While the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 was only 692 miles long this year, none of those miles came easy for any team.  “In Baja you don’t necessarily race against each other,” explained five time Baja 1000 winner Rob MacCachren, “you race against Baja itself.”  After conquering San Felipe to win both SCORE races there earlier this season, the notorious whoops finally got their revenge when the No. 20 ROCKSTAR Energy Drink / MasterCraft Safety / BFGoodrich Tires Trophy Truck experienced suspension component failure that additionally took out the power steering at Race Mile 458.  At that time Rob Mac was fourth physically on course and chasing his first SCORE season championship as driver of record after assisting so many other teams in the past as a hired gun.

Team owner Robbie Pierce and co-driver Justin Fantz took over for MacCachren and co-driver Cisco Bio at RM458 with assistance from Jimco and Steve Appleton’s pit crew.  Appleton’s Unlimited Car effort had ended at this point and the team offered to help with the camaraderie that desert racing is famous for.  Appleton was not alone; nearly half of the field did not complete the grueling race.  Robbie Pierce was able to bring the truck home to finish eleventh in class and thirteenth overall, but the downtime replacing the shock cost the team over two hours of time, allowing the SCORE season championship to slip through their grasp.  Finishing in the top half of the 29 Trophy Trucks at the race allowed MacCachren to finish second in SCORE Trophy Truck points for the season.

Rob MacCachren’s last race of the year is the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) short course race in Phoenix on December 10th and the big money ROCKSTAR Energy Drink / Lucas Oil Challenge Cup race the following day that pits Pro2 and Pro4 trucks against each other on the same track.  Follow all of the team’s latest developments in the off season via social media by “liking” Rob MacCachren at http://www.facebook.com/21RobMac and MasterCraft Safety at http://www.facebook.com/mastercraftsafety or by sending Robbie Pierce a friend request at http://www.facebook.com/robbieTT30.