LaTijereta - 6-7-2015 at 03:43 PM
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com
June 7, 2015
Race to air on CBS Sports Network
RPM’s Lopez blazes trail to overall, SCORE Trophy Truck victory,
C. Parkhouse captures Class 1 at 47th Bud Light SCORE Baja 500
THR Kawasaki’s Eddy Jr, Morgan, Young top motorcycles, Robles Jr first quad, other class winners
include Connor, Hajas, Ampudia, Burman, Cesena, Navarro III, Broughton, Moss, Daniels, Diaz;
210 starters in Rd 3 of five-race 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship in Ensenada, Mexico
ENSENADA, Mexico—Racing with the discipline and patience of a much older and more experienced desert racer, 20-year old Carlos Lopez of Tecate,
Mexico, blazed past a field that included the world’s best desert racers to capture the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory Saturday at the 47th
Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 desert race. Round three of the five-race 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship started and finished in Ensenada, Baja
California, Mexico, the seaside port on the Pacific Ocean, 85 miles south of San Diego.
The start/finish line for the race was once again adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero in the heart of Ensenada.
After qualifying in the fifth starting position in the elapsed-time race, Lopez stayed the course against the heavyweights of the sports like
Robby Gordon, Rob MacCachren, Gus Vildosola Jr, Bryce Menzies and fellow SCORE young gun Luke McMillin to take the lead three-fourths of the way
through the grueling 510.58-mile race. Lopez powered his way to the finish line with a time of 8 hours, 48 minutes and 38 seconds, averaging 57.95
miles per hour in the No. 5 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck over the colorful course around the northern part of Mexico’s majestic Baja California
peninsula.
For the youthful Lopez, it was his first career SCORE race win as well as first in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech,
850-horsepower unlimited production trucks. He defeated a talented field of 210 starters, including 30 SCORE Trophy Trucks, from 26 U.S. States, and
10 countries competing in Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.
Lopez, a second-generation desert racer, drives for the powerful RPM Racing team, based in Bristol, Tenn., which has now won two SCORE races in a
row following Eduardo Laguna’s overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory in April’s inaugural Baja Sur 500 from Cabo San Lucas to Loreto. The duo entered
the race second and third in the 2015 SCORE season point standings.
The victory also marked another milestone as BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for over three decades. BFGoodrich Tires celebrated its
amazing 31st overall 4-wheel victory in 36 years of competing in the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500. The victory also represented the 84th overall win in
SCORE Baja racing for prominent BFGoodrich Tires.
Following complete data tracking review of the vehicles, BFGoodrich Tires not only officially swept the podium but also were the tires of choice
for all of the top 11 overall finishers in the race.Second overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck was Las Vegas’ MacCachren, 50, who finished second, just
51 seconds behind Lopez in 8:49:29 in the No. 11 Rockstar Energy MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150 and third overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck for the
second straight year was Jesse Jones, 49, of Phoenix in 8:54:08 in the No. 76 Ford F-150.
With no time to enjoy his victory celebration, Lopez went immediately after the race to catch a plane in San Diego to fly to Austin, Texas to
compete in the XGames Sunday where he is the defending champion in Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks series.
When the race course officially closed on Sunday morning at 10:42 a.m., 136 of 210 starters (64.76 percent) completed the course within the
22-hour time limit to become official finishers. Both the start and finish line were located in the heart of Ensenada on Boulevard Costero adjacent to
the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center.
The closing time on the course was delayed by nearly one hour as SCORE and local officials worked on the aftermath of an accident involving a
race car within one-quarter mile of the start. Racer Arnoldo Gutierrez Jr of Mexicali, Mexico apparently lost full control of his vehicle negotiating
a turn, sliding into two utility poles, causing minor injuries to several spectators.
BRABEC’S TEAM FIRST TO FINISH
With a lot of help from his friends Max Eddy Jr, Ian Young and Justin Morgan, Ricky Brabec, Oak Hills, Calif., riding on the factory-supported
No. 1x THR Motorsports Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F was the rider of record for the overall motorcycle and Unlimited motorcycle class winning team
after being the eighth motorcycle off the starting line earlySaturday morning.
With a one-race excused absence rule in SCORE, Brabec still earned the season points as the defending SCORE Unlimited class champion saw his
team when this race for the second straight year. With teammates Max Eddy Jr, Barstow, Calif., Ian Young, San Clemente, Calif. and Justin Morgan
handling the riding, Brabec’s team finished the race in 10:09:55, averaging 50.23. mph to win for the first time in three SCORE races this year.
