Field includes 70 desert racers with 179 combined class victories In 27th annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250
Nearly 250 entries from 23 States, 11 countries for 254-mile race, opens 2013 SCORE Desert Series;Entered with most class wins: O’Neal-13, Solorzano-10, Campbell-8, MacCachren-8, Moss-8,
Roeseler-6, Rojas-5, Hengeveld-4, Carr-4, Tim Herbst-4, Lewis-4, Malo-4;
Special four-day coverage starts Thursday on Dirt Live Race Week at SCOREinternational.com;
40th season of world’s foremost desert racing organization starts the Roger Norman era
SAN DIEGO—With the pomp and circumstance befitting a European coronation, the Roger Norman era of SCORE International begins this week as a field of nearly 250 entries at the season-opening 27th Annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 includes 70 desert racers who have combined for 179 class wins are all part of the favored field of nearly 250 entries in this popular spring race on Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula.
Attracting entries from 23 states and 11 countries, the lineup includes 35 entries in SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee racing division for hi-tech, 850-horsepower unlimited production trucks. The season opener of the 2013 SCORE Desert Series will be held this weekend in Mexico’s picturesque fishing village of San Felipe, located 120 miles south of the U.S. border on the East side of the Baja California peninsula along the azure waters of the tranquil Sea of Cortez.
As new owner of the world’s foremost desert racing organization, Norman, who himself is a SCORE Baja 1000 overall champion, will start his legacy in 2013 as SCORE International celebrates its 40th anniversary season. SCORE was founded in 1973 by the late motorsports innovator Mickey Thompson.
With entries accepted up to race morning, nearly 250 entries are expected to take the green flag Saturday morning in the 254.0-mile race. To date, entries have come from 23 US States and 11 countries as competition will be held in 40 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in the popular race.
RACE DAY SKED…
Pre-running is allowed on the actual race course as it started Friday, Feb. 22 and will continue through Friday on the eve of the race.
The green flag will drop at 6 a.m. (or first light) on Saturday for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed three and one-half hours later after the last Sportsman ATV by the car and truck classes at approximately 10:30 a.m. The start line and finish line for the race is scheduled to once again be the landmark San Felipe Arches on Highway 5 on the outskirts of San Felipe. One vehicle will start every 30 seconds in the elapsed-time race, with a 12-hour time limit to become an official finisher. SCORE Trophy Truck and the unlimited Class 1 will start in 60-second intervals.
BREAKING IT DOWN…
The field includes racers from 14 of the last 15overall motorcycle winners as well as 15 of the previous overall 4-wheel vehicle winners in San Felipe. Also entered are 19 class winners from last year’s race and 20 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series season class point champions.
SCORE Trophy Trucks have won 16 overalls in San Felipe in the 19-year history of the class. Southern California’s Mark Post/Jerry Whelchel in 1997, San Diego’s son/father team of Andy and Scott McMillin (2005) and Armin Schwarz (Germany)/Martin Christensen (Denmark) (2010) have the only three Class 1 wins since SCORE created the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division in 1994.
In the first 26 years of this race, Honda has earned 16 overall motorcycle victories (including 14 of the last 16 years), Kawasaki has six, KTM has three and Husqvarna has one.
GIVE ME ANOTHER….
Leading the gregarious group of 43 racers with at least two class wins in this race entered this year are: Jim O’Neal (Class 21) with 13 age group motorcycle wins–all in the last 12 years, Eric Solorzano with 10 class wins in Class 11 for stock VW Sedans, Johnny Campbell (Class 22), Rob MacCachren (SCORE Trophy Truck) and Donald Moss (Class 3) who each have eight career class wins in this San Felipe race, Larry Roeseler (SCORE Trophy Truck) with six career class wins and Gerardo Rojas (Class 30) with five class wins in this San Felipe race. O’Neal has raced in all 26 previous SCORE San Felipe 250 races and he has a SCORE-record 15 career season class point titles.
Also entered this year are five racers who each have four class wins here: Kevin Carr (Class 5), Steve Hengeveld (Class 22), Tim Herbst (SCORE Trophy Truck), Ricardo Malo (SCORE Lites) and Donald Lewis (Class 60).
PRE-RACE SKED…
The pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and tech inspection of the vehicles in the race will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the picturesque Malecon, flanked by the Sea of Cortez on one side and the popular restaurants and night clubs of San Felipe on the other. Racer registration will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday (March 8) at the Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel. Open to the public for the first time, the pre-race mandatory racer’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday (March 8) at the plaza in the heart of the Malecon.
KNOCK, KNOCK…
As success breeds success, other former winners in the SCORE Trophy Truck field this year who will challenge Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren’s back-to-back wins are Las Vegas’ three-time winner Tim Herbst racing with Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif. (No. 19 Monster Energy Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150), Mexico’s 2003 winner Gus Vildosola racing with his son Gus Vildosola Jr (No. 21 Red Bull Vildosola Racing Ford Raptor), 2007 winner Mark Post, Laguna Beach, Calif. (No. 3 Riviera Racing Ford F-150) and 2010 winner Jesse Jones, Phoenix (No. 76 Jones Motorsports Ford F-150).
With a stellar all-star lineup of the premier desert racers in the world, leading the group of challengers against the former San Felipe race winners are two more Las Vegas racers, B. J. Baldwin (No. 1 Monster Energy Baldwin Motorsports Ford F-150) and Bryce Menzies (No. 70 Red Bull Menzies Motorsports Ford F-150). While neither has won a San Felipe race, Baldwin is a three-time SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion (2006, 2008 and 2012) and Menzies won the season title in 2011.
OVERALL, CLASS CHAMPS BACK…
Last year’s overall 4-wheel and 2-wheel champions are also part of the field. Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren has been the overall 4-wheel and SCORE Trophy Truck champion the last two straight years while the returning 2-wheel and Class 22 champion is the Bonzana Plumbing/KTM factory team of Kurt Caselli, Murrieta, Calif./Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico on a KTM 450SX-F.
