the riding time on a Honda CRF450X, Penhall, Corona, Calif., stayed within minutes of the Bell/Norman tandem throughout the race, with Penhall losing ground at the end, riding the final 40 miles to the finish with a broken arm. Penhall crossed the finish line with a time of 9:12:00 and was immediately transported to a nearby local hospital to treat his injury. The team finished as the second overall and second Class 22 motorcycle. Defending Class 30 winner Scott Myers, Sun City, Calif., switched teams this year and beat last year’s lead rider Jim O’Neal while finishing an impressive third overall motorcycle in 9:13:46 on a Kawasaki KLX450. Myers co-riders this year where Shane Esposito, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Steve Garnet, Carson City, Nev./Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico/Jeff Sheets, Henderson, Nev. O’Neal, Simi Valley, Calif., saw his Class 30 team that included himself, his son Jimmy O’Neal Jr., Simi Valley, Calif./Jason Trubey, Mohave Valley, Ariz./Scott Glimp, Las Vegas/Gerardo Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico finish second in Class 30 and fourth overall on a Honda CRF450X in 9:23:16. Earning his 12th career class win in this race and 11th in the last eight years, another talented team led by O’Neal won Class 50 on a Honda CRF450X. O’Neal’s co-riders in Class 50 were Doug Heil, Monrovia, Calif./Andy Kirker, Santa Ana, Calif./Dan Dawson, Agua Dulce, Calif./Paul Needles, Westlake Village, Calif./Mike Sixberry, Bullhead City, Ariz./Craig Adams, San Clemente, Calif. Rick St. John, Encinitas, Calif., won for the second time this season in SCORE Lite and finished 10th overall in a Duvell-VW, picking up the $5,000 bonus purse from Volkswagen of America as the highest-finishing VW-powered finisher in the race. Staying undefeated in 2008 with their third straight win and their sixth class win in this race was the Moss Brothers Racing team, led by Donald Moss, who won Class 3 in a Ford Bronco. Also winning for the second time this season were Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif., (Class 1-2/1600, Mirage-VW), Jason Voss, Cupertino, Calif. (Protruck, Ford F-150) female driver Heidi Steele, San Clemente, Calif. (Class 7SX, Ford Ranger) and Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5, unlimited VW Baja Bug). Pfankuch, along with co-driver Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif. also finished 12th overall. Winning their respective classes for the second straight year were: Jose Montoya, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 5/1600, 1600cc VW Baja Bug), Dan Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger) and Ramon Fernandez, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 11, VW Sedan). Other 4-wheel vehicle class winners included: Jesus Gonzalez, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 10, Dunrite-Honda), Daniel Reyes, Calexico, Calif. (Class 9, Venegas-VW) and Noah Ostanik, Encinitas, Calif. (Class 8, Ford F-150). Among the motorcycle classes, two other teams won their respective classes for the second straight year: rider of record Carlos Casas, Chula Vista, Calif. (Class 21, KTM 450CXF) and the team led by rider of record Brett Helm, Poway, Calif. (Class 40, Honda CRF450X). Both reigning SCORE Class point champions, Casas' co-ride in Class 21 was Noe Ibarra, Tijuana, Mexico while Helm’s teammates in Class 40 were Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Jon Ortner, Santa Barbara, Calif./Lou Franco, Sherman Oaks, Calif./Craig Adams, San Clemente, Calif./Bob Johnson, Temecula, Calif. Winning the motorcycle Class 20 race was the team lead by Chad Black, Laguna Hills, Calif., on a Honda CRF250X while winning the ATV Class 24 race was the team led by Francisco Servin, Chula Vista, Calif., on a Honda TRX450R. The team led by Donald Lewis of Marlborough, Conn., won Class 60 for riders over 60 years old for the second straight race of the season on a Honda CRF450X. Also riding with Lewis for separate sections of the course were Gene Dempsey, Apple Valley, Calif./Sam Dempsey, Lake Balboa, Calif./Bob Gates, Hesperia, Calif.