Price makes it to the finish line in Baja race

Canyon Laker Sara Price made it to the finish line of her first Baja race last month as she and navigator Erica Sacks, also a Canyon Lake resident, opened the SCORE International season with a competitive charge on the rough and challenging San Felipe 250.

SCORE International sanctions a series of desert races in Mexico on the Baja California Peninsula. The 2018 season includes the 2018 San Felipe 250, the Baja 500, the Tijuana Desert Challenge, and the Baja 1000.

Driving an RPM Offroad Trophy Truck Spec machine, Sara and Erica set a strong pace on their debut Mexican outing until an electrical issue emerged that dogged them to the end.

The two recorded an official finish with a time of 15 hours, 8 minutes and 3.5 seconds and collected valuable championship points toward Sara’s full-season SCORE International campaign. Sara said her debut race behind the wheel in Mexico was a fantastic learning experience.

“Before our electrical problem, that truck was so dialled I couldn’t believe it,” said Sara.

“King Shocks put in a lot of time with us to develop our setup and I’ve never looked forward to a whoops section like I did this weekend. Our truck soaked up everything we threw at it and it handled like a dream. I’m really excited for the Baja 500 next month.”

The 315-mile San Felipe contest, started and ended on the Malecon beach in San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez, some 125 miles south of the U.S. border. The competition followed an intensive pre-running session that saw Sara join her RPM Offroad teammates to cover 650 miles in her SuperATV Polaris RZR XP 1000.

“I’m so impressed with the UTV. We drove 650 miles on the RZR on the roughest course there is,” she said. “And even after all the abuse we put it through at King of the Hammers earlier this year, it still didn’t have any major issues.”

Sara is set to race the full SCORE International season with Team RPM this season in Trophy Truck Spec, a regulated class that showcases driver talent above all else. Class vehicles are equally matched, with rules specifying engine, suspension and wheel and tire size. Up next in the series is the Baja 500, May 30 to June 3. Sara will also add competition dates to her schedule as opportunities arise.

In 2017, Sara’s calendar included a diverse array of events including a select series of off-road races for RPM Offroad in Trophy Truck Spec class in the Best In The Desert series, with a best finish of sixth. She also won the Next Female Hoonigan contest to earn a chance to drive a factory-backed Fiat Rally Car in a pair of hill climbs, seizing second-place result at the San Pedro Martir Hill Climb in Mexico.

Named the 2016 Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Rising Star, Sara’s racing career started on dirt and she went on to join Kawasaki as the first factory-supported female racer. She began racing dirt bikes at the age of eight and collected 19 amateur titles and medaled in Women’s Super X at the 2010 X Games. She holds the record as the most winning female amateur to date.

The fierce competitor also raced UTVs and, in 2013, campaigned the WORCS series. She moved on to the Lucas Oil Regional Series in 2015 to grab second place overall in the production side-by-side championship. She finished the Terracross Championship undefeated to take the women’s title that same year. In 2016, Sara took on six races in Robby Gordon Stadium SUPER Truck Series and became the first woman ever to lead laps in that championship.

When she isn’t racing, Sara works as a stunt professional, performing on motorcycles, and on four wheels and as a precision driver for television and film.