2005 Baja 1000 Results

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http://www.score-international.com/

Top Overall Finishers
2005 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
November 19, 2005
38th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
November 18-19, 205
Ensenada, Mexico--708.8 miles

Total Starters: 342
From 31 U.S. States, and 12 countries competing in 27 Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs

Top Overall Finishers

Cars & Trucks
1. Larry Roeseler, Hesperia, Calif./Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, Smithbuilt-Ford, 15:06:19 (46.92mph) (Class 1)
2. Bob Shepard, Phoenix/Rick Geiser, Desert Hills, Ariz., Chevy CK1500, 15:48:49 (44.82mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
3. Alan Pflueger, Honolulu, Chevy Silverado, 15:56:08 (44.48mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
4. Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif./Brian Ewalt, Bonita, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 15:57:57 (44.39mph) (Class 1)
5. Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, 16:00:35 (44.27mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
6. Damen Jefferies/Casey Jefferies, Oak Hills, Calif., Porter-Chevy, 16:05:01 (44.07mph) (Class 1)
7. Chad Ragland, Phoenix/Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 16:08:06 (43.93mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
8. Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif., Ford F-150, 16:17:02 (43.53mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
9. Marty Coyne/Travis Coyne, El Centro, Calif., Ford F-150, 16:45:02 (42.31mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
10. Garron Cadiente/Ron Whitton, Mesa, Ariz., Ford F-150, 16:47:35 (42.21mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
11. Corky McMillin (In Memoriam, 1929-2005) Drivers--Gary Arnold, Bonita, Calif./Hector Cuadras, Chula Vista, Calif., Chenowth-Chevy, 16:50:49 (42.07) (Class 1)
12. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Randy Wilson, Lakewood, Calif./Rick Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 16:51:29 (42:04mph) (Class 1)
13. Josh Baldwin, Newport Beach, Calif., Ford F-150, 16:58:37 (41.75mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
14. Lobsam Yee/Eli Yee, Angel Barajas, Tijuana, Mexico, Jimco-Honda, 17:15:05 (41.09mph) (Class 10)
15. B.J. Richardson/John Gaughan/Pat Dean, Las Vegas, Bunderson-Chevy, 17:25:10 (40.69mph) (Class 1)
16. Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin, Poway, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 17:47:17 (39.85mph) (Class 1)
17. Kory Sheeler/Larry Job, Las Vegas, Chevy CK1500, 17:52:44 (39.64mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
18. John Cooley, Santee, Calif./Dave Richardson, La Mesa, Calif., Alumi Craft-VW, 17:56:34 (39.50) (Class 10)
19. Jason Baldwin, Laguna Beach, Calif., Ford F-150, 18:10:12 (39.01mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
20. Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Ford F-150, 18.39:14 (38.00mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
21. Jim Nuckles/Jeff Dickerson, Brawley, Calif., Ford F-150, 18:47:37 (37.71mph) (ProTruck)
22. Stan Potter, San Marcos, Calif./Dan Worley, Encinitas, Calif., Jimco, 18:48:00 (37.70mph) (SCORE Lite)
23. Rick L. Johnson, Oak Hills, Calif./Dan Cardone, Huntington Beach, Calif., Toyota Tundra, 18:50:12 (37.63mph) (ProTruck)
24. Brian Collins, Las Vegas/Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz., Chevy Silverado, 19:14:17 (36.84mph) (SCORE Trophy-Truck)
25. Tom Watson/Tim Noe, El Centro, Calif., Jimco, 19:18:48 (36.70mph) SCORE LIte

