Pre-running opens this Saturday on challenging 806.76-mile race course; early entries from 31 U.S. States, 13 countries for 51st SCORE Baja 1000

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com

October 17, 2018

Nov. 12-18 race dates

Pre-running opens this Saturday on challenging 806.76-mile race course;

early entries from 31 U.S. States, 13 countries for 51st SCORE Baja 1000

 

pre-race festivities for final round of four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championship includes

SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience, presented by BFGoodrich Tires Oct. 29-Nov. 2

at Las Vegas Convention Center; SCORE Baja 1000 qualifying for SCORE Trophy Truck,

at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Off-Road Track at 6 p.m., Oct. 30

 

    ENSENADA, Mexico— Desert racing is the original extreme sport and racers from around the world begin pre-running on Saturday for next month’s 51sth annual SCORE Baja 1000, the iconic Granddaddy of All Desert Races that started it all. Drivers and riders will begin practicing for their quest to beat the Baja in the ultimate test of men, women and machines.

     Registration continues at www.score-international.com for the legendary competition. The event and pre-race festivities and race itself will be held Nov. 12-18. The race will start and finish in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

PRE-RUNNING

     Teams will be allowed to begin pre-running or practicing on the race course starting at 8 a.m. (PT) on Saturday, starting from north of Ojos Negros as the section from the start to Ojos Negros will be restricted. Pre-running will start at race mile 38.40 at Rancho El Mezcal which is 5.6 miles southeast of Ojos Negros. On the return, pre-running will end at race mile 767.26. The official course map and GPS files may be found under the SCORE Baja 1000 logo on the Race Info page on www.SCORE-International.com.

OH, WHAT A COURSE!

     As it has for over four and  a half decades, SCORE has put together another memorable race course for the 51st anniversary, this one a loop race, with all of the foreboding, unforgiving terrain that the northern state of the majestic Baja California peninsula has to offer. SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva has designed and finalized this year’s race course of 806.76 miles. The course will have five checkpoints along the way to the finish and 192 virtual checkpoints.

     Starting and finishing in the heart of Ensenada in front of the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center, the course travels in a clockwise direction east to Ojos Negros before launching its weaving route around both the east and then the west side of the northern part of the peninsula.

     Pre-running (Oct. 20) will start 5.6 south of Ojos Negros at Rm 38.4 and the course heads out to Jamau. After Jamau before the ‘Goat Trail’ there is a new short section that has never been raced on. Course will go to Kiliwas and out to Hwy 3 to San Matias, over to the desert in San Felipe. South of San Felipe it loops around Amarillas Wash and comes back to Old Puertecitos Road on Huatamote Wash, head south to the Sulphur mines and turn right and will loop back using Matomi Wash to Old Puertecitos Highway. South from Puertocitos to Gonzaga Bay and before Coco’ s Corner it turns south and takes a new trail that will take racers back to the main road out to Chapala. At Chapala the course goes across Hwy 1 and does a loop behind Cataviña where there is tons of silt and nasty hill climbs. North of Cataviña the course goes back across the peninsula on the east side of Hwy 1 and heads north to Rancho Victoria and more silt before and after this ranch in the Rm 490 to Rm 510 area. It then drops down to El Rosario Wash and goes north to San Quintin on a fast smooth road that has never been raced on. In San Quintin the course runs north and hits the coast to Santo Tomas, taking pavement to Uruapan and back to Ojos Negros and to the finish in Ensenada.

     The five checkpoints will be located at north of San Felipe (race mile 177.34), before Highway 1 on Chapala Road (rm 378.27), Highway 1 in San Quintin (rm 597.81), end of Vicente Guerrero Wash (rm 633.85) and in Santo Tomas before Highway 1 (rm 733.02).

     Because of the horrendous silt beds, Class 11 (stock VW sedans) and all Sportsman 4-wheel vehicles classes will be allowed to eliminate the Cataviña loop, taking pavement from rm 379.22 to rm 478.38.

THE RACE

      Over 300 entries, from 35 U.S. States and 20 countries are expected to compete in this year’s 51st anniversary celebration of the SCORE Baja 1000 which is revered worldwide as the Granddaddy of all Desert Races.

     The world’s most iconic, oldest, prestigious and longest continuously held desert race, this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 will be a loop race of 806.76 miles in the northern state of Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula. It will start for the 44th time and finish for the 25th time in Ensenada. The race is annually the finale of the four-race SCORE World Desert Championship, which has been held exclusively for the past three years in Baja California. The start/finish line compound will once again be adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center.

     With a total time limit of 36 hours in the elapsed-time race, the motorcycle and quad classes will start at 4 a.m. (PT) on Friday, Nov. 16 and the car, truck and UTV classes will follow with their start on at 10:30 a.m. (PT) on Friday, Nov. 16. The fastest finishers are expected to complete the race in approximately 16 hours.

     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.

WHERE THEY’RE FROM

     To date after under two weeks of online registration for November’s 51st SCORE Baja 1000, there are 103 total early entries with racers from 31 U.S. States and 13 countries officially signed up to compete. In addition to the United States, the U.S. Territory of Guam and host country Mexico, the other countries with racers entered are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Peru and Sweden.

THE WHO

     The royalty of desert racing will be in this year’s field and leading the way will once again be the marquee SCORE Trophy Trucks. The SCORE-created class for high-tech, 950-horsepower unlimited custom trucks is celebrating its 25th season as the featured racing division in the sport.

     There are 29 SCORE Trophy Trucks entered so far in this year’s celebratory race.

     Among the entries in SCORE Trophy Truck are No. 11 Rob MacCachren/Jason Voss, No. 1 Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez/Juan C. Lopez, No. 77 Robby Gordon/Cole Potts, No. 31 Andy McMillin/Tavo Vildosola, No. No. 16 Cameron Steele/Pat Dean, 97 B.J. Baldwin/Willie Valdez Jr, No. 15 Billy Wilson/Chad Bunch, No. 4 Justin Matney/Josh Daniel, No. 23 Dan McMillin/Gary Weyhrich, No. 19 Tim Herbst/Ed Herbst/Ryan Millen, No. 7 Bryce Menzies/Toby Price, No. 83 Luke McMillin/Larry Roeseler, No. 54 Troy Herbst/Christian Sourapas/Brett Sourapas, No. 32 Ryan Arciero/Adam Householder, No. 20 Robbie Pierce/Matt Loiodice, No. 10 Alan Ampudia/Aaron Ampudia/Rodrigo Ampudia, No. 6 Larry Connor/Ricky Johnson/Luke Johnson, No. 50 Zak Langley/Kyle Jergensen, No. 86 Joe Bacal/Jeff Geiser, No. 5L Clyde Stacy/Armin Schwarz (SCORE TT Legend class) and No. 21L Gus Vildosola Sr/Scott Bailey/Mike Coleman (SCORE TT Legend).

     Larry Roeseler has 17 class wins in the SCORE Baja 1000, including a race-record 13 overall wins (10 on a motorcycle, two in a desert race car and one in a SCORE Trophy Truck). For the second straight year he will be the second driver for third-generation desert racer Luke McMillin in the No. 83 Ford F-150 in SCORE Trophy Truck.

BEFORE BAJA…VIVA LAS VEGAS

     SCORE Trophy Truck (including the SCORE TT Legend class), the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 950-horsepower, unlimited custom trucks class will have a special qualifying session for start positions on Tuesday, Oct. 30 on the Off-Road Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The marquee SCORE racing division will be showcased that week (Oct. 29-Nov. 2) at the massive SEMA SCORE Baja 1000 Experience at the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Both events are presented by BFGoodrich Tires.

     The starting order for all other classes was determined primarily by the finishing and placement results at last week’s Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge.

ULTIMATE DANA FAST QUALIFIER AWARD

      For the third straight year, international drivetrain manufacturer Dana Incorporated is presenting the Ultimate Dana Fast Qualifier award.

     Dana is also presenting live streaming of the entire qualifying session from LVMS on the SCORE website. Winning the Ultimate Dana Fast Qualifier award in 2016 was Las Vegas’ Mark Post and fastest last year was Robby Gordon, Charlotte, N.C.

PRE-GREEN

     The 51st SCORE Baja 1000 race week festivities will cover Nov. 12-18.

     Pre-race festivities include two days of Contingency and the SCORE Manufacturer’s Midway (Wednesday, Nov. 14 & Thursday, Nov. 15) on Boulevard Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Contingency will run each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and pre-race tech will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. On Wednesday (Nov. 14), Contingency will be held for all motorcycles, quads and UTV classes along with several  car/truck classes. On Thursday (Nov. 15), Contingency will be held for the balance of the car and truck classes including the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, unlimited Class 1, Trophy Truck Spec and Class 10.

     The pre-race mandatory driver/rider briefing will be held on Thursday (Nov. 15) at 7 p.m. PT in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

     Racer registration will be held in the Red Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in Ensenada. Racer registration will be held from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday (Nov. 13), and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT on both Wednesday (Nov. 15) and Thursday (Nov. 15).

     Media registration will be held as well in the Red Room at the Riviera from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday (Nov. 13), and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT on both Wednesday (Nov. 14) and Thursday (Nov. 15) and the BFGoodrich Tires/Baja California Secretary of Tourism SCORE Media Center will be open on Friday (Nov. 16) starting at 3:30 a.m. PT through the close of the race course. It will also be open on Sunday (Nov. 18) from 8 a.m. to Noon PT.

     SCORE sponsor Monster Energy will host the Monster Energy Papas y Beer SCORE Street Party on Avenida Ruiz in downtown Ensenada from 6 p.m. to midnight PT on Thursday, Nov. 15.

POST GREEN

     As the celebration continues Friday (Nov. 16) night to all day and evening on Friday and Saturday until the early hours of Sunday morning (Nov. 18) while official finishers cross the line and tales and epic accomplishments are added to the legacy of the event. The post-race awards fiesta will be held on the start/finish line ramp adjacent to the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center starting at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday (Nov. 18).

RACER REGISTRATION

     Racer Registration continues at www.SCORE-International.com under Race Info on the SCORE Baja 1000 page. Any questions, contact SCORE Registration Director Audreonna Cuarez at 775. 852.8907.

NUMERO UNO, DOS TIEMPOS

     In a special voting held in 2016 and 2017, the invincible SCORE Baja 1000 was selected as the No. 1 motorsports event in the world both years in a reader’s choice voting conducted by the USA Today newspaper, defeating such events as the Indy 500 and the Knoxville Nationals.

SCOREscope

2018 REMAINING SCHEDULE

• 51st SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.13-18, Ensenada, Mexico

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.12-17, Ensenada, Mexico

TV TIME

     SCORE races are airing domestically on the El Rey Network and outside of the U.S. on ESPN International as well as syndication. The SCORE Baja 1000 race coverage show will be a two-hour special.

     El Rey Network is a 24-hour, English-language lifestyle network and is available in 45 million homes across the country through cable and OTT providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 341 and Dish Network Channel 253. For more information on how to watch El Rey visit http://elreynetwork.com.

SCORE SPONSORS…

     Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire and official race title sponsor, Monster Energy-Official Energy Drink, King Shocks-Official Shock Absorber, Polaris RZR-Official UTV, RACELINE Wheels-Official Wheel, VP Racing Fuels-Official Fuel, Lucerna Hotels & Resorts-Official Hotel and official race title sponsor, Wide Open Excursions-Official Arrive and Drive Company, Crystal Bay Casino-Official Casino.

     SCORE Official Partners: PCI Race Radios, 4 Wheel Parts, The Satellite Phone Store, Satellite Del Norte.

     Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamiento, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters, McKenzie’s Performance Products, Advanced Color Graphics.

     Lucerna Hotels & Resorts 22nd Tijuana SCORE Desert Challenge Special Partners: XXII Ayuntamiento de Tijuana, Baja California State Secretary of Tourism, Comite de Turismo and Convenciones, Comite de Marcadotecnia Turistica, Lucerna Hotels and Resorts, Asociacion de Hoteles del Noroeste.

