Battle for the Ages as Ford Beats Chevy in SCORE San Felipe 250
Less than 60 seconds separated the two fighters after 250 miles of racing in the desert in the King Shocks 38th SCORE San Felipe 250 in Baja.
Mexico's own Alan Ampudia drove his No. 1 Ford Raptor Mason AWD Team Papas and Beer Trophy Truck like a hero, even getting out to fix a flat tire in the last few miles of the 250.06-mile racecourse to win the SCORE San Felipe 250 for the second consecutive year. He finished in 3 hours, 55 minutes, and 13 seconds.
Two-time San Felipe winner Luke McMillin drove his No. 83 Chevy 1500 Mason AWD Trophy truck across the line just 49 seconds later, after a day-long battle that saw 'The Luke' get out to fix his own flats throughout the course.
But Ampudia's battles actually began early on with another racer—and fellow Ensenada resident—Tavo Vildósola.
'That was insane,' said Ampudia at the finish line. 'All day battling with Tavo. We caught up to him at checkpoint one, and we just had to keep the truck moving, no stopping. Then Luke caught us in the pits. But I knew we just had to stay in his dust (since the race is scored on corrected time).'
What followed was a battle of the flat tires, as each racer would hit a rock, get a flat, then get out to change it.
'We were battling so hard and the converter started overheating because we were sending it in the whoops,' Ampudia said. 'So Luke got 30-40 seconds ahead. Then we clipped a rock and exploded another tire. I saw it but I thought I was going to miss it. And thought that was going to be the race, but then we got to the corner and he was changing a flat, too. He took off before me so we needed to stay within a minute of him, so I just sent it. I don't think I missed any VCPs (virtual check points) so hopefully we got the win.'
He did.
For his part, McMillin didn't seem too upset with second place. It was all just part of racing in the desert.
'It was a fun day. We had a good run. We got shuffled back at the beginning and lost some track time and a couple positions but made it all back up and kept pushing. We did have two flat tires that cost us some time. The truck was great, solid, fast. I was very happy with it. It was a fun day and great racecourse. Thank you to SCORE for putting it on.'
Series veteran and desert racing great Rob MacCachren was happy that his off-season development and testing paid off with a podium.
'It was a super-fast pace from the start. Everyone that qualifies in the top 10 up there hauls the mail. We ran strong. We wanted a good finish, to make sure we got to the finish line. We struggled with the truck a little last year, so we have done some testing in the off season. We are making improvements and things are getting better. We are pushing as hard as we can.'
On the opposite end of the grid from the massive Trophy Trucks that won overall, UTVs continue to grow in popularity in off-road racing. A UTV won overall at the brutal King of the Hammers just a few months ago, beating the larger, purpose-built machines that have traditionally placed first in the KOH.
And now the season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250 saw a record 91 UTVs divided into five different classes, surpassing last year's total of 69 UTV entries in the 2024 SCORE San Felipe 250.
This time it was Brock Heger from El Centro, California, who celebrated another victory in the Pro UTV Open class as part of the Polaris factory/SCI Motorsports team. Heger also won the last SCORE Baja 1000 in November, the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January of this year, and the Mint 400 in Nevada just a few weeks ago. Heger finished in San Felipe in 4:37:47, driving a Polaris RZR Pro R Factory.
On two wheels it was Tyler Lynn, 24, of Mona, Utah, along with Carter Klein, 20, of Agua Dulce, California, and Ryan Surratt, 28, of Perris, California, riding the SLR No. 7x Honda CRF450X for the Slam Life Racing team that extended Honda's dominance in Baja by winning the 250 on bikes.
The trio completed the course in 4 hours, 49 minutes, and 3 seconds at an average speed of 51.89 miles per hour.
The win marked Honda's 25th overall victory in the SCORE San Felipe 250, with a significant lead over its closest competitor, Kawasaki, which has just seven wins. There are now three races left in the 2025 SCORE World Championship, which takes place entirely in Baja California, which it is now celebrating for the 10th consecutive year.
