2024 Baja 1000: Menzies and Polvoorde to battle Ampudias, Vildosola and McNeil for SCORE title

In 2023, Bryce Menzies won the Baja 1000 and the SCORE International World Desert Championship in Trophy Truck with the help of Tavo Vildósola. One year later, they are rivals looking to walk away with the title.

After three of four rounds, Menzies and Vildósola are separated by just five points in the 2024 SCORE TT standings with the former having 353 points to the latter’s 348. Vildósola is not Menzies’ only threat, however, as Alan Ampudia also has 353 points.

Menzies enters the Baja 1000 with some momentum as the defending winner and victor of the most recent round, the Baja 400 in September, while Ampudia claimed the season-opening San Felipe 250. Vildósola did not win any of the three races (Toby Price won the Baja 500, but is tenth in the standings) but has consistency on his side with a third in San Felipe, second at the 500, and fifth at the 400.

In simple terms, whoever of the three finishes higher than the other two will win the championship. To better their chances of success, Menzies and Vildósola have respectively enlisted Christopher Polvoorde and Jason McNeil to share their #1 and #21 Trophy Trucks, while Ampudia will continue with his brothers Aaron and Rodrigo.

Only 24 years old, Polvoorde is one of the brightest young stars in off-road racing. 2024 is his first full TT season after impressing in Trophy Truck Spec, and currently sits fourth in points with a third at the 500. At the 2023 Baja 1000, he moved up to Trophy Truck but remained in his Spec truck, yet still impressed with a tenth overall and eighth in class.

Like Menzies, Vildósola pulled from the TT Spec ranks with McNeil’s addition. McNeil won both the TT Spec title and the outright SCORE World Desert Championship across every category in 2023, the latter thanks to him scoring more points than any other driver (551, Menzies was second with 538). His title defence began with a seventh at San Felipe before being abandoned after a crash in Baja 500 qualifying that forced him to withdraw. A water leak at the 400 relegated him to thirteenth in class.

After winning San Felipe, Ampudia finished tenth at the 500 then narrowly lost to Menzies at the 400. Aaron and Alan won the 2019 Baja 1000 while Rodrigo is a UTV star who was the fastest among such vehicles at San Felipe in 2023.

With Menzies and Vildósola opting for other drivers, their 2023 third driver Andy McMillin will instead race the #23 alongside his cousin Dan McMillin. McMillin stepped away from full-time racing after the 2022 season but returned the following year for the Baja 400 and 1000 as Menzies’ team-mate.

Qualifying for the Baja 1000 will take place on Tuesday, 12 November, followed by racing three days later on 15 November.