Riding on BFGoodrich Baja T/A tires, B.J Baldwin’s 7-second victory margin was the closest ever in the in history of the heralded event. |
Facing 289 starting entrants, Goodrich solo driver, B.J. Baldwin, put forth a hero’s effort to capture his first Baja 500 overall four-wheel trophy-truck crown at round three of the five-race Desert Series.
Baldwin battled through 441 miles of dust-filled desert in his Chevy Silverado to cross the line in nine hours, ten minutes, and 47 seconds at an average speed of 48.06 miles per hour. Baldwin’s victory was the closest in history of the heralded event, a mere seven seconds over the reigning trophy-truck championship team of Mark Post and Rob MacCachren. In fact, the veteran duo actually finished first physically in the elapsed-time race in their Goodrich tire-equipped Ford F-150, but the corrected-time results revealed their second place finish as Baldwin started 60 seconds behind yet came across the finish just 53 seconds after Post and MacCachren.
Third-place overall went to two-time Baja 500 winner Brian Collins and his new teammate Chuck Hovey. The pair finished 15 minutes behind Baldwin in their Dodge Ram trophy-truck -- giving Goodrich the top-three overall finishing spots in the race.
Arriving at the finish line on Goodrich Baja T/A tires, “This win is massive. It is very important to me,” Baldwin notes. “I’ve had a handful of trophies, but what I don’t have is that Montezuma thing, the first overall in a SCORE Baja race. That’s what I always wanted.”