Cycle News Staff | April 5, 2023
Husqvarna’s 39-year winless drought at the SCORE San Felipe 250 came to an abrupt end Saturday, April 1, when teammates Ciaran Naran and Tucker Hopkins rode a Husky FE 450 across the finish line in first place (but with little room to spare) in San Felipe, B.C. Mexico.
Photos by Jack Wright
The two Southern Californians piloted the top-finishing two-wheel vehicle out of the Pro Moto Unlimited (400cc or more) class to victory in the 263-mile race in six hours, eight minutes and five seconds. The duo averaged 42.95 mph, and it’s their first major off-road win as a team.
“The first half of the race that I rode was really, really good,” said Naran, who calls Huntington Beach, California, home. “I came in knowing just keep the wheels on the ground; we don’t need crazy speed. San Felipe can bite you easily, so I just wanted to make sure the bike kept moving and going forward. That was the game plan. We executed it well. The dust wasn’t too bad this morning, luckily, so I made some passes quickly.
“I think I got into fourth within 10 or 15 miles. Then I just kept trucking forward and got third, second, first. It happened smooth and efficient. Can’t complain. And Tucker did a super job in the second half keeping everything clean.”
Naran gave credit to mentor Colton Udall, multi-time Baja champion. “It was good to have someone like Colton Udall, who is very experienced down here, helping guide us and with pit strategy and guiding us through this adventure. It helps me stay safe and be more prepared, so I’m not doing any danger to myself. It is unreal to know that we are just the second Husqvarna bike to ever win this race down here. That is cool. We made some history.”
The last time a Husqvarna won the San Felipe 250 was in 1984 with desert-racing legends Dan Smith and Dan Ashcraft.
“The race was all right,” said Tucker who hails from Venice Beach, California. “I had some arm pump in the first 20 or 30 miles, then stopped at the Baja Pit and was able to shake it out a little bit and get a drink of water. It went smooth from there [but] I had a couple small tip-overs. The brake has a little zip tie here from a crash or something and it kept pulling my brake lever so I kind of wheelied off a couple G-outs and my front end tucked and tossed me over the bars pretty good a couple of times. But I got back up and it was pretty good. This is awesome. Ciaran got us in a good spot this morning and we just decided to go for a trail ride and click off the miles.”
The second overall team was the Pro Moto Limited (less than 450cc) winning five-rider squad of Fernando Beltran, Larry Serna, Luis Flores, Mauri Herrera and Dilan Avalos. The Honda CRF450X-mounted team finished just one minute and 36 seconds behind the winning Husqvarna.
Avalos said, “I got on until Borrego and everything was going well. Mauri gave the bike over to me in third place and then we slowly started to gain positions. When I got to Borrego, we were in second [overall]. Mauri got back on the bike in Borrego and at the Mini Summit, he passed the first position Pro Unlimited. My partners, Luis Flores and Larry Serna, did a good job down here at the Matomi and those places. It feels really good, because there was a lot of competition and the course was really difficult, but we did it.”
There were 17 solo racers who competed in the Ironman class and the winner by nearly half an hour was Argentina’s Juan Zunino, who also placed an amazing third overall motorcycle. He rode a Honda CRF450X and completed the race in 6:19.32, roughly nine minutes off the winning time of Naran and Tucker.
“The race went really well,” Zunino said. “It was difficult, a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. A lot of whoops and rocks everywhere. I was able to get in a rhythm that I liked, and I was able to push forward so I’m really happy. I tried to stay steady and not commit any errors or have any falls. I tried to maintain the rhythm and concentration. It’s my first-time doing Ironman. Even though it’s only 250 miles, the race is long. We didn’t stop to rest anywhere, just to fuel up and hydrate.”
Tanner Janesky of Middlebury, Connecticut, took second (eighth overall) on a KTM 450 XCF-W, while Brandon Wright, of Oak Hills, California, rounded out the Ironman podium aboard a Husqvarna FE 501.
Another impressive performance was turned in by Californian Derek Ausserbauer. Riding solo in the Pro Unlimited class, the Honda CRF450X rider took fourth overall and second in class. He finished just under 11 minutes behind Naran and Tucker.
The Eric Holt team (Taylor Stevens, Hayden Roberts and Zach Meyers) carded fifth overall, third Pro Moto Unlimited on a Husqvarna FC 450. CN
OVERALL (Rider of Record)
- Ciaran Naran (Hus) Pro Moto Unlimited
- Fernando Beltran (Hon) Pro Moto Limited
- Juan Zunino (Hon) Pro Moto Ironman
- Derek Ausserbauer (Hon) Pro Moto Unlimited
- Eric Holt (Hus) Pro Moto Unlimited
- Ely Ramirez (Yam) Pro Moto Limited
- Jano Montoya (KTM) Pro Moto 30
- Tanner Janesky (KTM) Pro Moto Ironman
- Erick Ramirez Jr. (Hon) Pro Moto Limited
- Justin Carnes (Hon) Pro Moto Unlimited