Hengeveld Leads The Way At Baja 1000

Press Release | November 18, 2006

The following is a release from SCORE:

Records continue to fall as early champions Steve Hengeveld, Mike Childress and Quinn Cody begin their victory celebrations, as a race record field of 431 starters continues its desert racing journey down Mexico’s rugged Baja California peninsula in the 39th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race.

With the early finishers arriving in La Paz in the early morning hours Friday, the world’s best desert racers who from 38 U.S. States and 12 countries have until 9:30 a.m. (PST) Saturday to become official finishers in the granddaddy of all desert races.

Giving Honda its 10th consecutive victory in this desert racing classic, Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif., also earned his sixth overall victory and extended his current win streak to five in leading his talented team to a convincing victory of over two hours in the overall motorcycle race on a Honda XR650R in Class 22. Splitting the riding time with Hengeveld, starting the race early Friday morning in Ensenada, the trio charged through the rugged 1,047.8-mile course in 18 hours, 17 minutes, 50 seconds, reaching the finish line at 12:55 a.m. Friday. Hengeveld, Childress, Wrightwood, Calif., and Cody, Santa Barbara, Calif., averaged 54.41 miles per hour over the rugged Baja race course. It was also race-record 17 overall motorcycle win for Honda.

“We didn’t come here to get second, we came here to win and that’s what we did tonight,” said the soft-spoken Hengeveld. “I didn’t have any problems, I just kept riding, and I don’t’ think they [Johnny Campbell] had any problems either. The new sections were really hard but that’s what Baja is about. It’s not supposed to be easy, it’s supposed to be technical, and that’s what we had here today. We all had our tough sections, and it’s just a really good, tough course. This is my fifth SCORE Baja 1000 in a row, and we made history tonight, so I want to thank my other two riders Quinn Cody and Mike Childress. It takes a team to do this and we did it tonight.

“We made history tonight to win the first SCORE Baja 1000 for the Honda CRF450X and for breaking Johnny Campbell’s win-streak and continuing mine with five in a row. I got on the bike at mile 700 and the bike still ran flawlessly, like it’s brand new to the finish line.”

Results:

MOTORCYCLE: 1. Steve Hengeveld, Oak Hills, Calif./Mike Childress, Wrightwood, Calif./Quinn Cody, Santa Barbara, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 18:17:50 (57.27mph) (Class 22)

2. Robby Bell, Murrieta, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif./Johnny Campbell, San Clemente, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 20:31:08 (51.07) (Class 22)

3. Jim O’Neal, Chatsworth, Calif./Tim Withers, Pepeekeo, Hawaii/Jeff Kaplan, Newberry Park, Calif./Randy Morales, Prescott, Ariz./Tom Willis, Las Vegas, Honda XR650R, 21:28:45 (48.78) (Class 40)

4. Gerado Rojas, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico/Jorge Hernandez/Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico, Honda XR650R, 21:32:38 (48.64) (Class 30)

5. Ron Wilson, Encinitas, Calif./Scott Myers, Sun City, Calif./Steve Garnett, Carson City, Nev./Tim Morton, Escondido, Calif., Honda XR650R, 21:36:50 (48.48) (Class 30)

6. Dan Walsh/Chris Gunnett/Rob Gibson, Ramona, Calif., Honda XR650R, 22:43:17 (46.12) (Class 22)

7. Tom Grisham, Chula Vista, Calif./Carl Fischer, Highland, Calif./Mike Mitchell, Salt Lake City, Utah/Mark Chicado, Las Vegas, Honda CRF450X, 23:31:50 (44.53) (Class 21)

8. Shaun Hanson, Murrieta, Calif./Jim McKay, Hemet, Calif./Mark Milne, Aztec, N.M., Honda CRF450X, 23:34:27 (44.45) (Class 21)

9. Brian Pinard, Wildomar, Calif./Taber Murphy, Wenatchee, Wash., Sergio Vega, Ensenada, Mexico, Honda XR650R, 23:41:50 (44.22) (Class 30)

10. Scott Atchison/Greg Hauser/Larry Collins, Bakersfield, Calif., Honda XR650R, 23:44:02 (44.15) (Class 40)

11. Chris Parker, Newport Beach, Calif./Tim Bina, Lake Elsinore, Calif./Randy Blevins, Garden Grove, Calif., Honda CRF450X, 24:10:53 (43.33) (Class 21)

12. Chris Eberz, Santa Barbara, Calif./Mark Daniels, Oxnard, Calif./Sean Eberz, Santa Barbara, Calif., Honda XR650R, 24:27:38 (42.84) (Class 22)

13. Kris Papworth, Draper, Utah/Zac Jacobson, Cedar City, Utah/Allan Donaldson, KTM EXC525, 24:45:57 (42.31) (Class 22)

14. Beau Hayden, Shadow Hills, Calif./Peter Postel, Newbury Park, Calif./Ron Bishop, Escondido, Calif./Tony Megla, Newbury Park, Calif./Chuck Dempsey, Oak Hills, Calif., BMW HP2, 24:54:53 (42.06) (Class 22)

15. Carlos Gonzalez, Navojoa, Mexico/Javier Hernandez, Obregon, Mexico/Eduardo Rosas, Huatabameo, Mexico, Honda CR450X, 24:55:54 (42.03) (SPT M/C over 250cc)

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