6 RPM vehicles, 15 ’18 race winners, 14 ’18 season point champs among 149 entries to date for 33rd annual SCORE San Felipe 250

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

March 16, 2019

Race Dates April 3-7

 6 RPM vehicles, 15 ’18 race winners, 14 ’18 season point champs

among 149 entries to date for 33rd annual SCORE San Felipe 250

 

Season opener of four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship;

Pre-running opens March 23 on rugged race-record 349.91-mile course;

Start Draw deadline--Tuesday, March 26; airing on ABC World of X Games

    ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico – RPM Racing of Tennessee with six vehicles joins 15 class winners from last year’s race and 14 of the 2018 class season point champions as part of the entries to date for next month’s 33rd annual SCORE San Felipe 250 in Baja California, Mexico.

     With many of the sport’s top stars among the first 149 official entries as of today from 24 U.S. States, host country Mexico along with the additional countries of Australia, Canada, Finland, Italy and New Zealand, RPM has three entries in SCORE Trophy Truck and one each in Trophy Truck Spec, Class 1 and SPT Buggy to go along with 10 of last year’s car/truck/utv class winners and five of last year’s San Felipe moto class winners are on the entry list so far as well as nine four-wheel and five moto/quad 2018 season point champions.

RACE CAPSULE

     Featuring a rugged race-record long course of 349.91 miles with three physical and 96 virtual checkpoints, the season-opening event of the four-race internationally-televised 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held April 3-7 in San Felipe, the picturesque peaceful fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, 125 miles south of the U.S. Border at Calexico, Calif.

     Featuring Pro and Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads, the race will air domestically on the ABC Network’s World of X Games show.

     All four 2019 SCORE races will be held on Mexico’s magnificent Baja California peninsula for the fourth consecutive year.

THREE DECADES & 3

     Celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the youngest of the three legendary SCORE Baja races, sometimes referred to as the SCORE ‘baby Baja’, entries are being accepted on the SCORE website under Race Info atwww.SCOREInternational.com.

DRAW DEADLINE

     The deadline to enter in time to be in the drawing for starting positions within each class is 8 p.m. PT on Tuesday, March 26.

RPM REVVIN’ UP

     With most built by and all prepped and maintained by the award-winning Geiser Brothers in their shop in Phoenix, Ariz., the powerful RPM Racing will have two vehicles in SCORE Trophy Truck, one in SCORE TT Legend, one in Trophy Truck Spec, one in the unlimited Class 1 and one in SPT Buggy.

     The revving RPM racers will be led by 24-year old Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez.  Lopez, of Tecate, Mexico, has won the SCORE Overall season point championship two of the last four years and the featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 950 horsepower unlimited custom trucks for three of the last four years.

     Lopez has finished third place in SCORE Trophy Truck in San Felipe in each of the championship seasons (2015, 2016, 2017) of his magical run before slipping to 17th out of 36 starters last year in SCORE Trophy Truck in the No. 5 RPM Racing Chevy Rally Truck.

     Price, of Canyon Lake, Calif., has a lengthy resume of short-course and motocross racing at just 26 years old, will be racing in the No. 204 RPM Chevy in the Trophy Truck Spec class as leader of an all-female team. It will be her second SCORE season as a driver of record. She finished eighth in season points last year in the competitive Trophy Truck Spec Class.

     Stacy, 74 of Bristol, Va., is co-owner of RPM Racing and is the 2017 season point champion in the SCORE TT Legend class for drivers over 50 years old in the No. 5L RPM Chevy Silverado. He finished third in his class point standings in 2018.

     Matney, 33 of Bristol, Tenn., is the other RPM owner and drives the No. 4 RPM 4-wheel drive Chevy Rally Truck in SCORE Trophy Truck.

     RPM’s Derek Fletcher, 33 of Abingdon, Va., will be racing in the unlimited Class 1 in the No. 106 Chevy-powered Tatum open-wheel desert race car.

     The newest member of RPM Racing will be Chris Parks, 33, Knoxville, Tenn., who will be racing in SPT Buggy in the No. 1515 Desert Dynamics-Chevy.

2018 DEFENDING RACE WINNERS

     A total of 15 class winners from last year’s SCORE San Felipe 250 have already entered this year.

     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 so far 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), 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) and Art Penner, Lynden, Wash. (Canada) (Class 11, No. 1156 VW Sedan).

     The motorcycle/quad class winners entered this year to date are Santiago Creel, Mexico City, Mexico (Pro Moto Limited, No. 100x KTM 350EXCF), 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) 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)

2018 SEASON POINT CHAMPS BACK

     A total of 14 season class point champions from last year’s SCORE World Desert Championship have already entered this year.

     Leading the way are 2018 SCORE Overall point champion Wayne Matlock, Alpine, Calif. (Pro UTV FI, No. 2971 Polaris RZR XP4 Turbo) and Rob MacCachren, Las Vegas (SCORE Trophy Truck, No. 11 Ford F-150).

     The other 2018 class point champs in car/truck/utv classes entered so far are Scott Bailey, Riverside, Calif./Gus Vildosola Sr, Mexicali, Mexico (SCORE TT Legend, No. 12L Ford Raptor), Brad Wilson, Long Beach, Calif. (Class 1, No. 100 Jimco-Chevy), Jeremy Davis, Chino Hills, Calif. (SCORE Lites, No. 1258 Porter-VW), Daniel Chamlee, Montecito, Calif. (Class 7, No. 700 Ford Ranger), Vincent Munoz, Yucaipa, Calif. (Heavy Metal, No. 894 Ford Ranger), Kaden Wells, St. George, Utah (Pro UTV NA, No. 1995 Polaris RZR XP1000) and Brandon Walsh, Encinitas, Calif. (Class 7F, No. 701F Toyota Tacoma).

