March 14,
2008 – The 22nd
Edition of the SCORE San Felipe 250
kicked into full swing along the beach
in this quiet tourist resort nestled
alongside the Sea of Cortez. The 2007
SCORE Desert Series did not include
a stop at the famed location because
of agreements between the many different
factions of government agencies and
the land owners that make up much of
the land the race course is run on.
SCORE CEO, Sal Fish,
used his persuasive magic to ensure
that the 2008 race would kick off and
indeed it did on this absolutely stunning
Friday. Held along the Malecon just
feet off the soft sand of the Sea of
Cortez, this year’s race contenders
lined up for a festive spectacular contingency
event that rivaled no other.
Flavored by the sweet
original sound of Mariachi bands, the
flowing cold Tecate, and the street
fair festival, San Felipe came alive
for the 22nd running of this grand race.
The sunburned faces and wide smiles
signaled that the SCORE San Felipe 250
has arrived back to its home, the relaxing
beaches of Northern Baja California.
Thousands of fans from around the world
mixed with racers and their crews as
they pushed their race cars through
the streets of a town that has long
be regarded as a “quiet little
fishing village.” Well that changes
each year when the SCORE Desert Series
invades the city streets with their
800 horsepower race vehicles all preparing
for race day.
The race vehicle count
was definitely diminished than in previous
years, however that didn’t stall
the great atmosphere associated with
SCORE events internationally.
The buzz throughout
the race teams is no doubt how difficult
it is going to be to survive this race
course as many race veterans are reporting
that the race course is more difficult
than they have ever seen in the past.
Collins’ Motorsports Driver/Team
Owner, Brian Collins, said it was the
toughest he’s ever seen and he’s
embracing the difficulty of the terrain
hoping confident that his MOPAR Dodge
Ram will make it to the checkers in
the top spot.
Riviera Racing’s
Rob MacCachren commented, “We’ve
been here for a week and each day the
race course is more chewed up. This
is no doubt the biggest we’ve
seen the bumps as long as I can remember
and the team that has no problems will
end up on top. The Riviera Racing truck
always runs very good at San Felipe
and we’ve done our homework. I’m
looking for a great finish if all of
our cards fall in the right spot.”
Ballastic B.J. Baldwin
has been staying at the El Cortez all
week long and he and his father, Bobby
Baldwin, have held a rigorous prerun
schedule, although in testing his truck
here in San Felipe not long after the
truck arrived he suffered a transmission
failure in testing and the truck went
back stateside for repair. The truck
has return to San Felipe and he’s
expected to contend amongst the top
teams.
Jesse James tested
his race truck in the first 30 miles
with the new proto-type KING Shock package
and he melted the main seals of both
rear shocks causing the shocks to lose
all fluid and rendering his #54 truck
to the trailer until they could repair
the KING shocks. James had previously
been using FOX Racing Shox and changed
to KING’S before the 2007 SCORE
Baja 1000, however they have not held
up to the rigors of San Felipe here
this week.
The 1600 Champion,
Dave Caspino, pushed his all black 1600
car through contingency and he hopes
to repeat as the class champion with
a good race here in San Felipe.
The Desert Assassin’s
Moto Crew wasted no time in causing
a stir as Cam’s boys were involved
in a melee at the famed Rice N’
Beans. Tables were scattered and two
warriors banged it out on the floor
rendering one of Cam’s riders
with a broken hand. Rice N Beans was
filled to capacity with Crystal Bay
Motorsports team members, Riviera Racing
team members, Desert Assassin’s
team members along with many smaller
teams. The warriors were broke up quickly
but not before blows were thrown. Let’s
just say the DA is obviously in the
house…
San Felipe weather
could not be any better as the temperatures
hovered right around the mid-70’s
most of the day and the weather is expected
to be the same through the weekend with
thousands of fans pouring into San Felipe
for Saturday’s main event.
Check it out all day long here at DIRtnewz.com
