Dan McMillin leads the new entries for 56th SCORE Baja 1000

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, Dominic@SCORE-International.com

October 6, 2023

‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’

Presented by K&N

BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000…

1. McMillin, Spinali, Dutto, Pavolka, Burroughs, Romo Jr,

Arslanian, Shultz, Parkhouse, Hollenbeck, K. Wells…all

among latest entries for this year’s legendary race

 

Starting for first time in La Paz, Baja California Sur, finishing in Ensenada, Baja California…

Iconic SCORE Baja event peninsula run to be held Nov. 13-18 in Baja California, Mexico;

spectacular event is finale of four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship;

legendary ‘godfather’ Sal Fish, Grand Marshal for the 2023 SCORE racing season

more info at…

 https://score-international.com/raceinfo/2023-baja-1000-nov-13-18-2023/

 

#SCOREBaja1000

NOTE: Current unofficial media entry list at bottom of text

     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’ this year, with entries rapidly pouring in from across the USA and around the world, Dan McMillin, Giovanni Spinali, Nicola Dutto, Eric Pavolka, Matt Burroughs, Roberto Romo Jr, Rickey Arslanian, James Justin Shultz, Cody Parkhouse, Dennis Hollenbeck, and Kaden Wells, are all among the latest early entries for November’s iconic season-ending BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by K&N, the season finale of the four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship.

LA GRAN CARRERA

     The Granddaddy of All Desert Races, the SCORE Baja 1000 is at the pinnacle of motorsports as the most iconic, oldest, prestigious, toughest, and longest, continuously held desert race in the world.

      This year, starting for the first time in La Paz, Baja California Sur Mexico, and finishing in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, race-week festivities and the race itself will be held Nov. 13-18.

     This year’s race, the 25th Peninsula run in race history, will be a point-to-point race of 1310.94 miles UP Baja California’s majestically masterful peninsula.

ONLINE RACER ENTRY APPLICATIONS

     Racer entry applications for Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads are now available at www.SCORE-International.com under Race Info on the SCORE Baja 1000 page. Questions should be directed to SCORE Registration and Membership Director Shannon Lund at 775. 852.8907. Online racer entry applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. PT on Monday, October 30.

     The SCORE Ensenada office will accept walk-in entries up to 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, Nov. 2.

EARLY ENTRIES

     With over 300 entries anticipated at the start line, as of today 82 total early entries have already been received for the Granddaddy of All Desert Races, with racers representing 20 U.S. States, and 10 countries. The countries with at least one racer so far are United States, host country Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Spain.

EARLY BIRDS

     Among the latest early entries for this year’s race are San Diego’s Dan McMillin in SCORE Trophy Truck, Giovanni Spinali, El Cajon, Calif., in Pro Moto 50, Italy’s Nicola Dutto in Pro Moto 30, Eric Pavolka, Sonoita, Ariz. in Class 1/2-1600, Matt Burroughs, Corona, Calif., in Pro UTV FI, Roberto Romo Jr, Mexicali, Mexico, in SCORE Trophy Truck, Rickey Arslanian, Livermore, Calif., in Pro UTV FI, James Justin Shultz, Lake Forest, Calif. in Pro Moto 30, Cody Parkhouse, Long Beach, Calif., in the unlimited Class 1, Dennis Hollenbeck, Ensenada, Mexico, in Class 11, and Kaden Wells, Hurricane, Utah, in Pro UTV Open.

56th SCORE BAJA 1000

     The world’s best desert racers will be in action at this year’s massive BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by K&N. There will be live streaming from two days of pre-race contingency and start-to-finish live coverage on the SCORE website and social media channels.

     Race week activities will be held Nov. 13-18.

     Over 300 vehicles are expected at the start line with racers from nearly 40 U.S. States and as many as 20 countries anticipated. Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads will be competing in the Granddaddy of All Desert Races.

     This year’s SCORE Baja 1000 will be a point-to-point race of an exhausting 1310.94 miles starting for the first time in La Paz, Baja California Sur and finishing for the 29th time in Ensenada, Baja California.

     La Paz is the Capital of Baja California Sur, located nearly 1,000 miles from the U.S. Border at San Diego.