Morgan was riding early in the race when he passed leader Justin Jones, Murrieta, Calif., co-rider for Colton Udall the rider of record for the
No. 5x Ox Motorsports Honda CRF450X. Jones had been injured in an accident at race-mile 92. With the 5x motorcycle unable to continue the race, Jones
was transported back to the United States with a possible broken pelvis.
SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS SMOOTH
The top nine overall finishers in the race were all SCORE Trophy Trucks for the second straight year as well as BFGoodrich Tires drivers.
Following Lopez, MacCachren and Jones to the checkered flag were Gus Vildosola Jr, Mexicali, Mexico (No. 21 Ford Raptor), Jason Voss, Cupertino,
Calif. (No. 35 Ford F-150), Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore. (No. 9 Ford F-150), Tim Herbst, Las Vegas/Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif. (No. 19 Ford
F-150), Steven Eugenio, Carlsbad, Calif./Armin Schwarz, Austria (No. 1 Chevy C-1500) and Troy Herbst, Las Vegas/Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif.
(No. 91 Ford F-150). Just 28 total minutes separated first from ninth in the illustrious field.
CLASS 1 SUPERLATIVE
For the second straight year, son/father team of Cody Parkhouse/Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., defeated a talented group of 19 starters to
win the unlimited Class 1 for open-wheel desert race cars in their Chevy-powered Jimco driven on BFGoodrich Tires, finishing 10th overall in the
grueling race in 9:32:32.
OVERALL QUAD
The fastest overall quad was the team led by Javier Robles Jr, Mexicali, Mexico on the No. 1a Honda TRX450R in a time of 10:53:27. His co-riders
were Josh Row, El Cajon, Calif./Felipe Velez, San Felipe, Mexico.
LOPEZ COMMENTS
Following his stunning victory, the young lion roared, “We had a good day but at race mile 100 we lost our brakes and we lost 5 to 10 minutes.
After that everything went pretty well and we regained the time we lost. This is the first 500-mile race that I've driven solo. The toughest part was
the endurance. I'm very proud that the Mexicans appear to be dominating SCORE racing. When I was 10 years old it was my goal to someday win a SCORE
Baja race. I really never thought it would happen this quickly, but RPM Racing has made this possible for me.”
MULTI-CLASS WINS
Several racers with multiple class wins added to their winning career totals in the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500. Leading the way was Donald Moss,
Sacramento, Calif. (Class 3, Ford Bronco) who won his class for the ninth time and fifth straight year. Other class winners who added to their legacy
in this race include Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif. (Class 19, Polaris RZR XP1000) who defeated a larger UTV field in his class of 23 starters to
earn his fifth class win in this race as his other four were in quad classes. Picking up his fifth career win in this race in a motorcycle class,
Japan’s Eizaburo Karasawa was the second rider in Class 60 for rider of record Susumu Ishii.
THE UNBEATEN
With their class wins in the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500, remaining undefeated after their third win in the 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship
were Larry Connor, Miamisburg, Ohio (Trophy Truck Spec, Chevy Silverado), Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (Class 5, VW Baja Bug) and Chad
Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Class 3000, BajaLite-Chevy).
TWO-TIME WINNERS
Earning their second class wins of the year at the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 were Marc Prince, Malibu, Calif. (Class 50, Honda CRF450X). Aaron
Ampudia, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 1/2-1600, Alumi Craft-VW), Rafael Navarro III, Temecula, Calif., (SCORE Lites, Jimco-VW), Carlos Diaz, Mexicali,
Mexico, (Class 7, Ford Ranger), John Gonzales, Edgewater, Md. (Stock Full, Ford Raptor), James Burman, Heber City, Utah (Class 8, Chevy Silverado),
Kevin Daniels, Bishop, Calif., (SCORE Ironman, KTM 500XCW) and Juan Dominguez, Yuma, Ariz. (SPT Quad, Honda TRX450R).
FIRST TIMERS
Several racers won for the first time in 2015. Besides Lopez, Robles Jr and Parkhouse, other first timers included Peter Hajas, Wayzata, Minn.
(Class 10, Jake’sFab-Chevy, , Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla./Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico, (Class 40, KTM 450XCW), and Salvador Carrillo,
Woodland, Calif. (Class 5-1600, VW Baja Bug).
Spaces added...
