Back to Baja with a Vengeance

Ox Motorsports/MSR Looking for Redemption at SCORE Baja 500

June 02, 2016/ Dale Spangler

Back to Baja

Wednesday, June 1, 2016 Irvine, CA — Last time the Ox Motorsports/MSR team left the starting line for a Baja 500, they were fresh off wining the inaugural Baja Sur 500 and looking to cruise to another victory. So much for the best laid plans as a catastrophic crash not only took the team out of contention, but left Justin Jones on the injured reserve list. “Sometimes you win, sometimes Baja kicks your butt!” said Ox Motorsports' Mark Samuels at the time. The boys are back in Baja this week with something to prove. Festivities for round 2 of 2016 SCORE World Desert Championship start on Thursday in Ensenada, Mexico for the 48th running of the legendary Baja 500.

 

The defending SCORE series champs will be fielding two teams: Colton Udall and Mark Samuels on the 1x Honda CRF450X and 3x of Ray Dal Soglio, Nic Garvin and Ian Young on another Ox Motorsports CRF450X. However, they won't be alone! With as many as 30 late entries being accepted onsite, an expanded field of nearly 250 teams is set to take on the challenging 477.52-mile course starting and finishing in Ensenada this week.

“Last year's crash and the expanded field give the guys two good reasons to run both the 1x and the 3x bikes,” says MSR Brand Manager Brent Harden. MSR is proud of the #WeAreOffRoad mantra, but Baja is special. “It has been 48 years since Malcolm Smith first won Baja and we are honored that Ox Motorsports is flying our Legend 71 colors in the 500. Malcolm's legacy lives on!”

“We have a bike that is built to win on, and we have plenty of motivation” added MSR/Ox Motorsports team leader Samuels before the start of the Baja 500. “See you in Ensenada!”

Reprint from DirtBuzz.com