     Ensenada, “The Off-Road Racing Capital of the World” is a coastal city on the Bahia de Todos Santos area of the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of the U.S. border at San Diego.

     This race is annually the finale of the SCORE World Desert Championship, which has been held exclusively for the past eight years in Baja California.

DAN McMILLIN

     One of the three third-generation of McMillin family racers from the Big Blue Machine, San Diego’s Dan McMillin, 35, races in the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division against his younger brother Luke McMillin, his cousin Andy McMillin, and over 35 expected SCORE Trophy Truck entries.

     Dan McMillin won the 2020 SCORE Baja 500 which was held in San Felipe because of the pandemic and he drives the No. 23 4 Wheel Parts AWD Chevy 1500 built by Mason Motorsports.

     In 2022, Dan McMillin finished 22nd in the season-opening SCORE San Felipe 250, 10th in the SCORE Baja 500 and third place in the SCORE Baja 400 and capped the year by finishing second behind his brother in the SCORE Baja 1000.

     For the year, Dan McMillin finished second (behind his brother Luke McMillin) in the 2022 SCORE Trophy Truck season point standings, his best finish in the featured racing division and the SCORE Overall point standings.

     Dan McMillin finished 15th in SCORE Trophy Truck in this year’s season-opener in San Felipe, seventh in the SCORE Baja 500 in June, and ninth in the SCORE Baja 400 in September.

     He is sixth in the season points in SCORE Trophy Truck, just five points out of fourth place.

SPINALI SQUAD

     His name sounds like he should be from Italy, but Giovanni Spinali, 57, is from El Cajon, Calif. and is back with another championship team in the Pro Moto 50 (riders over 50 years old). But, the road back has not been easy as he has worked tirelessly to recover from injuries sustained in last year’s SCORE Baja 1000. This will be his first race back following a year of intensive rehab. He plans to ride about 300 total miles in the race in two sections, including a final section to the finish line in Ensenada.

    Co-riders for Spinali in this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 are Jim O’Neal, 76, Simi Valley, Calif., Troy Pearce, 56, Ramona, Calif., John Griffin, 56, Lake Forrest, Calif., Allen Jullien, 53, Trabuco Canyon, Calif., and Robby Naughton, 56, Flagstaff, Ariz.

     In San Felipe to open the 2022 season, the Spinali squad finished second and followed that by winning his class in the SCORE Baja 500 and the SCORE Baja 400 in Pro Moto 50, earning another season point championship.

     Spinali and his team had two wins during their championship season last year in Pro Moto 50 which earned him his fifth SCORE season class point championship (2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022).

     Spinali has two class wins in his class in the SCORE Baja 1000 (2018, 2021) and will be leading his team again, riding his No. 500x Yamaha YZ450FX motorcycle this year.

NICOLA DUTTO

     Italian Stallion returns.  Admirable motorcycle racer Nicola Dutto first came from Italy for the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000, a year after a tragic motorcycle racing accident left him a paraplegic, where he was one of nine starters in the fledgling Sportsman UTV class.  None of the Sportsman UTVs finished in that race.

     Twelve years later, the personable and dedicated Dutto, 53, from Beinette, Italy, returns to the SCORE Baja 1000 to race again. This time he will return to a regular motorcycle class, albeit a specially-modified two-wheel vehicle, in the Pro Moto 30 class for riders over 30 years old.

     He will be riding his specially-modified KTM 450EXC-F motorcycle in this year’s race. SCORE rules allow for him to have a ‘ghost-rider’ following him in case of emergencies.

     Dutto was the 2008 and 2009 European Baja Motorcycle champion for his serious accident.

     In the Italian Baja in March of 2010, Dutto suffered a bad crash that left him with a broken spinal cord. He had some sensation in his upper body, but nothing below his navel. His balance was badly affected by his injuries, to the point where he struggled to put on a t-shirt, as his sponsor Vicair noted. For most, that would have spelled the end of a racing career—at least one on two wheels.

     But in November 2011, Dutto shocked the racing community. Just nine months after getting out of his hospital bed and beginning an intensive rehab routine, he was back to try his hand at competing, to see if he still had the nerve. His balance was still too poor to try two wheels, so Dutto challenged himself by competitively racing something other than a bike. At the helm of a four-wheeled UTV in the iconic SCORE Baja 1000, Dutto put both his mind and his body to the test.

