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2007 Laughlin Challenge
 
 
 
 
SCORE MEDIA
January, 21, 2007


Round 1, 2007 SCORE Desert Series
13th SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge Ends 226 Starters n 19 Classes

SECOND DAY RACE RECAPS - Sunday, January 21, 2007


NOTE - Racers divided into eight different groups, by individual class, to race three, four, five or six laps over a six-mile desert course. The competition starts and finishes with a stadium-style course in front of grandstand seating. Combined with the hillside viewing and the event VIP tent, more than 10,000 spectators were on hand for the second of two days of racing (according to Laughlin Tourism Committee Officials). More tickets were sold for the first two days of competition (Thursday for the Laughlin Leap and Saturday) this year than for the entire three-days in event history. Racers had one-hour (60 minutes) time limits from the time each started to complete the required laps each day to be an official finisher for that day. The event finishing order, by class, will be based on the combined two-day elapsed time of each racer and in order to be a finisher, the racer must finish all required laps both days. Sunday’s start order was in the same order as they finished Saturday, except for those classes that had 10 or more finishers on Saturday. The top 10 finishers from each of those classes had a drawing to determine their start order for Sunday.

GROUP #1 Classes 5 (5 laps), 5/1600 (5), 9 (4), 11 (3), Sportsman Car (4) - (27 Total Starters, 15 Finishers)

• CLASS 5 (Unlimited VW Baja Bugs, 60 miles) - 2006 Laughlin Class 5 winner Michelle Bruckmann (503, with Vic Bruckmann, Lemon Grove, Calif.), had Sunday’s best 30-mile time (:47:30, 37.894), but George Seeley (500, Glendale, Calif., :49:36 Sunday) captured his seventh Class 5 Laughlin title with a two-time time total of 1:33:58 (38.311 mph). Bruckmann completed only four of the required five laps Saturday. Chris Bowman (501, Upland, Calif., :53:09 Sunday), the 2005 Class 5 Laughlin winner, led from the start Saturday to lead the class by two minutes, 22 seconds over Seeley. Pietro Brassea (504, Mexicali, Mexico, :57:45 Sunday) also completed the required 10 laps for the two days of racing. Seven vehicles were entered in the class with six starting Sunday and five finishing the required five laps Sunday.

• CLASS 5/1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bugs, 60 miles) - Raul Solano’s (554, Pomona, Calif., :56:17 Sunday) one minute, 47 seconds advantage was just enough to capture the class title by two seconds over Mike Simpson (551, Kingman, Ariz./Gerardo Iribe, Ensenada, Mexico, :54:32 Sunday). Solano had a two-day, 60-mile time total of 1:45:31 to edge Simpson, who was fourth in last year’s Laughlin Class 5/1600 competition, by two seconds. Iribe was driving Sunday after Simpson drove on Saturday. Brent Shermak (556, Bullhead City, Ariz., :55:33), who was second in the class last year, was third overall this year for the two days of racing at 1:47:24. A total of 10 vehicles entered the class with nine starting Sunday and six finishing the required five laps.
• CLASS 9 (VW-powered, Short wheelbase, single or two-seaters, 48 miles) - Forest Creasy (902, Sacramento, Calif., Chenowth, :47:12 Sunday) led from the start to win the class by five minutes, 18 seconds over Brian Church (904, Hesperia, Calif., Suspension Unlimited, :47:55), who won the 2006 Laughlin Class 9 title. It was Creasy’s second Class 9 title in Laughlin after winning the crown in 2000. All four of the vehicles entered in the class competed Sunday with only Creasy and Church completing the required eight laps for the event.

• CLASS 11 (Stock VW Sedans, 36 miles) - Eric Solorzano (1100, Tijuana, Mexico), a four-time Laughlin Class 11 champion, Solorzano broke after the first of three required laps Saturday. The only competitor in the class, Solorzano completed the required three laps Sunday with a time of :40:16.

• SPORTSMAN CAR (48 miles) - Despite finish eight seconds behind Sunday’s leader, Bryan Carr (1401, Canyon Lake, Calif., CarrOne-Chevy, :35:21 Sunday) used his eight-minute advantage from Saturday to win the class title with a time of 1:06:38 (43.222 mph). Darren San Angelo (1406, Gardena, Calif., Superior-Chevy, :35:13 Sunday) had the day’s best-time to finish second over Richard Boyett (1449, Bullhead City, Ariz., Flipmode-Lexus, :44:07 Sunday) and Brian Freemal (1404, Las Vegas, Kat-VW, :43:55 Sunday. Of the nine vehicles that entered, seven started Sunday with four finishing the required four laps.

GROUP #2 SCORE Lite (6 laps) - (21 Total Starters, 9 finishers)

• Stan Potter (1206, San Marcos, Calif. drove Sunday after Dan Worley, Encinitas, Calif., Jimco, drove Saturday. Potter had a time of, :53:30 Sunday, 41.914 mph) finished 12 seconds behind Sunday’s leader Cameron Steele (1207, San Clemente, Calif., Desert Assassin, :53:18), but his 52-second edge entering the day was enough to post the best two-day total of 1:45:02 (41.130 mph) for the 72-mile, 12-lap race. Potter was fourth in the SCORE Lite last year. The defending Laughlin champion, Steele finished second overall (1:46:26). A total of 23 vehicles entered this weekend with 19 starting Sunday and 10 finishing the required six laps.

GROUP #3 Class 10 (6 laps) - (17 Total Starters, 5 finishers)

• With Adam Wik (1012, Las Vegas with Bekki Wik, Jimco-Honda) experiencing problems on the fourth lap Sunday, Lobsam Yee (1023, with Eduardo Gonzalez, Chula Vista, Calif., Jimco-Honda, :51:25 Sunday) used a second-place finish to win the class by almost three minutes (1:40:44 to 1:43:06) over John Cooley (1021, Santee, Calif., AlumiCraft-VW, :53:24 Sunday). Cooley was the 2005 Class 10 overall winner and second-place finisher in the class in Laughlin last year. Wik had a one minute, 43 second lead over Yee after Saturday’s racing. Twenty (20) vehicles were entered in the class this weekend with 14 starting Sunday and seven completing the required seven laps.

 

• PROTRUCK (Limited Production Trucks, 60 miles) - With Saturday closes rival not starting Sunday, Alan Levinson (207, Blue Diamond, Nev., Ford F-150, :44:27, 40.494 mph) cruised to a five-plus minute victory for the two days of racing with a 60-mile time of 1:25:18. Levinson had a 10-second edge Saturday over Richard Voss (255, Cupertino, Calif., Ford F-150), who raced with his brother (Jason) in the class last year in Laughlin and finished second. Jim Wasson (208, Maple Valley, Wash., Chevy Silverado, 1:30:51) also completed the required 10 laps for two days of racing to finish second. Six vehicles entered the class with four starting Sunday and three finishing.

• CLASS 7 (Open mini trucks, 60 miles) - Despite finishing second Sunday, Jason Jernigan (710, Imperial, Calif., Ford Ranger, :47.10) won the Class 7 Laughlin title for the second-time (2004) by almost seven minutes over Larry Roeseler (703, Hesperia, Calif/Mike Ruane, Canyon Country, Calif., Ford Ranger, :46:00 Sunday. Roeseler, who posted Sunday’s best time, was the 1998 Class 7 Laughlin winner and was the overall SCORE champion for the class in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Shannon Dierkop (706, Campo Calif., Ford Ranger, :54:28 Sunday) was third followed by Raul Flores (711, Lake Elsinore, Calif./A.J. DeNunzio, Goleta, Calif., Ford Ranger, :51:27 Sunday) also completed the required 10 laps for the two days of racing to finish 12 minutes behind Jernigan. Dan Chamlee (700 with Tom Chamlee, Carpenteria, Calif., Ford Ranger), the SCORE overall Class 7 winner in 2004 and 2006, completed only four laps Saturday and three laps Sunday. With 13 vehicles entered, 10 started Sunday and five finished.

• CLASS 7S (Stock mini trucks, 48 miles) - Mike Horner (720, Mission Viejo, Calif., Toyota Tacoma, 1:40:52, 28.553 mph) was the only racer to finish all eight laps as three vehicles were entered and only one started Sunday. Horner, who had a :49:56 time Sunday (28.838 mph) was second last year to Tyler Fox in Laughlin Class 7S competition.

