Baldwin Racing Fifth in SCORE Baja 500
Newport Beach, California (June 6, 2007) - Josh Baldwin took fifth place overall and in the premier SCORE Trophy-Truck class in his #86 Baldwin Racing Ford F-150. Behind the wheel for the entire length of the race, Baldwin finished in a time of 9 hours and 36 minutes just 26 minutes from the race winner.
“I was able to spend over a week and a half in Mexico with my co-driver Brent and we ran over 2,000 miles in our Geiser Brothers pre-runner. We spent a lot of time getting to know the course and we were looking forward to running a fast pace,” said Josh Baldwin after the race. The extensive pre-run also gave the team an opportunity to test the Toyo Open Country race tire for the full 2,000 miles. “With a big motor, our pre-runner is just like a Trophy-Truck. It was great to be able to test these tires in race like conditions,” continued Baldwin.
The #86 SCORE Trophy-Truck received the fourth starting position off the line by virtue of a fifth place finish in the recent Baja 250. That qualifying position assured the team that they would be leaving the starting line in fast company. Initially taking a conservative approach, the truck was slowed by a flat tire at race mile 55. Co-driver Brent Bauman was able to change the tire in just four minutes as race traffic was passing closely by. Baldwin then continued to run a fast pace through the first fuel pit at Valle De Trinidad.
Leaving Trinidad with a full load of fuel and knowing the potential for mechanical issues with the now twelve year old truck, the team was cautious as they were racing up to Mike’s Sky Ranch. On the road from Mike’s, the truck came in contact with a large rock that dented the driveshaft. With approximately ten miles to run until the next scheduled pit stop, the pace had to be slowed considerably.
At race mile 186, the drive shaft was replaced by the Baldwin Racing crew as the fuel was topped off. Leaving the pit, Baldwin started to notice the transmission slipping, he was able to start passing trucks on the course as he fought his way back through the field. Still battling transmission issues and fighting for track position, the team ran fast with clean air back to Valle De Trinidad only having to stop briefly for transmission fluid.
Now heading towards the coast with the transmission topped off and now shifting properly, Baldwin started pushing hard while carefully passing motorcycles along the course. The team and truck was flawless through Uruapan as they passed a SCORE Trophy-Truck that was stuck on a soft steep hill. Continuing through deep silt and staying cautious to avoid stuck motorcycles, the team found themselves safely in 5th place with a significant timing cushion both in front and behind them. As the truck came to the finish line there was a sense of accomplishment as Baldwin Racing is again assured a top ten position in the SCORE Baja 1000.
“This old girl has some miles on her,” said Josh Baldwin at the finish. It’s awesome to come out here and race against much newer trucks and still take a top 5 spot in a race this tough. I can’t wait to see how much faster we are going to be in our new Trophy Truck next year.”
Baldwin Racing would like to thank our sponsors: Toyo Tires, Sway-A-Way, Ironclad Performance Wear, Timken, Filger Manufacturing, Kane Development, K1 Speed, MSD Ignition, Raybestos, TransSynd, Castrol and Stoney’s Automotive.
Thank you to our incredible crew of mechanics, fabricators and volunteers: Ryan, Dustin, Greg, Brian, Mark, Jeremy, Kenny and Toni B., Heather, Mick, Kenny K., Micky, Brad, Rena, Spike, Steve, Mike, Bill, Tony R., Holly, Eric, Jesse, Ben, Eddie, Jeff, Gene, Debbie, Brooksy, Brent and Kevin.
Thank you, Jim and Nancy.
Baldwin Racing competes professionally in the Championship Off Road Racing series as well as the premier SCORE Trophy-Truck class in the SCORE International desert racing series.
Baldwin Racing – “We’ve got to go!”
All inquiries please contact:
Patrick Wagenbrenner
(714) 392-3679
patrick@baldwinracing.net