     Though he didn’t finish due to mechanical problems, he learned two important things. First, he was entirely ready to race competitively, and second, four wheels just weren’t his thing.

     With lots of help from friends and supportive manufacturers, Dutto pushed himself to get back on two wheels having run several races in Europe and he also competed in the 2019 Dakar Rally but mechanical issues sidelined him midway through the race.

     His specially-equipped back has a roll-cage to protect his legs and hand brakes to assist him more.

PAVOLKA/DeVERCELLY IV

     Veteran SCORE champion racer Eric Pavolka, 54, Sonoita, Ariz., has teamed up this year with fourth-generation SCORE racer Andy DeVercelly IV, 36, Jamul, Calif., to race in Class 1/2-1600 in the SCORE World Desert Championship.

     While Pavolka and other family members have raced sporadically in recent years, the DeVercelly family is one of the original SCORE racing champions with five class wins in the SCORE Baja 1000 starting back in 1968. Andy DeVercelly IV won the SCORE Class 1/2-1600 season point championship in 2010 as the second driver for Luke McMillin.

     Together in 2023, Pavolka/DeVercelly IV lead the point standings in their class after winning the SCORE San Felipe 250, finishing on the podium in second at the SCORE Baja 500, and winning the SCORE Baja 400 as well.

     DeVercelly IV is the owner of Major Performance Racing Engines in Santee, Calif.

MATT BURROUGHS

     Following a sixth-place and a third-place finish in his class in the first two races, Matt Burroughs returned to the top of the leaderboard in his Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class but then he suffered a rare did-not-finish in the SCORE Baja 400, moving him down the ladder to sixth-place in his class point standings.

     With three fourth-place finishes and one ninth-place, consistency provided big dividends for Burroughs as he won the 2022 Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class championship, but also the SCORE Overall UTV point champ as well with his 485 season points. All the numbers added up and his point total placed him fifth in the 2022 SCORE Overall point standings as well.

     Burroughs, 55, Norco, Calif., is a Can-Am Factory driver, driving his No. 2948 Can-Am X3 to his second season championship in three years. In 2020 he was also the SCORE Overall point champion.

     The largest UTV class in the SCORE World Desert Championship has seen 30 starters in the SCORE San Felipe 250, 22 in this year’s SCORE Baja 500, and 16 in the SCORE Baja 400 to start the 2023 season.

     His expected additional drivers for this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 are Bradley Howe, 37, Leona Valley, Calif., and Dustin Jones, 38, Bossier, La.

ROBERTO ROMO JR

     One of those exciting second-generation SCORE racers, Mexico’s Roberto Romo Jr, from Mexicali, has quickly become a strong competitor in the SCORE Trophy Truck Class in 2023.

     Romo Jr, who just turned 18, is the SCORE rookie driver of record in the No. 33 Coast Aluminum Ford Raptor built by Racer Engineering.

     Expected to share the driving duties in this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 is his SCORE champion father Roberto Romo Sr, 41, a top off-road chassis builder.

     In his SCORE rookie season, Romo Jr has consistently survived the challenges with finishes of ninth-place, fifth-place and 22nd place in the three SCORE races this year.

     He is one of just nine of 38 SCORE Trophy Truck drivers still in the hunt for a 2023 SCORE Milestone Award for completing every required race mile for the season and he is currently tied for seventh in the SCORE Trophy Truck season point standings with Kevin Thompson.

RICKEY ARSLANIAN

     One of the favorites in this year’s race in the very popular Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) class will be Rickey Arslanian, 41, Livermore, Calif., the driver of record in the No. 2915 Polaris RZR XP1000.

     Arslanian currently sits in second place in the season points in his competitive class, just six points behind class leader Jason Murray heading into the SCORE Baja 1000. Pro UTV FI has had a total of 40 racers so far this season.

     So far this season Arslanian has class finishes of fifth-place in the SCORE San Felipe 250, 12th place in the SCORE Baja 500 and third-place in the most recent SCORE Baja 400.

     Arslanian’s primary additional driver this season has been Brian Cooper, 37, of Santa Rosa, Calif.