//Mike Harper, Landers, Calif. Aura360, SCORE’s electronic media partner, filmed this year’s race to be televised in 22 countries on ESPN International while the domestic telecast is being finalized and will be announced shortly. Aura360 is also producing the exclusive Tecate SCORE Baja 500 40th anniversary DVD which will be available online at thebajaunlimited.com. This race began in 1969 under the auspices of the old NORRA organization and SCORE began its enduring run on July 26, 1974. This year is the 35th anniversary of the first SCORE race in Baja. The 2008 SCORE Desert Series also includes the chase for the $20,000 Volkswagen Point Leader Bonus and the run for the Toyota Milestone Awards. Next on the 2008 SCORE event schedule is the SCORE Las Vegas Cup IV, a special non-points short-course race featuring the marquee SCORE Trophy-Trucks to be held on July 17-19 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Round 4 of the five-race 2008 SCORE Desert Series will be the 13th SCORE Terrible’s Primm 300 on Sept. 5-6 in Primm, Nev. Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Sunoco Race Fuels -official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Volkswagen of America-official vehicle, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, Slime-official tire sealant, Red Bull--official energy drink and Bosch Power Tools-official power tool. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Blue C Enthusiast Advertising, Kartek Off-Road, American Suzuki, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics. Additional race sponsor for the 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 was Proturismo of Ensenada. For more information regarding the series, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters 818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com. 40th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Round 3 of 2008 SCORE Desert Series May 31-June 1—Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, 441.15 miles TOP OVERALL FINISHERS Cars & Trucks 1. B.J. Baldwin, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, 9 hours, 10 minutes, 47 seconds (48.06 miles per hour) (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 2. Mark Post, Laguna Beach, Calif./Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 9:10:54 (48.05mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 3. Brian Collins, Las Vegas/Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif., Dodge Ram 1500, 9:25:47 (46.78mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 4. Luis Ramirez Jr.,/Juan Araiza/Luis Ramirez, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, HMS-Chevy, 9:36:55 (45.88mph) (Class 1) 5. Roger Norman, Reno, Nev./Larry Roeseler, Irvine, Calif., Ford F-150, 9:44:55 (45.25mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 6. Ron Whitton, Mesa, Ariz./Todd LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif., Ford F-150, 9:54:04 (44.56mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 7. Dale Ebberts, Wilton, Calif./Brad Etter, Villa Park, Calif., Porter-Chevy, 10:00:34 (44.07mph) (Class 1) 8. Armin Schwarz, Germany/Martin Christensen, Escondido, Calif., Jimco-BMW, 10:08:00 (43.53mph) (Class 1) 9. Brian Parkhouse, Bell Gardens, Calif./Tom Ridings, Los Alamitos, Calif. Jimco-Chevy, 10:13:00 (43.18mph) (Class 1) 10. Rick St. John, Encinitas, Calif., Duvel, 10:44:25 (41.07mph) (SCORE Lite) 11. Robbie Pierce, Santee, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 10:46:40 (40.93mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 12. Adam Pfankuch, Carlsbad, Calif./Steven Eugenio, El Centro, Calif., Mirage, 10:59:53 (40.11mph) (Class 1-2/1600) 13. Arnoldo Ramirez/Misael Arambula Ensenada, Mexico, Curry, 11:03:00 (39.92mph) (Class 1-2/1600) 14. Ray Files, Carlsbad, Calif./James Tiglio, Oceanside, Calif./Josh Tieman, Carlsbad, Calif., Cochran. 