After losing their primary race car to fire at King of the Hammers, Kaden Wells and Emma Cornwell returned to off-road competition in a former stock-class UTV. What followed was a masterclass in Baja desert racing: late-night course scouting, calculated line choices, and 281 miles of relentless pushing across Baja California that ended with a PRO UTV Forced Induction class victory in their Bilstein Cam-Am Maverick R at the 2026 SCORE San Felipe 250.
Listen: Kaden & Emma Discuss Their San Felipe 250 PRO UTV Forced Induction Victory
The SCORE International San Felipe 250 is one of desert racing’s most challenging events, held annually in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. The 2026 race marked the 39th running of the event, drawing competitors from across North America to tackle nearly 300 miles of punishing desert terrain.
In the San Felipe 250, nothing comes easy—and for off-road racers Kaden Wells and Emma Cornwell, that’s exactly how they like it. Running out of a backup Can-Am Maverick, car #2935, the duo not only showed up—they dominated the PRO UTV Forced Induction class after a grueling 281-mile desert racing battle across Baja California’s unforgiving terrain. But if you ask them, the story behind the win is just as important as the result.
San Felipe 250 Course Conditions: Brutal Whoops and Unforgiving Terrain
Watching the onboard footage, you might think San Felipe is tame. It isn’t. “Everything looks so smooth,” Cornwell laughed while reviewing their race footage. “But it’s really, really whooped out.” Wells agreed, noting that the camera doesn’t come close to capturing the brutality. “It’s probably three times worse than it looks,” he said. “Especially that first 40 miles.”
Those opening miles set the tone for the entire race—deep, square-edged whoops, torn up by heavier classes ahead of them, punishing smaller UTV platforms and forcing teams to make early decisions on line choice and survival.
Pre-Race Scouting Strategy Gives Wells and Cornwell the Edge
One of the biggest turning points came before the race even started. After hearing about an alternate line during tech, Wells and Cornwell went out late that night—well past dark—to scout it themselves. That decision paid off. The line stretched for miles and allowed them to bypass some of the worst terrain on course. Even if it didn’t always feel faster in the moment.
“I was honestly questioning it,” Cornwell admitted. “Like—are we getting passed and just not seeing it?”
But they weren’t. In fact, they were quietly moving forward, using dust, positioning, and smart driving to make passes others didn’t even realize were happening.
Watch: Onboard Footage from the Winning San Felipe 250 PRO UTV Run
Racing From the Back, Fighting to the Front
Starting near the back of the field, the pair had work to do. And with a smaller fuel cell—just 14 usable gallons—they were forced into six pit stops across the 250-mile course. “Every 40 miles was about as far as we could push it,” Wells explained.
That added pressure. More stops meant more chances for something to go wrong—especially in Baja, where communication can break down quickly. At one point, they nearly made a critical mistake, pulling into a crowded pit zone unsure if it was theirs.
“No radio response, no confirmation—we were just sitting there trying to figure it out,” Wells said. They were 10 miles early. Moments like that can derail a race. Instead, they regrouped and pushed on.
From Stock Class to PRO UTV Victory: The #2935 Backstory
What makes this win even more unique? The race car itself. This year’s #2935 wasn’t built as a top-tier turbo race machine—it started life as a stock-class UTV. “This is the same car we raced in stock,” Cornwell said. “We won our first San Felipe in it… and now we’ve won our second.”
After their primary race car was lost to a fire earlier in the year at the 2026 King of the Hammers, the team brought this chassis back into competition—upgrading shocks and making minimal modifications to fit class rules.
Ironically, that simplicity became an advantage. “It’s lighter,” Wells said. “Less tubing, more stock components—it’s actually faster.”
Mechanical Challenges and Tire Issues During the 281-Mile Race
Like any Baja race, it wasn’t clean. A punctured tire—likely caused by debris, not impact—forced an early change. Later, mechanical wear began to creep in. By the final stretch, the car was far from perfect.
“I could feel something in the brake pedal,” Wells said. “Turned out the tires had grown at speed and were hitting components, heating up the ball joints.”
For the last 60 miles, the front end had significant play. Most drivers would back it down. Wells didn’t. “I thought we were still chasing the leaders,” he said. “So I kept pushing.”
The Pass for the Lead—Without Knowing It
Somewhere around race mile 135, they made what would become the decisive move. But they didn’t know it at the time. “We came up on a car that had issues—probably running on a flat,” Wells recalled. “We made the pass, but I still thought we had someone ahead.”
That mindset—always chasing—kept them pushing long after others might have settled in.
Crossing the Finish Line: Realizing the Class Win
In classic Baja fashion, the biggest moment came without warning. “We crossed the line and the radio was calm,” Cornwell said. “Like, ‘Hey, good job.” No celebration. No urgency. “We thought maybe second or third,” Wells added.
Then the message came through: They had won. “Once they said it, it was just—everything,” Cornwell said. “All the emotion hit at once.”
Why They Won
Speed mattered. Strategy mattered. But more than anything, it came down to execution. From pre-running discipline to line selection, from mechanical awareness to mental focus, Wells and Cornwell ran a complete race.
“You can’t celebrate early out here,” Cornwell said. “Until you cross that finish line, anything can happen.” In Baja, it usually does. This time, it didn’t.
Final Result
Wells and Cornwell competed against 25 teams in the PRO UTV Forced Induction class, finishing with a time of 6:03:27— 31 minutes and 46 seconds ahead of second place.
- Event: SCORE International San Felipe 250
- Class: PRO UTV Forced Induction
- Vehicle: Can-Am Maverick R, #2935
- Driver/Co-Driver: Kaden Wells/ Emma Cornwell
- Finish Place/ Time: 1st Place/ 6:03:27
- Location: San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
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