David K - 6-8-2015 at 09:49 AM
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com
June 7, 2015
Race to air on CBS Sports Network
RPM’s Lopez blazes trail to overall, SCORE Trophy Truck victory,
C. Parkhouse captures Class 1 at 47th Bud Light SCORE Baja 500
THR Kawasaki’s Eddy Jr, Morgan, Young top motorcycles, Robles Jr first quad, other class winners
include Connor, Hajas, Ampudia, Burman, Cesena, Navarro III, Broughton, Moss, Daniels, Diaz;
210 starters in Rd 3 of five-race 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship in Ensenada, Mexico
ENSENADA, Mexico—Racing with the discipline and patience of a much older and more experienced desert racer, 20-year old Carlos Lopez of Tecate,
Mexico, blazed past a field that included the world’s best desert racers to capture the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory Saturday at the 47th
Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 desert race. Round three of the five-race 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship started and finished in Ensenada, Baja
California, Mexico, the seaside port on the Pacific Ocean, 85 miles south of San Diego.
The start/finish line for the race was once again adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero in the heart of Ensenada.
After qualifying in the fifth starting position in the elapsed-time race, Lopez stayed the course against the heavyweights of the sports like Robby
Gordon, Rob MacCachren, Gus Vildosola Jr, Bryce Menzies and fellow SCORE young gun Luke McMillin to take the lead three-fourths of the way through the
grueling 510.58-mile race. Lopez powered his way to the finish line with a time of 8 hours, 48 minutes and 38 seconds, averaging 57.95 miles per hour
in the No. 5 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck over the colorful course around the northern part of Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula.
For the youthful Lopez, it was his first career SCORE race win as well as first in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech,
850-horsepower unlimited production trucks. He defeated a talented field of 210 starters, including 30 SCORE Trophy Trucks, from 26 U.S. States, and
10 countries competing in Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads.
Lopez, a second-generation desert racer, drives for the powerful RPM Racing team, based in Bristol, Tenn., which has now won two SCORE races in a row
following Eduardo Laguna’s overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory in April’s inaugural Baja Sur 500 from Cabo San Lucas to Loreto. The duo entered the
race second and third in the 2015 SCORE season point standings.
The victory also marked another milestone as BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for over three decades. BFGoodrich Tires celebrated its
amazing 31st overall 4-wheel victory in 36 years of competing in the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500. The victory also represented the 84th overall win in
SCORE Baja racing for prominent BFGoodrich Tires.
Following complete data tracking review of the vehicles, BFGoodrich Tires not only officially swept the podium but also were the tires of choice for
all of the top 11 overall finishers in the race.Second overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck was Las Vegas’ MacCachren, 50, who finished second, just 51
seconds behind Lopez in 8:49:29 in the No. 11 Rockstar Energy MacCachren Motorsports Ford F-150 and third overall and in SCORE Trophy Truck for the
second straight year was Jesse Jones, 49, of Phoenix in 8:54:08 in the No. 76 Ford F-150.
With no time to enjoy his victory celebration, Lopez went immediately after the race to catch a plane in San Diego to fly to Austin, Texas to compete
in the XGames Sunday where he is the defending champion in Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks series.
When the race course officially closed on Sunday morning at 10:42 a.m., 136 of 210 starters (64.76 percent) completed the course within the 22-hour
time limit to become official finishers. Both the start and finish line were located in the heart of Ensenada on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the
historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center.
The closing time on the course was delayed by nearly one hour as SCORE and local officials worked on the aftermath of an accident involving a race car
within one-quarter mile of the start. Racer Arnoldo Gutierrez Jr of Mexicali, Mexico apparently lost full control of his vehicle negotiating a turn,
sliding into two utility poles, causing minor injuries to several spectators.
BRABEC’S TEAM FIRST TO FINISH
With a lot of help from his friends Max Eddy Jr, Ian Young and Justin Morgan, Ricky Brabec, Oak Hills, Calif., riding on the factory-supported No. 1x
THR Motorsports Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F was the rider of record for the overall motorcycle and Unlimited motorcycle class winning team after
being the eighth motorcycle off the starting line earlySaturday morning.
With a one-race excused absence rule in SCORE, Brabec still earned the season points as the defending SCORE Unlimited class champion saw his team when
this race for the second straight year. With teammates Max Eddy Jr, Barstow, Calif., Ian Young, San Clemente, Calif. and Justin Morgan handling the
riding, Brabec’s team finished the race in 10:09:55, averaging 50.23. mph to win for the first time in three SCORE races this year.