11:23:34 (38.72mph) (Class 1-2/1600) 15. Lee Banning, Laveen, Ariz./Lee Banning Jr., Litchfield Park, Ariz., Foddrill, 11:30:05 (38.36mph) (SCORE Lite) 16. Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif./Rick Geiser, Phoenix, GMC Sierra, 11:30:50 (38.31mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck) 17. Jason Voss/Rich Voss, Cupertino, Calif., Ford F-150, 11:35:10 (38.08mph) (Pro Truck) 18. Dave Creagan/Chris Creagan, Woodland, Wash./Brian Coats, Los Alamitos, Calif., Chevy Silverado, 11:45:20 (37.53mph) (Pro Truck) 19. Jake Jones, Aliso Viejo, Calif./Scot Jones/Whitney Jones, San Clemente, Calif., Homebuilt, 11:53:37 (37.09mph) (SCORE Lite) 20. Eric Chase, San Diego/Stuart Chase, Burbank, Calif., Penhall-Chevy, 12:01:51 (36.67mph) (Class 1) Motorcycles 1. Robby Bell, Sun City, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif. Honda CRF450X, 8:43:38 (50.55mph) (Class 22) 2. Ryan Penhall, Corona, Calif./Brent Harden, Sun City, Calif./Mike Childress, Wrightwood, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 9:12:00 (47.95mph) (Class 22) 3. Scott Myers, Sun City, Calif./Shane Esposito, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Steve Garnet, Carson City, Nev./Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico/Jeff Sheets, Henderson, Nev., Kawasaki KLX450, 9:13:46 (47.80mph) (Class 30) 4. Jim O’Neal/Jimmy O’Neal Jr., Simi Valley, Calif./Jason Trubey, Mohave Valley, Ariz./Scott Glimp, Las Vegas/Gerardo Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico, Honda CRF450X, 9:23:16 (46.99mph) (Class 30) 5. Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, Honda CRF450X, 9:52:33 (44.67mph) (Class 22) 6. Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas/Kyle Abney, Albuquerque, N.M./Bryan Lowery, Las Lunas, N.M., Honda CRF450X, 9:58:37 (44.22mph) (Class 30) 7. Brett Helm, Poway, Calif./ Jeff Kaplan, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Jon Ortner, Santa Barbara, Calif./Lou Franco, Sherman Oaks, Calif./Craig Adams, San Clemente, Calif./Bob Johnson, Temecula, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:02:10 (43.96mph) (Class 40) 8. Carlos Casas, Chula Vista, Calif./Noe Ibarra, Tijuana, Mexico, KTM 450CXF, 10:08:47 (43.48mph) (Class 21) 9. Jim O’Neal, Simi Valley, Calif./Doug Heil, Monrovia, Calif./Andy Kirker, Santa Ana, Calif./Dan Dawson, Agua Dulce, Calif./Paul Needles, Westlake Village, Calif./Mike Sixberry, Bullhead City, Ariz./Craig Adams, San Clemente, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 10:14:37 (43.07mph) (Class 50) 10. Cory Evenson, Ramona, Calif./Justin Herrmann, Vista, Calif./Kirk Russel, Bend, Ore./Josh Smith, Oceanside, Calif., KTM 525XCW, 10:28:30 (42.11mph) (Class 22) ATVs 1. Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif./Marc Spaeth, Ramona, Calif./Rick Cecco, Briling Springs, Pa., Honda TRX700XX, 10:10:40 (43.34mph) (Class 25) 2. Javier Robles, Mexicali, Mexico/Adolfo Arellano, Tijuana, Mexico/Cesar Lopez, San Felipe, Honda TRX450R, 10:11:01 (43.32mph) (Class 25) 3. Danny Prather, Ramona, Calif./Mike Cafro, Bonsall, Calif./Chad Prull, Laveen, Ariz./Levi Marana, Hemet, Calif., Honda TRX700XX, 10:19:05 (42.76mph) (Class 25) 4. Francisco Servin/Isaac Castro/Rocky Mereno/Marco Moreno/Edgar Moreno, Chula Vista, Calif., Honda TRX450R, 10:44:26 (41.07mph) (Class 24) 5. Javier Beltran, San Ysidro, Calif./Cristian Rolas, San Ysidro/Santos Perez, Tijuana, Mexico/Juan Sanchez, Chula Vista, Calif./Raul Cano, Tijuana, Mexico, Calif., Honda TRX450R, 10:57:05 (40.28mph) (Class 24) Tecate SCORE Baja 500 All-time Overall winners