ENSENADA, Mexico — With the tenacity of a tiger, coupled with the dogged determination and diligent discipline he used to earn his bachelor’s degree last year at Clemson University while continuing a strong presence in the desert, SoCal’s Rafael Navarro IV has won the overall and Class 10 point championship of the four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship.
A third-generation desert racer from Temecula, Calif., Navarro IV, just 23, drove the No. 1009 Chevy-power Alumi Craft open-wheel desert race car to second place finishes in all four races to earn 376 championship points to become the just the fourth racer from Class 10 (1655cc engines) and first in 20 years to earn the overall title for SCORE International, which is celebrating its 43rd year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization.
SCORE AWARDS NIGHT
A night of champions will be held on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 at the SCORE Tech facility in El Cajon, Calif., just east of San Diego. The evening will salute the champions of the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship as well as honoring the 2016 SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year award winners and recognizing the 38 winners of the 2016 Red Kap SCORE Milestone awards given to racers who completed all 1,709.92 challenging miles of the four-race season.
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Festivities will begin tonight at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the awards at 7:30 p.m. The awards will be streamed live around the world on the Internet through the SCORE Live HD platform at www.score-international.com.
RAFAEL ROARS
With some driving assistance from veteran champion racer Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif., and his father Rafael Navarro III, Navarro IV had four-of-a-kind second-place finishes in the SCORE San Felipe 250, SCORE Baja 500, Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge and the season-ending SCORE Baja 1000 to earn his first SCORE overall point championship. For Navarro IV it was his second season point title as he won the SCORE Lites crown in 2011 when he was just 18 years old.
CLOSE CALL
As racing goes, Navarro IV entered the season finale second in his class points and second overall but his run of ‘deuces’ paid off, outdistancing the father/son team of Todd and Matt Winslow in the SCORE Baja 1000to capture the double-crown.
Despite to class race wins in 2016 (SCORE San Felipe 250 and the Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge), the Winslows, of Clovis, Calif., had their lowest finish of the year at the SCORE Baja 1000, finishing in sixth place out of 23 starters in Class 10.
In the end, the Winslow father/son completed their successful season with 369 total points, just seven behind Navarro IV for second place in SCORE Overall and Class 10 points in their No. 1081 Alumi Craft-Chevy. Navarro IV and the Winslows gave chassis builder Alumi Craft its first SCORE Overall point championship with a bonus of second place overall as well.
Finishing third in SCORE Overall points and capturing the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck class for the second straight season for Mexico’s youthful Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez with 362 points in the No. 1 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck.
Racing in the class of superstars of the sport for high-tech, 850 horsepower unlimited production trucks, Lopez, just 21 years old, was last year’s SCORE Overall point champion as well as the SCORE Trophy Truck titlist. In 2016, Lopez, from Tecate, Mexico, had podium finishes in all four races to earn the class title. He was third in the first three races this year and finished second out of 31 SCORE Trophy Truck starters at the SCORE Baja 1000 to secure his second straight class championship.
POINT REGS
SCORE point regulations for 2016 had all four-races counting for final points, with three minimum, and one of the four races in the SCORE World Desert Championship that was mandatory to qualify for a class season point championship was for the driver/rider of record to start or finish the SCORE Baja 1000.
SCORE points are calculated on a set amount of start points and finish points for a particular race along with a variable amount for placement points for finishers based on the number of starters within the racer’s class.
FINAL SCORE TROPHY TRUCK LEADERS
After leading SCORE Trophy Truck points for the first three races after winning the season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250, Billy Wilson finished second in class points and fifth overall with 355 season points.
A rookie in 2016 in the marquee racing division in the sport, Billy Wilson, 30, of Corpus Christi, Texas, drove the No. 15 Bevly Wilson Racing Chevy Silverado.