Motorcycles
1. Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif./Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, Calif./Mike Childress, Wrightwood, Calif., Honda XR650R, 14:20:30 (49.42mph) (Class 22)
2. Robby Bell, Murrieta, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif., Honda XR650R, 14:38:01 (48.44mph) (Class 22)
3. Brian Pinard, Wildomar, Calif./Scott Myers/Ron Wilson, Honda XR650R, 16:07:18 (43.97mph) (Class 30)
4. Travis Pastrana, Davidsonville, Md./Andy Grider, Los Olivos, Calif./Ricky Johnson, Encinitas, Calif./Gregg Godfrey, Draper, Utah, Suzuki 450, 16:09:36 (43.86mph) (Class 22)
5. Tim Morton, Escondido, Calif./Salvador Hernandez, Ensenada, Mexico/Jason Trubey, Bullhead City, Ariz., Honda CRFX250, 18:01:38 (39.32mph) (Class 21)
6. Jim O’Neal, Chatsworth, Calif./Tim Withers, Pepeekeo, Hawaii/Jeff Kaplan, Newbury Park, Calif./Louis Franco, Honda XR650R, 18:19:08 (38.69mph) (Class 40)
7. Kevin Johnson, Vista, Calif./Ryan Gustine, San Diego/Anthony Sanchez, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha YZ250, 18:46:20 (37.76mph) (Class 21)
8. Robert Laughlin, Solvang, Calif., Honda XR650R, 19:00:12 (37.30mph) (Sportsman Motorcycle Over 250cc)
9. Chris Haines, Dana Point, Calif./Scott Forward, Montrose, Calif./Jim Castillo, Los Alamos, Calif., Honda XR650R, 19:08:49 (37.02mph) (SPT M/C over 250cc)
10. Joe Desrosiers, San Marcos, Calif./Dean Sharpe, San Diego, Yamaha YZ250, 19:37:40 (36.11mph) (Class 21)
11. 2. Gerardo Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico/Arturo Salas, Tijuana, Mexico/Francisco Real, San Diego, Honda XR650R, 20:25:40 (34.70mph) (34.70mph) (Class 30)
12. Sergio Vega/Manuel Luna/Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico, BMW HP2, 20:42:09 (34.24mph) (Class 30)
13. Mark Jerman, Huntington Beach, Calif./Joe Bolton, Corona, Calif./Steve Buckley, Oak Park, Calif., Honda XR650R, 20:51:04 (33.99mph) (Class 40)
14. David Gonzalez/David Gonzalez Jr./Carlos Casas, Chula Vista, Calif., Honda XR650R, 20:51:37 (33.98mph) (SPT M/C over 250cc)
15. Jimmy Lewis, Costa Mesa, Calif./Dave Donatoni, Thousand Oaks, Calif./Jonah Street, Ellensburg, Wash./Beau Hayden, Sunland, Calif., BMW HP2, 20:57:43 (33.81mph) (Class 22)

ATVs
1. Wayne Matlock, El Cajon, Calif./Chad Prull, Honda TRX450R, 18:06:53 (39.13mph) (Class 25)
2. Wes Miller, Fallbrook, Calif./Dan Creech, Honda TRX450, 18:52:37 (37.55mph) (Class 25)
3. Mike Cafro, Carlsbad, Calif./Danny Prather, Ramona, Calif./William Yokley, Honda TRX450R, 19:24:36 (36.52mph) (Class 25)
4. Joel Leal/Israel Reyes/Indalecio Jimenez, Mexicali, Mexico, Bombardier Baja 650, 20:22:41 (34.78mph (Class 25)
5. Francisco Ruano/Gerardo Sepulveda/Rafael Pinedo, Tijuana, Mexico, Honda TRX 450R, 21:32:18 (32.91mph) (Class 25)

[Brian1]

Anyone hear how trophy truck 71 did- the Mt Logan offroad built truck? Last I heard they were looking for an axle shaft

[Drunk tank]

Holy shit! Johnny Campbell lives in my hood????? Cool! Im gonna go jack one of his bikes!

[Weasel]

hmm, Gordon didn't finish in the top ten, wonder if he broke.

Did BFG get their 20th win?

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Originally Posted by Weasel

hmm, Gordon didn't finish in the top ten, wonder if he broke.

Did BFG get their 20th win?

http://www.robbygordon.com/artman/pu...icle_513.shtml

Post Race Quote from Robby Gordon

"I'm disappointed with our finish. Obviously we came to win but we had a couple of issues with the shocks. It's the same rebuilt shock package we raced and won with at the 500. It was a simple problem with some undersized threads. It won't be an issue in the future.

What I'm not disappointed in is how our team performed. My guys prepped an awesome truck. Nothing fell off and nothing broke. Aside from the shock issue the truck ran flawlessly and the Menard motor was very good.