• CLASS 8 (Full-sized two-wheel drive trucks, 60 miles) - . Nick Vanderwey (800, Phoenix/Larry Vanderwey, Litchfield Park, Ariz./Michael Vanderwey, Phoenix, GMC Sierra, :46:24 Sunday) entered Sunday’s racing nine minutes behind first-day leader Kurtis Kupiec (839, Palos Verdes, Calif., Chevy 1500, :56:45 Sunday), but won the two-day, 60-mile test by 76 seconds with a time of 1:36:07 (37.454 mph). Vanderwey was the overall Class 8 SCORE champion in 2006 after also winning the title in 2002. A total of seven vehicles were entered with four starting Sunday and two finishing. Defending Laughlin Class 8 champion Glenn Greer (805, Green Valley, Ariz., Dodge 540) completed only one lap Saturday and did not race Sunday. Todd Wyllie (802, New River, Ariz., Chevy C1500), the 2005 Laughlin Class 8 winner, completed only one lap Saturday and did not start Sunday.

GROUP #5 Classes 7SX (4 laps), Stock Full (4), Stock Mini (4), 3 (4), Sportsman Truck (4) - (28 Total Starters, 18 finishers)

• CLASS 3 (Short Wheelbase 4X4, 48 miles) - Ken Leavitt (303, Jerome, Idaho, Ford Bronco, :55:16 Sunday) was the only finisher to complete the required eight laps as three vehicles were entered, two started and one finished Sunday. Chris Raffo (302, Arlington Heights, Ill., Chevy Blazer), who finished second in the Class 3 Laughlin race last year, did not complete a lap Saturday and had Sunday’s best four-lap time of :46:32 (30.946 mph.).

• CLASS 7SX (Modified, open mini trucks, 48 miles) - John Holmes (740, Olivenhain, Calif., Ford Ranger, :41:40 Sunday) captured the two days of racing by one second over Tim Lawrence (748, Santee, Calif., Ford Ranger, :40:48 Sunday, 35.294) as 10 entered the competition with nine starting Saturday with six finishers. Holmes, the 2006 Class 7SX SCORE champion, held a 53-second edge entering racing Sunday and amassed a two-day, 48-mile time of 1:19:32 (36.211 mph). Noe Sierra (742, San Bernardino, Calif. with Tony Sierra, Ensenada, Mexico, Ford Ranger, :48:52 Sunday), who won the Class 7SX Laughlin title last year, placed fifth overall. Rich Severson (745, Mesa, Ariz., Ford Ranger, :46:42 Sunday), the 2004 and 2005 SCORE Class 7SX overall winner, was third overall.

• STOCK FULL (Stock, Full-sized trucks, 48 miles) - Josh Hall (861, Reno, Nev., Hummer H2, :44:05 Sunday, 34.519 mph) almost duplicate Saturday’s margin of victory over Terry Henn/Eric Henn (860, Walnut, Calif., Hummer H1, :47:20). Hall defeated the Henns by :03:14 Saturday and :03:15 Sunday. The Henns were third in the Laughlin class last year with John Griffin (863, Mission Viejo, Calif. with Mike Sabbarese, Huntington Beach, Calif., Hummer H1, :49:23), who was second last year in the Laughlin Stock Full field, placed third overall. All four entries started and finished Saturday.

• STOCK MINI (Stock, Mini-sized trucks, 48 miles) - Rod Hall/Chad Hall (760, Reno, Nev., Hummer H3, :45:50 Sunday) joined his son (Josh, Stock Full) as a Laughlin winner this year by capturing the class by 63 seconds over Gavin Skilton (779 Orange, Calif., Honda Ridgeline, :45:43 Sunday). Skilton won Sunday’s race by seven seconds over Hall asSteve Kovach (761, Tempe, Ariz., Ford Ranger) did not start Sunday.. Rod Hall was the SCORE Stock Mini 2006 overall champion.

• SPORTSMAN TRUCK (48 miles) - Mike Jenkins (1501, Foothill Ranch, Calif., Ford F-250, :44:22 Sunday, 32,456 mph) overcame Robert Anderson (1503, San Clemente, Calif., Ford Ranger, :49:36 Sunday) to win the class by more than four minutes (1:26:14, 33.398 mph). Anderson, who finished third in the 2006 Laughlin Sportsman Truck competition behind Matt Torian and Dan Vance, led by 50 seconds after Saturday’s race. Torian (1548, Escondido, Calif., Ford Ranger, :46:06 Sunday) placed third overall while Vance (1549, Huntington Beach, Calif./Austin Farner, Vista, Calif., Toyota) completed only two laps Sunday.