JAMES JUSTIN SHULTZ

     Veteran SCORE champion co-rider James Justin Shultz, 42, Lake Forest, Calif., is entered as the rider of record for this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 in the No. 308x Yamaha WR450 in Pro Moto 30 for riders over 30 years old.

     Shultz has been part of two recent class-winning motorcycle teams in the SCORE Baja 1000 as a co-rider. In 2021, he was a co-rider in Pro Moto 30 for Greg Bardonnex, and last year, he was a co-rider on the Pro Moto 40 class-winning team lead by Ryan Liebelt.

     For this year’s SCORE Baja 1000, Shultz has a team of class-winning veterans as co-riders: Schane Shorno, 34, Livermore, Calif., Ryan Liebelt, 43, Reedley, Calif., Jason Alosi, 39, Reno, Nev., Francisco Septien, 48, Ensenada, Mexico, and Jason Trubey, 46, Henderson, Nev.

    This team of champion veterans will not only contend for the Pro Moto 30 class win in this race, but they should also be one of the fastest overall motorcycle teams on the race course.

PARKHOUSE PAIR

     A two-generation race team, veteran Class 1 racing champions Cody Parkhouse and his father Brian Parkhouse are trying to earn another SCORE Baja 1000 class victory.

     Fresh out of high school at the time, Cody Parkhouse started his official desert racing career in 2006 racing in Class 1/2-1600.

     Both from Long Beach, Calif., Brian Parkhouse, 63, and his son Cody Parkhouse, 35, teamed up to win both 2020 SCORE Baja races and won one race in 2021 in their No. 127 Parkhouse Motorsports Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car for their second straight Class 1 season title.

     With driving help from his father, Cody Parkhouse has won four SCORE unlimited Class 1 season point championships. The duo won the SCORE season crowns in 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2021.

     Injured seriously in a race accident in the 2016 SCORE Baja 1000, Cody Parkhouse has clearly returned to his championship form and will be one of the racers to beat in Class 1 in Ensenada.

     The Parkhouse pair opened the 2023 campaign by winning Class 1 at the SCORE San Felipe 250 and suffered unfortunate DNFs in both this year’s SCORE Baja 500, and SCORE Baja 400. They are fourth in the Class 1 season point standings.

     In the SCORE Baja 1000, the Parkhouse tandem has five class wins between. Brian Parkhouse won the SCORE Lites once in 2009 and together, Brian and Cody Parkhouse won Class 1 twice while splitting the driving duties. The Parkhouse duo won the legendary race in Class 1 in 2020 and 2021.

DENNIS HOLLENBECK

     Racing with a purpose, Dennis Hollenbeck, a Christian Missionary in Ensenada, Mexico, and SCORE champion racer in the venerable Class 11 for stock VW Sedans, is returning to the desert for this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 in his sturdy ‘Bochito’ race car. He is also an active chaplain with Racers for Christ.

    Racing for Mi Casa de Esperanza (my house of hope), an orphanage he supports and works with in Ensenada, clinched the 2017 SCORE Class 11 season point championship with a second-place finish in the epic 50th SCORE Baja 1000 race from Ensenada to La Paz.

     Hollenbeck, 62, was born in Texas but spent most of his life in Southern California. While he was working at UPS, he felt he needed to do something different, and during a trip to Baja on a Christian mission found out that was the place he was looking for and for 29 years now Hollenbeck has been living right in the Off-Road Capital of the World—Ensenada.

     He converted a beaten old VW beetle and turned it into a Class 11 vintage race car. He started racing in 2013 for his H12:ONE Racing Team and the rest is history.

     In 2019, Hollenbeck and his H12:ONE team won their class in the legendary SCORE Baja 1000 for the first time.  The children of Mi Casa de Esperanza are still smiling over that victory.

     Hollenbeck also received and Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Impact Award for Advocacy in 2021.

     ‘Bochito’, the little car that could, and Mi Casa de Esperanza were both featured in the historic Dust2Glory documentary movie that was released in 2017.

DEEP WELLS

     The Wells go deep in Utah and Risq Racing of Hurricane, Utah, is all about the Wells family racing team.

     A two-generation desert racing team, family patriarch Travis Wells, and his wife Libby, both of Apple Valley, Utah, own the Risq Racing race team than includes their son Kaden Wells, 24, Hurricane, Utah.

