Los Angeles, CA
(6/20/2013) - The team of Dofo Arellano,
Wes Miller, and Jeremy Gray took home 2nd overall
ATV and 2nd Class 25 Open Pro ATV at this year’s
SCORE Baja 500. The grueling racecourse started
and finished in Ensenada, Mexico and consisted
of some of the roughest conditions of any Baja
500. The rocks, slit, and whoops would be a
true test of man and machine. The 9a team of
Arellano, Miller, and Gray spent the weeks before
the race preparing and pre-running their sections.
Unlike the other teams that would use 4 or 5
riders, the 9a team would be made up of just
3. Fitness would be key and the riders would
be tested.
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Dofo Arellano, Wes Miller, and
Jeremy Gray Finish 2nd at 2013 SCORE
BAJA 500 in Class 25 on the Honda 450R
& they are tied for first place
with the BAJA 1000 in November |
Coming into the race, Dofo Arellano had captured
the win at the San Felipe 250 and was sitting
first in points. The Baja 500 would be round
2 of the 3 race series and play a critical
role in the team’s quest to win the
SCORE Championship.
The day before the race, the team had the
race quad on display at the packed Azteca
Motor sports booth on contingency row. Thousands
of people crowded the streets to get a look
at all of the pristine race vehicles before
they would set out on the course.
In Baja racing, pit crews and strategy play
a huge part of the race. 9a would do all of
their fuel stops with JCR Honda. Lead by multi-time
Baja winner, Johnny Campbell, the JCR pits
are an essential part of a winning SCORE race
program.
Race day morning, the crew awoke at 4:30am
to prepare for the race and get to their respective
locations. The 9a team was the first ATV off
the line, with the pro bikes starting ahead
of them. Dofo started and worked his way through
some of the slower motorcycles. He maintained
a strong pace with several teams in chase.
Battling the dust and early morning sun, Arellano
brought the quad through Ojos Negros with
about a 30 second physical lead. Continuing
to battle back and forth with 10a, Dofo brought
the quad into JCR Honda 2 in second a few
seconds back.
After a quick K&N air box lid change,
Miller took the throttle from there through
one of the most technical sections of the
course called “the Summit”. This
infamous stretch of the course is known for
it’s almost impassible first gear rocky
uphills and downhills. Wes rode hard passing
a few more motorcycles and handing it off
to Gray at Laguna Salada still in second place.
Riding at a blistering pace, Jeremy continued
to chase the 10a team from the dry lakebed
to Borrego. With temperatures near 100 degrees,
both man and machine were tested. Gray held
his ground and brought 9a to Arellano in second.
Dofo took over from Borrego with the challenge
of pounding the whoops from there to San Matias.
He dug deep and made some time on the leader
through the 30 miles of almost solid three
foot deep whoops. At race mile 230 in San
Matias, the race had developed into a three-way
battle between 10a, 9a, and 8a for the podium
positions.
Just under half way through the race, Jeremy
hopped back on and chased 10a into the mountains
and up to Mike’s Sky Ranch. Gray had
just beaten the race quad to the pit and took
off without his gloves. From Mike’s
the course headed to Rancho Coyote. This new
section of the race had really been tore up
by the pre-runner cars and had plenty of rocks
and silt. Regretting not having his gloves,
Jeremy’s hands blistered as he struggled
to hold on. He pressed on to the Pacific side
of the course, to Colonet and handed the quad
to Miller with the 8a team hot on their tail.
Wes took off intent on closing the gap to
10a. At this year’s race, the sportsman
bikes and ATV’s had been deviated from
“the Summit”, cutting off about
130 miles of race course and actually putting
them physically in the lead of the pro teams.
This meant the faster pros would now have
to pass their way through the unpredictable
amateur riders. Miller quickly got past a
few sportsman bikes and was riding hard. He
turned into a line only to find that spectators
had put ribbon and plastic strung across bushes
at the end of it. Riding through it, the plastic
wrapped around the axle and got caught in
the rear brake. He quickly pulled over and
started pulling it off. As he took off, the
8a was right behind and pushing hard. Miller
pushed to stay ahead, but the rear brake still
wasn’t working and the 8a got by. At
the next JCR pit, the crew with the help of
some shears were able to cut most of the plastic
out of the brake and Wes was back and going.
Now pushing even harder to make up lost time,
Miller crossed Hwy 1 and rode to the coast.
Passing Shipwreck’s, Quatro Casa’s,
all the way to Erendira. From the cobble stone
whoops on the beach at Erendira, the course
continued north. Dodging two-way local traffic
on the roads, Wes pushed as hard as he could
on this beautiful, high-speed part of the
track. With a couple of close calls with cars,
trucks, motorcycles, and even a cow, Miller
was able to close a little time and brought
the quad to Dofo in Uruapan in third place.
The twisting, rain rutted course took Arellano
back towards Ojos Negros. Riding as hard as
he could, Dofo continued to chase the leaders.
To his surprise, he caught and passed the
8a team as they had a mechanical issue right
before Ojos. Now back in second and with the
leader having a comfortable gap, Arellano
set a comfortable, safe pace and brought it
to his waiting team at the finish.
Crossing the finish line in Ensenada, the
9a team of Arellano, Miller, and Gray finished
second overall ATV, second Class 25, and very
high overall among the motorcycles and trucks.
In a true testament to the parts and products
the team uses being the best in the world,
they finished with the same Maxxis tires,
DWT wheels with Tire Blocks that they started.
They also never changed their K&N air
filter, opting only to change the K&N
air box lid twice. The Rich Morel motor never
missed a beat. And overall, the quad was amazing.
The second place finish sets the 9a team up
in a first place tie in points going into
the final and biggest race of the year, the
Baja 1000.
Dofo, Wes, Jeremy, and their entire team
want to thank all of their sponsors and crew
for the tremendous support and congratulate
the 10a team on their win. We look forward
to a great race in November.
About The Bomb
Squad:
The Bomb Squad was formed in 2000 by H-Bomb
Films creator, Wes Miller. This freestyle
team is comprised of the top riders in the
world. The Bomb Squad launched the sport of
ATV freestyle and has consistently pushed
the limits. From the first superman, to first
back flip, to first back flip superman, Bomb
Squad riders have always led the way. The
team has branched out and currently includes
ATV freestyle, ATV racers, off-road racers
and snowmobil freestyle. Members have won
such prestigious events as the Baja 1000,
TORC events, the SCORE Class 25 Championship,
and the CORR Pro Lite Championship.
www.bombsquadbattalion.com
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