Besides MacCachren and Caselli, a total of the 17 defending Pro class winners have entered so far this year: Luke McMillin, El Cajon, Calif. (Class 1), Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif. (Class 1/2-1600), Donald Moss, Sacremento, Calif. (Class 3), Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5), Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 6), Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 7SX), Rudolfo Iribe, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 8), Mike Lawrence, Sunset Beach, Calif. (Class 10), Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico/Ricardo Malo, Mexicali, Mexico (SCORE Lites), Reid Rutherford, Montrose, (Class 7-2), Mike Shaffer, Oakland, Calif. (Class 4), Chad Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Class 20), Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas (Class 30), Rafael Torres, San Felipe, Mexico (Class 24) and Marc Prince, Malibu, Calif. (Class 50).
Robinson (Class 10), Laguna (Class 1), Rutherford (Class 3000), Shaffer (Class 10) and Johnson (Class 40) are all in new classes this year while Iribe is listed as a co-driver for RPM Racing entries in Class 1 and Trophy Truck Spec.
MONSTERmania…
Festivities will start on Thursday night in the start line area at the San Felipe arches with a special Monster Energy Tecate SCORE Welcome party. Open to the public with a $2 donation to Mexico’s Cruz Roja (Red Cross), from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. there will be a racer autograph session followed by the celebratory party at 7 p.m., which will be fueled by Monster Energy Drink and Tecate.
THE MAIN COURSE…
The spectacular 254.0-mile race course runs in a counter-clockwise direction and starts and finishes at the landmark San Felipe arches. The race course goes north of Highway 3 for one of the first times ever in this race, covering over 100 miles up to the south end of Laguna Salada and back. Another major change in this year’s course is that the Zoo Road crossing has been moved west to a safer area where the terrain is more technical than the traditional high-speed ‘whoops’ which will slow the race vehicles down in an area of high spectator concentration.
The race course also includes three of the infamous Baja washes—Huatamote, Chanate and Amarillas before heading to the finish line. The course has three physical, full-stop checkpoints and 61 virtual checkpoints to help insure the safety and the integrity of the challenging race course.
HALLmark…
Helping launch the Roger Norman era of SCORE International will be the venerable desert racing legend Rod Hall, 75 of Reno, Nev., who will serve as the grand marshal of the 27th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Hall is the only person who has raced in all 45 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races where he has earned a race-record 22 class wins in his remarkable career. Winner of 14 career SCORE class season point championships, Hall continues to give back to the sport he cherishes so much as the curator of the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame which is also located in Reno.
DIRT LIVE SCORE RACE WEEK…
Roger Norman’s increasing popular Dirt Live internet webcast will be on-site in San Felipe providing first of its kind live and same-day coverage of the start of the new era in SCORE history. Airing on www.score-international.com, unprecedented coverage will start on Thursday night with the Monster Energy Tecate SCORE Welcome Party and in addition to extended race-day coverage will conclude Sunday at 10 a.m. (PDT) with the first live webcast of the SCORE post-race awards celebration.
Another first will be live streaming from the pre-race racer’s meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday. Dirt Live commentators in San Felipe will be George Antill, Ivan Stewart, Dave Arnold and Sara Price.
HISTORYonics…
The season-opener of the 2013 SCORE Desert Series, the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, annually provides a greater economic impact to San Felipe than the popular six-week-long ‘Spring Break’.
The race began in 1982 and was not held between 1985 and 1989, the first five years of the seven-year combined High Desert Racing Association-HDRA/SCORE Desert Series of US and Baja races. It has been held consecutively each year since 1990.
In its first 26 years, the race has been held in San Felipe all but 2007 when political issues forced a last minute move by SCORE, starting it in Ensenada and finishing it in Santo Tomas. Ironically, 2007 saw a race-record 394 starters and a race-record 288 finishers even though the race was moved and the course changed just 10 days before the event. The records when the race actually started and finished in San Felipe are 341 for starters in 2006 and 220 for finishers, also in 2006.
ON THE BAJAscope
In its 40th year as the world’s foremost desert racing organization in 2013, the three-race 2013 SCORE Desert Series, with all three massive special events held in Baja California, Mexico, starts with the 27th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Both starting and finishing in Ensenada, the other two events will be the 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 (May 31-June 2) and the 46th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 (Nov. 14-17).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF DESERT RACING
The 2013 SCORE Desert Series will also be part of the quickly-evolving World Championship of Desert Racing, which will combine points accumulated in the three SCORE Baja races along with points earned from three of the four-race 2013 HDRA Series, all held in the United States. Both the SCORE and HDRA series will crown their own individual class and overall point champions as well with a bonus purse for those racers who qualify for the World Championship of Desert Racing points bonus purse program to earn a desert racing World Champion title.
With a growing total, for the inaugural World Championship of Desert Racing bonus purse, an official total of $45,000 has been posted to date from new SCORE sponsors Amber Racing Services ($25,000), King Shocks ($10,000) and Rigid Industries ($10,000).
For car and truck classes with at least five starters in each qualifying race in 2013, the World Champion titles will be decided on combined points from the three SCORE races and three HDRA races with the bonus purse paid using the same formula based on total purse and number of starters in each class as is used currently for each SCORE race.
For the pro motorcycle and ATV classes, the World Championship of Desert Racing will include points earned in the three SCORE Baja races as well as the AMA National Hare and Hound race to be held during the HDRA Reno 500.
MORE AWARDS…
In addition to season class point championships and World Championship titles, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $400,000 in cash purse and contingency postings each race. There are also annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year Awards including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Award that also receives a $2,000 cash bonus and custom-made driver’s race suit. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the race season. These awards are being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 28th consecutive year.