The rest of the races are:BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 500—June 4-8, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico6th SCORE Baja 400—September 10-14, Ensenada, Baja California, MexicoBFGoodrich Tires 58th SCORE Baja 1000—November 10-16, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
SFU's McConnell excited for family's success
LORETTO, PA (WTAJ) — Saint Francis basketball coach Luke McConnell laughs thinking about the message he sent his cousin T.J. after the Indiana Pacers won the Eastern Conference Finals. 'I literally think my text was, 'Dude, you're in the NBA Finals' and he's like, 'I know, right?' Like crazy.,' he recalls. Luke is in his first season as head coach at his alma mater, Saint Francis University. His cousin T.J. has played in the NBA for a decade and Thursday made his NBA Finals debut. It's a moment the two used to practice as kids. 'We would cut our dad's dress socks and wear the sleeve like Allen Iverson. Just kids who loved watching basketball loved the NBA,' he said. 'Playing ten, nine, eight where, you know, there's 10 seconds left in game seven… So to go from that to see what he's been able to accomplish is, is really fun.' Luke grew up in Blair County, T.J. in Pittsburgh. The sons of basketball coaches they spent a lot of their summers going back and forth from camp to camp, learning basketball together. 'Our dads each had basketball camps, so we would each go back and forth to our dad's basketball camps, you know, going to Pittsburgh, coming back to Hollidaysburg, playing in the driveway to see where he's come from. That it's surreal in a way,' said Luke. Since the driveway, T.J. has balled at Arizona, then with the Sixers and in 2019 he joined the Pacers where he's been a steady presence off the bench and leader in the locker room. 'I want a lot of us to know how hard it is to get here. But the job's not done. You know, we have four more wins, and we've got to focus on that,' said T.J. during the NBA Finals media day. '(It) never ceases to amaze us what he's able to accomplish,' said Luke. 'So for him to reach the finals, literally the biggest stage in basketball is, it's unbelievable to think about, but not surprising at the same time with what he's been able to do.' The McConnells are basketball royalty in Pittsburgh. Luke coaches Saint Francis, the same school his dad coached at. T.J. is with the Pacers, his dad Tim is a WPIAL coaching legend, and his sister Megan just made her WNBA debut. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Xavier recruit Luke Mensik shows he's no longer little brother as Lincoln-Way Central outduels Andrew. ‘Deserves it.'
Luke Mensik has always been the little brother in a dynamic baseball duo he's formed with his brother, Landon. Landon, who graduated last year from Lincoln-Way Central, is now playing at Xavier. Luke is set to join him there next year. For now, however, Luke is enjoying the perspective that has developed in his one season without his sibling by his side. 'It's 100% a different feeling,' Mensik said. 'I always grew up playing on Landon's teams. I was always in his shadow a little bit. I was always with his friends and stuff like that. 'I love playing with him and that's why I'm going to play with him next year, but having this year without him, it's also cool to have the spotlight to myself a little bit.' That spotlight has never shined brighter on Luke than it did Saturday. The senior right-hander was brilliant, tossing a one-hitter and striking out eight to lift the Knights to a 1-0 win over the host Thunderbolts in the Class 4A Andrew Regional championship game in Tinley Park. Luke Tingley went 3-for-3 for fourth-seeded Lincoln-Way Central (21-10). Conor McCabe singled and scored the lone run, while Toledo recruit Liam Arsich added a single and a walk. The Knights, who won their second straight regional title, will take on top-seeded Lincoln-Way East (27-10) at 4 p.m. Wednesday in a Lincoln-Way West Sectional semifinal in New Lenox. Caden Kendall threw six strong innings for fifth-seeded Andrew (25-12), striking out five and allowing only an unearned run on six hits. 'I used to work out with him a little bit,' Mensik said of Kendall. 'I'm really just happy for him to be a junior and throw that great of a game at this time of the year. He's going places. 'It's fun being in a pitching battle like that. I'm always just trying to outduel the other guy, and in the end, that's what I did.' Caden Kendall's twin brother, Nolan, had the only hit for the Thunderbolts on a bunt single. Mensik faced the minimum 21 batters. Nolan Kendall's single was followed by a double play. Andrew's only other base runner came on an error and was erased by a caught stealing. Senior catcher Cade Andrews saw Mensik in total control all day. 