ENSENADA, Mexico – Nov., 12, 2013 – Expectations were high heading into this weekend’s 46th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Drivers Mike Johnson, Mike Majesky and the Bronson Motorsports team were en route to make Radar Tires history with the Class 10 Unlimited championship, but a mid-race engine failure halted the off-road racing season title hopes. Johnson and Majeksy, co-drivers of the No. 1031 Radar Tires Buggy with special non-DOT size 33X10.50R15 Radar Renegade R5 race tires, had a two-point lead on the competition heading into the season finale event on Friday morning. Johnson started the grueling event from the fourth position of the 20-entrant class field, as determined by random draw that took place in October.
For the first 50 miles of the event, Johnson was running a solid pace and looking to gain on the competition. Unfortunately, at the race mile marker 50, Johnson suffered a flat left front tire. While along the side of the course changing the tire, three other competitors managed to hit the same rock resulting in flat tires as well.
Following the flat tire along the rugged terrain, Johnson fell back to eighth position in the field. He worked his way back into second place before the scheduled driver change. “The race course was as difficult as we had expected and made even more difficult by the dust created by the Trophy Trucks and Class 1 cars that started ahead of us,” said Johnson. “The low visibility resulted in my clobbering a rock at race mile 50 and getting a left front flat. We had smooth sailing after that and were on pace to secure the championship when I handed to buggy over to Majesky at CoCos.”
At race mile 350, Majesky climbed into the buggy for his first stint. Majesky was gaining on the competition and took over the Class 10 lead at race mile 430. A short 15 miles later, Majesky began experiencing issues with the engine. With nearly half the race distance complete (race mile 445 of 883), the Radar Tires buggy engine failed.
“I was just running steady, sticking to our game plan when the engine let go,” said Majesky. “We had just assumed the class lead when we passed the leader who was stuck in the slit 15 minutes before, so I was feeling pretty good. Everything was great: temps, brakes, tires, gearbox were fine when it just stopped running. Is a real shame, we were fast enough to win without excessively abusing the equipment.”
The Bronson Motorsports team inspected the engine once they were able to bring the buggy back to Ensenada. Upon the initial inspection, the team determined that the engine lost a rod triggered by an unknown cause. The team will disassemble the engine back at the Murrieta, Calif., shop to determine the root cause of the engine failure.
“I want to thank all involved with our effort this year,” continued Johnson. “We had a great combination and proved that we are a force to be reckoned with in long course off-road competition. I especially want to thank Radar Tires; they have done a fantastic job in their first year in competition. I just wish we could have delivered the Class 10 Championship for them! We are proud to represent such a great bunch of folks and hope to achieve even more success for them in 2014.”
In the end, Johnson and Majesky were ranked 13th in the 46th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Championship points are still being tabulated by SCORE officials. Before the Baja 1000, Johnson and Radar Tires were fighting for an unprecedented championship by an upstart tire company in their first year in SCORE desert competition. Despite the bad luck in the Baja 1000 race this weekend, the Radar Tires long course off-road racing program exceeded the company’s expectations.
“Regardless of our finish, Radar Tires is proud of our performance in our first year of competition, said Gary Blalock, competition consultant, Radar Tires. “To be competing for a championship in our inaugural year of competition is a testimony to Bronson Motorsports and to Radar tires. Both entities have worked well together to achieve this level of success. The future can only be filled with more promise. The parent company, Omni United, congratulates Mike Johnson, Mike Majeskey, Bronson Motorsports, John Hoffman, David Maulili, Daniel Mauhili, and a host of others who have made this possible. It truly has been a team effort.”
In March, during the SCORE International Baja 250, Johnson and Majeksy earned a third-place Class 10 Unlimited finish. Then Johnson earned Radar Tires’ first long course, off-road racing win during his solo attempt at the Baja 500 in May. Two podium finishes in three of off-road racing’s most brutal races is a success for Radar Tires’ inaugural season.
Radar Tires chose off-road motorsports to showcase the Renegade R5 M/T tire, which features open blocks for mud dispersion, deep tread blocks and reinforced shoulders. This tread pattern and rigorous construction is ideal for the surfaces encountered on short course tracks such as Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., and Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz. as well as the open desert of Baja California in the legendary SCORE Baja 1000, the most iconic of all off-road races.
About Omni United
Omni United (S) Pte. Ltd is a tire designer, manufacturer and distributor. The company offers a complete range of consumer and commercial tires marketed under the brand names: Radar Tires, Patriot Tires, American Tourer, Tecnica, Agora, Corsa and RoadLux. Singapore headquartered Omni United was founded in 2003 by entrepreneur G.S. Sareen. As a reliable business partner with innovative products, unparalleled customer service and logistics solutions, Omni United has a global footprint and is selling products in more than 50 countries. Omni United’s flagship brand Radar Tires has been manufactured Carbon Neutral since 2013. Further information on Omni United is available by calling 1-855-906-6646, by emailing info@omni-united.com and online at www.omni-united.com.
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