NORMAN NOTES…
Norman acquired ownership of the world-renown SCORE International on Dec. 20, 2012 from Sal Fish, 73, the iconic godfather of desert racing who ran SCORE for 39 years.
As a hotel/casino owner in northern Nevada, business developer and a champion racer, Norman re-started the High Desert Racing Association, (HDRA) in 2011. HDRA was highly regarded when it was active originally in the 1980s and early 1990s. HDRA was actually bought out by Sal Fish in the early 90’s, thus making SCORE the dominant racing organization. Things have come full circle as HDRA owner, Norman, now buys SCORE.
In addition to business interests in both San Diego and Reno, Norman owns the Crystal Bay Casino in North Lake Tahoe, Nev. as well as Wide Open Excursions desert ride-n-drive tour company with branches in Ensenada, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Reno, Nev.
Norman is a regular with his ‘Pit Stop with Roger’ segment on his new weekly webcast internet show on www.score-international.com-Dirt Live.
SCORE SPONSOR/PARTNERS…
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are fueled by Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink: Tecate Beer-Official Beer/Official Race Sponsor, BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Amber Racing Services-Official Race Fuels (F&L, VP), Rigid Industries-Official Lights, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Coca-Cola-Official Soft Drink, Wide Open Excursions-Official Tour Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino, Volaris Airlines-Official Airline, MasterCraft Safety-Official Safety Seats, Fox Car Rental-Official Rent-A-Car, Graham Watchmakers-Official Timekeeper, SatellitePhoneStore.com-Official Satellite Phone Rental Company, Slime-Official Tire Sealant, Symons Ambulance Company-Official Ambulance, Azunia Tequila-Official Tequila, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance-Official Mexican Auto Insurance.
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Visit Baja California Sur, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, visit the official website of the new SCORE Desert Series at www.score-international.com.
Attracting entries from 23 states and 11 countries, the lineup includes 35 entries in SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee racing division for hi-tech, 850-horsepower unlimited production trucks. The season opener of the 2013 SCORE Desert Series will be held this weekend in Mexico’s picturesque fishing village of San Felipe, located 120 miles south of the U.S. border on the East side of the Baja California peninsula along the azure waters of the tranquil Sea of Cortez.
As new owner of the world’s foremost desert racing organization, Norman, who himself is a SCORE Baja 1000 overall champion, will start his legacy in 2013 as SCORE International celebrates its 40th anniversary season. SCORE was founded in 1973 by the late motorsports innovator Mickey Thompson.
With entries accepted up to race morning, nearly 250 entries are expected to take the green flag Saturday morning in the 254.0-mile race. To date, entries have come from 23 US States and 11 countries as competition will be held in 40 Pro and 7 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in the popular race.
RACE DAY SKED…
Pre-running is allowed on the actual race course as it started Friday, Feb. 22 and will continue through Friday on the eve of the race.
The green flag will drop at 6 a.m. (or first light) on Saturday for the motorcycle and ATV classes, followed three and one-half hours later after the last Sportsman ATV by the car and truck classes at approximately 10:30 a.m. The start line and finish line for the race is scheduled to once again be the landmark San Felipe Arches on Highway 5 on the outskirts of San Felipe. One vehicle will start every 30 seconds in the elapsed-time race, with a 12-hour time limit to become an official finisher. SCORE Trophy Truck and the unlimited Class 1 will start in 60-second intervals.
BREAKING IT DOWN…
The field includes racers from 14 of the last 15overall motorcycle winners as well as 15 of the previous overall 4-wheel vehicle winners in San Felipe. Also entered are 19 class winners from last year’s race and 20 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series season class point champions.
SCORE Trophy Trucks have won 16 overalls in San Felipe in the 19-year history of the class. Southern California’s Mark Post/Jerry Whelchel in 1997, San Diego’s son/father team of Andy and Scott McMillin (2005) and Armin Schwarz (Germany)/Martin Christensen (Denmark) (2010) have the only three Class 1 wins since SCORE created the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division in 1994.
In the first 26 years of this race, Honda has earned 16 overall motorcycle victories (including 14 of the last 16 years), Kawasaki has six, KTM has three and Husqvarna has one.
GIVE ME ANOTHER….
Leading the gregarious group of 43 racers with at least two class wins in this race entered this year are: Jim O’Neal (Class 21) with 13 age group motorcycle wins–all in the last 12 years, Eric Solorzano with 10 class wins in Class 11 for stock VW Sedans, Johnny Campbell (Class 22), Rob MacCachren (SCORE Trophy Truck) and Donald Moss (Class 3) who each have eight career class wins in this San Felipe race, Larry Roeseler (SCORE Trophy Truck) with six career class wins and Gerardo Rojas (Class 30) with five class wins in this San Felipe race. O’Neal has raced in all 26 previous SCORE San Felipe 250 races and he has a SCORE-record 15 career season class point titles.
Also entered this year are five racers who each have four class wins here: Kevin Carr (Class 5), Steve Hengeveld (Class 22), Tim Herbst (SCORE Trophy Truck), Ricardo Malo (SCORE Lites) and Donald Lewis (Class 60).
PRE-RACE SKED…
The pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and tech inspection of the vehicles in the race will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the picturesque Malecon, flanked by the Sea of Cortez on one side and the popular restaurants and night clubs of San Felipe on the other. Racer registration will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday (March 8) at the Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel. Open to the public for the first time, the pre-race mandatory racer’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday (March 8) at the plaza in the heart of the Malecon.
KNOCK, KNOCK…
As success breeds success, other former winners in the SCORE Trophy Truck field this year who will challenge Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren’s back-to-back wins are Las Vegas’ three-time winner Tim Herbst racing with Larry Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif. (No. 19 Monster Energy Terrible Herbst Motorsports Ford F-150), Mexico’s 2003 winner Gus Vildosola racing with his son Gus Vildosola Jr (No. 21 Red Bull Vildosola Racing Ford Raptor), 2007 winner Mark Post, Laguna Beach, Calif. (No. 3 Riviera Racing Ford F-150) and 2010 winner Jesse Jones, Phoenix (No. 76 Jones Motorsports Ford F-150).
