ENSENADA, Mexico — After the first three of four races in the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship, Central California father and son racers Todd and Matt Winslow lead Class 10 points and have also climbed to the top spot in the SCORE Overall point standings heading into November’s season-ending 49th SCORE Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Mexico.
From Clovis, Calif., the Winslows have earned 242 championship points after the first three races of the season in their No. 1081 Chevy-powered Alumi Craft open-wheel desert race car. The Winslows are in a tight battle in both Class 10 and in the SCORE Overall point standings.
Second in SCORE Overall and Class 10 points is Rafael Navarro IV, Temecula, Calif., who is just three points behind the Winslows with 239 points in the No. 1009 Alumi Craft-Chevy. Class 10 is for 1650cc open-wheel desert race cars.
The Winslows have two race wins in Class 10 this season—the SCORE San Felipe 250 and the Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge along with a fifth place in the SCORE Baja 500. Navarro IV, on the other hand, has finished in second place in all three races this season.
MORE: SCORE Baja 500 Recap and Official Results
POINT REGS
SCORE point regulations for 2016 has all four-races counting for final points, with three minimum, and one of the four races in the SCORE World Desert Championship that is mandatory to qualify for a class season point championship is 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.
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK LEADERS
Earning his first SCORE race victory in just his first race in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 850-horsepower, unlimited production trucks in San Felipe, an eighth-place class finish in Ensenada and a second place in Rosarito, leading his class standings after three races is Billy Wilson, 30, of Corpus Christi, Texas in the No. 15 Bevly Wilson Racing Chevy Silverado.
Billy Wilson also has moved up to third in SCORE overall points with 223 after advancing up to SCORE Trophy Truck following several years of driving in other SCORE truck classes. Billy Wilson, no relation to the Wilson family of racers, drives a new race truck built by Jimco Racing Products.
Second in SCORE Trophy Truck points three-quarters of the way through the season is Mexico’s reigning SCORE overall and SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez, 21, of Tecate, Mexico in the No. 1 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck and sixth in SCORE Overall points with 217.
Third in SCORE Trophy Truck points is Gary Magness, Denver, in the No. 45 Mango Racing Chevy Silverado with 199 points. Fourth in SCORE Trophy Truck points with 131 is Mexico’s Gus ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr, of Mexicali, who had a rare did-not-finish in San Felipe before winning the SCORE Baja 500 in the No. 21 Mexicana Logistics Vildosola Racing Ford Raptor.
Fifth in SCORE Trophy Truck points is Las Vegas’ B.J. Baldwin with 110 points in the No. 97 Monster Energy Baldwin Motorsports Toyota Tundra and sixth is Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren with 105 points in the No. 11 MacCachren Motorsports Rockstar Ford F-150.
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 LEADERS IN TOP 20 OVERALL
In addition to overall point leaders Winslow and Navarro IV in Class 10 and Billy Wilson in SCORE Trophy Truck in third, seven other classes have at least one racer in the top 20 SCORE Overall point standings after three races in 2016. The classes in the top 20 are the, Class 10 (five racers), SCORE Trophy Truck (three), unlimited Class 1 (three racers), Trophy Truck Spec (three), Class 1/2-1600 (two) along with additional class point leaders in Class 8, Class 5, Pro UTV FI and
Pro UTV.
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.
With three straight wins in 2016 and tied for eighth overall with 215 points to lead their respective classes are brothers Aaron and Alan Ampudia, Ensenada, Mexico in Class 8 in the No. 836 Ford F-150 and Victor Cesena, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico/Gerardo Iribe, Santa Ana, Calif. in Class 5 in Class 5 in the No. 500 1600cc VW Baja Bug.
Other class leaders in the top 20 are Marc Burnett, Lakeside, Calif., who is 10th overall with 213 points and leads Pro UTV FI in the No. 2905 Polaris RZR XP1000Turbo, Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., who is 11th overall and leads Class 1 with 211 points in the No. 153 Jimco-Chevy, Alonzo Lopez, Murrieta, Calif. who is 13th overall with 209 points to lead Pro UTV in the No. 1949 Polaris RZR XP1000 and Ramon Bio, Spring Valley, Calif., who is 14th overall and leads Class 1/2-1600 with 208 points in the No. 1616 TubularDesign-VW.
PRO MOTORCYCLE LEADER
The 2016 SCORE Overall Motorcycle and Pro Moto Unlimited point leader duo of Colton Udall, Yucca Valley, Calif./Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif. with 221 points and three race wins in 2016 in the No. 1x Honda CRF450X.
PRO QUAD LEADER
The 2016 Overall Quad point leader after winning all of the first three races in 2016 is the team led by Javier Robles Jr, Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico (Pro Quad, Honda TRX450R). His co-riders include 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 continues to lead both class point standings. Winkelman and his team race a Husqvarna 350 in the Pro Moto Limited Class and a Honda CRF450X in Pro Moto 50.
MORE PRO CLASS POINT LEADERS
Among the other 2016 SCORE class point leaders after the Rosarito Beach 20th SCORE Desert Challenge are: Dan Chamlee, Santa Barbara, Calif. (Class 7, Ford Ranger), Horacio Hurtado, Tijuana, Mexico (Classs 5/1600, VW Baja Bug, Eric Palacios, Las Vegas (SCORE Lites, Chenowth-VW), Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla. (Pro Moto 40, KTM 450XCW) and Michael Skurkis, Henderson, Nev. (Pro Moto Ironman, KTM 500XCW).
SPORTSMAN
The 2016 Sportsman motorcycle point leader is Kristopher Harvey, Yuma, Ariz. with 208 points on the No. 230x Honda CRF450X. Leading the Sportsman Quad division with 194 points is Kelly Ramirez, San Diego on the No. 120a Honda TRX450R.
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 Gus 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.
Qualified vehicles are equipped exclusively with King Race Shocks and contingency decals are placed on the vehicles as required.
ON THE AIR
2016 CBS Sports Network Original Broadcast Schedule (subject to change, check local listings)
· SCORE San Felipe 250 (first telecast-Sunday, April 17, 9 p.m. ET)
· SCORE Baja 500 (first telecast-Sunday, July 24, 9 p.m. ET)
· Rosarito Beach SCORE Desert Challenge (first telecast-Sunday, Nov. 13, 9 p.m. ET)
· SCORE Baja 1000 Qualifying @SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience (first telecast-Sunday, Dec.18, 9 p.m. ET)
· SCORE Baja 1000 (two-hour special) (first telecast-Sunday, December 25, 9 p.m. ET)
For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
DUST2GLORY
From award-winning documentary filmmaker Dana Brown, Dust2Glory will chronicle each of the four races in the 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship. Brown’s original Dusty to Glory, released in 2005, became an iconic classic showcasing the legendary SCORE Baja 1000. Now, D2G, which began shooting at last year’s SCORE Baja 1000, continued at this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 will be up close and personal in capturing the robust racers in their amazing adventures in Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula through all four spectacular 2016 races.
SCOREscope
The four-race 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship will include four special events and for the first time all four will be held in Baja California, Mexico. Here is the complete 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship schedule:
· 30th SCORE San Felipe 250, Feb. 25-28, San Felipe, Mexico
· 48th SCORE Baja 500, June 1-5, Ensenada Mexico
· Rosarito Beach 20th SCORE Desert Challenge, Sept. 14-18, Rosarito Beach, Mexico
· 49th SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.16-20, Ensenada, Mexico
For more information, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCORE-International.com.