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38 'Monsters of the Desert' in 55th SCORE Baja 1000
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com November 7, 2022 Presented by 4 Wheel Parts BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000 38 ‘Monsters of the Desert’—SCORE Trophy Trucks Roaring to lead over 275 entries next week into Mexico Finale of four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship in Ensenada, Mexico; Airing on ESPN2 World of X Games; Event info at www.SCORE-International.com; #SCOREBaja1000 NOTE: SCORE Trophy Truck expanded entries, class history, at bottom of text ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—Envied by some, admired by many more, loathed by a few and respected by all as the ‘Monsters of the Desert,’ 38 SCORE Trophy Trucks are revved up to roar in next week’s BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. The marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 1000 horsepower, unlimited custom trucks was created by legendary former SCORE owner Sal Fish in 1994 and pre-running continues this week in Mexico’s majestic and mysterious Northern part of Baja California peninsula for the season finale of the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship. FAST FACTS The finale of the four-race 2022 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held Nov. 15-20 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, the race will start/finish and colorful pre-race activities in the heart of Ensenada at the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center and the adjacent fantastically fan-friendly Boulevard Costero. Ensenada, ‘The Off-Road Capital of the World,’ is located 80 miles South of the U.S. Border near San Diego. With over 275 entries expected, 45 competition classes are offered for Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads. To date, there are 264 total entries from 36 U.S. States, U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and 18 countries. Joining the USA and the U.S. Territory Puerto Rico, in the field so far are racers from host country Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Peru and Spain. So far there are 193 cars, trucks and UTVs entered and 71 motorcycles and quads. Most the world’s best desert racers will be in action at this year’s celebration of one of the newest top motorsports events in the entire world. The race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the ESPN2 World of X Games programming. The race show on ESPN2 is co-produced by SCORE International and the award-winning BCII TV of Los Angeles. Bud Brutsman is the Executive Producer. Intro announcer for the race show will once again be Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee and SCORE champion desert racer Cameron Steele who will again pull double duty racing in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck class as well in his No. 16 Desert Assassins Monster Energy Ford Raptor. All four 2022 SCORE races are being held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the seventh consecutive year. SCORE, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, is celebrating its 49th season in 2022. DOUBLE DIGITS Leading the list of entries with double-digit lineups so far are SCORE Trophy Truck with 38 entries (including seven in SCORE TT Legend for drivers over 50 years old), Trophy Truck Spec with 26 entries, Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) with 26 entries, Class 10 with 19 entries, Pro UTV Stock with 11, Pro UTV Open with nine and among two-wheel vehicles Pro Moto Ironman (Solo riders) with 22 entries to date and Pro Moto Unlimited with nine and Sportsman Motorcycle with 12. PRE-RUNNING Official practice, or pre-running, on the official 828.25-mile race course for this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000 continues through Thursday (Nov. 17). The first section of the course to the Ojos Negros area, which will be used in both directions during the race, will be available for pre-running only on Wednesday (Nov. 16) and Thursday (Nov. 17) and only in the outbound direction. The Racer’s Brief, Penalty Bulletin, Course Notes and GPS files are available on the SCORE website under Race Info for the SCORE Baja 1000. SCORE TROPHY TRUCK ANNIVERSARY Celebrating its 29th anniversary, SCORE Trophy Truck, developed and launched by former SCORE owner Sal Fish in 1994, is the marquee racing division in the sport—for high-tech, 1000 horsepower unlimited custom trucks and SCORE TT Legend, which debuted in 2017, is for SCORE Trophy Truck drivers at least 50 years old. SCORE TROPHY TRUCK CHAMPS Roaring through the desert terrain with the grace, beauty and power of the Bolshoi Ballet and the speed of a runaway locomotive, a total of 14 of the last 16 SCORE Trophy Truck SCORE Baja 1000 race winners