Off-road aces MacCachren, Menzies, Lofton among early SCORE Baja 500 entries

Celebrating 53 years of desert racing excellence this year, all-star desert racers such as Rob MacCachren, Paul Weel, Justin Lofton, Bryce Menzies, Jorge Sampietro, and Eric Solorzano are already officially entered for the BFGoodrich Tires 58th SCORE Baja 500, set for June 3-7, as they head to Mexico with their sights set on the checkered flag.

Round 2 of the four-round 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship will take place in "The Cinderella of the Pacific," some 60 miles south of San Diego, featuring a demanding race course of 468.85 miles for the Pro bikes, trucks and car classes, and 381.10 miles for the Sportsman motorcycle, trucks and car divisions

MacCachren, 61, continues to write golden chapters in the off-road record books, and now his storied career is set for a new milestone as he joins Paul Weel Motorsports beginning with the upcoming SCORE Baja 500.

MacCachren boasts more than 200 victories behind the wheel across desert, stadium, and short course competition. He was also part of the Class of 2011 to be inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, and has become a mentor to many racers, including Bryce Menzies, Bryan Freeman, and his son Cayden MacCachren.

With 21 victories, he stands as the winningest racer in the history of the SCORE Trophy Truck, the premier class created by Sal Fish in 1994. The division features 1,000-horsepower trucks, AWD systems, and cutting-edge motorsports technology. MacCachren also made history as the inaugural class champion in that same 1994 season.

MacCachren claimed victory at the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250 in the SCORE Trophy Truck 2WD class, driving his No. 11T MacCachren Motorsports/BFGoodrich Tires Ford F-150 Geiser Bros. Now, he steps in to replace rally legend Toby Price in the highly anticipated debut of the No. 11 Paul Weel Motorsports Mason AWD Gen 2.

MacCachren is also a seven-time winner of the SCORE Baja 500, including three overall victories (1996, 2018, 2022), each achieved behind the wheel of a Ford-powered SCORE Trophy Truck.

A one-time protégé of MacCachren, Bryce Menzies, 38, has molded his own enviable career in desert racing and rally racing out of the Menzies Motorsports race shop in his hometown. Menzies exploded onto the SCORE desert racing scene in 2011, winning the SCORE overall point championship, the SCORE Trophy Truck season point crown, two individual race wins and was voted as the 2011 SCORE Rookie of the Year.

Menzies has 12 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins, the most recent being last November when he won the SCORE Baja 1000 for second time in the last three years. That great start has evolved into branching out into short-course racing, rally race, long-jump record feats and rock-crawling victories. In 2016, Menzies made history by jumping his off-road truck 115.6m (379.4ft) over a New Mexico ghost town to set a new truck distance record.

With 12 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins, Menzies is obviously among the favorites in his No. 7 Red Bull Menzies Motorsports Ford Raptor AWD built by Mason Motorsports. He boasts four overall victories at the SCORE Baja 500 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2023). In the most recent SCORE San Felipe 250, he secured a strong third-place finish in the premier SCORE Trophy Truck division.

Justin Lofton, 41, is a true motorsports enthusiast whose passion for off-road racing runs deep, rooted in the teachings of his father, Bob Lofton. Throughout his career, Lofton has also experienced standout moments on NASCAR development circuits before ultimately returning to his off-road origins.

In 2009, he captured the championship in the ARCA Racing Series with six victories and a remarkably consistent season-long performance. He later advanced to the NASCAR Truck Series, where he earned his first career win in 2012 at the demanding Charlotte Motor Speedway. Lofton also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity (now O'Reilly Auto Parts) Series, showcasing his versatility on pavement across the United States before making his return to his roots in the deserts of both Mexico and the U.S.

Eric Solorzano is a legendary Mexican racer who has risen from humble beginnings as an orphan in Tijuana to becoming the winningest Mexican national in SCORE racing history. Solorzano, 66, was also part of the Class of 2022 to be inducted into the prestigious Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. He started racing off-road on motorcycles in local races around Tijuana in 1974 and continued until 1988 when he decided to trade two wheels for four after an injury so he could continue racing.

Solorzano bought his first VW Bug in 1989. His first race was in 1991. He still owns, and races, the same car, more than 30 years later. He competes in Class 11, the stock VW class. He first competed in the Mexican Record Series and later SCORE. In SCORE racing, Solorzano has won 11 SCORE season point championships in his No. 1111 VW Sedan and still competes to this day.

Solorzano also has 11 class wins in the SCORE San Felipe 250, nine in the SCORE Baja 1000 and seven in the SCORE Baja 500. His thousands of fans in Mexico view him as an inspiration for what hard work and preparation can do for a person. At the start of the 2026 season, he endured a heartbreaking DNF at the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250.

Ensenada´s native Jorge Sampietro, 35, of JS Racing stands as one of the strongest contenders of ‘The Mexican Army’ in the highly competitive Trophy Truck Spec class.

Sampietro is a two-time winner of the SCORE Baja 500, earning victories in 2020 and 2022, the first as a second driver alongside Santiago Creel, and the second as a solo effort. He opened the 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship season by winning the King Shocks 39th SCORE San Felipe 250 in the Trophy Truck Spec division. Now, his No. 297 JS Racing Mason-Chevy is undergoing final preparations for the upcoming SCORE Baja 500, the iconic off-road race set to take place in his hometown.

Baja 500 schedule

Tech inspection and contingency row of race vehicles by SCORE technical officials will take place on Friday, June 5, along Ensenada’s vibrant Bulevard Costero, which will also serve as the start and finish area for the event, located just steps from the Pacific Ocean.

The official start will be on Saturday, June 6, on Bulevard Costero in Ensenada, with motorcycles beginning at 3:00am PT. The SCORE Baja 500 opening ceremony will take place at 8:15am PT, followed by the start of the first four-wheel vehicle at 9:00 a.m. PT.

The race course will cover 468.85 miles for Pro motorcycle and car classes, and 381.10 miles for Sportsman motorcycle and car divisions. The official time limit to complete the race is 18 hours for all racers.

Ensenada is located 116 kilometers south of the U.S. border crossing at San Ysidro, Calif., on the western side of the Baja California peninsula, with the Pacific Ocean running alongside the city. All four SCORE events in 2026 will be held in Mexico, specifically within the Baja California peninsula, marking the 11th consecutive year this format has taken place.

2026 SCORE schedule

• Here are the remaining dates for the four-race 2026 SCORE World Desert Championship which will be totally held in Baja California, Mexico for the 11th consecutive year:
• BFGoodrich Tires 58th SCORE Baja 500— June 3-7, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
• 7th SCORE Baja 400—September 9-13, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
• BFGoodrich Tires 59th SCORE Baja 1000—November 9-15, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico