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Advance racer-registration closes November 7, pre-running accelerating for next week’s iconic 51st SCORE Baja 1000
SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominiccnv@aol.com November 3, 2018 Nov. 12-18 race week Advance racer-registration closes November 7, pre-running accelerating for next week’s iconic 51st SCORE Baja 1000 To date, 250 total entries from 38 U.S. States, 1 U.S. Territory and 18 countries part of field; finale of 4-race 806.76-mile race in Mexico’s Baja California Norte; online racer registration ends Wednesday at 8 p.m. PT at www.score-international.com; Granddaddy of All Desert Races to be televised as two-hour special on El Rey Network ENSENADA, Mexico—They come from all walks of life, both male and female, range in age from 16 to 76, journey from all parts of the globe to Mexico, but they share a common dream that binds them into a unique brotherhood/sisterhood. They are all preparing to compete in and finish next month’s 51st annual SCORE Baja 1000, the iconic Granddaddy of All Desert Races. Racers continue pre-running on their never-ending quest over the rugged race course over the northern part of Mexico’s majestically magnificent Baja California Peninsula. Advance on-line racer-registration continues until 8 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday (Nov. 7) at www.score-international.com for this year’s legendary competition. The event and race-week festivities for the season-finale of the four-race 2018 SCORE World Desert Championships will be held Nov. 12-18, starting and finishing in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. 51ST BAJA MIL Over 300 entries, from 36 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. Race week festivities and the race will be held Nov. 12-18 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. 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. 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, course notes and GPS files are available on the SCORE website under race info on the SCORE Baja 1000 page at www.SCOREInternational.com. WHERE THEY’RE FROM To date for next week’s 51st SCORE Baja 1000, there are 250 total entries with racers from 38 U.S. States and 18 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, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Spain and Sweden. MORE NUMBERS Including SCORE Trophy Truck (37), seven total classes already have double figures in terms of entries so far. While several other classes have nearly reached at least 10 entries, the other classes with double figure entries to date are: Trophy Truck Spec (28), Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) (27), Class 10 (17), unlimited Class 1 (14), Pro UTV NA (Naturally Aspirated) (13) and leading the Sportsman classes is SPT M/C with 16 entries so far. START DRAW For all the classes except SCORE Trophy Truck, the drawing for starting positions within each class will all entries registered online by by 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Late entries after the drawing cut-off will have to register on-site next Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Entries received after the drawing will be placed by class in the next available starting position following those that entered in time for the random draw. For racers who competed in September’s Lucerna Hotels & Resorts Tijuana SCORE Desert Challenge, based on their results, those racers will be placed in order of how they placed in Tijuana and a drawing will be held for all of the additional entries in each class to determine the final start order for the 51st SCORE Baja 1000. It will be held after the close of online racer registration on Wednesday (Nov. 7) and published on Friday (Nov. 9). SALIDA Y LA META This year’s race will start for the 44th time and finish for the 25th time in Ensenada, Baja California. The start/finish line compound will once again be adjacent to the picturesque Bahia de Todos Santos one side and to the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero in the heart of Ensenada with the first several spectator-friendly miles running up and back through the Ensenada Arroyo. PRE-GREEN 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 at the Torre Lucerna Ensenada Hotel & Resort. 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). VIVA BAJA! 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 has 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. The five checkpoints are 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. EL GRAN JEFE—GRAND MARSHAL For this year’s 51st SCORE Baja 1000, SCORE International has selected Mexico’s beloved tourism official Nico Saad, the only person who has been behind the scenes at all 50 of the previous races, as the Grand Marshal for this year’s anniversary of the world’s most iconic desert race. Honorably humble, unusually unassuming, famously friendly by nature while constantly and consistently working diligently behind the scenes by choice on behalf of SCORE Baja racing for nearly 45 years, Saad is the revered owner of the San Nicolas Resort and extremely cherished and prolifically productive President of Proturismo de Ensenada. Saad is the only person who has been part of all 50 Baja 1000 events, obviously including the 44 produced and sanctioned by SCORE International. 2018 REMAINING SCHEDULE
- 51st SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.12-18, Ensenada, 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
PRO MOTO LIMITED (2)
100x Santiago Creel 125x Fernando BeltranPRO MOTO 30 (8)
300x Ryan Liebelt 303x Luis M. Gomez 305x William St. Laurent 310x Enrique Fuhrken 323x Mike Mettler 333x Chad Thornton 360x Santiago Creel 365x Nick LanningPRO MOTO 40 (4)
400x Jano Montoya 408x Stephen Berger 427x Salvador Sainz 437x Mauricio SantanaPRO MOTO 50 (2)
510x Giovanni Spinali 524x Mike Frick PRO MOTO IRONMAN (9) 714x Lawrence Janesky 722x Liz Karcz 726x Ernie Vigil 730x Francisco Septien 739x Aaron Richardson 744x Tony Luksa 747x Lloyd Andrew 756x John Hodel 757x Rick Thornton PRO MOTO 60 (1) 649x Guy Laycraft Pro Quads Pro Quad (2) 1a Said Sanchez 2a Don Higbee SPT QUAD (3) 102a Kristin Dietrich 126a Manuel Mayoral 148a Alejandro Amador SPT M/C (16) 200x Miguel Pena 201x R. Hank Salyer 202x Javier Perez 213x Bradley Loveday 216x Luke Berlet 224x Fabrice Le Det 228x Scott McIntosh 238x Rolando Cabrera 245x George Radysh 247x Michael Boge 252x Matt Woody 254x Tyler Harvey 259x Mike Kaplan 260x Mark Lucke 277x Stephen Gholson 284x Shane Schorno