ENSENADA, MEXICO – BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of the SCORE International desert racing series, captured four of the top five overall positions, in addition to equipping seven of the top 10 Trophy Trucks at the 46th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Additionally, BFGoodrich claimed wins in 10 classes, including defending its title in the Baja Challenge Class as Team BFGoodrich’s BC2 team claimed victory by a margin of more than four hours.

Team BFGoodrich Member Rob MacCachren, paired with fellow Team BFGoodrich member Andy McMillin, placed second overall with a time of 18 hours and 45 minutes, just nine minutes behind overall race winner BJ Baldwin. In what was billed as a brutal 883 mile race course, the 2013 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 lived up to every bit of the hype resulting in a large number of vehicles not finishing the race. Overall, the finish rate was under 50 percent due to the difficulty of the course and the 36 hour time limit. Four-wheel vehicles on BFGoodrich Tires accounted for nearly 65 percent of all finishers.

“This SCORE Baja 1000 proved to be a tremendous challenge for racers due to the grueling nature of the course with its technical climbs, narrow stretches, silt beds  and intense rocky terrain,” said Chris Baker, Motorsports Director for BFGoodrich Tires. “While BFGoodrich yielded the overall title for only the third time in the last 28 years, we take pride in placing more top 10 finishers than any other tire manufacturer. We approach endurance desert racing a bit different than most. We canvas a wide range of entries and place multiple products throughout the field, from All-Terrain and Mud-Terrain tires to specific desert race tires. This tactic helps us get the most benefit from a technical and performance standpoint from Baja racing.”

BFGoodrich claimed the Baja Challenge class for a second year in a row in their BC2 vehicle captained by Skip Barber Racing School lead instructor Terry Earwood. Other BFG brand ambassadors driving included TORC Pro Lite driver Brad Lovell, his brother Ultra 4 driver Roger, Rally America champion Andrew Comrie-Picard, Pro-Touring hot shot Brian Finch and Poison Spyder’s Larry McRae.

Check out Off-Road.com’s SCORE Baja 1000 Coverage

“I got to drive the last 100 miles but it’s such a team effort,” said Comrie-Picard who piloted the vehicle to the finish. “Each person had to thread their part of the needle, do everything perfect and make no mistakes and go as quick as they could, while keeping it under control. It’s an incredible success for everybody.”

Having run on a new developmental All-Terrain tire, Comrie-Picard was one of many drivers commenting on its performance, “we used one set of tires the whole way and they didn’t feel worn. I started the race yesterday and just finished it now and did the same 100 miles each time. The tires felt the same coming in as they did going out. The car is tired, she’s loose in the bones now, but the tires worked great.”

The day started out with Team BFGoodrich member Bryce Menzies first off the line as the fastest qualifier and he set a very fast pace on the first two thirds of the course. After fighting through a few mechanical issues with the truck, Bryce passed it off to co-driver Jesse Jones who encountered additional difficulties, which allowed the field to catch and pass him.

MacCachren and McMillin were one of the teams to take advantage of Menzies and Jones misfortune and their No. 11 Trophy Truck took the lead with other drivers hot on their tail and eventually being passed by BJ Baldwin’s No. 1 machine. “He (Andy) handed the truck back to me at Colonet and we went on trying to catch the leaders,” said MacCachren postrace. “We chased them down and were right on him (BJ Baldwin). I took a lot of chances to get around him but there just wasn’t enough time or open area.”

“It was a great race. The most grueling 883 miles we’ve had. It made it very gratifying to finish the race.”

The Terrible Herbst team of Troy Herbst and Ryan Arciero pulled in third overall, after starting deep in the field, followed by Juan Carlos Lopez in 4th and Dan and Luke McMillin in 5th all on BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR tires.

“What a day,” said Arciero after pulling in the truck in the middle of the night to round out the podium, “Coming from 21st, Troy did a great job when he handed me the truck. I think we were eighth when I got in and we were just picking them off. The truck ran great. We ran a new BFGoodrich tire and I couldn’t be any more excited about this tire and the future with BFG and what we are doing moving forward.”

A Family Affair
For the second year in a row, six members of the McMillin family ran in the SCORE Baja 1000 race. The legendary off-road racing family saw three McMillin drivers finish in the top five. Andy was paired with Rob MacCachren in their second place run. Dan and Luke paired to bring in their McMillin Trophy Truck in fifth overall. Meanwhile, Jessica McMillin paired with Heidi Steele to come in under the 36 hour time limit.

Hall Completes 46th Baja 1000
Off-road Motorsports Hall of Famer and Team BFGoodrich member Rod Hall completed his 46th consecutive SCORE Baja 1000 last week. He is the only racer to have competed in every Baja 1000 since its inception and was the winner of the inaugural race. Hall, who will be 76 in late November, raced with his granddaughter, Shelby Hall, in the No.  8162 Hummer H3 in the Full Stock class on BFGoodrich Tires.

2013 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Class Champions on BFGoodrich Tires:
Class BC – Terry Earwood, Deland, Fla./Andrew Comrie-Picard, W. Hollywood, Calif./Brad Lovell, Colorado Springs, Colo./Brian Finch, Hermitage, Tenn./Larry McRae, Banning, Calif./Roger Lovell, Colorado Springs, Colo., 28:43:44 (30.8 mph);
Class 3 – Donald Moss, Sacramento, Calif./Ken Moss, Lincoln, Calif., Ford Bronco, 30:19:58 (29.1 mph)
Class 5 – Kevin Carr/Noe Valdez/Perry McNeil/Alfie Bueno, San Diego, 29:00:46 (30.5 mph)
Class 7 – Dan Chamlee, Summerland, Calif./Tom Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger, 35:07:27 (25.7 mph)
Class 7s – Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico, Ford Ranger, 25:36:14 (34.7 mph)
Class 10 – Brad Wilson/Brian Wilson, Long Beach, Calif./Kyle Quinn, Lakewood, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, 24:33:22 (36.3 mph)
Class 11 – Rene Rodriguez/Roberto Robles/Jesus Jimenez, Ensenada, Mexico, 35:14:13 (25.1 mph)
Class Score Lites – Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif./Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif./Patrick Long, Playa del Rey, Calif., Jimco, 25:01:24  (35.3 mph)
Class TT Special – Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Va./Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico/Rodolfo Iribe, Tijuana, Mexico, Chevy Colorado, 23:33:19 (37.5 mph)
Class Stock Full – Joe Bacal, Anthem, Ariz./Payton Wilson, St. Francisville, La., Lexus LX570, 29:21:42 (30.1 mph