Ryan Arciero Takes Overall Wins At Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400

This past weekend, September 18 -22, 2019, was the Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400, the third of four races in the 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship. The new event is expanding the SCORE reach and is based in Ensenada, Mexico. Ryan Arciero started mid-pack and worked his way to the top spot on the podium for both the overall standings and the SCORE Trophy Truck class.

Arciero has desert racing in his blood. His father, Frank Arciero Jr. is being inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame on Nov. 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada. After an unfortunate Did Not Finish (DNF) at the SCORE Baja 500, Arciero battled against 35 other SCORE Trophy Trucks to win, some of which are the sport’s biggest names.

“It was a great race for us.” Arciero explained. “We started in the middle of the Trophy Truck field and I knew Andy McMillin was just two trucks in front of us. I used Andy as a guide for most of the race. Everything was smooth for us today and the new Joe Gibbs Racing motor was sensational. Great power and we have NASCAR guys in off-road which is a super crossover in the sport. We didn’t quite know where we stood overall with so many trucks bunched up and running very close.”

Battling through the brand-new 390-mile course were elite desert racers like Robby Gordon, B.J. Baldwin, Cameron Steele and more. Of the top overall finishers, 19 of them were SCORE Trophy Trucks. The new course featured all of the Baja Mexico classics and was considered to be highly challenging. High-speed dirt trails, sandy and rocky terrain and elevation changes from sea level up to 3,000 feet.

“The dust made it tougher for the SCORE Trophy Trucks and we just had to work our way through the field as best we could.” Continued Arciero. “I’m excited that my dad (Frank Arciero Jr) could make it down to this race too. He got me started in the sport and it’s fun to celebrate an overall win with him. We knew we needed a good finish for the starting position in the upcoming SCORE Baja 1000. And we couldn’t have done better than taking the victory today.”

The next and last race in the series is the epic SCORE Baja 1000. Andy McMillen won the first two rounds but it is anyone’s game now. Check out SCORE International for more information.