It was my first race with Toyo Tires and they were great. They had plenty of grip and the reliability was there which is very reassuring with us headed to Dakar. I really wanted to give them a Baja victory. We'll see what we can do for them in a month and a half.

I'm going to get some sleep and then I'll be off to Homestead."

Results Robby Gordon finished 13th in the Trophy Truck division crossing the finish line at 5:06 a.m. Bob Shepard led the trucks to the line while Larry Roeseler won the overall in a class one car. Gordon averaged 34.944 mph for the 708 mile race. The team suffered two broken shocks. Gordon was out on course for 20h:17m. The winning Trophy Truck time was 15h:48m.

[PIG]

Originally Posted by Brian1

Anyone hear how trophy truck 71 did- the Mt Logan offroad built truck? Last I heard they were looking for an axle shaft

I heard they broke on the way to the startline..........

[carnage crew]

I listened to the weather man rely all weekend and only heard them call a couple times. Once the were looking for the truck hadn't herd from them for a couple hours didn't know where they were. And the call that they were in need of axle shafts. Also on the bfg site i did not se them in the finishing order as off 7:00pm when the race was over.

[Brian1]

Originally Posted by PIG

I heard they broke on the way to the startline..........

From ORC at 10PM-
"# 71 Trophy Truck of Dan Cook & Chuck Evans reports needing axle shaft brought to BFG pit at RM199"

So they made it 199 miles but I dont know if they got farther than that.

I listened to the radio feed all weekend as well whenever I was in the house. They were talking crap about the Currie rockcrawler jeep and that it couldnt help pull a race vehicle up a hill after it rolled over. I thought that was pretty funny but if it was me I would want any help I could get.

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http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports...0bajalede.html

By Bill Center
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 20, 2005

The famed off-road racing tandems of Larry Roeseler-Troy Herbst and Johnny Campbell-Steve Hengeveld have repeated as overall champions in the 38th annual SCORE Tecate Baja 1000.

Campbell won his ninth straight overall motorcycle title in the sport's most grueling race – and his fifth straight with Hengeveld as part of the factory Honda entry.

And Roeseler and Herbst co-drove a Ford-powered open-class buggy to a second straight overall four-wheel title.

Although there were no major injury accidents in the race, TrophyTruck driver Jason Baldwin was listed among four passengers feared killed when a private plane went down in the Pacific approximately two miles off Dana Point around 2 yesterday afternoon.

Baldwin, 35, who finished 19th overall in the race, is the son of developer Jim Baldwin, who built the Otay Ranch course that hosted the inaugural Nissan Off-Road Nationals seven weeks ago.

The private plane had stopped at Brown Field after returning from Baja California. It was apparently headed to John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

The names of the four men aboard the plane were not released, although team members said they believed one of the passengers was Jason Baldwin.

Campbell, of San Juan Capistrano, Hengeveld and team newcomer Mike Childress posted the race's best elapsed time. The trio covered the 708.8 miles in 14 hours, 20 minutes, 30 seconds on their Honda, averaging 49.42 mph. They returned to the Ensenada start-finish line just before 9 Friday night.

The victory was Campbell's 12th overall and 14th class win in the Baja 1000.

It was also the 12th overall and 14th class win for former Santee resident Roeseler, whose buggy completed the race in 15:06:19.

Roeseler's was the first buggy to score back-to-back wins in the Baja 1000 since 1989-90. Last year, the Roeseler-Herbst buggy averaged 62.167 mph. This year's winning average on a much tougher course was only 46.92 mph.

Only 163 of the second-largest Baja 1000 field of 342 buggies, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs reached the finish line by yesterday's 7 p.m. deadline.

Roeseler took the overall lead south of San Felipe when Poway's Andy McMillin began experiencing engine problems. He finished 16th overall.

The top local finisher in the four-wheel division was El Cajon's Mark McMillin, who teamed with Brian Ewalt to finish fourth overall. His second-place finish to Roeseler in class gave McMillin the open-class buggy title for the six-race SCORE season.

"I liked this course," said Ewalt. "It reminded me of the traditional old course when I started racing in 1986. Parts of it were very dusty. Parts very technical."

