First Place at the Baja 500
San Diego, CA – June 4, 2019 – The team of Mark Samuels and Justin Morgan headed down to Baja California, Mexico to compete in yet another SCORE International Baja race to maintain their first place lead in the series. With 500 miles in front of them, the duo started with a 1 minute lead and finished with an hour gap on second place to bring home a Baja 500 win.
With a 4 a.m. start on Saturday, June 1st, hundreds of racers were ready to embark on a day full of tough terrain and brutal fog to start the Baja 500. Justin Morgan was first off the line and quickly gained a substantial lead by mile 100. “I felt smooth and fully prepared for this race as I put in over 40 hours of pre-run time in the days leading up to the race.”
With added miles to their sections due to third teammate, Justin Jones, being out from a recent knee injury, both Samuels and Morgan were able to maintain a solid lead throughout the race. Jones was still apart of the team but stayed sidelines and performed pit services that were needed along the course.
Mark Samuels took the bike and pushed to not only win his class but beat the trophy trucks by time, which ultimately left them in 6th overall. Handing the bike back off to Justin Morgan 40 miles from the finish, the two set out to finish this years Baja 500. First across the line and first in
their class, Samuels and Morgan are one step closer to holding on to the 1x plate come 2020.
Samuels says, “I’m proud to walk away with another Baja 500 win with the team and the all new Honda CRF450X. Justin Jones was there the entire race helping us pit and teaching us the section he knows so well. We’re thankful for our awesome crew that comes down to help us
achieve our goal.”
ABOUT SLR HONDA
SLR Honda is a professional off-road race team owned by Mark Samuels and based out of Yucca Valley, California. The team consists of 5 riders who will be competing in select desert races in this 2019 season. For more information on SLR Honda, please visit the website of www.slrhonda.com.
Presented by SLR Honda
Written by Makenna Sekere