With a stellar all-star lineup of the premier desert racers in the world, leading the group of challengers against the former San Felipe race winners are two more Las Vegas racers, B. J. Baldwin (No. 1 Monster Energy Baldwin Motorsports Ford F-150) and Bryce Menzies (No. 70 Red Bull Menzies Motorsports Ford F-150). While neither has won a San Felipe race, Baldwin is a three-time SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion (2006, 2008 and 2012) and Menzies won the season title in 2011.
OVERALL, CLASS CHAMPS BACK…
Last year’s overall 4-wheel and 2-wheel champions are also part of the field. Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren has been the overall 4-wheel and SCORE Trophy Truck champion the last two straight years while the returning 2-wheel and Class 22 champion is the Bonzana Plumbing/KTM factory team of Kurt Caselli, Murrieta, Calif./Ivan Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico on a KTM 450SX-F.
Besides MacCachren and Caselli, a total of the 17 defending Pro class winners have entered so far this year: Luke McMillin, El Cajon, Calif. (Class 1), Cody Robinson, El Centro, Calif. (Class 1/2-1600), Donald Moss, Sacremento, Calif. (Class 3), Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5), Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 6), Elias Hanna, Ensenada, Mexico (Class 7SX), Rudolfo Iribe, Tijuana, Mexico (Class 8), Mike Lawrence, Sunset Beach, Calif. (Class 10), Arnoldo Ramirez, Ensenada, Mexico/Ricardo Malo, Mexicali, Mexico (SCORE Lites), Reid Rutherford, Montrose, (Class 7-2), Mike Shaffer, Oakland, Calif. (Class 4), Chad Broughton, Scotts Valley, Calif. (Class 20), Mike Johnson, El Paso, Texas (Class 30), Rafael Torres, San Felipe, Mexico (Class 24) and Marc Prince, Malibu, Calif. (Class 50).
Robinson (Class 10), Laguna (Class 1), Rutherford (Class 3000), Shaffer (Class 10) and Johnson (Class 40) are all in new classes this year while Iribe is listed as a co-driver for RPM Racing entries in Class 1 and Trophy Truck Spec.
MONSTERmania…
Festivities will start on Thursday night in the start line area at the San Felipe arches with a special Monster Energy Tecate SCORE Welcome party. Open to the public with a $2 donation to Mexico’s Cruz Roja (Red Cross), from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. there will be a racer autograph session followed by the celebratory party at 7 p.m., which will be fueled by Monster Energy Drink and Tecate.
THE MAIN COURSE…
The spectacular 254.0-mile race course runs in a counter-clockwise direction and starts and finishes at the landmark San Felipe arches. The race course goes north of Highway 3 for one of the first times ever in this race, covering over 100 miles up to the south end of Laguna Salada and back. Another major change in this year’s course is that the Zoo Road crossing has been moved west to a safer area where the terrain is more technical than the traditional high-speed ‘whoops’ which will slow the race vehicles down in an area of high spectator concentration.
The race course also includes three of the infamous Baja washes—Huatamote, Chanate and Amarillas before heading to the finish line. The course has three physical, full-stop checkpoints and 61 virtual checkpoints to help insure the safety and the integrity of the challenging race course.
HALLmark…
Helping launch the Roger Norman era of SCORE International will be the venerable desert racing legend Rod Hall, 75 of Reno, Nev., who will serve as the grand marshal of the 27th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Hall is the only person who has raced in all 45 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races where he has earned a race-record 22 class wins in his remarkable career. Winner of 14 career SCORE class season point championships, Hall continues to give back to the sport he cherishes so much as the curator of the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame which is also located in Reno.
DIRT LIVE SCORE RACE WEEK…
Roger Norman’s increasing popular Dirt Live internet webcast will be on-site in San Felipe providing first of its kind live and same-day coverage of the start of the new era in SCORE history. Airing on www.score-international.com, unprecedented coverage will start on Thursday night with the Monster Energy Tecate SCORE Welcome Party and in addition to extended race-day coverage will conclude Sunday at 10 a.m. (PDT) with the first live webcast of the SCORE post-race awards celebration.
Another first will be live streaming from the pre-race racer’s meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday. Dirt Live commentators in San Felipe will be George Antill, Ivan Stewart, Dave Arnold and Sara Price.
HISTORYonics…
The season-opener of the 2013 SCORE Desert Series, the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, annually provides a greater economic impact to San Felipe than the popular six-week-long ‘Spring Break’.
The race began in 1982 and was not held between 1985 and 1989, the first five years of the seven-year combined High Desert Racing Association-HDRA/SCORE Desert Series of US and Baja races. It has been held consecutively each year since 1990.
In its first 26 years, the race has been held in San Felipe all but 2007 when political issues forced a last minute move by SCORE, starting it in Ensenada and finishing it in Santo Tomas. Ironically, 2007 saw a race-record 394 starters and a race-record 288 finishers even though the race was moved and the course changed just 10 days before the event. The records when the race actually started and finished in San Felipe are 341 for starters in 2006 and 220 for finishers, also in 2006.
ON THE BAJAscope
In its 40th year as the world’s foremost desert racing organization in 2013, the three-race 2013 SCORE Desert Series, with all three massive special events held in Baja California, Mexico, starts with the 27th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Both starting and finishing in Ensenada, the other two events will be the 45th Tecate SCORE Baja 500 (May 31-June 2) and the 46th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 (Nov. 14-17).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF DESERT RACING
The 2013 SCORE Desert Series will also be part of the quickly-evolving World Championship of Desert Racing, which will combine points accumulated in the three SCORE Baja races along with points earned from three of the four-race 2013 HDRA Series, all held in the United States. Both the SCORE and HDRA series will crown their own individual class and overall point champions as well with a bonus purse for those racers who qualify for the World Championship of Desert Racing points bonus purse program to earn a desert racing World Champion title.