'It was awesome,' Andrews said. 'Everything I called, he was able to put it in the zone. When you do that, you're going to give your defense opportunities or just strike them out. He was unreal.' The Knights got the only run they would need in the fourth inning. Tingley came up with runners at first and second and two outs and produced an infield single. An error on the play allowed McCabe to come home. 'I was just sticking with my approach and trying to drive it to the opposite field,' Tingley said. 'I was just trying to do whatever I can to get the run in, do my job and help the team.' Mensik did the rest, improving to 3-2 with a 0.66 ERA. He's allowed only four runs over 42 1/3 innings. Lincoln-Way Central coach Ryan Kutt always has faith in his ace. 'Luke's been a leader for us for quite some time now,' Kutt said. 'We leaned on him last year. We even leaned on him as a sophomore. But for him to have the ability to come out there in the seventh inning, up 1-0 in a game like this and be lights out says everything about him. 'He deserves it and I'm just happy for him.' Mensik has taken that leadership role more seriously this year. And he feels his biggest improvement has been in attitude. 'In past years, I let emotions get the best of me,' Mensik said. 'This year, I just hunkered down on throwing strikes, letting my defense help me and staying even keeled the whole time instead of riding the highs and lows.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Better than anything': Tottenham fans toast Europa League win
For the first time in nearly two decades, a trophy arrived in north London without any red ribbons attached. The streets were a sea of white as thousands of fans descended on the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to celebrate the team's Europa League triumph. It was a blissful atmosphere as supporters gathered to toast an end to the club's 17-year wait for silverware, each one uttering the same seven-letter word: 'Finally.' Frank Hunter had been to Bilboa, not bothering to book a hotel and instead making use of the Basque city's park benches for sleep as he and his friends endured what he called 'the most excruciating experience' of his life. But he said it was all worth it. 'Words can't describe what it means to see all the boys all together, celebrating – it's the best day,' said Frank. 'To have days like this with your family is unreal. Here's to many more.' Robbie Fowler, 68, lives just round the corner from the stadium and was in attendance at the age of 15 when Spurs lifted their first Europa League – then UEFA – cup in 1972. He said moments like these 'are up there with the best of them'. Advertisement 'This saves our season – it's that simple,' said Fowler. 'Everything else – the league, the cups – it doesn't matter. This is all that matters, times like this. Better than anything.' Mathew Mitton was in attendance with his father and his son, Carter. He said he felt lucky to be able to share the moment with his young boy, the same way his father did with him during the team's 1991 FA Cup triumph over Nottingham Forest. 'This tops it. I was able to do that with my dad, and I can't believe I can be with him on days like this again, and with my boy as well. Days like this, they don't come around often enough.' Luke and Jessica attended the parade together, with Luke being a Spurs fan his entire life and Jessica becoming one seven years ago when the couple first started seeing each other. 'It's been emotional,' she laughed. 'Not much joy.' 'It's funny,' Luke added. 'We live just down the road and Jess said she didn't know if we'd ever see a trophy parade here, and I was starting to think she might be right. I honestly feel as if I've waited my whole life for this. I can't believe it.' While many in attendance shared Luke's sentiment, for others the wait hadn't been that long. Elijah Brown is just seven months old and has seen nearly the same amount of trophies as his father, Jaz, who is worried his son may become too used to success. 'He doesn't know the struggle,' said Jaz. 'I had to wait 17 years and he's waited seven months. I'm worried it will go to his head.' Jaz said that Elijah, who he brought to the parade along with Rosie, his partner and Elijah's mother, and a cohort of friends, is a good-luck charm. He said all the signs since the boy's birth have pointed towards him watching Spurs win a trophy. 'When he was born, I knew this kid was something lucky. We bought him his first kit and it only properly came of size today. Every time I put him in that kit we win another game. Honestly, it's destiny. He's the future Tottenham captain. Some day I'll be here watching him lift the Prem [Premier League trophy].'
