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42nd Annual 2010
SCORE Tecate BAJA 500 ATV Race Report
June 3-6, 2010
- Ensenada, Mexico, 438 miles
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| SCORE
BAJA 500
ATV & SxS Race Links |
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| 1A
Wes Miller, Josh Caster, & Wayne Matlock
continued their SCORE winning streak at
the 42nd Annual Baja 500 |
Ensenada, Mexico (6/15/2010) –
If the saying is true “what doesn’t
kill you makes you stronger” then the hundreds
of men and women that compete every year in the
Score International Baja series are as tough as
nails, and the 42nd Annual running of the SCORE
Baja 500, taking place on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula,
would see thirty eight ATV entries in the four separate
ATV classes.
The Matlock Racing team of Wayne Matlock, Wes
Miller and Josh Caster came to Ensenada Mexico
fresh off a win at the San Felipe 250 and were
determined to defend their two consecutive titles.
While years of planning and preparation seem
to be paying off anything can happen in Baja and
there are a number of teams are working hard to
dethrone the current champions.
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| Preparation
is undoubtedly the most important thing
when it comes to winning an endurance race
such as the Baja 500 & nothing stops
your race day & championship hopes quicker
than a broken part or flat tire - plenty
of both are in stock, just incase a quick
pit-stop becomes a necessity |
Christy Racing made a significant presence at
the 500 with quads running in both class 24 and
class 25. What’s more, Craig Christy and
teammate Dave Scott were working double duty at
the Baja 500 by running sections of the course
for both Christy Racing’s teams.
For those unfamiliar with Baja racing, the Baja
500, it is a 438 mile loop beginning and ending
in Ensenada, Mexico. Much of the course is the
same year after year however rain had wreaked
havoc on the course in the weeks leading up to
the event. At the pre race racers meeting, officials
informed the racers that crews were hard at work
repairing sections of the course made nearly impassible
by flooding.
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| Massive
crowds gather every year at the Baja 500
& this was was certainly no exception
as there were tons of vendors & sites
to be seen in the spectating/pit areas |
Many
of the streets in the Ensenada Baja Mexican
Peninsula are closed down in preparation
for the Motorcycle, ATV, & Truck staging
sessions |
Race day dawned with the Pro Bikes leaving the starting
line first. The Pro Quads class 25 would follow
and the 2a quad piloted by Dave Scott would leave
the line first however the team lost track of time
and made it to the start only moments before receiving
the green flag. Because racers leave in 30 second
intervals, had they missed their allotted start
time, their clock would have been running as if
they started on time and they would be forced to
start at the back of the class adding precious minutes
to their adjusted time.
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| The
#2a Quad ridden by Dave Scott started out
as the very first quad of the day, 30 seconds
ahead of the rest of the Pro racers. Luckily
they made the start on schedule and began
to set the pace out into the desert |
The
#1a's Wayne Matlock would get the green
flag exactly 30 seconds later and be let
loose to try and overtake the leader, that's
exactly what he did as he made short order
of his fellow Honda racer by mile 17 |
Wayne Matlock, quad 1a, would leave the line second
but managed to real in the 2a quad by race mile
17.
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