     Emma Cornwell, daughter of SCORE Tech Director Dan Cornwell, is the navigator for Kaden Wells.

     After four season class point titles in five years (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) Kaden Wells in the Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspirated) class, has moved up to the Pro UTV Open class in 2023 and drives the team’s new No. 1895 Risq Racing Polaris RZR Pro R.

     In the 2022 SCORE season, Wells had a pair of third-place podium finishes followed by a pair of class wins to secure his fourth season point championship.

     Wells made it to the finish line at the 2023 SCORE San Felipe 250 as 13th out of 17 starters in the Pro UTV Open class. It was his debut in the elite Pro UTV Open class. In this year’s SCORE Baja 500, Wells finished 12th out of 20 starters in his class, and in the SCORE Baja 400, Wells finished fifth out of 16 starters. He is currently seventh in the season points in his class out of 25 total starters.

     Wells won the Pro UTV NA class in last year’s SCORE Baja 1000 prior to moving up to the Pro UTV Open class this year.

STARTING GRID-SCORE BAJA 1000

     The results of the SCORE Baja 400 determined the start order within each class for November’s iconic season-ending BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by K&N.

     A special drawing for the remaining starting positions within each class will be held for all the additional entries and the results posted on the SCORE website at 6 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 3. All entries received after that date will receive the next available spot within their respective classes.

PRE-RUNNING

     Official practice, or pre-running, on the official race course for this year’s BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000 will open in La Paz at 8 a.m. MT on Saturday, Oct. 21.

MAIN COURSE

    The race features a course, fully plotted, and soon to marked over the few several weeks by SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva, and Assistant Race Director Rodolfo Fernandez, of 1,310.94 miles of rugged Baja California terrain.

     The challenging, pre-dominantly up-hill race course will be another memorable example of all that Mexico’s Baja California has to offer, including high-speed dirt trails, sandy, rocky and silty natural terrain, majestic Baja washes and canyons, stretches along the seashore with elevations from sea level to over 4,000 feet. The course will be another crown jewel reflecting the stark beauty of Baja California.

     The 1310.94-mile race course, the longest ever between La Paz and Ensenada for the BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by K&N, runs for the first time from La Paz to Ensenada, up Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula.

     The iconic race will start for the first time on the picturesque El Malecon in La Paz along the Sea of Cortez and finish on Boulevard Costero, adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of Ensenada.

     The incredibly beautiful, and ridiculously rugged race course will have 30 Speed Zones, 308 Virtual Check Points, three physical, full-stop Check Points, and feature nine BFGoodrich Tires Pits.

     Physical Check Point No. 1 will be a race mile 233.88 (Valle de Santo Domingo), CP 2 will be at RM 599.34 (South of Vizcaino) and CP3 will be at RM 922.25 (South of Catavina).

     After leaving El Malecon in La Paz, the course begins its windy road North from the Mexican State of Baja California Sur to the Mexican State of Baja California. The race course will pass near several of the legendary Spanish Missions on its way North.

     From RM 50 across Arroyo Seco, the course will run adjacent to the Pacific Ocean for the first time up to RM 220.

     At RM 277.46 the course will pass by Mission de San Javier on top of the Sierra de La Giganta and at RM 300.05 for the first time in SCORE history, the race course go through El Malecon in Loreto, again by the Sea of Cortez.

     At RM 632.75, the course crosses from Baja California Sur into Baja California for the final half of the race.

     At RM 821.35, the course is near the Pacific Ocean for the final time near Bahia Blanco.

     While the race course includes numerous Baja washes, at race-mile 1014.24, the course will begin a treacherous trek through six of the gloriously majestic washes around San Felipe: Matomi, Azufre, Boulder Canyon, Huatamote, Chanate, and Amarillas.

     At RM 1200.75, the course passes Valle de Trinidad and up the infamous Goat Trail, behind Santa Catarina (RM 1226.36) by Rancho El Mezcal to Ojos Negros (RM 1277.04) and to the finish line in Ensenada.