Year—DRIVERS/RIDERS, VEHICLE 1969--Bud Ekins/Guy Jones, Baja Boot-Olds Doug Douglas/Jim McClurg, Ducati 1970--Parnelli Jones, Ford Bill Silverthorn/Gene Fetty, Husqvarna 1971--Bobby Ferro, Funco-VW Malcolm Smith/J.N. Roberts, Husqvarna 1972--Bobby Ferro, Sandmaster-VW Gene Fetty/Bill Silverthorn, Honda 1973--Parnelli Jones, Ford Howard Utsey/Mickey Quade, Husqvarna 1974--Bobby Ferro, Sandmaster-VW Mitch Mayes/A.C. Bakken, Husqvarna 1975--Ivan Stewart, Funco-VW Larry Roeseler/Bruce Ogilvie, Harley-Davidson 1976--Bobby Ferro/Ivan Stewart, Funco-VW Larry Roeseler/A.C. Bakken, Husqvarna 1977--Ivan Stewart, Chenowth-VW Larry Roeseler/Jack Johnson, Husqvarna 1978--Bud Feldkamp/Malcolm Smith, Funco-VW Brent Wallingsford/Scot Harden, Husqvarna 1979--Malcolm Smith/Bud Feldkamp, Funco-VW Jack Johnson, Husqvarna 1980--Bob Gordon, Chenowth-Chevy Bruce Ogilvie/Chuck Miller, Yamaha 1981--Malcolm Smith/Bill Newbury, Chenowth-Chevy Larry Roeseler/Bruce Ogilvie, Yamaha 1982--Larry Ragland, Funco-VW Larry Roeseler/Chuck Miller, Yamaha 1983--Corky & Scott McMillin, Chenowth-VW Dan Ashcraft, Husqvarna 1984--Larry Ragland, Chaparral-VW Dan Smith/Dan Ashcraft, Husqvarna 1985--Ron Gardner/Bud Feldkamp, Funco-VW Kurt Pfeiffer/Scot Harden, Husqvarna 1986--Corky & Scott McMillin, Chenowth-Porsche Garth Sweetland/Scot Harden, Husqvarna 1987--Bob Gordon/Tim Crabtree, Chenowth-Porsche Larry Roeseler/Ted Hunnicutt Jr., Kawasaki 1988--Mark McMillin, Chenowth-Porsche Dan Ashcraft/Kurt Pfeiffer, Yamaha 1989--Robby Gordon, Ford (no motorcycles) 1990--Robby Gordon, Ford Larry Roeseler/Danny LaPorte, Kawasaki 1991--Ivan Stewart, Toyota Garth Sweetland/Paul Krause, Kawasaki 1992--Ivan Stewart, Toyota Larry Roeseler/T. Hunnicutt Jr./P. Krause, Kawasaki 1993--Ivan Stewart, Toyota Danny Hamel/L. Roeseler/T. Hunnicutt Jr., Kawasaki 1994--Ivan Stewart, Toyota (Trophy-Truck) Dave Ashley/Dan Smith, Ford Paul Krause/Ted Hunnicutt Jr., Kawasaki 1995--Curt LeDuc, Jeep (Trophy-Truck) Mike Julson/Bob Lofton, Jimco-VW Paul Krause/Craig Smith, Kawasaki 1996--Rob MacCachren, Ford (Trophy-Truck) Troy Herbst, Smithbuilt-Porsche Paul Krause/Ty Davis, Kawasaki 1997--Ivan Stewart, Toyota (Trophy-Truck) Mark McMillin, Jimco-Porsche Johnny Campbell/Bruce Ogilvie, Honda 1998--Ivan Stewart, Toyota Johnny Campbell/Bruce Ogilvie, Honda 1999--Ivan Stewart, Toyota Jonah Street/Torsten Borstrom, Honda 2000--Larry Ragland, Chevy Jonah Street/Steve Hengeveld, Honda 2001--Mark McMillin, Jimco-Chevy Steve Hengeveld/Jonah Street, Honda 2002--Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler, Smithbuilt-Ford Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell, Honda 2003--Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler, Smithbuilt-Ford Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell, Honda 2004--Alan Pflueger, Chevy Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell, Honda 2005--Robby Gordon, Chevy Mike Childress/Mouse McCoy, Honda 2006--Brian Collins/Larry Ragland, Chevy Robby Bell/Kendall Norman, Honda 2007--Larry Ragland/Brian Collins, Chevy Robby Bell/Kendall Norman/Steve Hengeveld, Honda 2008—B.J. Baldwin, Chevy Robby Bell/Kendall Norman, Honda Tecate SCORE Baja 500 All-Time Race Sites, Starters, Finishers Top Total Starters Year, Number (Finishers) 1. 2007—492 Starters (283 Finishers) 2. 2006—438 Starters (221 Finishers) 3. 1977—384 Starters (161 Finishers) 4. 1976—384 Starters (179 Finishers) 5. 1975—365 Starters (153 Finishers) 6. 2005—345 Starters (179 Finishers) 7. 1973—333 Starters (138 Finishers) 8. 1972—301 Starters (144 Finishers) 9. 2004—300 Starters (181 Finishers) 10. 1987—299 Starters (185 Finishers) 11. 1980—294 Starters (126 Finishers) 12. 2008—289 Starters (195 Finishers) 13. 1979—283 Starters (139 Finishers) 14. 1978—282 Starters (96 Finishers) 15. 1974—279 Starters (173 Finishers) 16. 