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April 16, 2007
Friday at SCORE headquarters New format for SCORE Trophy-Truck, Class 1 to be used during Computerized Start draw for June’s 39th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 Over 400 entries expected June 1-3 in Ensenada, Mexico, For Round 3 of six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series LOS ANGELES—Rewarding the top 10 finishers in the previous race in Mexico for the first time, Friday’s computerized drawing for Starting positions for June’s 39th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race will include a special drawing for the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division and the featured unlimited Class 1 at the SCORE International headquarters in Los Angeles. Round 3 of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series will be held June 1-3 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. All of the top 10 finishers in each of these two classes from March’s Tecate SCORE Baja 250 that are entered by the end of today will be drawn first, with a secondary drawing for starting positions with the next position available for the remaining entries in each class. As of this morning, all of the top 10 finishers in SCORE Trophy-Truck and eight of the top 10 in Class 1 had officially entered. Both classes are expected to have nearly 30 entries in time for Friday’s drawing and both are anticipated to have nearly 40 starters at the event itself. The computerized Start draw, by class, for all classes in the event will be held on Friday as well. With over 400 entries expected from nearly 30 U.S. States, Mexico, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Japan, the green flag will drop for the race at 6 a.m. on Saturday (June 2) for the motorcycle and ATV classes in the Tecate SCORE Baja 500. The car and truck classes will start three hours after the last Sportsman ATV at approximately 10 a.m. Nearly 300 of the anticipated entries are expected to be entered in time for Friday’s start draw. Competition will be held for 27 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs. Late entries will be accepted right up to race morning. Leading the entries into Friday’s Start draw are all three overall winners from last year’s race. Back to defend their overall 4-wheel vehicle and SCORE Trophy-Truck title is the team of Larry Ragland, Cave Creek, Ariz./Brian Collins, Las Vegas, in the No. 12 Collins Motorsports Chevy Silverado. Returning as the overall motorcycle and Class 22 champs is the team of Robby Bell, Murrieta, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif., on the No. 1x Honda CRF450X. Back to defend their overall ATV and Class 25 victory is the team of Danny Prather, Ramona, Calif./Mike Cafro, Carlsbad, Calif., on the No. 1a Honda TRX250R. Several crossover/celebrity racers are already entered in this year’s race, led by NASCAR’s Robby Gordon and Brendan Gaughan. Both second generation desert racers, Gordon, who has won this race three times, is a NASCAR Team Owner/Driver and is entered in SCORE Trophy-Truck while Gaughan, who is a NASCAR Truck Series driver, is entered in Class 1 Seven-time World Rally Championship driver Armin Schwarz of Austria is returning to Baja for the second time to race in Class 1 and Pikes Peak Hill Climb record holder Rod Millen of New Zealand is back again to race in the Stock Mini class. The two celebrity drivers who are both SCORE regulars are SCORE Trophy-Truck drivers Cameron Steele and Jesse James. Steele, who is a TV sports announcer for Supercross, X Games and Champ Cars, has entered three classes once again—SCORE Trophy-Truck, SCORE Lite and Class 22. James, whose wife is legendary motion picture star Sandra Bullock, owns the world-famous West Cost Choppers company and was the star of the old Monster Garage television series. The starting line area will once again be in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Boulevard Costero in downtown Ensenada, Mexico. The finish line will be where it was last year--inside the Campo de Softball Jose Negro Soto stadium at 11th Street (Calle Once)and Espinoza Avenue in Ensenada. The stadium is located approximately 1.5 miles east of the start line area. Vehicles will start in 30-second intervals in the elapsed-time race. Pre-race festivities at the 39th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 will include the colorful SCORE Midway and tech inspection between the San Nicolas Hotel and the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in Ensenada from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday (June 1). Racer registration will be held in the Grand Ballroom at the San Nicolas Hotel