Barker's Official Blog / sponsored riders
Barker's Sponsored Rider, Juan Domingeuz Ready To Win SCORE International San Felipe 250
Imagine navigating through more than 250 miles of tough terrain that's mangled with rocks and sand, and temperatures exceeding 100°F.
Now, imagine conquering all of this in less than 12 hours on the top of a quad. The Score International San Felipe 250 may be the shortest of SCORE's race series, with the Baja 1000 boasting 850 miles of similar off-road conditions, but it is certainly a challenge for many a man and his machine. Attempting to race any machine over 250 miles in under 12 hours with some of the craziest rocky, sandy whoops, and extreme conditions around is no joke. We don't know about you, but it seems like you would have to be one dedicated and skilled individual to take on such a race.
Barker's Performance is proud to have a man such as this on our Sponsored Riders roster. For Juan Dominguez, this will be his 8th time racing the San Felipe 250. We reached out to him to learn more about this year's race and a little more about him and his team. Here's what we learned.
The team and I are getting ready for our 8th San Felipe 250 in a row. The San Felipe 250 is the shortest race of the SCORE International series however, it is the roughest due to its never-ending rocky/sandy whoops. I was down there pre-running this past weekend and the course is already chewed up and temperatures were over 100 degrees! The course will only get rougher in these two weeks leading up to the race.
We will be competing in the competitive sportsman quad class since I had to put a last minute team together. I will be teaming up with a couple guys from our Baja 1000 rival team, Oskar Espinoza and Osman Arce from Ensenada, Baja California. The San Felipe 250 will be starting Saturday, April 1st at sunrise and will have 12 hours to navigate through the rough, 272-mile race course SCORE has put together.
The San Felipe 250 is not new for Pirruñas Racing since it will be our 8th time running it. We have been lucky enough to podium this race about 4 times with one of them being a 1st place finish. We are going to rely on our Barker’s Exhaust to power us through the deep sandy whoops and the never sandy washes San Felipe has to offer. We will be racing a Liberty Motorsports/ Baja ATV Rider’s Only prepped Honda TRX450r.
The team is hungry to win this year’s San Felipe 250. We have been getting ourselves ready mentally and physically the past couple of months and are going for the top spot. We are confident heading into this race since we have a strong group of riders, reliable support crew, and the best sponsors in off-road racing to get us to the finish line on top. But this is Baja, anything can happen at any given time. We are preparing for the worst and expecting the unexpected!
Thanks for all the support Barker's Exhaust!
So there you have it! Stay tuned for more updates on the 2017 San Felipe 250 and the Pirruñas Racing Team! We will add photos and commentary to our blog and social media as it comes across the wire.
We love desert racing!
Want to learn more about a Barker's Exhaust for a Honda TRX450? Click one of the links below.
Why we're really excited for the ATV MX National Championship
It's that time of year again. The ATV MX National Championship begins tomorrow and we are beyond excited for this year's competition. Here's why.
What is more exciting than dedicated and skilled ATV racers going head to head race after race for a big win and recognition? Aside from life's greatest milestones, nothing! The ATV MX National Championship is a true test of man and machine, will and skill. We love to see which machines pull ahead of the pack, and how racers handle their machines under tough race conditions.
This year we are especially excited because we have the great pleasure of having two teams running our exhaust this year.
Team Nine6Nine is ready to wage a war this year at the MX National Championship and we are thrilled to have a rider on their team racing with a Barker's Exhaust. Team Nine6Nine member, Alan Myers, #24, will be competing in the Pro Sport/Pro-Am classes on his Suzuki LTR 450. Last year, Myers won the National MX Championship in the 450A class and has since moved up to compete in the Pro-Sport and Pro-Am classes. With Travis Moore to help lead the team to another victory, we are sure Alan and all Team Nine6Nine racers will have a very exciting and fruitful season.
The Harris Motorsports Team is another team participating in the ATV MX National Championship that will be riding with a Barker's Exhaust. Zack Harris will be racing a YFZ 450 in the Pro-Am class.
Be sure to stay tuned and follow along with us throughout the championship. We will be regularly updating our blog and social media with race results and other exciting information. We can't wait to see what's in store for this year's ATV MX National Championship!
Sponsored Rider, Juan Dominguez gears up for 2016 SCORE Baja 1000
Barker's Performance is extremely excited for November 16, 2016. This date marks the start of the 49th Bud Light SCORE Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Baja California, and Mexico. One of the toughest desert challenges out there, the Baja 1000 encompasses more than 850 miles of extreme desert conditions and obstacles. We are super lucky to have one of our very own sponsored rider's participating in the race, Juan Dominguez.
This race will not only be a true test of sheer might and skill for Juan Dominguez and his team, it will also brutally test our exhaust system in extreme desert conditions over a significant amount of time. We look forward to this race and the awesome results we expect both to achieve.
We wanted to reach out to Juan to get his thoughts gearing up for the big race. Here's what we've learned.
How have you been preparing to get ready for this race?
The team and I are very stoked for this years Baja 1000! This year's team consists of myself Juan Dominguez, Julio Banda from Mexicali, Rusty Repass from Maryland, Dan Webb from Virginia, and Alberto Jimenez from Mexicali.
We have been prepping mentally and physically for this race for the last couple of months. Our race quad (100A) was torn down and built from the frame and up. Liberty Motorsports rebuilt our entire motor and of course Barker's Exhaust will keep it running strong for the entire 854 miles! We start our pre-running this weekend so each rider can get to know their sections for when the green flag drops in a couple of weeks.
What are your thoughts heading into the race?
This year's Baja 1000 should be a faster race course then the past years but anything can go wrong in 854 miles of off-road racing. To win you must first finish so preparation is key to get 100A across the finish line. SCORE has set up a very demanding race course with plenty of Baja obstacles to overcome.
