SCORE Latest News
O’Neal leads 75 racers with 191 wins, 44 SCORE Trophy Trucksall ready to Rock ‘n’ Roar at 33rd annual SCORE San Felipe 250
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com April 2, 2019 Season Opener this week O’Neal leads 75 racers with 191 wins, 44 SCORE Trophy Trucks all ready to Rock ‘n’ Roar at 33rd annual SCORE San Felipe 250 233 total entries to date from 29 States, 11 countries on race-record 349.91-mile course for Round 1—4-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship; start/finish on Malecon in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico; LIVE streaming-contingency, start, finish, awards, vehicle tracking at www.score-international.com; Rat Sult, Kevin Johnson LIVE announcers; SCORE Baja legend Johnny Johnson—Grand Marshal SAN FELIPE, Baja California, Mexico – Looking to add to his record-setting class win total, SoCal’s veteran age-group motorcycle racer Jim O’Neal will help lead 75 racers who have combined for 191 class wins among over 250 racers expected to start Saturday’s 33rd SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race. O’Neal, 73, the noted apparel manufacturer from Simi Valley, Calif., has 18 class wins in San Felipe and will be a co-rider on a team in the Pro Moto 30 class for riders over 30 years old. The popular ‘Spring Break’ season-opener of the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held through Sunday in San Felipe, the peaceful fishing village on the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif. All four 2019 SCORE races will be held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the fourth consecutive year. The race will be televised on a delayed-basis as a one-hour special on the ABC World of X Games show, produced by SCORE in association with award-winning BCII TV of Los Angeles. Featuring the longest course in race history at 349.91 miles, this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 will start and finish for the third straight year and just the third time in race history on the Malecon beach walk along the edge of the water in the heart of town. Over 250 vehicles in Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads are expected to take the green flag on Saturday. Many of the sport’s top stars are among the 233 official entries starting race week from 29 U.S. States along with the additional countries of host Mexico, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Switzerland and Thailand. Helping mark the launch of 46th year of SCORE International, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, will be the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division with a SCORE-record total of 44 of these ‘Monsters of the Desert’ officially entered. Created by SCORE and started in 1994, SCORE Trophy Truck is the featured SCORE racing division for high-tech, 950-horsepower unlimited custom trucks. GREEN FLAG SATURDAY The motorcycle and quad classes will start at 6:20 a.m. PT Saturday while the car, truck and UTV classes will begin their long journey starting at 9:30 a.m. PT. SCORE Trophy Truck and the Pro Moto Unlimited classes will start one vehicle every 60 seconds race while all other classes will start one every 30 seconds. While the fastest vehicles in the elapsed-time race are expected to finish in approximately six and one-half hours, all vehicles will have 18 hours from the time each starts to become an official finisher in the historic race. SCORE FIESTA TIME Colorful pre-race festivities will be held in San Felipe Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with race days on Saturday and Sunday concluding with the post-race awards celebration at Noon PT on Sunday. The colorful pre-race contingency and Manufacturer’s Midway, the starting line and the finish line will be on the Malecon in the heart of San Felipe for the third straight year. Contingency will be held on two days for the first time in the history of this race with classes split with some, including all UTVs, motorcycles and quads going through the line on Thursday and the balance, including the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division, going through on Friday. Contingency will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT each day with pre-race tech lasting until 6 p.m. PT on both Thursday and Friday. The post-race awards celebration will be held on the start/finish line ramp on the Malecon. LATE RACER REGISTRATION On-site, late racer registration will start at 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday at the Costa Azul Hotel in San Felipe. It will be held next Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT as well as Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT with no new entries accepted after 3 p.m. PT on Friday. OTRO MAS, POR FAVOR…. Leading the gregarious group of 75 racers with at least one class win in this race entered this year are Jim O’Neal (Pro Moto 30) with a SCORE race-high18 class wins (age group motorcycle) wins--all in the last 18 years, and