from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday (May 31) and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday (June 1). The mandatory racer’s briefing will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday (June 1) in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. At 11 a.m. on Sunday (June 3), the awards celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Hotel. As SCORE officials finalize the course layout for this year’s race, pre-running will begin on Saturday, May 19. Las Vegas’ B.J. Richardson has assumed the Overall and unlimited Class 1 point lead in the 2007 SCORE Desert Series. Following a second in Class 1 at the 13th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in January and a fourth in Class 1 in March’s 21st Tecate SCORE Baja 250, Richardson finds himself as leader of the pack. Richardson, 41, who drives a Valley Performance Chevy-powered Bunderson open-wheel desert race car, has 146 points to lead the 2007 Overall and Class 1 point standings after two rounds of the six-race 2007 SCORE Desert Series. The team is sponsored by John Gaughan’s Las Vegas Dissemination Company. Hovering right behind Richardson in a three-way tie for second in the Overall standings just four points back with 142 points each are SCORE Trophy-Truck co-leaders Las Vegas’ B.J. Baldwin and the team of Mark Post, San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas, along with rookie Robert Ross, Chula Vista, Calif., who is second in Class 1 points. A total of just 22 points separate the top 20 overall point leaders after the Tecate SCORE Baja 250, which was held on March 10 in Ensenada, Mexico. SCORE points are determined both on final finishing position and number of vehicles that started the race within the individual class. Fifth overall after two races and third in Class 1 with 141 points is John Herder, Tucson, Ariz., who won his class in Laughlin and finished 14th in Round 2. Just seven points separate the next five drivers in SCORE Overall points, led by Hawaii’s Alan Pflueger, who is sixth overall and third in SCORE Trophy-Truck with 139 points in the No. 28 Pflueger Racing Chevy Silverado. Daniel McMillin, El Cajon, Calif., who leads Class 1-2/1600 in a Jimco-VW after his stirring first career SCORE race win at the Tecate SCORE Baja 250, is tied for seventh overall with 135 points. A third generation SCORE desert racer, McMillin, whose father Mark McMillin (Class 1) and his cousin Andy McMillin and his uncle Scott McMillin (SCORE Trophy-Truck) are all stars of the SCORE Desert Series, is tied in overall points with Bill Gasper, Chino Hills, Calif., who is fourth in Class 1 in a Porter-Chevy. Ninth overall and fifth in Class 1 points is Ronny Wilson, Long Beach, Calif., with 134 points in a Jimco-Chevy while 10th overall is the SCORE Lite class point leader Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., who has 132 points in his Desert Assassin-VW. With motorcycles and ATV classes joining the cars and trucks in SCORE races in Mexico, the overall point leaders after one of three races are the Jim O’Neal-led team in motorcycles and the Danny Prather-led team in ATVs. O’Neal, Chatsworth, Calif., and his team have 77 points in Class 30 for motorcycle riders over 30 years old on a Honda CRF450X while Class 22 point leaders Robby Bell, Murrieta, Calif./Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara, Calif., have 76 points and are second in overall motorcycle points on another Honda CRF450X. Prather, Ramona, Calif., and his teammates Mike Cafro, Carlsbad, Calif. and Levi Marana, Hemet, Calif., have 75 points to lead Class 25 on their Honda TRX450R. The 2007 SCORE Desert Series also includes the chase for the $75,000 Kartek Off-Road contingency bonus to be awarded to several 2007 SCORE Class point champions along with the run for the $12,000 Toyota True Grit and Toyota Milestone Awards. Current SCORE official annual sponsors are: BFGoodrich Tires-official tire, Sunoco Race Fuels/Bryant Petroleum-official fuel supplier, Bilstein-official shock, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-official Mexican auto insurance, American Racing ATX Series-official wheel, Slime-official tire sealant, Airstar America-official space lighting provider and Red Bull--official energy drink. Associate sponsors are: Tecate Beer, Coca-Cola of Mexico, Las Vegas Events, Terrible Herbst Inc., Blue C Communications, Kartek Off-Road, Fram, Autolite,
Prestone, Bendix, American Suzuki, SignPros, P.C.I. Race Radios,
McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, contact SCORE at its Los Angeles headquarters
818.225.8402 or visit the official website of the SCORE Desert
Series at
www.score-international.com .
