Ampudia makes it two for two with overall SCORE Baja 500 victory

 Alan Ampudia, 2024 SCORE Trophy Truck champion, took his second consecutive overall SCORE International victory of the year by outlasting his primary competition at the 57th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500.

Ampudia, 34, from Ensenada, Baja, Mexico, started the 461.03-mile race in fifth place after Thursday qualifying, and took advantage of a heartbreaking early exit by pole sitter Christopher Polvoorde and a rare mechanical failure for Luke McMillin to take the win. The victory wasn’t an easy one for Ampudia and his No. 10 Papas and Beer Mason Motorsports Ford Raptor as the truck lost front wheel drive and had brake issues in finishing with an official time of 8h 39m 34s.

In doing so, Alan Ampudia joined an exclusive list of racers who have won Overall the ‘Baja Triple Crown’: the SCORE Baja 1000, SCORE Baja 500, and SCORE San Felipe 250. This list includes legendary names such as Dan Smith, Ivan Stewart, Rob MacCachren, Robby Gordon, Larry Ragland, and Dave Ashley, among other Baja legends.

In second place just 36 seconds on corrected time was the 2024 Baja 500 winning team of Toby Price (37) and Paul Weel (45), both from Australia. Price started the race in their No. 46 Red Bull Chevy Silverado and had a solid lead before Weel took over driving duties at a scheduled pit stop. Their collective effort was hindered by a single flat tire in the final stretch, offering Ampudia a winning path to the checkered flag.

Dan McMillin of San Diego enjoyed an excellent SCORE Baja 500, securing a top-three finish in the SCORE Trophy Truck division by driving his No. 23 Ford Raptor Mason AWD McMillin Racing, finishing with a time of 9h 34m 18s.

A starting field of 202 desert racers began the adventure in Ensenada, Baja, Mexico, with 131 crossing the finish line for a 65 percent finishing rate. Competitors from 27 U.S. states, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, Spain, France, India, England, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and host country Mexico made up an internationally diverse group of racers.

Also making it two in a row for 2025 was Baja 500 SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD category winner Cameron Steele. Steele, 58, from San Clemente, Calif. shared driving duties with recent NORRA Mexican 1000 overall winner Dave Mason Jr. won his second consecutive SCORE race in the SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD category piloting the No. 16T Desert Assassins Geiser built Ford. The duo had a day-long battle with the No. 81T Honda Passport, who finished second.

In the other major truck categories Gustavo Vildosola and Ricky Johnson earned another victory in the SCORE Trophy Truck Legends class, while Cameron Steele won the Round 2 of the 2025 SCORE Desert World Championship Justin Davis triumphed in the SCORE Trophy Truck Spec class.

Another major story line out of Baja was the Pro UTV Pro Open victory by Brock Heger. Heger and his Polaris factory-backed SCI Team have had a historic run of wins in 2025, including the Dakar Rally, King of the Hammers, the Mint 400 and now two back-to-back victories in the SCORE series against a stacked field of teams and drivers. Heger’s finishing time of 9h 59m 29s placed him an eye-opening 8th overall in the final standings.

The next race in the 2025 SCORE International Desert Racing World Championships takes place September 10-14 back in Ensenada for the 6th SCORE Baja 400.