Eric Solorzano with 11 wins in Class 11 in this San Felipe race. Rob MacCachren has 10 class wins (SCORE Trophy Truck), with six class wins each in San Felipe are Wayne Matlock (Pro UTV FI), Larry Roeseler (SCORE Trophy Truck), Gerardo Rojas (Pro Moto 30) and Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildsola Jr (SCORE Trophy Truck) and with five class wins, all in motorcycle classes is Francisco Septien (Pro Moto 30). With four career class wins each in San Felipe are Tim Herbst (SCORE Trophy Truck), Ed Herbst (SCORE Trophy Truck), Chad Broughton (Trophy Truck Spec), Elias Hanna (Trophy Truck Spec), Steve Hengeveld (Trophy Truck Spec), Ricardo Malo (Class 1), Elias Hanna (Trophy Truck Spec) and Earl Roberts (Pro Moto 50). O’Neal in the only person who has raced in all 32 previous SCORE San Felipe 250 races and he has a SCORE-record 21 season class point titles in his lengthy career. TOTAL ENTRIES Entering late on-site racer registration starting Wednesday afternoon, most of the sport’s top stars are among the 233 official entries from 29 U.S. States. Besides the SCORE-record 44 in SCORE Trophy Truck, the other classes with double figure entries to date and their totals are Trophy Truck Spec (29), Class 1 (19), Class 10 (18) and Pro UTV FI (18). OVERALL WINNERS RETURN (8 for 16 4-wheel wins, 5 for 10 M/C wins) --ROB MAC, HERBST BROS, POST, TAVO, GUS SR, ROBBY, ANDY BACK IN 4-WHEEL --M/C OVERALL WINNERS HENGEVELD, SAMUELS, ROESELER, MORGAN, ESPOSITO, EDDY JR ALL RACING All looking to make more SCORE Baja racing history, eight drivers who have combined for 16 all-time overall 4-wheel vehicle wins in this race and seven riders who have combined for 11 all-time overall motorcycle victories in San Felipe are entered this year. Included in these totals are the SCORE Trophy Truck/Overall winners in seven of the last eight years and at least one rider from the last five overall motorcycle winners. At the top of this austere group is MacCachren who has six overall 4-wheel wins among his 10 total class wins in this race. MacCachren is also going for a three-peat, winning the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck division in 2017 and 2018. Brothers Ed and Tim Herbst (SCORE Trophy Truck) have three overall wins (1999, 2000, 2001) in this race as does Mark Post (SCORE Trophy Truck) (1998 in Class 1, 2004 in SCORE Trophy Truck-both with Jerry Whelchel-and 2007 in SCORE Trophy Truck with MacCachren). Post is splitting driving this year with two-time San Felipe overall m/c winner Larry Roeseler. Also with three wins in this race entered again this year is Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr who won in SCORE Trophy Truck in three consecutive years (2013, 2014, 2015). Gus Vildsola Sr (SCORE TT Legend) is back with a pair of SCORE Trophy Truck/overall wins in this race. In 2003, he teamed with MacCachren and in 2013 he split the driving with his son Tavo. With one overall win each in this year’s SCORE Trophy Truck lineup are Robby Gordon (1996 in SCORE Trophy Truck) and Andy McMillin (2005 in Class 1). Former motorcycle overall winners in this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 are led by former Honda factory rider Steve Hengeveld with four straight overall m/c wins (2001-2004), Mark Samuels with three straight (2016, 2017, 2018), Larry Roeseler with two (1991, 1992) and with one each are Shane Esposito (2014), Max Eddy Jr (2014), Justin Jones (2015) and Justin Morgan (2018). Racing inside of roll cages now, this year Hengeveld is driving in the Trophy Truck Spec class, Roeseler is driving in SCORE Trophy Truck and Max Eddy Jr is driving in SCORE Trophy Truck. POLE SITTERS Las Vegas’ veteran Hall of Famer Rob MacCachren (SCORE Trophy Truck) has drawn the first starting position for the car/truck/UTV classes and Derek Ausserbauer, Santa Ynez, Calif. (Pro Moto Unlimited) has drawn the first start for the motorcycle/quad classes. MORE FIRST STARTS Among the classes with double-figure entries, starting on the pole in their respective four-wheel vehicle classes will be Clark County Nevada Sheriff Joe Lombardo (Trophy Truck Spec), Jaime Huerta (Class 1), J.J. Schnarr (Class 10) and Ian Black (Pro UTV FI-Forced Induction). Besides Ausserbauer, also drawing first starts in the motorcycle classes with the most entries were Santiago Creel (Pro Moto Limited), Nick Lanning (Pro Moto 30) and Jose Armando Carrasco (Pro Moto Ironman). 