THE BRUTAL BAJA

SCORE BAJA 1000

The COVID 19 pandemic has created a year of turmoil and uncertainty for several racing events. SCORE International was no exception. The organization faced several event cancellations. The biggest problem for the series is that all of their events are held in Baja which has seen travel restrictions since the pandemic started. In September, the Mexican government gave SCORE the green light to host the Baja 500. This opened the door for ABOVE: Baja 500 winner Dan McMillin the granddaddy of all races, started the 1000 first off the line.

the SCORE Baja 1000 to continue as planned. This year’s Baja 1000 was originally scheduled to be a peninsula run, starting in Ensenada and ending in La Paz. SCORE organizers decided to change the event to a loop race instead with both the start and finish in Ensenada.

The race however would look a lot different than normal. There would be no fans allowed at tech and contingency. Typically throngs of fans crowd around race vehicles as they are pushed and driven through several blocks 26 | DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM in Ensenada. Vendors line the streets with everything from clothing apparel to offroad products to Baja souvenirs. Tech and contingency along with the start line were isolated a few miles outside of town along a stretch of highway under construction that will eventually take travelers towards San Felipe bypassing the traffic lights and Altos in the town of Ensenada. To enter registration, there were mandatory temperature checks and hand sanitization. Masks were required of everybody. The vendors could be counted on one hand. Things were quiet except for the

occasional stage interview as drivers moved through the area getting vehicles approved for the race.

The COVID pandemic could not sideline the actual race itself. Motorcycles and quads started on time, before the sun came up over the Baja peninsula. The first Trophy Truck rocketed off the starting as planned just after 10am. The race was on! Dan McMillin was the first to start the race. Dan earned the first position after a Baja 500 win in September. Behind Dan was Tim Herbst and younger brother Luke McMillin. The usual crowds lined parts of the course to watch race vehicles fly by them at high speeds. 185 vehicles started the SCORE Baja 1000 on their quest to catch an all-important win. Baja terrain is known for being brutal and punishing. This race is no walk in the park. The 898-mile course would head out towards Ojos Negros before turning out to the pacific coast. Several miles of pavement would cause racers to carefully monitor their speeds. Go too fast and earn a time infraction that could cost a win. As early afternoon hit, the first vehicles raced southbound along the cliffs of the ocean. The backdrop was spectacular. Ocean waves crashed along coast as Trophy Trucks kicked up dust. Dan McMillin continued to hold the lead with several Trophy Trucks very close behind.

A few hundred miles down the course, the bike teams were making their way over to the other side of the peninsula near San Felipe. There was still a lot of course to navigate and the lead bikes were still hours from the finish line. Mark Samuel’s 1x team was trying to stay out in front of the 66x of Santiago Creel.

This year’s course was not easy by design. In addition to tight twisty technical turns, there was plenty of silt. Drivers and navigators had to be on their game. As the sun began to drop from the sky, Dan McMillin continued his lead with several top drivers on his tail. At race mile 305, the course heads up into the mountain towards Mike’s Sky Ranch and down towards San Felipe. Racers would be running this section in the dark. Mistakes could not be made here. Racers were relying on GPS notes they took while pre-running along with LED lights to navigate through the dust and pitchblack night.

28 | DIRTSPORTSWORLD.COM Late into the night, Mark Samuel’s Honda 1x crossed the finish line. Aboard the bike was teammate Justin Morgan. There were only a handful of media people and SCORE officials present since the finish line

was isolated due to COVID restrictions. Samuels celebrated his Baja 1000 win with teammates Justin Morgan and Justin Jones. The win marks Samuels 12th consecutive victory. Honda now has 30 overall motorcycle victories at the Baja 1000. “It starts to create a lot of pressure when you are expected to win every year” said Samuels. “Baja isn’t just about racing other people; it’s also about all the other things that can happen. That’s all part of it though, and it’s what makes the wins special. It was a tough course this year, but it was great to have Honda prevail again.” As the hours continued to tick away, Dan McMillin experienced mechanical issues, shutting down any hopes of a Baja 1000 win. Alan Ampudia was on the move, attempting to follow-up his team’s 2019 victory. Rob MacCachren and Luke McMillin were also knocking off miles and getting closer to finishing the race.

Luke McMillin and Alan Ampudia were so close to each other in the final miles of the race; corrected time calculations as well as penalties would need to be immediately reviewed to determine the winner. Ampudias quest for a second Baja win come to a sudden and heartbreaking end when the trophy truck hit a rock and severely damaged the front end. Luke continued to increase his lead, officially finishing the Baja 1000 eleven minutes ahead of Rob MacCachren. Luke’s trophy truck had survived one of the most punishing and toughest courses. For 19 hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds the truck held up to the rough Baja terrain. SCORE officials reviewed tracking data and determined there were no penalties. Luke McMillin was awarded the overall win. BF Goodrich handed Luke a bonus check of $25,000.

SCORE BAJA 1000 Gabriel Torres started out front in Class 1 but it wasn’t long before Cody Parkhouse and Broc Dickerson made their way to the front. Dickerson would eventually suffer mechanical issues, causing the team to lose valuable time. Cody Parkhouse, driving with his father Brian captured the checkered flag with a time of 22 hours, 21 minutes and 9 seconds. Trophy Truck Spec is a driver’s class. The biggest rule in the class is that the engine must be limited to a stock sealed V8. JT Taylor would start out front in Pat Sims #211 Spec Truck. 17 other spec trucks would also try and race for a win. Jeff Bader and Dan Fresh would come out on top with the victory. Unfortunately, Sims would make a tough decision and end his race after knocking a hole in the fuel cell. Pierce Herbst finished 2nd. In the Pro UTV class, Eliott Watson helped Honda win their first four-wheel victory in Baja. Watson drove a Honda Talon with Quintin Tucker, Bud Ward, Brian Weatherly and Geoffrey Dunivin. Over in the Pro-UTV forced induction class, Wes Miller gave Polaris As the Baja 1000 stories continue to roll in, this year was definitely one of the most challenging races, both navigating on course and navigating a pandemic with all of the safety protocols. The race will be one to add

another page to the record books.

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