Escondido's Tim Morton led a three-rider team that placed fifth overall in the motorcycle division and won the 250cc class. Seven-time Supercross and motocross national champion Ricky Johnson was a member of a motorcycle team that placed fourth overall.

"The course was probably the roughest ever," said Campbell. "There was a lot of sand, and sand brings out the rocks. It was pretty chewed up."

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Hengeveld/Campbell/Childress; Roeseler/Herbst take
Overall victories at Tecate SCORE Baja 1000
November 19, 2005

BULLETIN: Early results story, notes and quotes. Final info to be released on Sunday, Nov. 20.

9:15 p.m. PST, Saturday, Nov. 19


Shepard snags SCORE Trophy-Truck
Hengeveld/Campbell/Childress in M/C, Roeseler/Herbst in 4-Wheel
Earn repeat Overall victories at 38th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000

BFGoodrich Tires win 20th straight overall 4-wheel crown as over 200,000 watch near-record 342 starters in Ensenada race

ENSENADA, MEXICO—In an another impressive display of power and poise, American Honda motorcycle teammates Steve Hengeveld, Johnny Campbell and Mike Childress, along with the Larry Roeseler/Troy Herbst duo, repeated as the overall motorcycle and 4-wheel victories late Friday and early Saturday to lead a near-record field of 342 starters in the 38th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race.

The granddaddy of all desert races, the flagship event of the world’s foremost desert racing series was a rugged 708.8-mile journey around the northern part of Baja California, starting and finishing in Ensenada, 60 miles south of San Diego on the Pacific Ocean side of the peninsula. It was the 31st time the fabled race started in Ensenada, and 18thth time it finished here.

The huge field from 31 U.S. States and 12 countries represented the second-largest field and largest since 346 started in the 1977 in the desert classic. They competed in 27 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

Mexico tourism officials estimated enthusiastic crowds of over 200,000 spread out along the course that went across the peninsula to San Felipe and back again. The race started in front of the Riviera del Pacific Convention Center in Ensenada and finished for just the second time inside the Deportivo Antonio Palacios baseball stadium in Ensenada.

First to cross the finish line was the Honda XR650R of Hengeveld and Campbell, who methodically marched over the grueling course to an overall winning time of 14 hours, 20 minutes and 30 seconds. Hengeveld started and finished the race while Campbell and newcomer Childress rode in the middle sections of the course. The team average speed was 49.42 miles per hour.

While the American Honda teammates rode the fastest vehicle in the ever-demanding race, Troy Larry Roeseler and Troy Herbst in their Ford-powered Smithbuilt open-wheel desert racecar equipped with BFGoodrich Tires, led all four-wheel vehicles to the finish line, covering the challenging course in 15:06:19 while averaging 46.92mph). Celebrating its 30th year as a proven champion in SCORE Baja racing, BFG Tires have now been on the Overall 4-wheel champion vehicle in this race for 20 consecutive years.

For Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif., the victory was his sixth class win and his fifth overall, while Campbell, San Clemente, Calif., improved his record run in this desert classic to nine straight and for the talented rookie Childress, Wrightwood, Calif., earning his first in his first attempt on the Honda Factory A team. For Childress, the win was his second straight in the popular SCORE Desert Series as he won June’s 37th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in Ensenada on a privateer Honda team with Mouse McCoy.

For Roeseler, Hesperia, Calif., it was his 14th class win and his 12th overall triumph in the world’s most famous desert race. For Troy Herbst, Las Vegas, it was his fourth win in the unlimited Class 1 in this historic race and his second overall title.

In the manufacturer’s battle of ‘beat the Baja’ research and development, Ford won it’s 11th overall 4-wheel crown, Honda earned it’s 16th overall motorcycle win, and BFG Tires captured an unprecedented 20th consecutive overall 4-wheel vehicle triumph and Smithbuilt chassis won for the second straight year.

While the unlimited Class 1 produced the overall 4-wheel champion for the fourth time in the last five years, the featured SCORE Trophy-Truck division for high-tech, 800 horsepower unlimited production trucks claimed seven of the top 10 overall finishing positions. SCORE Trophy-Trucks have claimed eight overall wins in this race in the division’s 12-year history.

