Alumicraft Racers Claim Class 10 Podium Sweep At The 2026 Baja 500
Alumicraft Racers delivered a clear statement in Class 10 competition at the 2026 SCORE-International Baja 500, winning the division, sweeping the podium , and filling every official finishing position in the class during one of the most technical races of the season.
STAN POTTER LEADS ALUMICRAFT CLASS 10 SWEEP
Stan Potter, of El Cajon, California, drove the No. 1000 Alumicraft Race Car to the Class 10 victory with an official elapsed time of 11 hours, 16 minutes, 30.869 seconds. The win marked another important result for Potter, who is the reigning Class 10 champion and the 2025 SCORE Baja 1000 class winner. After opening the 2026 SCORE season with a win at the San Felipe 250, Potter’s Baja 500 victory makes it three-in-a-row .
Potter is also no stranger to the SCORE Baja 500, having previously won the race in 2022. He returned to Ensenada in 2026 with a disciplined, calculated race program and a freshly prepared Alumicraft Class 10 buggy built around proven desert racing components, including King Shocks, Baja Design Lighting, and BFGoodrich Tires. Ahead of the race, the car received a full teardown and chassis treatment with STEEL-IT protective coating over the Alumicraft-built chassis, reflecting the level of preparation required for repeated Baja competition.
Potter again teamed with Freddie Willert and Matias Arjona Jr., bringing together an experienced group capable of managing pace, traffic, mechanical preservation and changing course conditions across the 468.70-mile route.
A HARD-FOUGHT WIN WIN AFTER EARLY RACE TROUBLE
The Class 10 race was not controlled from the front without adversity. Arjona reported that the team was stuck for approximately 30 minutes near race mile 40 before local support helped get the car moving again. From there, the team reset the race strategy and began taking time back.
“Three wins in a row. I still can’t believe we pulled it off,” Arjona said after the race. “After getting stuck for 30 minutes, some incredible locals helped get me back on course. At that point, I knew we didn’t have much to lose, so I pushed hard. We managed to make up 22 minutes on the leader before Stan jumped in for the second half, where he kept the charge going, eventually catching the leaders and taking over the lead.”
Potter drove the second half of the race and described a course that offered little room to relax.
“It was a really busy day,” Potter said at the finish. “I couldn’t take a drink of water. I couldn’t go to the bathroom. I just was busy the whole time, driving in the dust, and trying to avoid the rocks. We ended up winning it, and I’m super happy the way it turned out. We changed tires once, but didn’t have any flats. The car was awesome.”
TED BAKER TAKES 2ND / CAREER-BEST SCORE FINISH
Ted Baker, driving the No. 1060 Alumicraft, finished second in Class 10 with an official time of 11 hours, 29 minutes, 27.168 seconds. Teamed with Tim Morton of Baja Bound Moto, Baker turned in the strongest SCORE finish of his career. Baker’s race came down to the final miles after leading on adjusted time late in the event.
“It was a close one,” Baker said. “We had it won at Ojos. We had about a six-minute adjusted-time lead, and I made a mistake and didn’t make the turn on the way back into the hills. Then I got stuck in the silt. We basically lost the race with five minutes to go to the finish. I’m frustrated, but at the same time, I’m super proud of the team because they put a lot into it.”
ZACK MCLAREN COMPLETES SWEEP
Zack McLaren completed the all-Alumicraft Class 10 podium in the No. 1047 entry, finishing third with an official time of 11 hours, 46 minutes, 14.472 seconds. His result gave Alumicraft the top three positions in one of SCORE’s most competitive open-wheel limited engine divisions. Zack previously placed fifth at the 2025 Baja 500.
EVERY CLASS 10 FINISHER WAS IN AN ALUMICRAFT
Of the eight Class 10 racers that started the race, all six that finished within the official timing window were competing in an Alumicraft buggy. Robert Fleishman, Matt Willert and Shane Lowry rounded out the remaining Class 10 finishers, each bringing their cars home and collecting valuable championship points in a race that demanded patience as much as speed.
On a Baja 500 course that combined high-speed desert, mountain climbs, silt, rocks, traffic and long stretches of dust, the Alumicraft racers again showed why vehicle setup and consistency remain central to desert racing success.
CODY REID ADDS CLASS 1 PODIUM RESULT
Alumicraft also earned a notable result in Class 1, where Cody Reid drove his Alumicraft AWD Class 1 buggy to a third-place podium finish with a time of 10 hours, 51 minutes, 21.558 seconds. The Class 1 result added to Alumicraft’s overall presence across the open-wheel field and reinforced the company’s continued relevance in both limited and unlimited buggy competition.
For Alumicraft Race Cars, the 2026 SCORE Baja 500 was a strong validation of product performance in real race conditions. The result was not defined by one car or one team alone. It was reflected across the full Class 10 finishing order, where Alumicraft-built race cars handled the distance, terrain and time limit to occupy every official finishing position. A regular feat for the specialized off-road race car manufacturer.
For more information on Alumicraft Race Cars and their winning performances, visit Alumicraft's official website, DriveAlumicraft.com, to learn more about our race products and services.
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