Morgan was riding early in the race when he passed leader Justin Jones, Murrieta, Calif., co-rider for Colton Udall the rider of record for the No. 5x
Ox Motorsports Honda CRF450X. Jones had been injured in an accident at race-mile 92. With the 5x motorcycle unable to continue the race, Jones was
transported back to the United States with a possible broken pelvis.
SCORE TROPHY TRUCKS SMOOTH
The top nine overall finishers in the race were all SCORE Trophy Trucks for the second straight year as well as BFGoodrich Tires drivers. Following
Lopez, MacCachren and Jones to the checkered flag were Gus Vildosola Jr, Mexicali, Mexico (No. 21 Ford Raptor), Jason Voss, Cupertino, Calif. (No. 35
Ford F-150), Mark Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore. (No. 9 Ford F-150), Tim Herbst, Las Vegas/Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif. (No. 19 Ford F-150), Steven
Eugenio, Carlsbad, Calif./Armin Schwarz, Austria (No. 1 Chevy C-1500) and Troy Herbst, Las Vegas/Ryan Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif. (No. 91 Ford
F-150). Just 28 total minutes separated first from ninth in the illustrious field.
CLASS 1 SUPERLATIVE
For the second straight year, son/father team of Cody Parkhouse/Brian Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., defeated a talented group of 19 starters to win
the unlimited Class 1 for open-wheel desert race cars in their Chevy-powered Jimco driven on BFGoodrich Tires, finishing 10th overall in the grueling
race in 9:32:32.
OVERALL QUAD
The fastest overall quad was the team led by Javier Robles Jr, Mexicali, Mexico on the No. 1a Honda TRX450R in a time of 10:53:27. His co-riders were
Josh Row, El Cajon, Calif./Felipe Velez, San Felipe, Mexico.
LOPEZ COMMENTS
Following his stunning victory, the young lion roared, “We had a good day but at race mile 100 we lost our brakes and we lost 5 to 10 minutes. After
that everything went pretty well and we regained the time we lost. This is the first 500-mile race that I've driven solo. The toughest part was the
endurance. I'm very proud that the Mexicans appear to be dominating SCORE racing. When I was 10 years old it was my goal to someday win a SCORE Baja
race. I really never thought it would happen this quickly, but RPM Racing has made this possible for me.”
MULTI-CLASS WINS
Several racers with multiple class wins added to their winning career totals in the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500. Leading the way was Donald Moss,
Sacramento, Calif. (Class 3, Ford Bronco) who won his class for the ninth time and fifth straight year. Other class winners who added to their legacy
in this race include Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif. (Class 19, Polaris RZR XP1000) who defeated a larger UTV field in his class of 23 starters to
earn his fifth class win in this race as his other four were in quad classes. Picking up his fifth career win in this race in a motorcycle class,
Japan’s Eizaburo Karasawa was the second rider in Class 60 for rider of record Susumu Ishii.
THE UNBEATEN
With their class wins in the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500, remaining undefeated after their third win in the 2015 SCORE World Desert Championship were
Larry Connor, Miamisburg, Ohio (Trophy Truck Spec, Chevy Silverado), Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (Class 5, VW Baja Bug) and Chad Broughton,
Scotts Valley, Calif. (Class 3000, BajaLite-Chevy).
TWO-TIME WINNERS
Earning their second class wins of the year at the Bud Light SCORE Baja 500 were Marc Prince, Malibu, Calif. (Class 50, Honda CRF450X). Aaron Ampudia,
Ensenada, Mexico (Class 1/2-1600, Alumi Craft-VW), Rafael Navarro III, Temecula, Calif., (SCORE Lites, Jimco-VW), Carlos Diaz, Mexicali, Mexico,
(Class 7, Ford Ranger), John Gonzales, Edgewater, Md. (Stock Full, Ford Raptor), James Burman, Heber City, Utah (Class 8, Chevy Silverado), Kevin
Daniels, Bishop, Calif., (SCORE Ironman, KTM 500XCW) and Juan Dominguez, Yuma, Ariz. (SPT Quad, Honda TRX450R).
FIRST TIMERS
Several racers won for the first time in 2015. Besides Lopez, Robles Jr and Parkhouse, other first timers included Peter Hajas, Wayzata, Minn. (Class
10, Jake’sFab-Chevy, , Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla./Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico, (Class 40, KTM 450XCW), and Salvador Carrillo, Woodland,
Calif. (Class 5-1600, VW Baja Bug).