After discussion by SCORE’s Competition Review Board on Sunday, Toby Price has been disqualified from the San Felipe 250 for stacking rocks on the race course the day prior.
A video of Price getting caught in the act, which occurred during pre-running on Friday, rapidly gained traction as Saturday’s race took place. While hard to discern what Price is specifically doing as he was ducked behind his pre-runner, his expression and the filming party’s words of disbelief as they confront him were enough to raise suspicion among viewers.
During the race, people pointed out the section by Matomi Wash on the Four-Wheeler course (between Virtual Checkpoints 49 and 51, or RMs 58.09 to 59.29) had rocks in the middle of the track while the surrounding trees had been cut down. They were eventually cleared out.
Hazards and booby traps being placed on the course is not a novel concept to Baja, though one that is frowned upon for obvious reasons. Even then, such cases are usually by locals and hooligans as opposed to a fellow competitor.
After qualifying 31st overall, Price and Paul Weel’s #46 finished eighth in Trophy Truck and 17th overall.
The Competition Review Board, a group of 12 SCORE officials and drivers, heard the case a day later before reaching their verdict. Officially, Price’s DSQ is for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“Shitty way to try and win,” fellow SCORE and Dakar Rally competitor Brock Heger commented. Bryce Menzies, a Red Bull athlete and TT driver like Price, opined he “shouldn’t even be racing. What a shame.”
Jason Duncan, the co-driver for overall winner Luke McMillin, called out Price’s navigator Brent Bauman.
“Brent has been telling the other racers that I put rocks in the course when this whole time it was him,” Duncan said. “I feel bad for Toby because he was involved, but he didn’t stop Brent from doing it and I’m taking it personal because we would have been the first ones to those rocks and it would’ve hurt either the truck or us.
“That is not how we race. We are all friends, so I thought.”
Following the DSQ, TT Spec driver Pierce Herbst moves up to 17th in the overall results while Max Gordon is now eighth for Trophy Trucks.
Updated Four-Wheeler class winners
| Class | Overall | Number | Driver of Record | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | 36 | 162 | Brendan Gaughan | 6:01:45.328 |
| Class 3 | 126 | 301 | R.J. Zanon | 13:14:15.038 |
| Class 5 Unlimited | 73 | 513 | Jesse Astorga | 7:29:44.874 |
| Class 7 | 61 | 700 | Dan Chamlee | 7:00:18.360 |
| Class 8 | DNF | N/A | No Finishers | DNF |
| Class 10 | 31 | 1000 | Stan Potter | 5:44:09.140 |
| Class 11 | 107 | 1100 | Ralph Castillo | 9:57:06.124 |
| Class 1/2-1600 | 67 | 1655 | Enrique Gutierrez | 7:16:03.310* |
| Pro Stock UTV | 56 | 3931 | Craig Scanlon | 6:44:26.152* |
| Pro UTV Forced Induction | 39 | 2935 | Kaden Wells | 6:03:27.955 |
| Pro UTV Normally Aspirated | DNF | N/A | No Finishers | DNF |
| Pro UTV Open | 25 | 1896 | Brock Heger | 5:21:59.301 |
| Sportsman UTV | 90 | 1814 | Ricardo Acevendo | 8:32:13.635 |
| Trophy Truck | 1 | 83 | Luke McMillin | 4:29:45.047* |
| Trophy Truck 2WD | 9 | 11T | Rob MacCachren | 4:53:02.115 |
| Trophy Truck Legends | 14 | 61L | David Payne | 5:00:22.114* |
| Trophy Truck Spec | 6 | 297 | Jorge Sampietro | 4:47:46.180 |
Featured image credit: Art Eugenio / Red Bull Content Pool
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