1981—277 Starters (117 Finishers) Top Total Finishers Year, Number (Starters) 1. 2007—283 Finishers (492 Starters) 2. 2006—221 Finishers (438 Starters) 3. 2008—195 Finishers (289 Starters) 4. 1987—185 Finishers (299 Starters 5. 2004—181 Finishers (300 Starters) 6. 2005—179 Finishers (345 Starters) 7. 1976—179 Finishers (384 Starters) 8. 1986—174 Finishers (277 Starters) 9. 1974—173 Finishers (279 Starters) 10. 1995—172 Finishers (251 Starters) 11. 1970—170 Finishers (260 Starters) 12. 1991—163 Finishers (254 Starters) 13. 1977—161 Finishers (384 Starters) 14. 1990—159 Finishers (272 Starters) 15. 1975—155 Finishers (365 Starters)
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P O S T R A C E Q U O T E S 40th Annual 2008 Tecate SCORE Baja 500
Round
three of 2008
May
31-June 1, 2008,
Post Race Quotes PRO CARS/TRUCKS SCORE/TROPHY-TRUCK B.J. BALDWIN, No. 97 (first overall) — It was tight. The truck is hurt. It's been hurt since the beach. The brakes on this thing are shot. When I rev it out really hard, the power steering belt slips. It's been a lot of hard work to get it here. I've really sucked it up. I'm going to have to go back to the hotel for some beer and some Advil. For 60 miles I was stuck behind Ron (Whitton). We had a little bit faster pace than him, but I couldn't get around him because of the dust. Every time we got close, I just didn't want to take the chance. I was getting the times from my chase crew. This win is massive. It's very important to me. I have a handful of trophies, but what I don't have is that Montezuma thing, the first overall, and I don't have a Baja 500 one. That's what I always wanted. MARK POST, No. 1 (second) — I'd like to have made it here seven seconds faster. I was 40 seconds behind B.J. when I gave the car to Rob, so we got back on the pace. I had three flats, otherwise we would have had a nice car. That was a hell of a run. It's the Baja 500, a technical race, it's a great race. Co-driver Rob MacCachren said: We've been running hard ever since the beach. He kind of had the advantage because he could just stick to me and follow me. The last 30 miles we tried to pick it up and put time on him. We did the best we could. We tried to get away from him. We just couldn't. We had some flat tires, but it doesn't matter if you get them or not. Ultimately, it's like a chess game. You're cruising along trying to stay somewhere near the front of the pack and pick your battles at the end. (The course) was torn up a little bit. BRIAN COLLINS, No. 3 (third) — I slid into a tree and messed the jack up. If we changed the tire and didn't stop, we would have been right in there, but we got stuck and it took us 15 minues to get it out. The truck was phenomenal, a couple driver errors, but that's racing. We got a podium finish. To get the three-peat was going to be tough. It was all going against us. We wanted to win it. We all did our homework, unfortunately, that's just part of racing. Co-rider Chuck Hovey said: We had some mistakes out there and we had some flats out there. The jack didn't work for Brian and that cost us a lot of time. The podium is good. We got in the truck about 14 minutes down. Brian just said cruise it in. The last 80 miles was very technical. ROGER NORMAN, No. 8 (fourth) — When I got the car, we had some alternator problems. We blew a belt. Larry (Roeseler) had the truck in second place at one time, but then he had the alternator problems. We're happy. We'll change some things. RON WHITTON, No. 39 (fifth) — Co-driver Todd LeDuc said: We just drove smart and smooth. Ron drove the first half and I took over. You always want to push yourself, but this track was almost impossible to pass on. We're stoked that we got fifth. That's what we wanted to do. ROBBIE PIERCE, No. 35 (sixth) — Co-driver Will Staats said: Robbie was great. He did a great job. He was calm this morning. We had some computer problems.