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

51st Annual SCORE Baja 1000

Schedule of Events (as of 10/17/18)

 

MONDAY, Nov. 12--(All times PST)

Noon – 5 p.m. – SCORE Chassis Inspections-Playa Hermosa Beach 1.1 miles south of Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

Noon – 5 p.m. – Pre-Tech Inspections/Stella Bracket Checks & Installations-Playa Hermosa Beach

TUESDAY, Nov. 13--(All times PST)

9a.m. – 5 p.m. – SCORE Chassis Inspections-Playa Hermosa Beach 1.1 miles south of Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

9a.m. – 5 p.m. – Pre-Tech Inspections/Stella Bracket Checks & Installations-Playa Hermosa Beach

1 p.m. - 8 p.m. – Racer Registration, Red Room-Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center (adjacent to S/F)

1 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Media Registration, Red Room-Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 14--(All times PST)

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Racer Registration (No new walk-in entries after 3 p.m.), Red Room-Riviera del Pacifico CC (next to S/F)

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Media Registration, Red Room-Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

9 a.m. -- 5 p.m. – Contingency Row-All motos, quads, UTVs, some car/truck, Boulevard Costero, Next to Riviera CC

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Technical Inspection for above classes, End of Contingency Row

THURSDAY, Nov. 15--(All Times PST)

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Racer Registration (No new walk-in entries after 3 p.m.), Red Room-Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Media Registration, Red Room-Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Volunteer Registration, location TBA

9 a.m. -- 5 p.m. – Contingency Row-Remaining car/truck classes including SCORE Trophy Truck, Blvd. Costero

9 a.m. – 6 p.m. – Technical Inspection for above classes, End of Contingency Row

11:30 a.m. – SCORE Baja 1000 Media Conference, Torre Lucerna Hotel Ensenada

6 p.m. – Mandatory Aircraft Pilot Meeting, Torre Lucerna Hotel Ensenada

7 p.m. – Mandatory Racer Meeting, Torre Lucerna Hotel Ensenada

8 p.m. – 12 a.m. – Monster Energy SCORE Papas & Beer Street Party, Avenida Ruiz (adjacent to Papas Y Beer)

FRIDAY, Nov. 16--(All Times PST)

3:30 a.m. – Midnight -  BFGoodrich Tires/Baja California Secretary of Tourism/SCORE Media Center—Red Room, Riviera

 

4a.m. – RACE START - Pro Motorcycles, Pro Quads, Sportsman Motorcycles, Sportsman Quads

STARTING ORDER (Subject to change): (One vehicle every 30 seconds)

Pro Moto Unlimited, Pro Moto Limited, Pro Moto 30, Pro Moto 40, Pro Moto 50, Pro Moto Ironman, Pro Moto 60, Pro Quad, SPT Quad, SPT M/C

8 a.m. – Special Hoisting of the Monumental Mexican Flag-Ventana al Mar Plaza

9:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremony, Honor Guard, Salute to the Flag, Start/finish line area, Blvd. Costero

 

10:30 a.m. RACE START – Cars/Trucks/UTVs (Approximate 5 1/2 hour first and second group)

STARTING ORDER (Subject to change): (One vehicle every 60 seconds in SCORE TT and Class 1 with a five-minute gap between those two classes, one vehicle every 30 seconds for remaining classes)

TT/TT Legend, 1, TT Spec, 10, 2, Hammer Unltd, Hammer Ltd, 8, 1/2-1600, SL, 7, 7F, 5, HM, Pro UTV FI, Pro UTV, Pro UTV Unltd, 5-1600, 3000, TL, Baja-e, BC, 3, PT, SF, 7SX, 3700, 2700, 1700, SM, VT, VI, 9, 11, SPT Unltd Truck, SPT Buggy, SPT Ltd Truck, SPT UTV, SPT Stock UTV FI, SPT Stock UTV NA

TIME LIMIT: All vehicles will have a 36-hour time limit from the time each starts.

Race in Progress – Posting of Unofficial Results -- SCORE Media Center, Red Room, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

SATURDAY, Nov. 17--(All Times PST)

12 a.m. – course close - BFG Tires/Baja California Secretary of Tourism/SCORE Media Center—Red Room, Riviera CC

Race in Progress -- Posting of Unofficial Results -- SCORE Media Center, Red Room, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

SUNDAY, Nov.  18--(all times PST)

8 a.m. – Noon -- BFGoodrich Tires/Baja California Secretary of Tourism/SCORE Media Center—Red Room, Riviera CC

9 a.m. – Posting of FINAL UNOFFICIAL Results—Red Room, Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

