Monster Energy takes over Baja with seven teams competing in the 2012 SCORE Baja 1000

| November 12, 2012

The Monster Energy Off-Road team is set to tackle the 45th annual SCORE Baja 1000. With a massive team of five trophy trucks, One 6-truck, and one bike team The Monster Energy Off-Road team will be in the hunt for the overall win as well as multiple class wins.

The 1,121 mile battle down the treacherous Baja peninsula will begin at 6:30am Thursday morning November 16th in Ensenada, Baja, CA with the start of the bikes. The 4-wheel vehicles will start 5 hours later at 11:30am. The race will continue non-stop through the night ending just outside of La Paz, Baja Sur, CA. The bikes are expected to make it to the finish some 19 hours later near 1:30am if they can maintain a 60-mph average. The four wheel vehicles will are expected to arrive a few hours later near 6:30am.

Pre-running has already begun with the seven teams doing their pre-race homework driving the entire race course multiple times taking notes and mentally preparing for race day.

Starting 7th off the line in bikes The Monster Energy THR 8x Bike team is a major threat for the overall win. The team consists of off-road bike veterans; Robby Bell, David Pearson, Destry Abbott and Steve Hengeveld. Their victory would upset the 16 year reign of the Honda team.

“Ballistic” BJ Baldwin in the #97 Monster Energy Trophy Truck will be leading the attack for four wheel vehicles starting 7th off the line. BJ has led the race multiple times but the overall victory has eluded the current Best in the Desert Champion. BJ will be attempting to “Iron Man” the race driving the entire distance himself in tribute to the legends such as Ivan “Ironman” Stewart and Walker “The Legend” Evans.

Directly behind BJ is the veteran team of Tim Herbst and Off-Road Hall of Fame inductee Larry Roeseler in the Monster Energy #19 Trophy Truck. Their combined resumes have more Baja 1000 wins than any other team currently. At the Baja 1000 experience counts more than anything, expect the #19 Trophy Truck to be in the top 5 by the halfway point in Vizcaino.

Off-Road Ambassador Cameron Steele leads a two truck team effort with the #16 and #14 Monster Energy/Dessert Assassins Trophy Trucks starting 14th and 21st off the line. Cameron has assembled an all star team of off-road veterans including Josh Daniel, Mark Miller, Mike Johnson, and Mark Post; all of whom have had their fair share of victories. Nobody spends as much time in Baja going over race course than Cameron Steele, for this team their knowledge of the treacherous Baja 1000 course is key.

The second of the Herbst trophy trucks piloted by Troy Herbst and Ryan Arciero will start in the back of the pack in the 32nd position, but do not count out the #49 Monster Energy/Herbst Trophy Truck. Troy has won multiple Baja 1000 including back to back wins in 2004 and 2005. Ryan has also won the Baja 1000 as well as the infamous Best in the Desert Nevada 2000. In the 1000+ mile race start position is an advantage but one bottle neck can completely take away the start advantage.

Monster Energy’s Mikey Childress will also be sharing driving duties in the #71 Trophy Truck with Rick D. Johnson starting dead last in the unlimited class.

Heidi Steele heads up the #600 Monster Energy six truck with the team of Renee Bruegger, Pat Daily and Darren Harrison sharing in the driving duties. Since they did not compete in the earlier race this year they are solely focused on wining their class at the Baja 1000.

Follow the seven Monster Energy Off-Road teams exclusively on race-dezert.com‘s front page with semi-live video updates as well as the live tracking during the race at http://www.race-dezert.com/live

About Monster Beverage Company:

Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy refuses to acknowledge the traditional and the disingenuous. Monster always supports the scene and the sport. Whether it be motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MotoGP, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians symbolize. Much more than a drink, it’s a way of life lived by our athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Beverage Company – including all of its drinks – at www.monsterenergy.com and Facebook.com/MonsterEnergy.