21 FROM ’18 A total of 21 class winners from last year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 have entered this year, 14 in car, truck and utv classes and seven in motorcycle and quad classes. --RETURNING CAR/TRUCK/UTV WINNERS Leading the way is last year’s overall race winner Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck, No. 11 Ford F-150). Other car/truck/utv class winners from last year entered are Russell Buehler, Liberty, Mo. (SCORE TT Legend, No. 79L Ford Raptor), Justin Davis, Chino Hills, Calif. (Class 1, No. 185 Jimco-Chevy), William Hedrick Jr, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico (Trophy Truck Spec, No. 295 ID-Chevy), Chase Warren, Phoenix (Class 10, No. 1008 Alumi Craft-Chevy), Vincent Munoz, Yucaipa, Calif. (Class 8, No. 894 Ford Ranger), Bruce Yee, Chula Vista, Calif. (Class 1/2-1600 Barajas-VW), Luis Barragan, Mexicali, Mexico (SCORE Lites, Seagrove-VW), Mike Coleman, La Jolla, Calif. (Class 7, No. 721 Ford Raptor), Wayne Matlock, Alpine, Calif. (Pro UTV FI, No. 2971 Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo), Kristen Matlock, Alpine, Calif. (Pro UTV NA, No. 1954 Polaris RZR XP4 1000), Jesus Mendez Jr, Mexicali, Mexico (Pro UTV Unlimited, Can-Am X3), David Payne, St. Louis, Mo. (Baja Challenge BTC-Subaru) and Art Penner, Lynden, Wash. (Canada) (Class 11, No. 1156 VW Sedan). --RETURNING MOTORCYLE/QUAD WINNERS The motorcycle/quad class winners entered this year are Justin Morgan, El Cajon, Calif./Mark Samuels, Yucca Valley, Calif. (Pro Moto Unlimited, No. 1x Honda CRF450X), Santiago Creel, Mexico City, Mexico (Pro Moto Limited, No. 100x KTM 350EXCF), Jano Montoya, Winter Garden, Fla. (Peru) (Pro Moto 40, KTM 450XCW), Santiago Creel, Mexico City, Mexico (Pro Moto 30, No. 360x KTM 500EXCF), Giovanni Spinali, El Cajon, Calif. (Pro Moto 50, No. 500x Honda CRF450X), Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico (Pro Moto Ironman, No. 730x KTM 450EXCF) and Danny Magdalena, Acton, Calif. (SPT Quad, No. 110a Honda TRX450R). For this year’s race, Munoz has moved Trophy Truck Spec (No. 294), Jano will be racing in Pro Moto 30 (325x) and Septien will be racing in Pro Moto 30 (No. 370x). An international motorcycle rally racer, Creel is entered in four classes-- Pro Moto Unlimited (4x), Pro Moto Limited (100x), Pro Moto 30 (360x) and second driver in Trophy Truck Spec (No. 260x). GRAND MARSHAL Inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2010, SCORE Baja racing legend Johnny Johnson is the Grand Marshal for this year’s 33rd SCORE San Felipe 250. Among his many class race wins, Johnson had 15 class wins in the iconic SCORE Baja 1000 stretching from his first in 1968 to his last one in 1992. Amazingly, he won in seven different classes in his illustrious racing career. With 107 career class race wins in his long and successful racing career, Johnson is equally known for his skills as a mechanic as he is as a racer. Johnson also won SCORE season class point championships in both 1980 and 1981. Originally from San Diego and living now in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Johnson was featured as a racer in an hour-long special in 1971 featuring George Plimpton racing with Johnson in a Baja race. MEMORABLE COURSE SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva worked diligently with the government officials and ejidos of the Mexicali and San Felipe areas to develop a memorable SCORE San Felipe 250 race course of 349.91 miles, the longest in the history of this popular ‘spring break’ desert race. This year’s grueling race course will be another beauty to behold but a tough challenge to race on. It runs in a clockwise direction running over high-speed dry lake beds, through low-speed winding, rock-strewn, twisting canyons and trails, along quick-paced dirt roads and through three of Baja’s most infamous washes in Azufre, Matomi, and Coabuso. It features three physical, full-stop checkpoints and 96 virtual checkpoints. COURSE MAP/GPS The 33rd Annual SCORE San Felipe 250 course map and GPS files are available on the SCORE website on the race page under the Race Info tab. MUY GRANDE IMPACTO For over three decades, the annual motorsports festival that has brought the largest economic impact of any single event held annually in this lightly-populated portion of the rugged, rough and bountifully beautiful Baja peninsula has been the SCORE San Felipe 250. BFGOODRICH TIRES UNMATCHED BFGoodrich Tires is celebrating over four decades as a major player in SCORE Baja racing. In addition to being the official tire of SCORE International for over four decades, BFGoodrich Tires has now produced the tire of choice for 30 of the overall 4-wheel vehicle winners in the SCORE Baja 1000, including 30 of the last 33 years along with a record-run of 20 straight from 1986 through 2005. In total, BFGoodrich Tires has now be the tire of choice for the overall 4-wheel vehicle winner in 91 SCORE Baja races including 32 in the SCORE Baja 500. BFGoodrich Tires will also award $10,000 contingency bonus money to the overall winner of this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 who runs exclusively on BFGoodrich Tires. SCOREscope 2019 SCHEDULE Here is the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the fourth consecutive year all races are being held in Baja California, Mexico:
- 33rd SCORE San Felipe 250, April 3-7, San Felipe, Mexico
- 51st SCORE Baja 500, May 29-June 2, Ensenada, Mexico
- Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 19-23, Ensenada, Mexico
- 52nd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.19-24, Ensenada, Mexico