are entered in this year’s race, including the last eight straight. And 22 racers are entered in this race who have combined to earn 104 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins (out of 144 total races). Also entered are 10 racers who have combined for 15 SCORE Trophy Truck season point championships in the first 28 years of the marquee SCORE racing division. Leading the way among the former SCORE Trophy Truck season point champs are Ed Herbst and his brother Tim Herbst with four titles each (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003), four-time champion Rob MacCachren (1994, 2007, 2018, 2021) and three-time consecutive titles in Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez (2015, 2016, 2017). Individually, Rob MacCachren leads with the most career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins with 19, followed by other race entries Ed and Tim Herbst (11 each), Andy McMillin (11), Larry Ragland (11), Bryce Menzies (8), Mark Post (7), Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr (6), Larry Roeseler (5), Ryan Arciero (4), Curt LeDuc (4), Gus Vildosola Sr (3), Juan C. Lopez (2), Roger Norman (2), Cameron Steele (2), Luke McMillin (2) and entered with one each career SCORE Trophy Truck race win are Alan Ampudia, Josh Daniel, Pat Dean, Rick D. Johnson, Dan McMillin, and Justin B. Smith. MAGNIFICENT MONSTERS The massive 38-SCORE Trophy Truck field for this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 includes 22 racers who have combined to win 104 of the 144 races in the history of the featured class. Enjoying its 29th season at the forefront of the sport, this year’s field also includes 10 racers who have combined to win the SCORE Trophy Truck season point championship in 15 of the first 28 campaigns. Included in that elite group are the season champs of the last eight consecutive seasons in the SCORE World Desert Championship. ‘Chairman of the Board’ in SCORE Trophy Truck is Las Vegas’ Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Famer Rob MacCachren, the G.O.A.T of off-road racing, with 19 all-time SCORE Trophy Truck race wins. The ‘Mac Attack’ is the winningest racer in the history of off-road racing with 315 class victories in multiple classes in the desert, short-course and stadium off-road racing, the amiable MacCachren has also won four SCORE Trophy Truck season point titles (1994, 2007-with Mark Post, 2018 and 2021-with Luke McMillin). With a fourth-place finish in SCORE Trophy Truck in this year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 and a victory in this year’s SCORE Baja 500, MacCachren finished 11th in the SCORE Baja 400. For this year’s SCORE Baja 1000, MacCachren has agreed to be the second driver for Luke McMillin in the No. 83 McMillin Racing 4 Wheel Parts AWD Chevy 1500 (built by Mason Motorsports) in hopes of earning McMillin the season championship and his third consecutive victory in this iconic race. A reversal of what McMillin did last year when they duo paired with MacCachren as the driving of record, earning him the season point championship. Also entered are two of the four racers tied for second in career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins with 11 victories each are second-generation racer Tim Herbst, third-generation desert racer Andy McMillin and Hall of Fame racer Ragland. Another Las Vegas ORMHOF inductee, Tim Herbst pilots his No. 19 Ford F-150 built by Herbst/Smith Fab. Sharing the driving duties with Herbst will be fellow-Las Vegan Pat Dean who has one career SCORE Trophy Truck race victory Herbst and his older brother Ed Herbst earned four SCORE Trophy Truck season point crowns over a five-year period (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003). San Diego’s Andy McMillin, son of former SCORE champion Scott McMillin and grandson of the late Corky McMillin, will be the second driver for Las Vegas’ Bryce Menzies in the No. 7 Menzies Motorsports AWD Ford Raptor built by Mason Motorsports. Andy McMillin won the 2019 SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion. Menzies won the crown in 2011 and he also won this year’s SCORE Baja 400 for the second straight season. In what might be his final SCORE race on the eve of his 80th birthday, Ragland will be one of a three driver team with Las Vegas’ Dallas Luttrell, the DOR, and Las Vegas’ Billy Goerke in Lutrell’s No. 87 Dodge Ram built by Collins Motorsports. MORE STALLIONS Leading the next wave of SCORE Trophy Truck stallions entered in this race are Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola Jr with six career race wins, Larry Roeseler with five and Ryan Arciero who has four career SCORE Trophy Truck race victories. Part of the most prominent Mexican racing team in SCORE, Vildosola Jr, of Mexicali, will be the second driver this year for Ensenada’s Alan