     All the Sportsman classes along with Class 11 and Class 7SX will run a reduced course of 1197.04 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

     It is an elapsed-time race with staggered starts with the green flag dropping on Thursday (Nov. 16). Motorcycles and Quads will start at 1 a.m. MT, Cars, Trucks, and UTVs will start at 9 a.m. MT.

     While the fastest vehicles in the 1310.94-mile race are expected to finish in about 23 hours, the elapsed-time race will have a 50-hour time limit to become an official finisher.

A HAPPENING…

     Two days of the colorful pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway, Contingency and Tech inspection will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 14-15) along the captivating El Malecon along the Sea of Cortez in La Paz.

     Popular Rat Sult will once again serve as host of the SCORE Live streaming. Assisting Sult will once again be veteran voice Dave Arnold.

     Contingency and the race itself will be streamed live, airing via the internet on the SCORE website and SCORE social media channels. Included in the exclusive race coverage, along with vehicle tracking, will be live drone and in-car camera footage from various locations around the race course. There will also be hosts in the SCORE Studio bringing live updates during the race.

CITY EXPRESS…

     The City Express Hotel on the Northeast end of El Malecon in La Paz, will host racer registration and media registration on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (Nov. 13-15).

     On Monday (Nov. 13), racer registration will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST. On Tuesday (Nov. 14) it will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST, and on Wednesday (Nov. 15) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST.

     SCORE Media Registration will be held at the City Express on Monday (Nov. 13) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. MST and from 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 14-15) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT.

     The race will start along the picturesque El Malecon in La Paz.

SCORE SPONSORS…

     Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, Ford-Official Truck and SUV, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber and Race Title Sponsor, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel and race presenting sponsor, Baja Vida-Official Snacks and race presenting sponsor, Optima Batteries-Official Batteries, Rugged Radios-Official Radio Communications, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.

BFGOODRICH TIRES UNMATCHED

     BFGoodrich Tires, the official tire of SCORE for 47 years, was honored after the 2022 season as the SCORE Contingency Company of the year for the 32nd time.

     BFGoodrich Tires has been the choice of 35 of the 55 overall winners of the popular SCORE Baja 500 and 34 of the 55 overall winners of the legendary SCORE Baja 1000. BFGoodrich Tires is also the title sponsor of both iconic races again in 2023.

     BFGoodrich Tires also has been the choice of 30 of the 36 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 one of the four overall winners in the SCORE Baja 400.

     This year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 overall victory by San Diego’s Luke McMillin marked the 103rd SCORE Baja overall race win for BFGoodrich Tires.

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 the Granddaddy of all Desert Races.

US$20,000 PRO MOTO UNLTD PURSE

     Through the coordination and efforts of SCORE Motorcycle liaison, Andy Kirker, a former SCORE motorcycle racer, four companies have combined to put up a special $20,000 bonus purse exclusively for the Pro Moto Unlimited Class, the fastest class on two wheels.

     The four companies posting this unprecedented purse for this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 are: Anube, from Spain, Taco Moto Company from Las Vegas, Baja Bound of Mexico, and AHM Factory Services of Yorba Linda, Calif.

    This unique payout will be for first through fifth place on the official results: first-$10,000, second-$5,000, third-$3,000, fourth-$1,500 and fifth-$500.

GRANDEST MARSHAL FOR GOLDEN YEAR

     Sal Fish, admired as the iconic ‘godfather’ of SCORE desert racing who is a foundational pillar of the organization, is the Grand Marshal of the Year for the entire four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship.

     Revered all over Baja California, Fish, who turned 84 in May of this year, is a former publisher of Hot Rod Magazine and a 2006 inductee into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. He led SCORE for 38 years, from 1974 until he sold the organization on Dec. 20, 2012.

     His footprint left an indelible mark on all of desert racing as he was an extraordinary innovator and visionary for SCORE and the entire world of desert racing.

     He expanded TV coverage of SCORE races and in 1994 created the SCORE Trophy Truck class, the marquee racing division in the sport of desert racing.

SCORE SPONSORS…

     Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and Race Title Sponsor, Ford-Official Truck and SUV, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber and Race Title Sponsor, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel and race presenting sponsor, Baja Vida-Official Snacks and race presenting sponsor, Optima Batteries-Official Batteries, Rugged Radios-Official Radio Communications, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.