Tecate SCORE Baja 500 A l l - T i m e O v e r a l l C h a m p i o n s Year--Cars & Trucks/Motorcycles 1969--Bud Ekins/Guy Jones Doug Douglas/Jim McClurg 1970--Parnelli Jones Bill Silverthorn/Gene Fetty 1971--Bobby Ferro Malcolm Smith/J.N. Roberts 1972--Bobby Ferro Gene Fetty/Bill Silverthorn 1973--Parnelli Jones Howard Utsey/Mickey Quade 1974--Ivan Stewart/Bill Hrynko Al Baker/Steve Holladay 1975--Ivan Stewart Larry Roeseler/Bruce Ogilvie 1976--Bobby Ferro/Ivan Stewart Larry Roeseler/A.C. Bakken 1977--Ivan Stewart Larry Roeseler/Jack Johnson 1978--Bud Feldkamp/Malcolm Smith Brent Wallingsford/Scot Harden 1979--Malcolm Smith/Bud Feldkamp Jack Johnson 1980--Bob Gordon Bruce Ogilvie/Chuck Miller 1981--Malcolm Smith/Bill Newbury Larry Roeseler/Bruce Ogilvie 1982--Larry Ragland Larry Roeseler/Chuck Miller 1983--Corky & Scott McMillin Dan Ashcraft 1984--Larry Ragland Dan Smith/Dan Ashcraft 1985--Ron Gardner/Bud Feldkamp Kurt Pfeiffer/Scot Harden 1986--Corky & Scott McMillin Garth Sweetland/Scot Harden 1987--Bob Gordon/Tim Crabtree Larry Roeseler/Ted Hunnicutt Jr. 1988--Mark McMillin Dan Ashcraft/Kurt Pfeiffer 1989--Robby Gordon (no motorcycles) 1990--Robby Gordon Larry Roeseler/Danny LaPorte 1991--Ivan Stewart Garth Sweetland/Paul Krause 1992--Ivan Stewart Larry Roeseler/T. Hunnicutt Jr./P. Krause 1993--Ivan Stewart Danny Hamel/L. Roeseler/T. Hunnicutt Jr. 1994--Ivan Stewart Paul Krause/Ted Hunnicutt Jr. 1995--Curt LeDuc Paul Krause/Craig Smith 1996--Rob MacCachren Paul Krause/Ty Davis 1997--Ivan Stewart Johnny Campbell/Bruce Ogilvie 1998--Ivan Stewart Johnny Campbell/Bruce Ogilvie 1999--Ivan Stewart Jonah Street/Torsten Borstrom 2000--Larry Ragland Jonah Street/Steve Hengeveld 2001--Mark McMillin Steve Hengeveld/Jonah Street 2002--Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell 2003--Troy Herbst/Larry Roeseler Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell 2004--Alan Pflueger Steve Hengeveld/Johnny Campbell 2005--Robby Gordon Mike Childress/Mouse McCoy 2006--Brian Collins/Larry Ragland Robby Bell/Kendall Norman SCORE Baja 500 Multiple Overall Champions Cars & Trucks 11 Ivan Stewart Larry Roeseler* 4 Malcolm Smith** Larry Ragland 3 Bud Feldkamp Bobby Ferro Robby Gordon 2 Bob Gordon Troy Herbst Parnelli Jones Corky McMillin Mark McMillin Scott McMillin *Nine on motorcycle; **One on motorcycle Motorcycles 5 Paul Krause Bruce Ogilvie Steve Hengeveld Johnny Campbell 4 Ted Hunnicutt Jr. 3 Jonah Street Scot Harden 2 Gene Fetty Jack Johnson Chuck Miller Kurt Pfeiffer Bill Silverthorn |
