Yuma racer comes up short in San Felipe 250

Hancock finishes 13th in SCOre season opener

SAN FELIPE, Baja California – Flat tires and silt beds. Two of the biggest enemies of off-road racers.

And both got the best of a Yuma team at the most inopportune times here Saturday during 2022 SCORE International World Desert Championship series opener, the 35th annual King Shocks SCORE San Felipe 250.

Ryan Hancock, entered in the SCORE Trophy Truck Spec Class, watched co-driver Brock Heger, from El Centro, get behind the wheel of Hancock’s Ford TSCO and pull out to a comfortable lead after the drop of the green flag Saturday morning. The Ford had clocked the fast time during Thursday’s qualifying round, and started first in class on Saturday.

But the truck became buried in a nasty silt bed and it took Heger almost 20 minutes to get out, with the help of another Spec Truck.

“We were in first. When

I got the truck we were in 12th,” said Hancock.

Hancock then took over the driving duties at a designated pit stop, “and I got the truck up to sixth,” said Hancock. “I was pushing really hard and ended getting two flats.

“Overall we were really fast. It just was not our day.”

Hancock finished 13th with a time of 5 hours, 32 minutes, 18 seconds. A year ago he finished second.

The win in class Saturday went to Christopher Polvoorde, from Hemet, Calif., who finished in 4:53:34.

Also from Yuma, Adam Castaneda and Jose Bustamonte drove their Can-Am X3 to a 10th place finish in the Pro UTV FI class with a time of 7:24:40.

The class win went to Justin Lambert and Jesus Navarro, both from Bakersfield, Calif., in a Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo S with a time of 06:13:15.

And Yuma’s Bennie Beltran and Chris Avalos teamed up with Danny Magdaleno, from Acton, Calif., Jorge Lopez, from San Felipe, and Ismael Hernandez, from Escondido, Calif. to finish second in the Pro Quad division aboard a Honda TRX450R in 7:18:26. Magdaleno was listed as the rider of record.

The win went to the team of Luis Ernesto Villafana, from Mexicali, Mexico, Jose Luis, from San Felipe, and Gilberto Perez, also from San Felipe, also on a Honda TRX450R, in 6:26:39.

The race’s overall winner was SCORE Trophy Truck driver Luke McMillian, from San Diego, who toured the 277-mile course in 4:25:21.