CLASS 1 LUIS RAMIREZ, JR., No. 109 (first) — We went with no brakes from San Vicente to the finish. I'm very happy. I just got in the pace. We passed everybody before Borrego. I just had to find a way to pass guys. It was a really nice course. Some parts were really fast, but it was really technical. With no brakes, it was really hard. We're just really happy to be here. A month ago we wanted to race, but we didn't have money. We got a bunch of sponsors and they're awesome. DALE EBBERTS, No. 123 (second) — Co-driver Brad Etter said: We had a flat tire at 265. Up until then we were within a minute of first. Other than that, the car ran perfectly. We finished on a flat. Dale had a good run. He smoked the first 230 miles. This car worked awesome. ARMIN SCHWARZ, No. 108 (third) — Co-driver Martin Christensen said: We had nothing but troubles. We had problems with the GPS. He was working on the GPS for about 20 minutes. We just weren't going the same speed. We were driving super slow. It was hard coming into the sun with all the dust. You feel like you're going backwards. BRIAN PARKHOUSE, No. 120 (fourth) — Co-driver Tom Ridings said: This was the third race in the new car. We had no issues, just rolled right along. This thing is great. We're excited and it's really fun stuff. It's been beautiful all week; I wanted to stop and have a picnic lunch. (on the sticker on his car – "In memory of Frank and Rosie Orozco") Recently we had some long-time friends who lived down here, the mom (Rosie) passed away. The family came down here and were cleaning up stuff and then her son (Frank) suddenly passed away here (of a heart attack). Rosie ran checkpoint forever, they were long-time SCORE people. After all this happened Tito (Frank's brother) drove back and three blocks from home got in a car wreck; his wife is still in the hospital.
CLASS 1-2/1600 ADAM PFANKUCH, No. 1602 (first) — Co-driver Steve Eugenio said: Adam did the one mile, then I did 440. It's going to be a fight to the finish. I had nine flat tires – I can't believe that. I changed six myself. I really took it easy today too, I wasn't hitting anything hard. I went from the lead to fourth like 10 times. I was down 50 seconds to (Dave) Caspino, caught him, then a half mile later got a flat. ARNOLDO RAMIREZ, No. 1609 (second) — Co-driver Misael Aramula said: My partner (Ramirez) had a rollover at Ojos Negros (about mile 77). He lost the roof and we lost 20 to 30 minutes. There were no problems for me, I had just one flat. Arnoldo started out then I got in at San Mateus (around mile 220). RAY FILES, No. 1643 (third) — Co-driver Josh Tieman said: Ray Files started and I drove from mm200 to the finish. It was just a battle following the dust coming in here. We had one flat at the beginning and then it was a clean run after that. GERARDO IRIBE, No. 1644 (fourth) — They handed me the car around 10th place around Barrego. We didn't have any problems at all besides people getting stuck and not getting out of the way. RAMIRO ESCOBIDO, No. 1610 (fifth) — Co-driver Jose Robles said: We went the last 40 miles with no power steering. We had a broken CV boot around mile 230 and that cost us about 15 minutes. We're still happy with where we finished.
CLASS 3 DONALD MOSS, No. 301 (first) — The truck looks in great shape. We had a couple of flats and we stopped to try to pull out a protruck. It ran fine. The drive train didn't skip a beat.
CLASS 5 KEVIN CARR, No. 501 (first) — What a day, ay, ay ay. We had two front flats. A tree branch pulled our ignition wires out and we had to re-wire those. We broke a trailing arm mount off the car. We went down a ravine in all the silt. We finished. We're here.
CLASS 5/1600 JOSE MONTOYA, No. 579 (first) — We worked hard as a team. We had no problems. We're so happy.
CLASS 7 DAN CHAMLEE, No. 700 (first) — I'm out of gas. I drove everything. It's three Baja 500s in a row. I think we had the lead, start to finish. We ran out of gas and I sucked on the fuel hose until we got gas again. We had to add four or five quarts of oil per pit stop. We were burning oil. It was tough. There were some very fast parts of the course and very rough parts of the course, but overall, I think we ran a very fast race.
CLASS 7SX HEIDI STEELE, No. 741 (first) — It was a really good day. I had absolutely no problems. I drove it to Borrego. I led the first 100 miles and then John Holmes got by us. I don't think Rene (Burger, co-driver) had any problems. He got up the silt beds and left them behind. I've got a new co-driver. We got a new rear end. It's a real solid truck and it's the Baja 500. That's enough said right there.