With a growing total, for the inaugural World Championship of Desert Racing bonus purse, an official total of $45,000 has been posted to date from new SCORE sponsors Amber Racing Services ($25,000), King Shocks ($10,000) and Rigid Industries ($10,000).
For car and truck classes with at least five starters in each qualifying race in 2013, the World Champion titles will be decided on combined points from the three SCORE races and three HDRA races with the bonus purse paid using the same formula based on total purse and number of starters in each class as is used currently for each SCORE race.
For the pro motorcycle and ATV classes, the World Championship of Desert Racing will include points earned in the three SCORE Baja races as well as the AMA National Hare and Hound race to be held during the HDRA Reno 500.
MORE AWARDS…
In addition to season class point championships and World Championship titles, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $400,000 in cash purse and contingency postings each race. There are also annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year Awards including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Award that also receives a $2,000 cash bonus and custom-made driver’s race suit. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the race season. These awards are being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 28th consecutive year.
NORMAN NOTES…
Norman acquired ownership of the world-renown SCORE International on Dec. 20, 2012 from Sal Fish, 73, the iconic godfather of desert racing who ran SCORE for 39 years.
As a hotel/casino owner in northern Nevada, business developer and a champion racer, Norman re-started the High Desert Racing Association, (HDRA) in 2011. HDRA was highly regarded when it was active originally in the 1980s and early 1990s. HDRA was actually bought out by Sal Fish in the early 90’s, thus making SCORE the dominant racing organization. Things have come full circle as HDRA owner, Norman, now buys SCORE.
In addition to business interests in both San Diego and Reno, Norman owns the Crystal Bay Casino in North Lake Tahoe, Nev. as well as Wide Open Excursions desert ride-n-drive tour company with branches in Ensenada, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Reno, Nev.
Norman is a regular with his ‘Pit Stop with Roger’ segment on his new weekly webcast internet show on www.score-international.com-
SCORE SPONSOR/PARTNERS…
Official Sponsors of the SCORE Desert Series are fueled by Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink: Tecate Beer-Official Beer/Official Race Sponsor, BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, Amber Racing Services-Official Race Fuels (F&L, VP), Rigid Industries-Official Lights, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Coca-Cola-Official Soft Drink, Wide Open Excursions-Official Tour Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino, Volaris Airlines-Official Airline, MasterCraft Safety-Official Safety Seats, Fox Car Rental-Official Rent-A-Car, Graham Watchmakers-Official Timekeeper, SatellitePhoneStore.com-
Additional SCORE Sponsors are – Visit Baja California Sur, Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Blue C Advertising, PCI Race Radios, McKenzie’s Performance Products and Advanced Color Graphics.
For more information, visit the official website of the new SCORE Desert Series at
27th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250
Schedule of Events
Schedule of Events
Thursday, March 7, 2013 (Times are PST)
1pm-5pm–Media Registration, Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel
7pm-Midnight–Monster Energy Tecate Welcome Party, San Felipe Arches
Friday, March 8, 2013 (Times are PST)
9am-5pm–Racer Registration, Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel
9am-5pm–Media Registration, Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel
10am-5pm–Contingency Row, Downtown on the Malecon
10am-6pm–Tech Inspection, Downtown on the Malecon
7pm–Mandatory Racer Meeting, Plaza on the Malecon
Saturday, March 9, 2013 (Times are PST)
5:30am-11am–Late Registration & Tech, Los Arcos Motel (Start line)
5:30am-8pm–Media Center Open, Start/Finish line
1pm & 4pm–Posting of Unofficial Results, Los Arcos Motel
8pm–Competition Review Board, Los Arcos Motel
Sunday, March 10, 2013 (Time is Pacific Daylight Time)