Leading the SCORE record field of 30 starters in SCORE Trophy-Truck while finishing second overall with his first class win was Bob Shepard, Phoenix, and his teammate Rick Gesier, Desert Hills, Calif., in a Chevy CK1500

Shepard, who withstood challenges by several other vehicles in the record starting grid, covered the difficult race route in 15:48:49, to win SCORE Trophy-Truck and finish two minutes, 30 seconds behind the Roeseler/Herbst tandem.

Displaying his newly-painted Monster Energy Drink-sponsored Chevy Silverado, Honolulu’s Alan Pflueger got his best finish of the season, finishing second in SCORE Trophy-Truck and third overall in 15:56:08.

Mark McMillin, El Cajon, Calif., and teammate Brian Ewalt, Bonita, Calif., outwitted everyone in a strong field of 26 unlimited desert race cars except Roeseler/Herbst, finishing fourth overall and second in Class 1 in a Jimco-Chevy in a time of 15:57:57.

Fifth overall and third in SCORE Trophy-Truck were Troy Herbst’s older brothers Tim and Ed, who bounced their way to a time of 16:00:35 in their Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150.

Sixth overall and was Damen Jefferies, Oak Hills, Calif., in a Porter-Chevy (16:05:01), and the final four top 10 finishers were all SCORE Trophy-Trucks.
Seventh was Chad Ragland, Phoenix, who had help from his father Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz. In their Chevy Silverado (16:08:06), followed by Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif., in a Ford F-150 (16:17:02), Marty Coyne and his son Travis, El Centro, Calif., in a Ford F-150 (16:45:02) ad Garron Cadiente/Ron Whitton, Mesa, Ariz. In another Ford F-150 (16:47:35).

Also of note, Reno’s Rod Hall, who has race in all 38 SCORE Baja 1000 races, increased his lead as the winningest racer in the event’s history by winning Stock Mini in a new Hummer H3. It was the venerable Hall’s 18th class win in the race.

As the course officially closed Saturday evening, the final results remain unofficial pending the standard review by SCORE officials and the report of the independent competition review board.

FOLLOWING ARE SOME RACE NOTES AND QUOTES FROM SCORE Trophy-Truck, Class 1 and Class 22.

SCORE TROPHY-TRUCK

After four top ten placements this season, Bob Shepard (82) claimed his first ever SCORE Trophy-Truck title. He finished in 15 hours, 48 minutes, 49 seconds, averaging 44.82 miles per hour. He entered the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 race leading the season points title by a slim two points over Tim and Ed Herbst. In fact, seven racers were all within 22 points coming into this final race, but Shepard’s win by a seven minute, 19 second margin locked up the season title. In the six races this season, there have been six different winners.

Shepard withstood challenges from several other SCORE Trophy-Trucks, most notably Chad Ragland (80), who led midway through the race and trailed by just over two minutes with about 250 miles left to go.

“This thing held together, what a car,” Shepard commented. “The race went pretty good. We had a flat at the start of the day; I did that. It went pretty well to plan except I didn’t plan to do the whole race; we planned on Larry Ragland driving. I always have higher hopes, I wanted to win the overall, but it was great to win the championship. I’ve driven every mile the whole year, “True Grit.” Next year I’m going to do better because I’m proven. This was a new car this year but now we’ve worked out all the bugs. I really work all year to get to this. It really happened. I’m really happy! It took a lot of homework, a lot of work happily paid off. I’ve got a great crew unbelievable car builders, the best of everybody. My crew was just fantastic, they were everywhere I need them. It takes a good team to do this. I am thinking on getting a boat, I just got to take a year off after this. I don’t know what I am going to do. Probably I will race again. My race was very good with very few problems, hardly anything. It is the hardest course. I don’t have any breath because I drove all the way, I did not have any brakes so I think that was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I’ve solo’d a lot of the Baja 1000’s to La Paz, I have been to several of those, but this race was much more demanding and challenging. It was really a hard one.”

Alan Pflueger (28) was the second SCORE Trophy-Truck to finish, and it marked just his second official finish of the year (also in Primm in September). Pfleuger was right in the mix of SCORE Trophy-Trucks in the first 200 miles, but over the next 100 miles he lost some ground. He was able to make up most of it, but ended up just over seven minutes behind the class winner.