     The 2018 motorcycle/quad class point champs entered this year to date are Santiago Creel, Mexico City, Mexico (Pro Moto Limited, No. 100x KTM 350EXCF), Luis M. Gomez, Obregon, Mexico (Pro Moto 30, No. 300x Honda CRF450X), Giovanni Spinali, El Cajon, Calif. (Pro Moto 50, No. 500x Honda CRF450X), Francisco Septien, Ensenada, Mexico (Pro Moto Ironman, No. 730x  KTM 450EXCF) and Said Sanchez, Tijuana, Mexico (Pro Quad, No. 1a Honda TRX450R).

     This year Munoz has moved Trophy Truck Spec (No. 294) 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)

THE SKED

     Pre-race festivities will be held in San Felipe on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday April 3, 4 and 5 with race days on April 6-7 concluding with the post-race awards fiesta at Noon PT on Sunday, April 7.

     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 going through the line on Wednesday (April 4) and the balance, including the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division, going through  on Thursday (April 5). The post-race awards celebration will be held on the start/finish line ramp on the Malecon.

MAC ATTACK

    While three racers have three overall victories in the SCORE San Felipe 250, Las Vegas’ Hall of Fame racer Rob MacCachren might have set a standard that will last for awhile, unless he breaks his own record of six overall wins, all in SCORE Trophy Truck.

     MacCachren, who won the overall in San Felipe last year to give him 10 class wins in this race, earned his first SCORE Trophy Truck overall in this race in 2003 when he split the driving with Mexico’s Gustavo Vildosola Sr and his second in 2007 when he split the driving with Mark Post.

     MacCachren earned back-to-back wins in 2011 and 2012 driving solo and again back-to-back winning his fifth in 2017 and his sixth last year driving solo again in his No. 11 MacCachren Motorsports Rockstar Ford F-150.

MORE NEW ENTRIES

      In the last several days, the latest new entries for San Felipe are led by action sports TV commentator Cameron Steele, San Clemente, Calif. Steele, founder of the popular Baja HQ company as well as his own Monster Energy Desert Assassins race team, has entered his No. 16 Monster Energy Desert Assassins Geiser Bros.-built Ford Raptor in SCORE Trophy Truck.

     He was second last year in the SCORE San Felipe 250 and second in the SCORE Trophy Truck season point standings after winning the final two races of the year—Lucerna Hotel & Resorts Tijuana 22nd SCORE Desert Challenge and the 51st SCORE Baja 1000.

     Also is the latest group of entries is former IndyCar racer, NASCAR driver/owner and SCORE desert racing champion Robby Gordon, 50, Charlotte, N.C. Gordon, originally from Orange, Calif., has two class wins in San Felipe, including his championship season in 1996 in SCORE Trophy Truck. This year Gordon, who also owns and drives in a stadium off-road truck series, will be competing in San Felipe in his custom-built No. 77 Speed Energy Gordon Motorsports Chevy Silverado.

     Among the other new entries are former NASCAR driver and second-generation desert racer Justin Lofton, 33, Brawley, Calif. (SCORE Trophy Truck, No. 41 Ford Raptor), Las Vegas’ four-time SCORE Trophy Truck season point champion B.J. Baldwin, 39 (No. 97 Monster Energy Baldwin Motorsports Toyota Tundra), 2017 SCORE unlimited Class 1 season point champ Brian Wilson, 33, Lakewood, Calif. (his cousin Brad is the 2018 Class 1 champ) (No. 138 Jimco-Chevy), prominent Las Vegas casino executive Bill McBeath, 55 (No. 297 Mason-Chevy), Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo, 55 (No. 251 Trophy Truck Spec) and Don Higbee, 51, Casper, Wyo. (No. 2a Can-Am Outlander 1000r).

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.

SCORE RULE BOOK UPDATE

     Under the supervision and direction of SCORE Race Director Jose A. Grijalva and SCORE Tech Director Dan Cornwell with editing and updating by SCORE Ops personnel Lawton Shank and Christine Wait, the 2019 SCORE Rule Book is currently in final review along with the 2019 Rule Book Addendum. All relevant items will be available in the near future on the SCORE website and updated as needed during the year under the race info page.

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 also provides unmatched pit support for racers using their tires with multiple full service pit areas and more than 100 support crew personnel spread along the race course and complete radio relay the entire race course.

     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

ABC TV IN 2019

     SCORE has confirmed that the 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship will be televised on the ABC TV family of networks, marking the first time back on the ABC network since the 1967 and 1968 coverage of the Baja 1000 on ABC’s old Wide World of Sports show.

     The one-hour shows on the 33rd SCORE San Felipe 250, 51st SCORE Baja 500 and the 52nd SCORE Baja 1000 will be televised as part of ABC’s World of X Games year-long programming. Presented by SCORE sponsors Monster Energy and BFGoodrich Tires, the ABC World of X Games series profiles iconic action sports figures and also highlights athletes, artists, event previews and recaps.

     SCORE also announced that the inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400 next September will air as a one-hour special on ESPN TV.

     Hall of Fame racer Cameron Steele’s popular ‘Trail of Missions’ show has been shown as part of ABC’s World of X Games series for the past several years.

     All of the SCORE race coverage shows will continue to air internationally in over 20 countries in Europe, Asia and South America via syndication and ESPN International.

SCORE SPONSORS…

     Official SCORE Sponsors: BFGoodrich Tires-Official Tire, 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.

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