Finishing third in SCORE Trophy Truck points was Gary Magness, Denver, in the No. 45 Mango Racing Chevy Silverado with 326 points for his first podium season finish. Fourth in SCORE Trophy Truck points with 269 ws Mexico’s Gus ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr, of Mexicali, who had a rare did-not-finish in San Felipe before winning the SCORE Baja 500 and fourth in the SCORE Baja 1000in the No. 21 Mexicana Logistics Vildosola Racing Ford Raptor.
SCORE BAJA TRIPLE CROWN
With his first overall race win in the SCORE Baja 500, Vildosola Jr became one of just nine racers in SCORE history in the SCORE Baja Triple Crown group that has won the overall title in all three traditional SCORE Baja races—the SCORE San Felipe 250, the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 1000.
Besides Vildosola Jr, other members of the elite group of legendary SCORE desert racers are Dave Ashley, Robby Gordon, Rob MacCachren, Andy McMillin, Scott McMillin, Larry Ragland, Dan Smith and Ivan Stewart.
NINE CLASS CHAMPS IN TOP 20 OVERALL
In addition to Navarro IV in Class 10 and Lopez in SCORE Trophy Truck, seven other classes have at least one racer in the top 21 SCORE Overall point standings after three races in 2016. The classes in the top 21 are Class 10 (four racers), SCORE Trophy Truck (three), unlimited Class 1 (three racers), Class 1/2-1600 (three), Trophy Truck Spec (two), Pro UTV FI (two) along with additional class point champions in Class 5, Pro UTV and Class 11.
Besides Class 10 and SCORE Trophy Truck, other class leaders also in the top 20 in SCORE Overall points after three of four races include Chad Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif., tied for third in SCORE Overall points and leading Trophy Truck Spec with 223 points in the No. 202 BajaLite-Chevy.
Undefeated with four straight wins in 2016 and seventh overall with 340 points, Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico/Gerardo Iribe, Santa Ana, Calif. won the Class 5 title for the second straight season in the No. 500 1600cc VW Baja Bug.
Other class champions in the top 20 overall points were Chad Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif., who finished fourth overall with 357 points to win Trophy Truck Spec in the No. 202 BajaLite-Chevy, Ramon Bio, Spring Valley, Calif., who is eighth overall and won Class 1/2-1600 with 337 points in the No. 1616 TubularDesign-VW, Jaime Huerta Jr, San Luis Rio, Colorado, who was ninth overall and won the unlimted Class 1 with 334 points in the No. 175 Tag-Chevy, Alonzo Lopez, Murrieta, Calif. who tied for 10th overall with 332 points to capture Pro UTV in the No. 1949 Polaris RZR XP1000, brothers Derek Murray/Jason Murray, Eastvalle, Calif. who won a tiebreaker to finish 18th overall and won the Pro UTV FI class with 316 points in the No. 2917 Can-Am Maverick Max XDS and Noe Gutierrez, Ensenada, Mexico, who ended up 20th overall and won Class 11 with 303 points in the No. 1103 VW Sedan.
PRO MOTORCYCLE CHAMP
The 2016 SCORE Overall Motorcycle and Pro Moto Unlimited point championship team of Colton Udall, Yucca Valley, Calif. and primary co-rider Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif. finished undefeated with four race wins in 2016 in the No. 1x Honda CRF450X to capture back-to-back Pro Moto Unlimited titles.
PRO QUAD LEADER
The 2016 Overall Quad point leader after winning all four races in 2016 was the team led by Javier Robles Jr, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico (Pro Quad, Honda TRX450R). His co-riders included Josh Row, El Cajon, Calif. and Felipe Velez, San Felipe, Mexico.
DOUBLE TIME
After leading teams to victory in both Pro Moto Limited and Pro Moto 50 at the SCORE Baja 500, Mark Winkelman, Cedar Hill, Texas doubled it again at the SCORE Baja 1000 to win both class point championships. Winkelman and his team race a Husqvarna 350 in the Pro Moto Limited Class and a a Husqvarna 350 as well in Pro Moto 50.
