Weiland Helps SCORE Title Chase With Baja 400 Victory; Wells, Cafro, Elenburg Extend Win Streaks
Sept. 20, 2021
UTVUG Staff
Austin Weiland’s hopes of winning the 2021 SCORE Pro UTV Forced Induction championship got a major boost on Saturday, when he took the top spot in the class in the 2nd Annual SCORE Baja 400. Weiland, who entered the event behind only Brandon Schueler and Phil Blurton in the standings, finished the 400-mile loop race in 10:18:58, for a margin of victory of just under two minutes. It was his second podium of the year, after a runner-up finish in the season-opening San Felipe 250.
Blurton was second, scoring his second consecutive runner-up finish, while former Baja 1000 winner Justin Lambert completed the podium at nearly an hour behind them after back-to-back DNFs to open the season. Schueler would keep his own title hopes alive with a sixth place finish, while fourth and fifth place finishers Francisco Beltran and Edgar Garcia Leon were among those who improved their top-10 points position with solid results.
In the Normally Aspirated division, it was Kaden Wells successfully defending his win in the inaugural Baja 400 two years ago, and extending his points lead after a Baja 500 victory. Paul Barnhart Jr.’s second place finish would give Wells some extra breathing room in the points chase over San Felipe 250 winner Kristen Matlock, who would finish third.
Both the Pro UTV Stock and Open classes would see drivers taking their third straight wins of 2021. Mike Cafro’s bid for dual titles may have taken a hit without a finish in the Forced Induction class, but he remains far and away the top Stock racer, winning the division by more than an hour and a half. In Open, Justin Elenburg’s hat trick came with the added bonus of a second place finish for Cameron Ornelas, giving him extra breathing room over top title rival Josh Herzing, who came home third.
Full Pro UTV class results, per SCORE, were as follows:
Blurton was second, scoring his second consecutive runner-up finish, while former Baja 1000 winner Justin Lambert completed the podium at nearly an hour behind them after back-to-back DNFs to open the season. Schueler would keep his own title hopes alive with a sixth place finish, while fourth and fifth place finishers Francisco Beltran and Edgar Garcia Leon were among those who improved their top-10 points position with solid results.
In the Normally Aspirated division, it was Kaden Wells successfully defending his win in the inaugural Baja 400 two years ago, and extending his points lead after a Baja 500 victory. Paul Barnhart Jr.’s second place finish would give Wells some extra breathing room in the points chase over San Felipe 250 winner Kristen Matlock, who would finish third.
Both the Pro UTV Stock and Open classes would see drivers taking their third straight wins of 2021. Mike Cafro’s bid for dual titles may have taken a hit without a finish in the Forced Induction class, but he remains far and away the top Stock racer, winning the division by more than an hour and a half. In Open, Justin Elenburg’s hat trick came with the added bonus of a second place finish for Cameron Ornelas, giving him extra breathing room over top title rival Josh Herzing, who came home third.
Full Pro UTV class results, per SCORE, were as follows:
PRO UTV FORCED INDUCTION
- 2954 Austin Weiland, 29, El Cajon, Calif./Justin Wragg, 30, El Cajon, Calif./Garrett Stone, 28, El Cajon, Calif., Can-Am Maverick X3 10:18:58 (38.77 mph);
- 2944 Phil Blurton, 35, Loomis, Calif./Beau Judge, 44, Rocklin, Calif./Chris Williams, 30, Auburn, Calif., Can-Am X3 10:20:54;
- 2918 Justin Lambert, 46, Bakersfield, Calif./Jesus Navarro, 35, Bakersfield, Calif./Victor Herrera, 49, Menifee, Calif., Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo S 11:17:42;
- 2970 Francisco Beltran, 50, La Paz, Mexico/Francisco Beltran Jr, 20, La Paz, Mexico/Diego Beltran, 18, La Paz, Mexico/Henri Palos, 47, La Paz, Mexico, Can-Am X3 XR 11:38:09;
- 2987 Edgar Garcia Leon, 34, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Nancy Garcia, Can-Am Maverick X3 11:47:17;
- 2919 Brandon Schueler, 32, Phoenix/Cayden MacCachren, 19, Las Vegas/Pat Stone, 50, Payson, Ariz./Miles Martin, 31, Peoria, Ariz., Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo S 11:52:12;
- 2940 Erick Kozin, 42, Yorba Linda, Calif./Drew Stanton, 22, Can-Am Turbo 2:05:03;
- 2949 Alonso Lopez, 47, Murrieta, Calif./Mario Amezcua, 46, Tijuana, Mexico/Leobardo Gomez, 41, Tijuana, Mexico, Can-Am Turbo 12:26:09;
- 2999 Bob Jablonsky, 49, Mesa, Ariz./Jack Torkkola, 60, Mesa, Ariz./Luis Palacios, Can-Am Maverick X3 12:58:25;
- 2976 Jesus Mendez Jr, 24, Mexicali, Mexico/Yoshua Marquesho, 27, Mexicali, Mexico/Jesus Mendez Sr, 54, Mexicali Mexico/Felix Garcia, 22, Mexicali, Mexico/Francisco Pimentel, 40, Mexicali, Mexico, Can-Am Maverick XRS 13:03:20;
- 2967 Mike Pratt, 54, Draper, Utah/Gavin Pratt, 17, Draper, Utah/Chance Lee, 35, W. Jordan, Utah/Eduardo Leon, 34, Lehi, Utah, Polaris RZR Turbo S 13:06:38;
- 2932 Clinton Schue, 44, Gardnerville, Nev./Bob Yocheim, 50, So. Lake Tahoe, Nev./Aaron Schmalenberger, Can-Am X3 Turbo 1000 13:17:10;
- 2930 Sean Cook, 55, Twain Harte, Calif./Matt Davis, Twain Harte, Calif/Josh Pearl, Sutter Creek, Calif./Victor Rangle, San Diego, Calif/Eric Cook, Folsom, Calif./Julie Boyer, Bakersfield, Calif., Can-Am X3 13:37:26;
- 2951 Herman Johnson, 49, Rio Rancho, N.M. Austin Johnson, 23, Albuquerque, N.M./Chris Whelchel, 43, Rio Rancho, N.M., Can-Am XRS Turbo X3 13:49:22;
- 2956 Eduardo Peredo, 38, Gulf Breeze, Fla. (Bolivia/Ecuador)/Humberto Roca, 27, Bolivia/, Can-Am Maverick X3 14:05:51;
- 2946 Jose Juarez, 38, Chula Vista, Calif./Jose Juarez Jr, 20, Ensenada, Mexico/Jose Zuniga, 36, Tijuana, Mexico/Jose Beltran, 38, Chula Vista, Calif., Cam-Am X3 15:52:08;
- 2953 Jimmy Diaz, 37, La Paz, Mexico/Alan Gillette, 53, Wisconsin/Coy Pfaff, 26, Oregon/Alan Pfaff, Oregon, Custom 16;38:50;
- 2929 Jose Rodriguez, 35, Guadalajara, Mexico, Can-Am X3 17:39:23;
- 2989 Wes Miller, 51, Las Vegas/Donny Powers, 33, Morgan Hill, Calif., Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo 18:53:28