Race Recap: San Felipe 250 🇲🇽

The Team Australia squad of Toby Price, Paul Weel, and Kellon Walch headed south of the border for the 37th annual San Felipe 250 - which marked the first stop of the 2024 Score International Championship - intent on starting their race season on the right foot.

Vibes were high for the team entering with the angry-looking Quad Lock backed Mason Motorsports-built trophy truck, which garnered attention across socials in the lead-up to the event, along with being on display at the Mint 400 in Las Vegas the weeks prior.

Another exciting element was the introduction of qualifying for all SCORE events this year, with the Team Australia boys always strong for an all-out, one-lap dash to secure a lap time. This was again proven in San Felipe, where Price charged his way to the third fastest time in the competitive Trophy Truck qualifying session.

There was a buzz amongst the team after the result, as the sun in Mexico went down for the day and would arise again with the opportunities of tomorrow.

In what has become consistent in the series, the Team Australia truck was up front in the race and climbed to second place on the road through RM260, leading on corrected times. Strategy came into play as the team opted not to proceed with a driver change which kept Price in the truck and the team in P1 on corrected times, before it all unravelled with a mere 15 miles to go, which was absolute heartbreak for the team.

“We were having a really good run,” recalled Price. “Then the top A-arm bolt broke. Another thing that is pretty random to go, and ultimately a really tough day in the end. We were right in the fight for first and second place the whole day, then things got a little crazy through this final section as this was Paul’s section - we decided to keep me in the truck, and I hadn’t been through here in a week. So we were right in the mix, but again, a really disappointing way to end here in San Felipe.”

The Team Australia crew showed immense heart, poise, and pace in San Felipe, with the story coming down to an unfortunate break that ruled them out of contention. Fortunately, this is only the beginning of the story, with many more chapters to be written.

Thank you to all the sponsors of the truck, supporters, and crew who make this possible. The results show the capabilities, it’s just about putting the pieces together. A couple of months now to prepare for the Baja 500, which the team will come out swinging for.