“It’s just like a walk in a park, it was great when we got to the bridge, “Pflueger said. “Lots of energy during the race and it brought us home. We got the start, got us pushing. It is a long day; we got up front, we got behind, we didn’t get back into it until the end here. The course was tough, you don’t see it because of the amount of people that finish but it was brutal. The vehicle is great, we didn’t have any problems.”

Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst (19) were third in this class, marking the third time this season he has had a podium finish but has been unable to emerge victorious. Two hundred miles into the race, Herbst led all SCORE Trophy-Trucks and was the second fastest four-wheeled vehicle.

Chad Ragland (80) was the fourth SCORE Trophy-Truck to cross the line. Ragland was competing for just the second time this season, having placed 10th in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500 in June. He received help from his SCORE Baja racing legend father Larry Ragland, who drove the second half of the race.

Illustrating the parity in the featured class is the fact that in the six SCORE races this season, there have been a total of 14 different racers with podium finishes (first, second or third place). Only three drivers have had more than one podium finish in 2005, with Herbst leading the way with three of those finishes. Shepard is right behind with a pair of top three placements, as is Jason Baldwin (1), who garnered a 10th this race. A total of 11 other drivers have placed in the top three this season, but were only able to manage this once. Included in that group was Pfleuger, whose second-place finish at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 was his first placement that high this year.

CLASS 1

Troy Herbst wanted to win the 38th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. So much so that he withdrew his vehicle (118) this week in order to team with Larry Roeseler (105) and have a better starting position, forgoing any chance he had for the season point championship, as he was fifth in a tight contest entering the race. Last year the duo won this race with the second-highest average speed in race history (62.167 mph), while this year they were again the fastest four-wheeled vehicle.

“This year he gave me the car fourth physically,” Roeseler said about his teammate, which was quite a feat considering that their vehicle was the fifth Class 1 car to start and followed the 30 SCORE Trophy-Trucks to leave the line. I just tried to stay consistent, no mistakes. If we have to go, we can go, that’s what makes us such a great team. This is a fantastic race. I’m really proud to be a part of BFG and the legacy of the race. This is the hardest race in the world and to win back-to-back is just incredible. It was very, very difficult: it was a true test of man and machine. This car here is amazing, I think it’s eight years old now. We went the whole race with no flat tires, with good racers. This is basically a Trophy-Truck, this car has won more races than any car, it’s incredible!”

Roeseler’s win marked his 14th class victory and 12th overall title. Roeseler closed the gap between him and the all-time leader, Rod Hall (18 SCORE Baja 1000 titles). Not since 1989-90 has a vehicle other than a SCORE Trophy-Truck won consecutive overall titles at the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, when Robby Gordon accomplished it. Herbst claimed his fourth Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 victory, as he also won in 1999 and 2000 before winning last year.

“We got the lead when I think Andy (McMillin, 103) had motor problems right below Saint Felipe,” Herbst said. “We had a nice clean race. When we turned it over we were fourth or fifth and there were no consequences. We came in Sunday night so I could pre-run a few times and this is one of the best courses I’ve ever had to race.”

Roeseler’s overall title came by finishing 42:30 faster than the first SCORE Trophy-Truck, nearly equaling the 45:45 gap in 2002, when Dan Smith / David Ashley’s SCORE Trophy-Truck defeated Mike Julson’s Class 1 car. In the BFG pits, Bob Shepard (82) led Roeseler by a mere 1:20 in the first pit but Roeseler steadily outpaced Shepard through the other pits (5:41 in the second pit, 7:53 in the third pit, 14:25 in the fourth pit, and 26 minutes in the fifth pit).

Finishing second in the class was the points leader entering the race, Mark McMillin (115), who has won eight Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races in his career, all of which were in the 1980’s. McMillin had hoped to get another SCORE victory, as he won the Tecate San Felipe 250 last year, for his second victory in the 21st century. Shy of getting another win, he also strove to beat the person who was a very close second in the points standings coming in, Damen Jeffries (116). Midway through the race, those two cars were separated by just four seconds (adjusted time), but McMillin pulled away the second half of the race to notch a seven-minute advantage over Jeffries.