MORE PRO CLASS POINT CHAMPIONS
Among the other 2016 SCORE class point champions are brothers Aaron Ampudia/Alan Ampudia of Ensenada, Mexico (Class 8, Ford F-150 Dan Chamlee, Santa Barbara, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger), Cesar Vela, Zapopan, Mexico (SCORE Lites, BRP-VW), Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla. (Pro Moto 40, KTM 450XCW), Michael Skurkis, Henderson, Nev. (Pro Moto Ironman, KTM 450XCW) and Mark Hawley, Anaheim, Calif. (Pro Moto 60, Honda CRF450X).
MULTIPLE SEASON CHAMPS
With their 2016 class titles, adding to the SCORE desert racing career class season point championships were Jim O’Neal who now has a SCORE-record 19 SCORE season Class point titles, Jeff Kaplan with 14, Dan Chamlee with 12, Colton Udall (five), Francisco Septien (five), Chad Broughton (four), Gerardo Rojas (four), Mark Winkelman (four), Javier Robles Jr (three) Aaron Ampudia (two), Victor Cesena (two), Carlos Lopez (two) and Rafael Navarro IV (two).
KING SHOCK ZONE
King Shocks, SCORE’s Official Shock Absorber, offered a special contingency cash prize for the first two races this year. The winner with the fastest time through a section of each race on corrected elapsed time earned the choice of either a $4,000 cash prize or $5,000 in credit for King Shocks parts or service.
Winning the first King Shock Zone award at this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 was Mexico’s Vildosola Jr, driver of the No. 21 Mexicana Logistics Ford Raptor in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division. Vildosola Jr backed it up by winning the award again at the SCORE Baja 500.
Winning the final King Shock Zone award at this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 was Jesse Jones, Phoenix, in his No. 76 Ford F-150.
Qualified vehicles were equipped exclusively with King Race Shocks and contingency decals were placed on the vehicles as required.
SPORTSMAN
The 2016 Sportsman motorcycle point champion is Kristopher Harvey, Yuma, Ariz. with 333 points on the No. 230x Honda CRF450X. Winning the Sportsman Quad division with 285 points was Eddie Bareno, Mexicali, Mexico on the No. 123a Honda TRX450R.
Top 20 Overall Cars, Trucks and UTVs
(Position, Drivers, Vehicle-Engine, Class, Points)
1. Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif., Alumi Craft-Chevy (Class 10), 376
2. Todd Winslow, Clovis, Calif., Alumi Craft-Chevy (Class 10), 369
3. Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, Tecate, Mexico, Chevy Rally Truck (SCORE Trophy Truck), 362
4. Chad Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif., BajaLite-Chevy (Trophy Truck Spec), 357
5. Billy Wilson, Corpus Christi, Texas, Chevy Silverado (SCORE Trophy Truck), 355
6. Sergio Salgado, Mexicali, Mexico, Jimco-Honda (Class 10), 347
7. Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, VW Baja Bug (Class 5), 340
8. Ramon Bio, Spring Valley, Calif., Tubular Design-VW (Class 1/2-1600), 337
9. Jaime Huerta Jr, San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, Tag-Chevy (Class 1), 334
10. Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1), 332
11. Alonso Lopez, Murrieta, Calif., Polaris RZR XP1000 (Pro UTV), 332
12. Armando Boehme, Royce City, Texas, Jimco-Chevy (Class 10), 330
12. Gonzalo Pirron, Lancaster, Calif., Chevy Silverado (Trophy Truck Spec), 330
12. Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy (Class 1), 330
15. Gary Magness, Denver, Ford F-150 (SCORE Trophy Truck), 326
16. Ruben Sanudo, Mexicali, Mexico, Romo-VW (Class 1/2-1600), 319
17. Derek Murray, Eastvale, Calif., Can-Am Maverick Max XDS (Pro UTV FI), 316
18. Brandon Schueler, Phoenix, Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo (Pro UTV FI), 316
19. Miguel Cortez, San Diego, Romo-VW (Class 1/2-1600), 306
20. Noe Gutierrez, Ensenada, Mexico, VW Sedan (Class 11), 303