CLASS 8 NOAH OSTANIK, No. 801 (first) — Co-driver Dave Dinsmore said: I got lost like five times on the way in here. We had a throttle cable break. We knew we were the only one (in the class). That's why we just cruised. I only went half-throttle all day.
CLASS 10 JESUS GONZALEZ, No. 1008 (first) — We had some water out there that was a problem. We couldn't shift for about the last 35 miles. We didn't expect to win. We're really happy.
SCORE LITE RICK ST. JOHN, No. 1212 (first) — Co-driver Ramsey said: It's good to have another one. Rick has a win at Laughlin and now at Baja. It was a good race. What a course; its fast and its fun – a cool course. Rick started and had a perfect race; he gave me the car with a lead. It's really tough in that one area (around mm360). They're going to have a tough time in there now that it's dark. Luckily we hit it in the daylight. The silt hills are wonderful. It played out exactly the way Rick laid it out; that's what has to happen if you want to win. It's nice to win another 500; it's been a while. The last I won was in 1996 (in Class 5/1600). Last year I drove the 1000 solo, and finished a half hour past the time limit. The truck was fun but this is real racing – this buggy is fun. LEE BANNING, No. 1215 (second) — Co-driver Lee Banning Jr. said: I split the driving with my dad. I just got stuck once in the siltbeds after Santo Tomas; it took about 15 minutes to get out. It was a long day. We had one flat all day, changed it at the BFG pit at mile 90. This is our second year racing SCORE. We raced it at the 1000 last year.
CLASS 11 RAMON FERNANDEZ, No. 1100 (first) — We got stuck a lot of times, but the car handled OK. My brother (co-driver Thomas) gave it to me in front. We started late and he got up there.
STOCK FULL CHAD HALL, No. 862 (first) — This course was way better than last year's course. I had a lot of fun. We even got back in time to have a cocktail. We were just cruising around. It's not a bad day.
STOCK MINI ROD HALL, No. 760 (first) — We were down about 15 minutes. We earned that one. We had a problem keeping up in the first 220 miles, but we can only go so hard. I had no problems. We had a few hiccups on the start. We had to go to four wheels to get around some of the cars. At the 210-mile marker, we were down and I handed it over to Mike Winkel and he brought it in. We split the driving. I don't have to be macho anymore.
PROTRUCK JASON VOSS, No. 235 (first) — (Voss' truck was pushed across the finish line) The motor has been dead since the last road crossing, and it totally lost it at the pavement. We were barely moving, about five miles per hour. My dad (Rich) drove the first half. We had one flat, it was a perfect day until the end.
PRO MOTORCYCLES CLASS 22
ROBBY
BELL, No. 1x (first overall) — It was just experience, just knowing
not to get too excited with them riding right with us. We didn't get
too nervous. As soon as you start to worry about the team behind you,
you start making mistakes. Around Valle de Trinidad (mile 260) was the
closest they got. I had to do a quick repair on the bike and they came
in one second behind me. From there, we kind of kept pulling away. No
problems at all. We got in the lead (early) and had pretty much clear
sailing the whole way. I really enjoyed the course. It's awesome to
keep it going. Another win feels great.
RYAN
PENHALL, No. 8x (second) — (Penhall was injured during the race and
was transported from the finish line to a hospital via ambulance with
apparent arm and leg injuries.) Co-rider Brent Harden said: Ryan
actually hit a car about 40 miles from the finish. He was just limping
it in. We just tried to stay close to ( IVAN RAMIREZ, No. 17x (third) — We're happy with where we finished. We had a lot of fun for this being our first time here. CORY EVENSON, No. 9x (fourth) — I think we could have done better, but we had a couple of flats and one of my teammates hit a dog. At one point, we were up to third in our class. I got through the start. There were a lot of (alleged) booby traps and a lot of people in the way. I just kept my eyes open and tried to ride through as best as I could. CALEB GOSSELAAR, No. 13x (seventh) — I was behind Nick Blais and I planned on passing him. He hit some silt and it just went all white. As soon as I got in that, I hit something, I'm not sure what it was, and I just started flipping. I just got back on the bike and rode to mile 40. I was seeing stars a lot. I just figured I had to keep the bike going forward. (Gosselaar crashed at mile 7 and rode to mile 40 with a possibly broken collarbone. He was hospitailzed for almost five hours.)