“We are beating Damen, all we had to do was stay close to him,” co-driver Brian Ewalt said. “I liked this course. It reminds me of the old traditional course when I started racing in 1986. We have been racing for years. Sometimes the race gets a little dusty and sometimes it gets a little bit technical, a little bit of everything. No problems at all, we just stayed in the same race stuff.”

Damen Jefferies (116) has placed second and fourth this season in other SCORE races, and this race he filled in the gap with a third-place showing. His time of 16:05:01 was also the sixth fastest amongst all four-wheeled vehicles.

“It was tough, it was a long way,” Jeffries said. “I drove the whole way. Casey (Jefferies) rode with me for most of it. Our vehicle was good, I think the fuel filters are plugged, we couldn’t speed up for the last 300 miles. It was a real rough course, I am surprised how many people made it. I didn’t see many cars parked out. I thought we went too hard all day, I’m dying. I had problems driving the whole way, I was not supposed to. It was a lot of race course, I would have rather gone to La Paz any day.”

CLASS 22
The three races in 2005 produced different class winners each time, with the season point title going to the winner of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, Steve Hengeveld / Johnny Campbell / Mike Childress (1x). Hengeveld / Campbell won this race for the fifth straight year, while Campbell earned his ninth consecutive overall motorcycle victory in this storied race. Averaging 49.42 miles per hour, they finished in 14 hours, 20 minutes and 30 seconds, over 13 mph slower than their record pace in the 2002 version.

“It was a great race and we had a good time out there,” Hengeveld said. “Baja is Baja and you never know how it’s going to be out there. It was pretty good; we were about 30 minutes off what I thought we would finish. The course was great, probably one of the toughest Bajas yet that I’ve raced in 10 years. That was one of my goals, to extend the Honda streak. We pretty much prepare all year long for this race. The bike ran flawless, it’s very reliable and we had no problems with it all day. I was probably on it for about a total of six or seven hours. I did the start to Nuevo Junction, a run in the middle, and Trinidad to the finish.”

Childress ran from San Felipe to San Mateas, about 140 miles, then did a stretch right before dark that was unfamiliar territory for him, completing half of Mike’s Loop. “They gave me a map and said go here and get on the bike and ride it to us. It was kinda weird because I got on the bike and it was getting dark quickly. I didn’t know any of the corners, I didn’t know where to go, I just took it easy and didn’t make any mistakes; I just got the bike to Steve. Coming into the pit I didn’t see a cow and hit it and thought it was over right there. The bike was flawless, the pits were perfect, all the chase crews were in the right place.”

“The course was probably the roughest ever,” Campbell stated. “I think it was shorter, there was a lot of sand, the sand gets rough, and the sand brings out the rocks. A lot of people are pre-running now, so it gets pretty chewed up. I had a stomach illness last night and all day today, I was kind of under the weather I guess. We didn’t have any problems with the bike though.”

Robby Bell / Kendall Norman / Quinn Cody (4x) placed second in the class, coming in over 17 and a half minutes behind the team they traded places with most of the day. “We had the physical lead, but when it got dark they pulled away,” Norman stated. “I rode from about mile 200 to 390, it was pretty physically demanding but I knew what I was getting myself into. Not too many traffic problems or anything. I got passed almost at the end of my section. Robby hit a booby trap in the morning, it crushed our tailpipe. We didn’t end up changing it until around mile 390. We need more night experience. You go against Baja, not first or second place.”

“The course is a blast,” exclaimed Bell. “I had lots of fun until I hit that jump. It was at mile 70, there was a burm outside of a ditch. Right over the end I hit it and it was too late. I went end-over-end there and beat up this bike pretty good. My whole left side is pretty sore. Tomorrow it will be interesting when I wake up. I was on the bike to about mile 95 from the start and did 143 miles from 390 to 533. Baja is pretty unbelievable. To start it was pretty awesome, I’d never started one of these, it was pretty exciting to see all the people, being on the bridge and everyone cheering you, it is pretty cool.”

