K&N Sponsored Bryce Menzies Wins the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000
- 12 Jan 2012
According to those in attendance the 44th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is one of the toughest Baja 1000's to date, yet that didn't slow down Menzies and co-driver Peter Mortensen. Over 4 hours into the race the sun started to set on what would be the roughest part of the 700-mile course. The San Felipe loop ended the night for a lot of the racers, but the calm Menzies guided his truck through the dark terrain with Baja Designs lighting the way.
Menzies and Pete continued with their game plan, setting a steady pace and making certain to hit every line they mapped out during pre-running. Making it out of San Felipe with no errors put the No. 70 truck in the lead and now it was time to head back towards Ensenada. Bryce knew he needed to continue driving how he had been the last 460 miles if he was to have any chance of a possible win and to claim the 2011 Championship, but in Baja, you never know what lies ahead and you are never in the clear until you reach the finish. Continuing with the lead, it was at mile 470 when Bryce felt something wasn't right with the truck. The decision was made to stop and check the driveline. With nothing visibly wrong they got back to the race, but the problem was still there. Calling ahead to their pits to let them know something was wrong and to prepare for anything, it wasn't long before the truck pulled into the pit at race mile 474, and they figured out it was just a loose wheel. With the problem fixed quickly, it still wasn't fast enough to hold off the 2nd and 3rd place trucks.
Bryce got back on the course following in the dust of the top two drivers, thinking at this point that only something like a flat tire on their end would allow Menzies to regain the lead. A quick driver's change at race mile 540 which had Menzies trade driving duties with short course teammate Ricky Johnson went flawlessly, and the Red Bull truck was on the final stretch back to the finish. The slowest part of the race awaited Ricky, as he took the truck through the cold air coming off of the pacific and into the tight, twisting, silt and rock filled hills of Uruapan. Flawless driving on Ricky's end saw the truck through the dark night terrain as he continued to stay within minutes of the two leaders.
Returning into Ensenada through the dark and ghost town like washes, the Kroyer-powered No. 70 Menzies/Red Bull Trophy Truck made its way back to the heart of town, and came around the last turn to see the checkered flag and team members awaiting its arrival. With no Rob MacCachren in sight, Bryce, Pete, Ricky and the team celebrated as they realized they had just won their first ever SCORE Championship in their rookie year! At 3:27am Saturday morning the truck crossed the finish line and completed the 2011 Baja 1000, and along with finishing the biggest and longest race of the year, the truck and team completed every race mile that was thrown at them this season. The year's racing has now officially wrapped up for the Menzies Motorsports Team, and they walked away with three championships overall. Now the team will focus their attention to what the upcoming 2012 racing season will bring. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
