The shock of a high-profile disqualification rippled through the paddock this week when it was announced that the team entry for the San Felipe 250 had been scratched and that toby price disqualified was the formal finding of the Competition Review Board. The move followed review of imagery and testimony tied to pre-running near Race Mile 52, and culminated in the navigator Brent Bauman resigning from the team while the owner opened an internal probe.
Background and CRB findings
The SCORE Competition Review Board (CRB) issued a disqualification for unsportsmanlike conduct after evaluating materials submitted in relation to an incident during pre-running on Friday, March 27 (ET) near Race Mile 52 of the SCORE San Felipe 250. A statement from SCORE International said the CRB concluded actions in question were attributable to Toby Price and Brent Bauman and that the Team Australia entry had been scratched from the result.
The CRB, described in the decision as being comprised of active and retired SCORE racers across multiple classes, reached the conclusion collectively based on the information available. Footage and images that circulated showed rocks stacked on parts of the course during pre-running, and the pair were implicated in claims of sabotage. The decision removed the SCORE Trophy Truck #46 from official classification.
Toby Price Disqualified: Team response, denials and resignation
Team boss Paul Weel said he would carry out an internal review, stressing the priority of safety and the standards he expects in his operation. “As a team owner, the safety of every competitor on the race course is very important to me, ” Paul Weel, team boss, said. He acknowledged the CRB process and accepted its existence while noting he was not present during the incident and would review the materials presented to him.
Brent Bauman, the team navigator, submitted his resignation which Weel accepted effective immediately. The resignation followed the CRB findings and the preliminary conclusions of Weel’s internal investigation.
Toby Price, driver of record of the SCORE Trophy Truck #46, denied the allegations in his response and disputed the evidentiary weight of the circulated footage. Price said the video did not prove he placed rocks and that a witness statement did not show him making any rock placement. He described interactions on site as limited, saying he told a woman he was okay and that he was clearing a new line. Price also commented that a “higher standard of proof” should be used but accepted the CRB’s decision and the court of public opinion. Following the ruling, the Australian is planning to step away from the championship.
Analysis, implications and a forward look
The CRB ruling and immediate fallout underscore how conduct in pre-running can carry competitive and reputational consequences equivalent to on-course infractions. The team outcome—dismissal from results, a resignation and an internal review—reflects an insistence by governing officials and team management on enforcing behavioral standards and protecting safety on race stages. SCORE International said it supports the CRB decision and will continue to enforce the standards that define the sport and its competitors.
Operationally, the disqualification has multiple ripple effects: it removes a high-profile truck from the event classification, triggers a team-level personnel change, and places a prominent competitor’s future participation under question. Toby Price’s insistence that the footage and witness statements do not prove wrongdoing contrasts with the CRB’s collective determination that the actions were attributable to Price and Bauman. Price’s stated respect for SCORE International and for the people of the Baja Peninsula, and his emphasis on safety as paramount, frame his public response even as he prepares to step back from the championship.
Looking ahead, questions remain about evidentiary thresholds in disciplinary reviews, the interaction between public circulation of images and formal adjudication, and how teams will handle accountability when internal and external reviews diverge. The sport’s governing process has produced a decisive outcome in this case, but the episode will likely prompt renewed attention to pre-running protocols and the mechanisms by which incidents are investigated and adjudicated.
With the team owner conducting an internal inquiry and a navigator having resigned, what will the next chapter look like for the team and for the wider championship culture after toby price disqualified?
