ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico — Australia’s Toby Price, Mexico’s Gustavo Vildosola Jr. and U.S.A.’s Bryce Menzies were the top three qualifiers on Wednesday among nearly 300 racers expected to start in Saturday’s King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250.
Held over a five-mile course north of downtown, multi-time motorcycle Dakar Rally winner Price, 35, powered his way in a time of 5 minutes, 39.616 seconds in the No. 46 all-wheel drive Mason-built Chevy SCORE Trophy Truck. He was fastest of the 34 SCORE Trophy Trucks out of 38 entries in the class that attempted to qualify.
“I think we got a decent time. It was really soft. We were burying it into the soft corners there. We just tried our best to keep it as clean as possible and get around,” Price said. “It’s a long race. We got a long way to go, 250 miles. But it helps to get a good starting spot.”
One driver of record is Australia’s Paul Weel, as the pair is driving the truck driven the past few years by Andy McMillin.
Vildosola Jr. qualified second in his No. 21 Vildosola Racing-built Ford Raptor in 5:41.826. Las Vegas’ Menzies, who finished second in San Felipe last year and won in 2021, finished with the third-fastest time, driving his No. 7 AWD Ford Raptor to a time of 5:44.225.
Fastest in the SCORE TT Legend class for SCORE Trophy Truck racers over 50 years old was Ricky Johnson, 58, in a time of 6:03.710 in the Vildosola Racing No. 1L Mason-built AWD Ford Raptor.
The top qualifier out of a SCORE record-setting 43 entries in the Trophy Truck Spec class was Chris Miller, 49, in the No. 240 Mason-Chevy with a time of 6 minutes, 18.024 seconds.
SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend and Trophy Truck Spec were the only three classes required to qualify for starting positions as the other start positions in the various classes were determined by a drawing.
The colorfully challenging 263.50-mile race course will start and finish and two days of pre-race contingency will be held on El Malecon in the SCORE start/finish line compound alongside of the picturesque Sea of Cortez.