Baja 1000 Preview: Three Riders Are Perfect Heading Into the Finale
Tyler Lynn, Jason Miller and Harold Harris have won every SCORE round this season in their classes. One 964.66-mile race down Baja is all that stands between them and the titles.
Three motorcycle riders have entered every SCORE round this season and left with a win. Now they all have to do it one more time, on the longest night of the year for their sleep schedules.
Tyler Lynn, Jason Miller and Harold Harris are the only riders with perfect records in the World Desert Championship, according to SCORE International. Each has won the San Felipe 250, the Baja 500 and the Baja 400 in his class. Each sits on 315 points. The 59th SCORE Baja 1000 Cabo to Cabo is the last round, Nov. 9-15 in San Jose del Cabo.
The three perfect scorecards
Lynn leads Pro Moto Unlimited, riding a Honda CRF450X for Slam Life Racing Honda with Carter Klein and Sam Pretscherer. SCORE says the team has nine straight wins, a streak that started at the Baja 400 in 2024. A title would give Lynn back-to-back Pro Moto Unlimited championships.
Miller leads Pro Moto 40, also on a Honda CRF450X, and his team is chasing a third straight class title.
Harris leads Pro Moto 60 on a Husqvarna FE501 with his teammates. They carry seven consecutive SCORE wins and are also hunting a third straight championship.
Hero Racing: consistent in the way nobody wants to be
Second in Pro Moto Unlimited is Hero Racing's Ducati Desmo450 with 297 points. The team has finished runner-up in all three rounds. That's a remarkably steady season, and also the kind of steady that makes you stare at the 315 next to Lynn's name.
Ironman is a tighter fight
Pro Moto Ironman is the class where the finale looks least like a coronation. Kyle Phenix leads with 309 points after finishing third, first and second across the three rounds. Jesus Jaime Gonzalez Jr. is nine points back.
Other class leaders
- Ana Rivas, Pro Moto Limited: 250 points
- Levi Gil, Pro Moto 30: 309 points
- Mike Prunty, Pro Moto 50: 245 points
- Miguel Monroy, Sportsman M/C: 306 points
- Luis Villagomez, Sportsman Quad: 292 points
The finale is a big one
The course runs 964.66 miles, and SCORE expects more than 250 teams. That's a lot of bikes sharing the same Baja, and every one of them is a chance for the standings to get rearranged. A perfect season only counts if you finish the last race, and this one is the longest on the calendar.
For anyone who rides, races or just likes watching people go very fast across very rough ground, the matchups are easy to follow. Three riders are trying to complete a clean sweep. One team is trying to turn runner-up finishes into a trophy. And in Ironman, nine points leaves little room for a bad day.
Mark Nov. 9-15 on the calendar. Baja doesn't care about anyone's record, and that's why it's worth watching.
Source: 2022 World Desert Championship - SCORE International - SCORE International. Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash.
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