CLASS 21 CARLOS CASAS, No. 100x (first) — We ran out of gas once, but that was about it. We had no other problems. I was trying to get top five (overall), but running out of gas, we were lucky to get a win.
CLASS 20 CHAD BLACK, No. 151x (first) — (Black was rushed from the finish line into an ambulance after finishing the race with a possible broken elbow.) Team owner Joe Black said: We put together such a great group of guys. Our pits were flawless. We've been down here for a week and a half pre-running. It was a flawless week.
CLASS 30 SCOTT MYERS, No. 303x (first) — It was good. We got third overall (in motorcycles). Not a single problem for us. Everything went great on the start. We had a good day. Everything went just smooth for everybody. We've done it before. We always hope for third overall. We're really happy with anything in the top three. It's good, especially for us older, 30s guys. Co-rider Steve Garnett said: There were no flaws. We just kept going down the road. There was a spot out there around (mile) 7 or 8 where they dug out a trench with shovels, but we got through it. Co-rider Shane Esposito said: I knew I wasn't going to make up enough time for the overall. I just rode as well as I could to see what time I could make up. There was only one mistake. There was a 'Y' and I went the wrong way. As soon as I did it, I knew I went the wrong way. It cost us about 15 seconds. Realistically, this is where we figured we'd finish. With the dust at the start, we knew we'd lose a lot of time. JIM O'NEAL, No. 300x (second) — Co-rider Jason Trubey said: I went off the course at one point. The dust was so bad, I couldn't see the course and the road was so slick. Coming in was just crazy with so many people there. There were people out there everywhere telling you to go the wrong way. It was fun, though. We stayed close to those guys all day, within five or six minutes. In the first three or four miles I passed seven or eight guys. MIKE JOHNSON, No. 310x (third) — Co-rider Kyle Abney said: We had just no problems. The bike ran great. Everybody had awesome rides. I almost hit a few cars on my way into town. We've learned over the last five years that you need to come down here and prepare. I probably ran my section four or five times. I almost hit every corner, but I didn't know which corner the cars were going to be on.
CLASS 40 BRETT HELM, No. 400x (first) — These guys did a great job. We didn't have too many problems. There was some stuck traffic in the course around mile 85 and an (alleged) booby trap after that and another one around 240. The 240 was known, but the other one wasn't known, so that was kind of a kicker. They weren't big bumps, but when you're going 100 (mph), they're big. Jeff (Kaplan) was huge over the summit. He passed a lot of guys and got us a lot of time. Co-rider Jeff Kaplan said: It went great. The bike just rode great. I just started picking (other riders) off. We had a really good day. That's 12 (wins) in a row for me now.
CLASS 50 JIM O'NEAL, No. 500x (first) — Co-rider Andy Kirker said: We were hoping for a top 10 finish (overall). It was pretty good for a bunch of 50-year-old guys. I had a blast out there. It was really fun. Jim (O'Neal) missed a turn and kind of slid off the edge. He was already hurt coming in. He probably fell on his bad side.
CLASS 60 DON LEWIS, No. 600x (first) — Co rider-Sam Dempsey said: Everything ran good. We didn't miss any pits. It was just good.
PRO ATV CLASS 25 WAYNE MATLOCK, No. 3a (first) — The 4a put up a good fight, the best fight I've had in a long time. I knew they were close. I kept looking back and seeing them. We just had to pin it to win it; that was our strategy. We had an early lead and we had one of our riders go down. At one point we were about 6 1/2 minutes down to these guys. We just came back and kept trying. I had yet to win a Baja 500, so now I've got it. JAVIER ROBLES, No. 4a (second) — We knew the whole way how close we were. Co-rider Cesar Lopez said: We were leading through San Vicente. We had to do a pit and they went ahead of us. We just kept trying to catch them and we couldn't. DANNY PRATHER, No. 1 (third) — We made it to the finish and we got the points, but we really wanted to win this race bad. We worked hard for it and it's a bummer not to win. It was really dusty off the start. We were trying to catch up, but the guys up front were hauling butt.
CLASS 24 FRANCISCO SERVIN, No. 106 (first) — I'm very happy. It was a very hard course. Everything went OK for us. |