     SCORE Official Partners: The Satellite Phone Store, Instant Mexico Auto Insurance.

     Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Baja California Secretary of Tourism, MEXICO Secretary of Tourism, San Felipe Foundational Municipal Council, Ensenada Municipal Government, San Felipe Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Marketing Tourism Committee, Ensenada Hotel and Motel Association, Proturismo Ensenada, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Baja California Sur State Secretary of Tourism and Economy, Baja California Sur State Tourism Trust (FITUES), Municipal Government of La Paz, Municipal Government of Comondu, Municipal Government of Loreto, and the Municipal Government of Mulege.

     For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCORE-International.com.

‘Celebrating 50 Years of SCORE Desert Racing Excellence’

BFGoodrich Tires 56th SCORE Baja 1000, presented by K&N Finale of four-race 2023 SCORE World Desert Championship Nov. 13-18 – 1310.94 miles – La Paz, Baja California Sur to Ensenada, Baja California Total Entries: 82 (as of 10/05/23) (from 20 U.S. States, host Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain)   (Numerical order, by class) Pro Cars/Trucks/UTVs   SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (13*) XX Gabriel Torres 1 Luke McMillin *1L Gustavo Vildosola Sr 6 Dan Myers 23 Dan McMillin 26 Dave Taylor 33 Roberto Romo Jr 43 Larry Roeseler 45 Gary Magness *52L John Shenouda 60 Cole Potts 69 Andrew Myers *72L Rob Reinertson *SCORE TT LEGEND

CLASS 1 (3)

127 Cody Parkhouse 144 Mario Hernandez 168 Cody Reid

TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (14)

206 Joshua Cobb 211 Pat Sims 231 Carlos Ramos 235 Zach Lumsden-1st RS 236 Michael Marsal 240 Chris Miller 241 Stephen Beal 260 Santiago Creel 270 Jimmy Diaz 277 Travis Williams 279 Guillermo Barreda 282 Brent Fox 294 Vincent Munoz 295 William Hedrick Jr

CLASS 10 (1)

1044 Jason Shipman

PRO UTV OPEN (2)

1869 Justin Lambert 1895 Kaden Wells

PRO UTV FI (3)

2911 Aaron Aguilar 2915 Rickey Arslanian 2948 Matt Burroughs

CLASS 7 (1)

710 Mike Shaffer

SCORE LITES (3)

1221 Scott Wisdom 1234 Todd Katanchik 1248 Jeremy Sundt

PRO UTV NA (1)

1957 Joe Bolton

CLASS 1/2-1600 (7)

16XX Victor Barreda 1610 Jordan Souza Price 1617 Francisco Escareno 1624 Emilio Estrada 1625 Eric Pavolka 1679 Enrique Zazueta Jr 1686 Juan Pinales Jr

PRO UTV STOCK (3)

3901 JD Daniels 3920 Cecilia Alvarez 3933 Randy Emberton

CLASS 8 (1)

810 Henk Theunisssen

HEAVY METAL (1)

8008 Rob White

CLASS 5 (2)

501 William Hernquist 512 Mike Belk

CLASS 3 (1)

303 Dave Sykes

CLASS 11 (2)

1111 Eric Solorzano 1121 Dennis Hollenbeck Sportsman SPT TRUCK (1) 1491 Nathan Sumrall Pro Motorcycles

PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (3)

1x Juan Carlos Salvatierra

9x Austin Eddy

18x Aaron Volle

PRO MOTO 30 (6)

301x Corin Fator

308x James Justin Shultz

313x Nicola Dutto

319x David Smith

338x Levi Gill

324x Edgar Najar

PRO MOTO LIMITED (1)

186x Nathan DiAngelo

PRO MOTO 50 (2)

500x Giovanni Spinali

550x Scott Rattray

PRO MOTO 40 (1)

447x Todd Wallace

PRO MOTO IRONMAN (7)

706x Kevin Daniels

727x Luke Burlet

734x Scott Purcell

757x David Harris

761x Steven Coulsen

763x Kellen Davies

798x Reed Christensen

PRO MOTO 60 (1)

644x Kevin Ward

Pro Quads

Pro Quad (1)

21a Jose Castro

Sportsman

SPT M/C (1)

2XXx Kenji Oikawa