Ampudia, who won the 2019 SCORE Baja 1000. With Ampudia as DOR because he is third in season points. The talented pair will drive Vildosola Jr’s new Mason-built AWD Ford Raptor with Ampudia’s No. 10 on its livery. Dubbed ‘Mr. Baja’ because of his amazing history in SCORE Baja racing both on two-wheels and four-wheels, Roeseler, Boulevard, Calif. will be driving the No. 43 Baja Jerky Toyota Tundra built by ID Designs. A member of both the Off-Road Motorsports and America Motorcyclist Association Halls of Fame, Roeseler earned his fifth career SCORE Trophy Truck race win by capturing last year’s SCORE Baja 500. LR has 14 career overall SCORE Baja 1000 victories including 10 on motorcycles, two in open-wheel desert race cars and one in SCORE Trophy Truck. He is the only racer in history who has won this race on a bike, in a car and in a SCORE Trophy Truck. Roeseler also won the 2020 SCORE Baja 1000 as the second driver for Luke McMillin. Arciero, Foothill Ranch, Calif., returns as the inaugural SCORE Baja 400 overall winner in 2019. This year he will be the second driver for Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif., in the No. 16 Monster Energy Geiser-built Ford Raptor. VILDOSOLA SR Joining his son at the starting line will be Gus Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, who is undefeated with three race wins this year in the SCORE TT Legend class for SCORE Trophy Truck drivers over 50 years old. There are seven entries in his class for this race. Vildosola Sr has three career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins. Vildosola Sr will be driver of record in this race in his Mexicana Logistics AWD No. 21L Ford Raptor built by Mason Motorsports. Splitting the driving with him again this season is AMA Hall of Famer Ricky Johnson, El Cajon, Calif. In 2010 Vildosola Sr teamed with his son as the son/father team became the first Mexican nationals to capture the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory in the iconic SCORE Baja 1000 peninsula race from Ensenada to La Paz. DOUBLE TROUBLE ORMHOF inductee Cameron Steele has earned two career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins. The popular Steele, San Clemente, Calif. who is also a renown professional action sports TV announce and does the intro for the SCORE race TV shows, will be driving his No. 16 Desert Assassins Ford Raptor built by Geiser Brothers. Ryan Arciero is his second driver. McMANIA If one McMillin racer wasn’t enough to compete against, the SCORE World Desert Championship includes Andy McMillin’s cousins Daniel McMillin and Luke McMillin. Carrying the banner of the Big Blue M racing machine, Luke has three career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins in his No. 83 Chevy 1500 and was the 2020 SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion while Dan has one career SCORE Trophy Truck race win in his No. 23 Chevy 1500. They both drive AWD trucks built by Mason Motorsports. MORE SINGLES Also part of the field in this race with one career SCORE Trophy Truck race win each are Rick D. Johnson, Barstow, Calif., Josh Daniel, Vista, Calif. and Justin B. Smith, Las Vegas. Johnson will split the driving again with Rolf Helland, Morris, Ill., in SCORE TT Legend, Smith will be the additional driver for Canada’s Tracy Graf in SCORE Trophy Truck and Daniel will be the second driver for Dan McMillin. MAS POSSIBLE Nothing is for certain in SCORE Baja racing especially when 38 thoroughbreds glide their way over the unforgiving terrain of the Baja California. While 17 of the 38 entries in the behemoth class have tasted victory in the premier desert racing class, several other contenders will be in contention for coveted spots on the podium. Youth may be served with the likes of 18-year-old Jax Redline, San Antonio, Texas (second driver for Mike Walser, Comfort, Texas (No. 89 Chevy Silverado-Mason), 21-year-old Broc Dickerson, Brawley, Calif. (No. 34 Ford Raptor-TSCO) and 27-year-old Kyle Jergensen, Phelan, Calif. (second driver for Jonathan Brenthel, Las Cresta, Calif., in the No. 27 Chevy Silverado-Brenthel) in the starting grid. Then there are cagey veterans like Justin Lofton, Brawley, Calif. (No. 41 Chevy Silverado-Mason), Dan Myers, Newport Beach, Calif. (No. 6 Toyota Tundra-Brenthel), Mikey Lawrence, Banning, Calif. (No. 85 Ford Raptor-Herbst/Smith), Sam Baldi, Beaumont, Calif. (No. 82 Chevy Silverado-Baldi) and the team of Kevin Thompson, New Braunfels/Harley Letner, Corona, Calif. (No. 70 Chevy Silverado-Herbst/Smith). Also in the hunt will be the Australian duo making their second as a team, Paul Weel and Dakar Rally motorcycle champ Toby Price (No. 46 Ford Raptor-Geiser). They finished fifth in class in their first SCORE race together at this year’s SCORE Baja 400. Another of the plethora to look for in this year’s race is