What do you think will be your biggest challenge?
I think the biggest challenge in racing Baja is to not have any issues. Since we are racing against time, the less problems you run into the more of a chance you have to win. Our race plan needs to be executed perfectly in order for us to be on the top of the podium. We need to prepare for the worst and expect the best!
We will be posting updates from the big race on the Barker's Exhaust Facebook page so be sure to follow along if you don't already! You might also like to check out the 2016 SCORE Baja 1000 course map.
Want to learn more about Juan Dominguez?
Check out this awesome video interview from SCORE International.
Inside Story: Juan Pirruñas Dominguez / Pirruñas Racing
If you’ve been following Barker’s Exhaust for the last year, you’ve probably noticed Juan Pirruñas Dominguez and the Pirruñas Racing Team. Juan partnered with Barker’s Performance as a sponsored rider in February 2015 and has since made quite an impression on us and the desert racing industry.
Sponsored Rider Snapshot
- Racing Number: 9A
- ATV: Honda TRX450R
- Age: 25
- Occupation: Accountant
- Hometown: Yuma, AZ
- Started Racing: Age 17
- First ATV: Yamaha Banshee
This year we watched as Juan and the Pirruñas Racing Team endured rigorous racing schedules and dominated extreme desert racing conditions. Because of Juan’s commitment to running our exhaust system on his machine, we have had the tremendous opportunity to learn more about desert racing and how our exhaust system performs under these conditions. We thank Juan and the Pirruñas Racing team for their continued dedication and support and we look forward to another year of outstanding performance!
Sponsored Rider Interview
We wanted to get to know Juan better and thought you might want to too, so we reached out to ask him a few questions about himself and the Pirruñas Racing Team. Here’s what he had to say:
Q. Juan, you seem to be incredibly dedicated to racing. Can you tell us a little about your roots and how you got started in desert racing?
I got my first quad when I was 14 years old and my whole family was always into off-road racing and going to the dunes on the weekends. Since we live in the Sonoran Desert, I started to love riding out in the beautiful desert scenery that Yuma has to offer. After watching the documentary of the Baja 1000 " Dust to Glory," I saw there were quads participating and that's where my dream begun. I decided to attend the Baja 500 when I was 16 years old and absolutely got hooked on the Baja racing atmosphere!
Q. Clearly the Pirruñas Racing Team plays a big role in your racing career, can you tell us a little more about your team?
Pirruñas Racing started back in 2008 when we did our first ever CODE Offroad race right across the border in San Luis, Sonora. We raced a stock Raptor 660r and placed 7th out about 25 quads. The team consists of my brother and I who are trying to follow the same dream in being champions and maybe one day pick up a Honda Factory ride. In Desert racing, without a support team you are nothing out there, so I am blessed enough to have family and friends come out and help us out in different sections of the course and help us get the quad to the finish. As a matter of fact, the name Pirruñas came from my nickname and it’s a pretty noticeable name in Mexico.
Q. In 2015 you raced some pretty intense courses, can you tell us a bit about your experiences riding in desert races like the SCORE international series?
2015 was a great year for us! We won every single race in the SCORE series and to be honest it is not an easy task to accomplish. Those races are hard enough just making it to the finish line. Preparation is the key to get to the checkered flag and running durable products on your race quad such as Barker’s Exhaust is another factor in getting to the finish. The terrain is tough enough on your machine and a bit worse on your body so you have to be in top physical shape to be competitive. In order to win you must first finish so you just have to trust in your other co-riders and ride at a smooth fast pace.
Q. We understand that a ton of thought, modification, and maintenance goes into making a machine, and a man, race ready. Can you share a little bit about how you get yourself and your machine ready for a race?
As we all know Desert Racing is a true test for man and machine so preparation is the difference between winning and losing. We start prepping for our next race as soon as we cross the finish line of our last race. After every race, we sit down and write notes on what went wrong and how we can improve. Being in top physical riding shape is a priority for every rider in the team so that means a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in the gym as well as getting as much seat time as we can before the next race. As for the race quad, we tear it down all the way to the frame as well as the motor. Although Honda is known for their reliability, we tear the motor down and replace everything that is necessary to get us to the finish line for the next race. The only part we re-use on our quads is our Barker’s Exhaust. We put thousands of miles on them and they still retain their race condition. Most durable exhaust on the market in my book!
Q. It looks like 2016 is shaping up to be another big year for you and the Pirruñas Racing Team! Can you tell us about what this year has in store for you and what you are most looking forward to for this year?
After winning a championship in the SCORE International Series and in the CODE Offroad Series in 2015, we are setting sights in winning the SCORE International Pro Open Quad Class for 2016 and make our dream come true in running the 1A plate for 2017. Tons of money, time, and sweat will go into this goal but we have the team and sponsors to make it happen! One change that we'll be doing this year is that my brother Alonzo Dominguez will be focusing on prepping our race quads and pre-run quads instead of riding and being a mechanic at the same time. This will allow me to focus on logistics for the races and be a more competitive rider for the Pro Class. We also have a new team of riders for 2016 and they consist of myself; Gilberto Ramirez from Phoenix, AZ; Julio Banda Jr. from Mexicali, Baja California; Jose “Moño” Contreras from Tecate, Baja California; and Jorge “Wero” Contreras from Tijuana, Baja California. All these guys have what it takes to accomplish our goal in being Open Quad Pro champs for 2016! The whole team can’t thank Barker’s Exhaust enough for their durable exhaust systems and allowing us to come out on top!
To keep pace with Juan’s story as well as other sponsored riders, follow Barker's Exhaust on Facebook.