10am–Awards Celebration, Plaza on the Malecon
Saturday, March 9, Race Schedule (Subject to Change)
(254.0-mile course)
START/FINISH LINE- west side of Highway 5 (Southbound lanes) at the San Felipe Arches
(Vehicles start one every 30 seconds; SCORE Trophy Truck, Class 1 start one every 60 seconds)
6:00am MOTORCYCLES/ATVs—22, 21, 30, 40, 50, 20, 60, 25, 24, SPT M/C>, SPT M/C<, SPT ATV, 26
10:30am (approx.) CARS/TRUCKS—TT, 1, 10, TT Spec, SL, 8, HM, PT, 6100, 3000, TL, 4000, 1/2-1600, 5, 7200, 7, 7SX, 5-1600, 2, 2D, 3, 3700, 1700, 4400, SF, SM, 9, 11, 19, , SPT UNL TRUCK, SPT BUGGY, SPT LMTD TRUCK, SPT UTV
TIME LIMIT: All vehicles will have a 12-hour time limit from the time each vehicle starts to complete the course
1pm-5pm–Media Registration, Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel
7pm-Midnight–Monster Energy Tecate Welcome Party, San Felipe Arches
Friday, March 8, 2013 (Times are PST)
9am-5pm–Racer Registration, Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel
9am-5pm–Media Registration, Hacienda Don Jesus Hotel
10am-5pm–Contingency Row, Downtown on the Malecon
10am-6pm–Tech Inspection, Downtown on the Malecon
7pm–Mandatory Racer Meeting, Plaza on the Malecon
Saturday, March 9, 2013 (Times are PST)
5:30am-11am–Late Registration & Tech, Los Arcos Motel (Start line)
5:30am-8pm–Media Center Open, Start/Finish line
1pm & 4pm–Posting of Unofficial Results, Los Arcos Motel
8pm–Competition Review Board, Los Arcos Motel
Sunday, March 10, 2013 (Time is Pacific Daylight Time)
10am–Awards Celebration, Plaza on the Malecon
Saturday, March 9, Race Schedule (Subject to Change)
(254.0-mile course)
START/FINISH LINE- west side of Highway 5 (Southbound lanes) at the San Felipe Arches
(Vehicles start one every 30 seconds; SCORE Trophy Truck, Class 1 start one every 60 seconds)
6:00am MOTORCYCLES/ATVs—22, 21, 30, 40, 50, 20, 60, 25, 24, SPT M/C>, SPT M/C<, SPT ATV, 26
10:30am (approx.) CARS/TRUCKS—TT, 1, 10, TT Spec, SL, 8, HM, PT, 6100, 3000, TL, 4000, 1/2-1600, 5, 7200, 7, 7SX, 5-1600, 2, 2D, 3, 3700, 1700, 4400, SF, SM, 9, 11, 19, , SPT UNL TRUCK, SPT BUGGY, SPT LMTD TRUCK, SPT UTV
TIME LIMIT: All vehicles will have a 12-hour time limit from the time each vehicle starts to complete the course
27th Annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250
March 8-10, 2013—San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
Total Entries: 237 (as of 3/04/13)
(from 23 States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Norway)
Pro Cars & Trucks
March 8-10, 2013—San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico
Total Entries: 237 (as of 3/04/13)
(from 23 States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Norway)
Pro Cars & Trucks
SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (35)
9 Mark Weyhrich
23 Dan McMillin
1 B.J. Baldwin
70 Bryce Menzies
18 Juan C. Lopez
2 Pete Sohren
84 Nick Vanderwey
49 Troy Herbst
88 Sergio Salgado
21 Gus Vildosola
48 Jimmy Nuckles
7 Steven Eugenio
11 Rob MacCachren
57 Mike Palmer
78 Jesse Ashcraft
85 Justin Davis
55 Mark Workentine
35 Jason Voss
19 Tim Herbst
76 Jesse Jones
36 Glen Greer
28 Alan Pflueger
50 Zak Langley
98 Gary Weyhrich
15 Armin Schwarz
10 Greg Nunley
59 Craig Potts
16 Cameron Steele
54 Jesse James
33 Todd Romano
34 Ken Losch
30 Robbie Pierce
4 Valerio Gonzalez
3 Mark Post
14 Heidi Steele
CLASS 1 (17)
101 Justin Matney
108 Luke McMillin
153 Ronny Wilson
100 Cody Parkhouse
138 Brian Wilson
117 Eduardo Laguna
131 George Peters
182 Brady Turner
121 Damen Jefferies
111 John Langley
119 Erik Harp
107 Rene Zule
110 Josh Rigsby
170 Hiram Duran
122 Song Li
102 Otoniel Huerta-2nd RS
179 Ron Gibbs-1st RS
CLASS 1/2-1600 (12)
1679 Derek Eugenio
1602 Ernesto Arambula
1647 Wes McKenzie
1620 Matt Ferrato
1615 Jesus Velez
1636 Christian Celaya
1688 Rodrigo Elorduy
1601 Jorge Sanchez
1612 Francisco Escareno
1608 Rob Archibald-3rd RS
1643 Daniel Reyes Jr-2nd RS
1649 Eliseo Garcia-1st RS
CLASS 3 (1)
300 Donald Moss
CLASS 5 (3)
500 Kevin Carr
501 Mike O’Donnell
502 Jose Lopez
CLASS 5-1600 (4)
560 Ernie Negrete
552 Carlos Rivera
551 Joaquin Rodriguez
555 Clyde Stacy-1st RS
CLASS 7 (4)
700 Dan Chamlee
707 Scott Brady
701 Brandon Walsh
704 Aaron Celiceo
CLASS 7200 (8)
7248 Josh Quintero
7267 Travis Bozzano
7238 Kyle Kovach
7207 Steve Kovach
7206 Joe Ramirez
7298 Jonathan Brenthal
