Kelly Walker
Crawlin 12
Rich Walker
Of all the races that take place on this planet, very few, if any, are as legendary as the SCORE Baja 1000. Weekend warriors, mud boggers, rock crawlers and dedicated racers have heard of the Baja 1000 and its reputation for being one of the most dangerous off-road races in the world. For competitors, the attraction may be the danger, the challenge to conquer and overcome, or perhaps they were inspired by the documentary about the race - “Dust to Glory”. Either way, thousands of people travel each year to attend or compete in this race and each year generates stories of heartbreak and heroics.
This year was no different. Monster Energy and Toyo Tire sponsored driver BJ Baldwin (with Co-driver John Nelson) became the first person in the 45 years of the Baja 1000 to “ironman” the race from start to finish and finish first overall. The team left Ensenada, drove their Trophy Truck for 1,121 miles (averaging 55 mph over some pretty gnarly terrain) and finished in La Paz in just over 20 hours. Many drivers have attempted this in the past (including Ivan “The Ironman” Stewart), and many have succeeded in finishing, but none were able to finish first overall. BJ was quoted at the finish line saying, “I have worked extremely hard to become a top competitor and winning the Baja 1000 has eluded me. It was incredibly difficult both mentally and physically to ironman the whole race, but I have a great co-driver, a great team, and great sponsors who all have helped me achieve this. It takes a massive team effort to win a race of this scale.”
Since we are on the subject of the Baja 1000 and SCORE, there was some more interesting news handed down from Sal Fish, CEO and President of SCORE International. After nearly four decades of leadership and becoming an icon in the off-road community, Fish announced the sale of both his SCORE International Desert Racing organization and the SCORE Desert Racing Series to Roger Norman, a hotel/casino owner and fellow racer.
Sal Fish, at 73 years of age, has become a legend in the desert racing world since taking over SCORE after its creation by the late Mickey Thompson in 1973. Fish was very humble in stating shortly after announcing the sale, “Next to my wife Barbara, SCORE has been the love of my life, my passion and I have left my blood, sweat and tears in the desert of Baja California, Mexico, and in the USA in Arizona, California and Nevada. Over these many years, I’ve been knocked down, but always managed to get up to fight again and have enjoyed more than anyone could ever imagine these many years in the desert. I could go on and on, but I believe fervently that this is the time to pass the torch to the next generation and Roger Norman is a great racer with a big vision, superb business acumen and I know I leave my ‘baby’ in good hands. I know I’ll wake up tomorrow wondering what did I do, but I have had a phenomenal run and I wouldn’t change a thing. I have been able to grow this sport to the level it has reached and now Roger and his team will take it to the next level. I have no regrets and I leave knowing I have left a good legacy for the sport to continue to move forward in for the next 40 years.”
I don’t know about you, but regardless of what I do or accomplish in my racing and competing, the Baja 1000 is always in the back of my mind as something to cross off the bucket list. I am happy something so important to the off-road world is being handed down to someone who will care for and promote it as much as Sal and Mickey have from day one. After all, I think I may need a few more years before I will be ready to begin my Baja adventures.
That’s all for now, but as always, stay safe and see you on the trails!