King Shocks Dominates 2025 SCORE Baja 500
King Shocks racers posted another dominant performance in the 57th SCORE Baja 500, the second round of the 2025 SCORE World Desert Championship. Led by defending champion Alan Ampudia’s second straight overall win to kick off the season, King racers took three of the top five overall spots for the Official Shock of SCORE, locking down the wins in the Trophy Truck, Trophy Truck Legends, and Trophy Truck Spec classes along the way.
Ampudia’s overall victory was his second in a row to start the season, after taking the 38th King Shocks SCORE San Felipe 250 in April, and his third in the past six SCORE races. When all was said and done, his winning time of 8:39:34 on the 461.03-mile course was 54 seconds clear of his next closest competition, despite losing AWD at race mile 80 and running most of the race in two-wheel drive. The Mexican driver’s long-awaited victory in this race makes him the latest driver to complete the “Baja Triple Crown” of event wins at the Baja 1000, Baja 500, and San Felipe 250.
“I’m thrilled to finally complete the Baja Triple Crown, but I couldn’t have taken this victory without King Shocks,” said Ampudia. “They give me the confidence to push my truck to the limits no matter how the course is. Being able to rely on King Shocks meant that we could keep going for the win no matter what, and we pulled it off!”
Finishing third overall and pacing the Trophy Truck Legends class was Gustavo Vildosola Sr. with a final time of 9:19:40, over 13 minutes faster than their closest in-class competition. Vildosola and Ricky Johnson’s dominance of the Legends category now extends to 14 consecutive SCORE races—every event since the start of the 2022 season.
Completing the overall top five and earning top honors in Trophy Truck Spec for the second year in a row was Justin Davis. For the California native, it was his second straight podium to start the season, as well as his fourth career Baja 500 victory. Joining the Trophy Truck class winners was Kyle Quinn with Wilson Motorsports, who led a 1-2 Class 1 finish for King with Cody Reid. Quinn’s 12:06:43 and Reid’s 13:17:27 were the only two finishing times in the class.
Rounding out the major wins for King were triumphs in Class 5 Unlimited for Eli Yee and Class 7 for Rhys Millen. Yee, who also won the season opener in San Felipe and three of four races last year, completed the race in 12:55:35 as the only finisher in the class. Millen debuted an all-new build for the race and crossed the line in 13:07:22, just under 20 minutes ahead of his closest competition.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled with our Baja 500 results this year,” said King Shocks president Brett King. “After Alan Ampudia kicked off the season by winning our title race at the King Shocks SCORE San Felipe 250, we were excited by the prospect of another strong season. Our Baja 500 results prove that if you want to win in the highest levels of SCORE, only King Shocks can take you to the top!”
Racing, prerunning or just having fun, whatever your application; King Shocks has the shock for you with the performance, reliability, precise tuning and adjustability you need. King Shocks, The Leader in Off-Road Technology!
Photo credit: Get Some Photo