7213 Victor Herrera Jr
7277 Peter Lang-1st RS
CLASS 7SX (4)
741 Rich Severson
742 James Burman
740 Elias Hanna
749 Eduardo Gonzalez-2nd RS
CLASS 8 (4)
809 Arturo Benavides
800 Derek Fletcher
801 Jose Leon
836 Rodrigo Ampudia
CLASS 10 (18)
1000 Mike Lawrence
1066 Mike Shaffer
1021 Chris Boyer
1010 Carlos Lopez
1039 Matt Cullen
1016 Cody Robinson
1053 Brad Wilson
1062 J.J. Schnarr
1031 Mike Johnson
1001 Andrew Meyers
1080 Peter Hajas
1030 Jim Anderson
1023 Lee Banning
1077 Rick Sanchez
1007 Jorge Salmon
1002 Mark Lawrence
1081 Todd Winslow
1003 Perry McNeil
SCORE LITES (7)
1249 Roberto Anda
1202 Moises Torres
1203 Juan Guillen
1210 Luis Barragan
1207 Michael Crichton-3rd RS
1218 Ricardo Malo-2nd RS
1299 Leonardo Rayos-1st RS
CLASS 11 (3)
1101 Rene Rodriguez
1149 Alejandro Rivas-2nd RS
1100 Eric Solorzano-1st RS
STOCK FULL (1)
8162 Jim Keyes
CLASS 3000 (1)
3003 Reid Rutherford
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (3)
841 Taylor Mills
842 Nick Mills
844 Clyde Stacy-1st RS
HEAVY METAL (2)
8036 Carlos Fonseca
8014 Andrew Leavitt
CLASS 17 (1)
1709 Austin Stobaugh
CLASS 19 (9)
1904 Cory Sappington
1907 Paul Broughton
1917 Jason Murray
1932 Matt Parks
1933 Hans Waage
1901 Douglas McCrady
1911 David Nagy
1903 Mark Schelbert
1905 Marc Burnett-1st RS
CLASS 2 (1)
228 Pedro De Uriate-1st RS
CLASS 4400 (1)
4438 Joaquin De Uriate-1st RS
9 Mark Weyhrich
23 Dan McMillin
1 B.J. Baldwin
70 Bryce Menzies
18 Juan C. Lopez
2 Pete Sohren
84 Nick Vanderwey
49 Troy Herbst
88 Sergio Salgado
21 Gus Vildosola
48 Jimmy Nuckles
7 Steven Eugenio
11 Rob MacCachren
57 Mike Palmer
78 Jesse Ashcraft
85 Justin Davis
55 Mark Workentine
35 Jason Voss
19 Tim Herbst
76 Jesse Jones
36 Glen Greer
28 Alan Pflueger
50 Zak Langley
98 Gary Weyhrich
15 Armin Schwarz
10 Greg Nunley
59 Craig Potts
16 Cameron Steele
54 Jesse James
33 Todd Romano
34 Ken Losch
30 Robbie Pierce
4 Valerio Gonzalez
3 Mark Post
14 Heidi Steele
CLASS 1 (17)
101 Justin Matney
108 Luke McMillin
153 Ronny Wilson
100 Cody Parkhouse
138 Brian Wilson
117 Eduardo Laguna
131 George Peters
182 Brady Turner
121 Damen Jefferies
111 John Langley
119 Erik Harp
107 Rene Zule
110 Josh Rigsby
170 Hiram Duran
122 Song Li
102 Otoniel Huerta-2nd RS
179 Ron Gibbs-1st RS
CLASS 1/2-1600 (12)
1679 Derek Eugenio
1602 Ernesto Arambula
1647 Wes McKenzie
1620 Matt Ferrato
1615 Jesus Velez
1636 Christian Celaya
1688 Rodrigo Elorduy
1601 Jorge Sanchez
1612 Francisco Escareno
1608 Rob Archibald-3rd RS
1643 Daniel Reyes Jr-2nd RS
1649 Eliseo Garcia-1st RS
CLASS 3 (1)
300 Donald Moss
CLASS 5 (3)
500 Kevin Carr
501 Mike O’Donnell
502 Jose Lopez
CLASS 5-1600 (4)
560 Ernie Negrete
552 Carlos Rivera
551 Joaquin Rodriguez
555 Clyde Stacy-1st RS
CLASS 7 (4)
700 Dan Chamlee
707 Scott Brady
701 Brandon Walsh
704 Aaron Celiceo
CLASS 7200 (8)
7248 Josh Quintero
7267 Travis Bozzano
7238 Kyle Kovach
7207 Steve Kovach
7206 Joe Ramirez
7298 Jonathan Brenthal
7213 Victor Herrera Jr
7277 Peter Lang-1st RS
CLASS 7SX (4)
741 Rich Severson
742 James Burman
740 Elias Hanna
749 Eduardo Gonzalez-2nd RS
CLASS 8 (4)
809 Arturo Benavides
800 Derek Fletcher
801 Jose Leon
836 Rodrigo Ampudia
CLASS 10 (18)
1000 Mike Lawrence
1066 Mike Shaffer
1021 Chris Boyer
1010 Carlos Lopez
1039 Matt Cullen
1016 Cody Robinson
1053 Brad Wilson
1062 J.J. Schnarr
1031 Mike Johnson
1001 Andrew Meyers
1080 Peter Hajas
1030 Jim Anderson
1023 Lee Banning
1077 Rick Sanchez
1007 Jorge Salmon
1002 Mark Lawrence
1081 Todd Winslow
1003 Perry McNeil
SCORE LITES (7)
1249 Roberto Anda
1202 Moises Torres
1203 Juan Guillen
1210 Luis Barragan
1207 Michael Crichton-3rd RS
1218 Ricardo Malo-2nd RS
1299 Leonardo Rayos-1st RS
CLASS 11 (3)
1101 Rene Rodriguez
1149 Alejandro Rivas-2nd RS
1100 Eric Solorzano-1st RS
STOCK FULL (1)
8162 Jim Keyes
CLASS 3000 (1)
3003 Reid Rutherford
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (3)
841 Taylor Mills
842 Nick Mills
844 Clyde Stacy-1st RS
HEAVY METAL (2)
8036 Carlos Fonseca
8014 Andrew Leavitt
CLASS 17 (1)
1709 Austin Stobaugh
CLASS 19 (9)
1904 Cory Sappington
1907 Paul Broughton
1917 Jason Murray
1932 Matt Parks
1933 Hans Waage
1901 Douglas McCrady
1911 David Nagy
1903 Mark Schelbert
1905 Marc Burnett-1st RS
CLASS 2 (1)
228 Pedro De Uriate-1st RS
CLASS 4400 (1)
4438 Joaquin De Uriate-1st RS
Pro Motorcycles
CLASS 22 (8)
4x Robby Bell
2x Kurt Caselli
