Ensenada, Mexico — Silt made this year’s Baja 1000 one of the toughest to date. Regardless of how much planning is done prior to race, once the green flag drops anything can happen. This year’s brutal 800+ mile loop between start and finish in Ensenada proved just that. In addition to silt, high-speed desert crossings, technical rocky mountain trails, washes, ditches, drop-offs, fog and dust reinforced the Baja 1000’s reputation as the ultimate test for all drivers and vehicles who dare enter. Of the 239 starting vehicles, less than half would complete the race. 

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In accordance to SCORE rules, Trophy Trucks and Class 1 cars qualify separately. That meant all Class 1 cars had to wait until the entire field of thirty Trophy Trucks started the race. This put Class 1 racers at a significant disadvantage for the over all win, but the Baja 1000 is a race against the clock. With 821 miles of the most brutal racing on earth separating start and finish, anything was possible.

In the end, Apdaly Lopez in Trophy Truck 5 was first over the finish line. Unfortunately, soon after came notice from race officials that Lopez would be penalized for missing visual check points. After re-calculation, the team of Rob MacCacharan and Andy McMillin in Trophy Truck 11 were declared the winner. For Rob Mac, it was a very impressive second straight win at the Baja 1000.

Class 1 was a battle of 14 entries. After his Baja 500 win earlier this year and points on track for the over-all BITD season win, Cody Parkhouse was a favorite. After the the settled, it was Jon Walker and the Kreger Fab crew, who teamed up with fellow Class 1 driver Corey Keysar, in Albins AGB equipped car 198 that would take the top spot. After technical communication issues, Walker and co-pilot Kevin Sullivan were able to work their way to the top of the pack. At mile 515, Waker and Sullivan passed car 189 off to Keysar and his co-pilot Guy Aldridge to take it to the finish in Ensenada.