Cameron Steele’s Desert Assassins teammates Bobby Pecoy and Rhys Millen in their No. 14 Ford Raptor built by Geiser Bros. Pecoy, Anaheim, Calif., is the DOR and Millen, the international drifting champion from New Zealand with SCORE class wins on his resume as the second driver. Easy to see then, anything is possible when these SCORE ‘Monsters of the Desert’ start their engines. BAJA RUTA MUY ESPECIAL! Identified, designed and plotted by SCORE President/Race Director Abelardo Grijalva, the 828.25-mile race course for this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, runs in a clockwise direction after the first part to and then back and back from Ojos Negros. The magnificent course features three physical, full-stop checkpoints and 285 virtual checkpoints. The course also has 18 speed zones for a total of 70.6 race miles. Checkpoint 1 is at race-mile 200.22 (El Chinero), Checkpoint 2 is at rm 579.98 (Ejido Jaramillo) and Checkpoint 3 is at race-mile 726.57 (El Alamo). After Ojos Negros, the course goes up and over the Cordillera de Molina to drop into the desert around Rm 115. After reaching the La Ventana area it will run south to the El Chinero road crossing highway 3 at Km 192 and will keep going south to Matomi wash. Halfway into Matomi Wash it exits and goes north to Azufre Wash, then to Huatamote wash, Chanate Wash and up to Morelia Junction. From there the course will exit the desert and go to San Matias Pass road and Mike’s Sky Rancho, down to Rancho La Jolla and will run on the San Pedro Martir road to Meling Ranch. After Meling it will run to the Pacific Coast to Ejido Jaramillo and north to just below San Vicente where it will cross back to Valley de Trinidad then back to Ojos Negros and onto to the finish line in Ensenada. For safety reasons, all of the Sportsman 4 Wheel Vehicle classes along with Class 11 and Class 7SX will run a reduced course of 695.79 miles and the Sportsman Motorcycle and Quad classes will race on a reduced course of 760.91 miles. This year’s course map is available on the SCORE website under race info on the SCORE Baja 1000 page at www.SCORE-International.com. GREEN FLAG The SCORE Baja 1000 will be an elapsed-time race with staggered starts as the green flag on Friday, Nov. 18 will drop first for the motorcycles and quads at 2:30 a.m. (PT) and 9:15 a.m. (PT) for the cars, trucks and UTVs. While the fastest vehicles are expected to finish in around 17 hours, all vehicles will have a 36-hour time limit to become official finishers in the elapsed-time race. TV The race will air domestically on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the World of X Games program on ESPN2 and will be syndicated internationally to nearly 25 countries in Europe, Latin America, South America and Asia. Co-producing the shows with SCORE is the award-winning BCII TV of Los Angeles led by executive producer Bud Brutsman. Intro host for the broadcast will be Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee and SCORE Trophy Truck racing champion Cameron Steele. The premier airing of the race show is scheduled on ESPN2 for Sunday, XXXXXXXX and 12 a.m. ET and 9 p.m. PT. A HAPPENING… Colorful race week festivities will start on Tuesday, Nov. 15 to help celebrate this epic SCORE Baja race. They will be held in or adjacent to the landmark Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada. Chassis inspections, pre-tech/Stella device check and installation will be held on Tuesday (Nov. 15) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT north of the start/finish ramp. Wednesday (Nov. 16) and Thursday (Nov. 17) will see the colorful two-day, pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and contingency festival in the start finish line area. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT on both days, contingency row will be held with motorcycles, quads and a few car/truck classes on Wednesday and the remainder of the classes, including SCORE Trophy Truck on Thursday. Tech inspection/Transponder checks/Stella/SPICA device pickup on both days will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT as well at the end of the manufacturer’s row. During the race on Friday, Nov. 18 until the course closes on early Sunday morning, Nov. 20, the start/finish line compound will include the massive double-sided SCOREvision LED screen broadcasting race festivities, the start, live race drone, ground-camera and in-car camera action from around the course and finish line interviews. SCORE LIVE During contingency on Wednesday and Thursday and the race on Friday until the course closes on Sunday early morning, live streaming will be broadcasting race activities and start and finish line interviews as well as live action from Drones, ground cameras and in-car cameras from around the race course. Popular Rat Sult, who has been the voice of