10 a.m. – Awards Celebration-Start/Finish line Ramp in front of Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center

51st annual SCORE Baja 1000 Nov. 12-18, 2018—806.76 miles–Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico Total Entries: 103 (as of 10/17/18) (from 31 U.S. States, U.S. Territory-Guam, Host Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada England, Finland, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Sweden)   (Numerical order, by class)  Pro Cars/Trucks/UTVs   SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (29) 1 Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez 4 Justin Matney *5L Clyde Stacy 6 Larry Connor 7 Bryce Menzies 10 Alan Ampudia 11 Rob MacCachren *12L Gustavo Vildosola Sr 15 Billy Wilson 16 Cameron Steele 19 Tim Herbst 20 Robbie Pierce 23 Dan McMillin 26 Dave Taylor 31 Andy McMillin 32 Ryan Arciero 33 Todd Tuls 40 Chris Miller 50 Zak Langley 54 Troy Herbst 60 Cole Potts 62 Ryan Poelman 70 Kevin Thompson 77 Robby Gordon 83 Luke McMillin 85 Mike Lawrence 86 Joe Bacal 88 Mike Walser 97 B.J. Baldwin *SCORE TT LEGEND

CLASS 1 (8)

101 Wayne Schlosser 106 Derek Fletcher 129 Brandon Bailey 139 Jeff Sanca 149 Sam Berri 150 Morgan Langley 151 John Ramirez 189 Jon Walker

TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (16)

204 Sara Price 207 Steve Kovach 208 Andrew Entwistle 210 Ted Moncure 211 Pat Sims 218 Chad Dohrman 230 Chad Hall 233 Karl Williams 250 John Langley 265 Craig McCarthy 266 Scott Biernot 267 Hammond Meredith 276 Gerardo Iribe 277 Rod Lewis 295 William Hedrick Jr 299 Charles Dorrance

CLASS 10 (8)

1002 Clay Lawrence 1018 Miguel Tornel Z-A 1030 Jim Anderson 1049 Ty Godde 1059 Brady Richard 1062 J.J. Schnarr 1072 Karl Ebdrup 1081 Todd Winslow

HAMMER TRUCK UNLTD (1)

4422 Casey Currie

CLASS 1/2-1600 (1)

1613 Dana Jussila

SCORE LITES (1)

1240 Miguel Bonilla

CLASS 7 (2)

700 Dan Chamlee 709 Jeff Proctor

CLASS 5 (1)

507 Greg Sullivan-RS

Pro UTV FI (9)

2907 Robby Gordon 2912 Tony Riggs 2927 Justin Smith 2930 Sean Cook 2966 Rhys Millen 2981 Jesse Combs 2984 Kristopher McCoy 2987 Edgar Garcia 2900 Marc Burnett-RS

Pro UTV (3)

1944 Christopher Boyle 1995 Kaden Wells 1977 Todd Romano

Pro UTV UNL (2)

1888 Earl Berg 1899 Kris Werth

CLASS 5-1600 (1)

595 Matt Barnes-RS

PROTRUCK (1)

1350 Cody Swanty

CLASS 11 (2)

1106 Michael Kay 1111 Eric Solorzano Sportsman

SPT BUGGY (1)

1521 Pat Bell   1500 Ricardo Rodriguez 1516 Juan Naranjo SPT UTV UNLIMITED (0)   1818 Jessalyn Farrington SPT UTV STOCK FI (0)   3929 Shane Redline 3937 Brad Lovell SPT UTV STOCK NA (0)   3975 Torrey Rush Pro Motorcycles

PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (2)

9x Eddie Brown

12x Webster Whinery Jr

PRO MOTO 30 (2)

305x William St. Laurent

323x Mike Mettler

PRO MOTO 40 (1)

408x Stephen Berger

PRO MOTO 50 (1)

524x Mike Frick

PRO MOTO IRONMAN (7)

714x Lawrence Janesky

722x Liz Karcz

726x Ernie Vigil

744x Tony Luksa

747x Lloyd Andrew

756x John Hodel

757x Rick Thornton

Sportsman

SPT M/C (4)

245x George Radysh

247x Michael Boge

260x Mark Lucke

284x Shane Schorno