GROUP #6 Class 1-2/1600 (5 laps) - (33 Total Starters, 27 finishers)

• Rob MacCachren (1648, Las Vegas, Fraley, :45:39 Sunday, 39.430 mph) successfully defended his Class 1-2/1600 title and won the title for the fourth-time in Laughlin. MacCachren led Adam Pfankuch (1606, Carlsbad, Calif., Amplified, :46:48 Sunday) by 11 seconds entering Sunday’s race and posted a 10-second edge over Matt Gumz (1621, Barstow, Calif., Lothringer, :45:49) Sunday to captured the 10-lap, 60-mile race with a 1:29:14 (40.344 mph) compared to Gumz’ 1:29:44. Pfankuch was fourth at 1:30:34 for fourth-place behind Aaron Hawley (1601, Las Vegas, Sea Grove, 1:30:05). Arden Dennington (1632, Tracy, Calif. with Mike Malloy, Las Vegas, Fraley, who was second in Laughlin to MacCachren last year in Class 1-2/1600, completed only three laps Sunday after being eighth Saturday, 82 seconds behind the first-day leader. Caleb Gaddis (El Centro, Calif.), who is the co-driver for the 11th-place entry with Daniel McMillin (1613, El Cajon, Calif., Jimco, 1:34:04), was the 2005 SCORE Desert Series Class 1-2/1600 champion. Twenty-nine (29) of the 33 Sunday starters finished the second-day of the Class 1-2/1600 30-mile race.

GROUP #7 SCORE Trophy Truck (6 laps) - (30 Total Starters, 13 finishers)

• After finishing fourth Saturday, defending champion B.J. Baldwin (1, Las Vegas, Chevy Silverado, :46:35 Sunday, 46.368 mph) successfully reclaimed his title by finishing Sunday’s 36-mile test atop the daily leaderboard. The 2006 SCORE Trophy-Truck overall champion, Baldwin had a two-time time of 1:31:31 (47.205 mph) to finish 2 minutes, 46 seconds ahead of Garron Cadiente (38, Mesa, Ariz., Ford F-150, 1:34:17, 45.819 mph), who started Sunday in ninth-place after Saturday’s first 36 miles of racing. Rob MacCachren (3, Laguna Beach, Calif./Mark Post, Las Vegas, Ford F-150, :SCORE Trophy-Truck, :50:47 Sunday) held an eight-second lead over Alan Pflueger (28, Honolulu, Chevy Silverado, SCORE Trophy-Truck,:49:48 Sunday) entering Sunday. With Post driving Sunday, Pflueger finished third with a two-day time of 1:34:33 compared to the fourth-place clocking of 1:365:24 for MacCachren/Post. Fifteen (15) of the 25 starters Sunday completed the required six laps (36 miles).

GROUP #8 Class 1 (6 laps) - (43 Total Starters, 17 finishers)

• John Herder (115, Tucson, Ariz., Jimco-Chevy, :49:17 Sunday) padded his 20-second lead from Saturday to win the class by 22 seconds over B.J. Richardson (108 with John Gaughan, Las Vegas, Bunderson-Chevy, :49:08 Sunday, 43.962) with a two-day total of 1:36:56 (44.567) as compared to Richardson’s 1:37:18. Ronny Wilson (102, Long Beach, Calif., Jimco-Chevy, :50:29 Sunday), who was second Saturday, placed third (1:38:28) as 22 of Sunday’s 40 starters completed the required six laps (36 miles) for the second day of racing. Herder won the 1998 Laughlin Class 1 title. Gary Weyhrich (113, Troutdale, Ore., Jimco-Chev), the 2006 Class 1 Laughlin champion, did not complete a lap Sunday. Wilson finished second in the class last year, six seconds behind Weyhrich. Troy Herbst, the 2006 overall SCORE Class 1 champion, is sidelined with injuries.

• RACE NOTE - The SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge has attracted drivers from 15 states and three countries (Mexico, New Zealand and the United States).

• RACE NOTE - A total of 242 vehicles entered the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge with 225 vehicles starting Saturday’s races and 155 finishing the first of two days of racing. Sunday, 203 vehicles started and 134 finished their required laps.

• RACE NOTE - Andy McMillin (:07:14 first lap, 49.770 miles per hour), Rob MacCachren (:07:19, second and third lap, 49.203, :07:32, fifth lap, 47.788), Alan Pflueger (:07:19, third lap, 49.203, :07:34, sixth lap, 47.577) and B. J. Baldwin (:07:27, fourth lap, 48.322) had the fastest lap times. All were posted Saturday. The fastest lap Sunday was by B. J. Baldwin (:07:34, second lap, 47.577)
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