SCORE over the last seven seasons, will once again serve as host and lead announcer of the expansive SCORE Live streaming. Assisting Sult will be veteran voice Dave Arnold. Sult and Arnold will be announcing from the SCORE start/finish ramp while the show will also include SCORE studio announcers in El Cajon, Calif., providing live info and updates throughout the race. SCORE live is being produced again by SCORE Media House, Aaron Laub, producer, Alberto Luna-director. SCORE live may be launched from the home page of the SCORE website or from the SCORE App. AT THE RIVIERA… The historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, in the heart of Ensenada, will again be the site of many of the activities surrounding the BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. Racer registration and media registration will both be held in Salon Rojo on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 15-17). On Tuesday (Nov. 15) racer registration will be held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT. On Wednesday (Nov. 16) it will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT and on Thursday (Nov. 17) it will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT. On Wednesday, no new entries will be accepted after 4 p.m. PT and on Thursday after 3 p.m. PT. SCORE Media Registration will be held in Salon Rojo at the Riviera on Tuesday (Nov. 15) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT and on both Wednesday (Nov. 16) and Thursday (Nov. 17) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT. There will be two pre-race mandatory racer’s meetings, both being held in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera CC. The first one, for racers in motorcycle and quad classes will be on Wednesday (Nov. 16) at 6 p.m. PT and the second one, for racers in car/truck/UTV classes will be held on Thursday (Nov. 17) at 7 p.m. PT. The pre-race SCORE Media Conference will be held on Thursday (Nov. 17) at 11:30 a.m. in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera CC. The start/finish line compound for the race will once again be adjacent to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero. BFGOODRICH TIRES UNMATCHED BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 46 years, received two awards for the 2021 SCORE World Desert Championship. BFGoodrich Tires was honored after the 2021 season as the SCORE Contingency Company of the year for the 31st time as well as being voted the SCORE Pit Support Team of the Year for the 33rd time. BFGoodrich Tires has been the choice of 35 of the 54 overall winners of the popular SCORE Baja 500 and 32 of the 54 overall winners of the legendary SCORE Baja 1000. BFGoodrich Tires is also the title sponsor of both of the iconic races again in 2022. BFGoodrich Tires also has been the choice of 29 of the 35 overall winners of the SCORE San Felipe 250, all three SCORE Desert Challenge races, the lone SCORE Challenge of Champions in San Felipe, the one SCORE Baja Sur 500 and the first SCORE Baja 400. This year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 overall victory by San Diego’s Luke McMillin marked the 100th BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja overall race win. BFG BIG BONUS SCORE major sponsor BFGoodrich Tires has posted a US$25,000 contingency bonus for the overall 4-wheel race winner to help commemorate this newest race on the SCORE schedule. GRAND MARSHAL—SCOT HARDEN SCORE has announced that the Grand Marshal for the BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts, will be Hall of Fame SCORE motorcycle champion Scot Harden. Harden, 66, born and raised in Las Vegas and currently living in Menifee, Calif., is a legendary professional desert motorcycle racer with a 50-year career as a world champion racer and motorcycle industry executive. In his racing career Harden captured two SCORE Baja 1000 overall victories, three SCORE Baja 500 wins, two wins in the SCORE Parker 400, one Mexicali 300 win and he also won the 1979 SCORE Pro Moto Unlimited (Class 22) season point championship. In addition, he has numerous overalls at other major desert events, In international competition Harden is a three-time International Six-Day Enduro (ISDE) medalist, earning a gold, silver and bronze in the early 1980s. As a result of his illustrious career, Harden has been inducted into three halls of fame, the American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame in 2008, the Trailblazers HOF in 2020 and the Hot Shoe HOF in 2020. SCOREscope 2022 FINALE
- BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
- King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250—
- BFGoodrich Tires 55th SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—
- 4th SCORE Baja 400, presented by VP Racing Fuels—
- BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts—