Former Honda off-road factory star Colton Udall is still getting the job done in Baja.
Colton Udall of Oceanside, California rode his Ox Motorsports Honda CRF450X to the motorcycle overall win for the second straight SCORE race during the inaugural Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500 desert race from Cabo San Lucas to Loreto in Baja California Mexico, April 18-19.
Udall, who normally shares riding duties with teammate Mark Samuels, rode solo to victory in the Pro Unlimited class, finishing the race with an elapsed-time of 7 hours, 41 minutes and 38 seconds to average 55.18 mph on the 424.52-mile course on the Baja Peninisula. Udall’s Ox Motorsports teammate Samuels, finished second for the second consecutive race on another Honda CRF450X, recording an elapsed time of in 8:08:04 to average 52.19 mph.
This was Udall’s first attempt at running a SCORE race solo.
That’s the biggest milestone for me,” Udall said. “This Inaugural Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500 was an awesome experience, but I wish I’d had a helicopter because there was a lot of scary stuff out there. One awesome moment in the race for me was when Justin Morgan (Ricky Brabec 1x co-rider) and I were racing just after La Paz. We battled back and forth, and we both had the bikes wide open. It was a battle for the power of the dust. I’m happy that I’m here and I didn’t put the bike on the ground once.”
Udall broke from his usual fuel stop strategy for the Bud Light Baja Sur 500 as well, opting to fit his machine with a 4-gallon tank that is nearly a gallon larger than his normal race tank. Udall said that the allure of the event’s pre-race festivities made it more difficult to stay focused on the task at hand.
“When you are starting in Cabo it is a different game because it is harder to stay focused because it is a party town,” Udall said. “I love it down here. There was a lot of the terrain similar to races starting in Ensenada, but not so many whoops, and the course is very fast. I’m holding the bike wide open a lot down here.”
Udall also said that the fact that SCORE races are being televised this year could make huge difference in his shoestring-budget team’s ability to market itself.
“We are running this race team on heart and that is pretty much all. We have some key sponsors that are getting the job done but it is a lot of work and a huge investment that I hope will pay off in the end.”
SCORE World Desert Championship
Round 2: Bud Light SCORE Baja Sur 500
Cabo San Lucas-Loreto, Baja California Mexico
Results: April 18-19, 2015 (Round 2 of 5)
Open M/C (450cc or more)
1. Colton Udall-Hon/7 hours, 42 minutes, 58 seconds (55.18 mph)
2. Mark Samuels-Hon/8:09:24
Class 30 (Riders over 30 years old)
1. Mark Winkelman/Kevin Murphy/Morgan Crawford-Hon/9:06:29 (47.46 mph)
Class 40 (Riders over 40 years old)
1. Collie Potter/Sterlyn Rigsby/Dave Glass-Hon/8:43:19 (50.22 mph)
2. Kyle Abney/Chad Thornton/Paul Luce/Tim Fitzpatrick/Alan Cameron-KTM-9:00:40. Finishers)
SCORE Ironman (Solo Riders)
1. Kevin Daniels-KTM/9:48:00 (43.32 mph)
Sportsman M/C
1. Pedro Ibarra/Isaiah Reyes-Hon/11:54:01 (35.67 mph)
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