46x Kendall Norman
3x Mike Brown
1x Timmy Weigand
9x A.J. Stewart
8x Mark Samuels
7x Norman Rainey
CLASS 20 (2)
150x Chad Broughton
169x Mark Bradford-1st RS
CLASS 21 (4)
102x Adam Neuwirth
127x Jim O’Neal
101x Ulises Fierro
149x Juan Gutierrez
CLASS 30 (8)
301x Cliff Cook
329x Brad Baker
305x Octavio Valle
302x Javier Hernandez
303x Ryan Gutile
308x Xavier Ortega
307x Shane Bell
311x Greg Bardonnex-1st RS
CLASS 40 (5)
402x Mike Prunty
404x Craig Williams
401x Rob Huggins
403x Oscar Fazz
444x Mike Johnson-1st RS
CLASS 50 (2)
555x Robert Smith
500x Marc Prince
CLASS 60 (2)
601x Robert Oborne
609x Donald Lewis-1st RS
4x Robby Bell
2x Kurt Caselli
46x Kendall Norman
3x Mike Brown
1x Timmy Weigand
9x A.J. Stewart
8x Mark Samuels
7x Norman Rainey
CLASS 20 (2)
150x Chad Broughton
169x Mark Bradford-1st RS
CLASS 21 (4)
102x Adam Neuwirth
127x Jim O’Neal
101x Ulises Fierro
149x Juan Gutierrez
CLASS 30 (8)
301x Cliff Cook
329x Brad Baker
305x Octavio Valle
302x Javier Hernandez
303x Ryan Gutile
308x Xavier Ortega
307x Shane Bell
311x Greg Bardonnex-1st RS
CLASS 40 (5)
402x Mike Prunty
404x Craig Williams
401x Rob Huggins
403x Oscar Fazz
444x Mike Johnson-1st RS
CLASS 50 (2)
555x Robert Smith
500x Marc Prince
CLASS 60 (2)
601x Robert Oborne
609x Donald Lewis-1st RS
Pro ATVs
CLASS 25 (10)
2a Felipe Velez
11a Ryan Lea
13a Merlin Puettman
17a Adolfo Arellano
10a Javier Robles Jr
21a Juan Sanchez
7a James Wooford
4a Nick Nelson
5a Craig Christy-2nd RS
49a Gustavo Ameca-1st RS
CLASS 24 (11)
102a Shawn Robins
101a Thomas Wright
106a Max Hernandez
109a Juan Dominguez
104a Juan Gonzalez
100a Rafael Torres
103a Mike Zelenka
110a Alexandro Diaz
117a Jose Torres
105a Edgar Barraza-2nd RS
149a Gabriel Valencia-1st RS
CLASS 26 (1)
201a Rob Ransford
2a Felipe Velez
11a Ryan Lea
13a Merlin Puettman
17a Adolfo Arellano
10a Javier Robles Jr
21a Juan Sanchez
7a James Wooford
4a Nick Nelson
5a Craig Christy-2nd RS
49a Gustavo Ameca-1st RS
CLASS 24 (11)
102a Shawn Robins
101a Thomas Wright
106a Max Hernandez
109a Juan Dominguez
104a Juan Gonzalez
100a Rafael Torres
103a Mike Zelenka
110a Alexandro Diaz
117a Jose Torres
105a Edgar Barraza-2nd RS
149a Gabriel Valencia-1st RS
CLASS 26 (1)
201a Rob Ransford
Sportsman
SPT BUGGY (7)
1501 Brian Siler
1502 Buddy Crisp
1503 Jorge Valdes
1504 Tom Flattery
1580 Erik Shallbetter-3rd RS
1555 Hamid Hajarian-2nd RS
1599 John Pfeifer-1st RS
SPT UNLTD TRUCK (3)
1494 Vincent Munoz-3rd RS
1444 Jim Bunn-2nd RS
1499 Jason Papa-1st RS
SPT UTV UNLIMITED (4)
1963 David Neuber
1951 Alonzo Lopez
1950 Thomas Graves
1993 Chad Casey-1st RS
SPT M/C< (9)
215x Kurt Vanderpool
202x Aki Polvikoski
222x Chris Scranton
201x Daniel O’Leary
205x Darin Bullivant
207x Oscar Esparaza
212x Carlos Silva
211x Christian Espinoza
249x Mark Winkelman-1st RS
SPT M/C> (15)
294x Todd Powell
253x Roger Judd
254x Daryl Judd
255x John Nolting
251x Eric Anderson
263x Mike Short
261x Brent Downing
252x Adrian Ruiz
269x Bryce Semonian
264x Geoffrey Gerbrandt
270x Manuel Gomez
288x Aaron Magagna
277x Raul Revilla
265x Luis Fernando Moctezuma
262x Mike Maggrah-2nd RS
287x Wesley Glogner-1st RS
SPT ATV (6)
77a Fidel Gonzalez
51a Richard Epperson
55a Rodrigo Rubio
56a Marcos Zepeda
52a Martin Munoz
99a Greg Wick-1st RS
1501 Brian Siler
1502 Buddy Crisp
1503 Jorge Valdes
1504 Tom Flattery
1580 Erik Shallbetter-3rd RS
1555 Hamid Hajarian-2nd RS
1599 John Pfeifer-1st RS
SPT UNLTD TRUCK (3)
1494 Vincent Munoz-3rd RS
1444 Jim Bunn-2nd RS
1499 Jason Papa-1st RS
SPT UTV UNLIMITED (4)
1963 David Neuber
1951 Alonzo Lopez
1950 Thomas Graves
1993 Chad Casey-1st RS
SPT M/C< (9)
215x Kurt Vanderpool
202x Aki Polvikoski
222x Chris Scranton
201x Daniel O’Leary
205x Darin Bullivant
207x Oscar Esparaza
212x Carlos Silva
211x Christian Espinoza
249x Mark Winkelman-1st RS
SPT M/C> (15)
294x Todd Powell
253x Roger Judd
254x Daryl Judd
255x John Nolting
251x Eric Anderson
263x Mike Short
261x Brent Downing
252x Adrian Ruiz
269x Bryce Semonian
264x Geoffrey Gerbrandt
270x Manuel Gomez
288x Aaron Magagna
277x Raul Revilla
265x Luis Fernando Moctezuma
262x Mike Maggrah-2nd RS
287x Wesley Glogner-1st RS
SPT ATV (6)
77a Fidel Gonzalez
51a Richard Epperson
55a Rodrigo Rubio
56a Marcos Zepeda
52a Martin Munoz
99a Greg Wick-1st RS
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Category: Event/Series Announcements, Offroad