[Beat95YJ]

Does anybody know how 719 or 862 did? They would be the Donahoe trucks?

Edit - Dammit. It appears that their were no finishers in 7X and that the only finishers in stock full were in Hummers.

What happened?

[Beat95YJ]

Complete results by class
results

[Brian1]

Originally Posted by Beat95YJ

Does anybody know how 719 or 862 did? They would be the Donahoe trucks?
What happened?

I read this - "The stock fullsize #862 of Donahoe Racing is reported broken at RM436"

[SHERPA]

9, count them, N I N E HONDA xr 650r's taking top places........

woohoo................ I wish that bike weighed less though........

--Sherpa

[Glenn]

I read this morning that Jason Baldwin died in a plane crash on the way home from Baja. He finished 19th. Their plane went down off the coast and is sitting in about 200 feet of water. Bodies have not been recovered. I think I heard there were 4 people on board and there were no survivors...

[_nailhead_]

IMO this was the roughest course I have seen.

From RM100 over the pass out of Ojos Negros is a rock race. The other side of the pass into the sandwash was reported to be a racecar graveyard. I was pitted at RM127 at the edge of the drylake and carnage that pulled into our pit was amazing.

Also, I cant comfirm this but Herbst gave Jesse James (in the monster garage TT) a real hard bump and put him out of the race.

[Billy_Manfroy]

Originally Posted by _nailhead_

IMO this was the roughest course I have seen.

From RM100 over the pass out of Ojos Negros is a rock race. The other side of the pass into the sandwash was reported to be a racecar graveyard. I was pitted at RM127 at the edge of the drylake and carnage that pulled into our pit was amazing.

Also, I cant comfirm this but Herbst gave Jesse James (in the monster garage TT) a real hard bump and put him out of the race.

Were you with Locos Mocos? Two of my crew guys were there in a 4x4 ranger prerunner. Chris (Rocketman) and Roger (Bubbles). Said it was ROUGH.

[Beat95YJ]

Originally Posted by _nailhead_

IMO this was the roughest course I have seen.
Also, I cant comfirm this but Herbst gave Jesse James (in the monster garage TT) a real hard bump and put him out of the race.

I had heard that also.

[Brian1]

Yes, just read that JJ got hit in the rear also. The rear links pivot from the back on his truck and they did not have any protection for a rear hit. It broke a hiem and probably damaged the others.

[2Dogs]

Will this be televised. Prolly not....

Does anyone have a link to order DVDs of the event (if there is such a thing)? Seems like there are a bunch of film crews and cameras at these events when we finally get to see them....

[Brian1]

Originally Posted by 2Dogs

Will this be televised. Prolly not....

Watch monster garage during their trophy truck build, they will have some video of their truck running.

NBC Dec 10th 3pm eastern 1 hr special

OLN Dec 18th 1 hr special

[2Dogs]

Thanks!

[Triaged]

So what happened to the Ridgeline?

[EMIEVEL]

Why do they call Roeseler the overall winner? I've never understood that. The bikes always win the overall. Congrats to Tim Morton for a 5th overall on a tiddler. Remember, the 4-stroke 250cc races in the 125cc class everywhere but SCORE.

Chris

[BlueCoyote3]

Originally Posted by Brian1

Yes, just read that JJ got hit in the rear also. The rear links pivot from the back on his truck and they did not have any protection for a rear hit. It broke a hiem and probably damaged the others.

True - rear of the 54 was blasted. Pics do not look bad but the structure was bent. It would have taken a huge bumper to provide more protection. The upper RH heim failed and the other 3 bent. We tired to find some more but no suitable ones could be located.

Chased for Wide Open Baja. Was at Borego (199), till dark then ran down to Chanate BFG 3 (335). Heard Tom on the radio that #54 was down at 218, we were on HWY 5 only 2 miles away. We rolled it an begin working on the truck. Had it ready for new parts, but none located. The entire crew of Monster Garage, Herzog, and Jesse himself were all very cool to work with. Cannot give away some of the other cool stuff that happened, you will have to watch the show....

As for the Ridgeline, we saw them come thru Sat am down in Chanate. It was moving fine, but there were MANY cars stuck down in Matomi and Huatamote.