Gaughan, Herbst bros, Wilson cousins among early entries--SCORE Baja 400

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominic@score-international.com
August 21, 2019
Live Start Draw on Sept. 10

Gaughan, Tim Herbst, Troy Herbst, Wilsons among
new entries for Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400

 

     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—As the entry list continues to grow, Las Vegas NASCAR veteran and second generation desert racer Brendan Gaughan, fellow second-gen Las Vegas desert racing brothers Tim Herbst and Troy Herbst and SoCal third-gen desert racing cousins Brian Wilson and Brad Wilson are among the latest entries for next month’s Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400 as racers to date have come from 17 U.S. States and 3 countries.
Celebrating its 46th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, the new race will be held Sept. 18-22 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Online racer registration in ongoing through the SCORE website for Round 3 of the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship. Entries from all across the United States and around the world are anticipated for the upcoming internationally-televised desert race in Mexico’s Baja California. The race and pre-race festivities will be held in and around the heart of Ensenada, the seaside port on the Pacific Ocean, 80 miles south of San Diego.
LATEST ENTRIES
With 66 early entries to date that includes racers from 17 U.S. States, host Mexico, Denmark and Italy, SCORE Trophy Truck leads the way with 24 entries. Entries from the USA include racers from Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
Brendan Gaughan, 44, has competed in nearly 500 races total in his long career in the three top tier NASCAR race series. This year he has scaled back his NASCAR schedule, having raced in the two Daytona and the first Talladega NASCAR Cup races with a high finish of eighth in Talladega and is competing fulltime in the unlimited Class 1 in the 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship.
Driving the No. 162 South Point Racing Chevy-powered HMS open-wheel desert race car in the unlimited Class 1, Gaughan opened the season with a fifth place finish in the SCORE San Felipe 250 and followed that with an eighth place finish in his class in the SCORE Baja 500. He is currently in fifth place in the Class 1 season points as just three points separate third through fifth place midway through the season.
Both driving Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy Trucks built by their own Herbst/Smith Fabrication in Huntington Beach, Calif., Tim Herbst, 56, and Troy Herbst, 53, will be among the favorites in the marquee SCORE racing division. Tim Herbst will drive the No. 19 Monster Energy SCORE Trophy Truck while Troy will be behind the wheel of the near-identical No. 54 Monster Energy SCORE Trophy Truck. Troy’s second driver will be Las Vegas’ Pat Dean, 50.
Terrible Herbst Motorsports, founded by late family patriarch and champion desert racer Jerry Herbst, has enjoyed nearly 150 SCORE race wins between Mr. Herbst, oldest brother Ed Herbst, Tim Herbst and Troy Herbst.
Ed and Tim Herbst combined for four season SCORE Trophy Truck point championships while Troy Herbst has won seven SCORE season point championships in the unlimited Class 1.
Ed and Tim Herbst are also tied for second with Robby Gordon, Andy McMillin and Larry Ragland with 11 career SCORE Trophy Truck race wins.
Wilson Motorsports has been successfully competing in SCORE desert racing for nearly 40 years and the youngest competitors continue to battle for race wins and season point championships in the SCORE World Desert Championship.
Both driving Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheeled desert race cars, Brian Wilson, 33, drives the No. 138 Jimco while his cousin Brad Wilson, 30, is the driver of the No. 100 Jimco. The cousins have won the Class 1 season point title the last two years with Brian winning it in 2017 and Brad taking the title last year.
This year, Brad Wilson is tied for first in Class 1 points with Justin Davis and Brian is currently in sixth place out of 20 total starters in the class this season.
GREEN FLAG
The Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400 is an elapsed-time race with staggered starts as the green flag on Saturday (Sept. 21) will drop first for the motorcycles and quads at 6:20 a.m. (PDT) and approximately 10 a.m. (PDT) for the cars, trucks and UTVs. While the fastest vehicles are expected to finish in around eight hours, all vehicles will have a 16-hour time limit to become official finishers in the race.
DETAILS
Over 200 vehicles are expected at the start line for this first-time SCORE race with racers from as many as 20 U.S. States and 10 countries anticipated. SCORE major sponsor BFGoodrich Tires has posted a US$5,000 contingency bonus for the race winner to help commemorate the start of this newest race on the SCORE schedule.
AIRING ON ESPN
The race will air domestically on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the World of X Games program on ESPN 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 producer Bud Brutsman.
START GRID-SCORE BAJA 1000
The results of this race will also determine the start order for November’s iconic season-ending 52nd SCORE Baja 1000.
ONLINE RACER REGISTRATION
Online registration, by class, for Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads, is ongoing through the SCORE website. Information on all SCORE races can be found on the home page under the Race Info tab.
For more info, visit http://score-international.com/raceinfo/lucerna-score-baja-400-sept-18-22-2019/.
Official entries received after the drawing will be given the next available starting position within their respective classes. Online entries will be accepted until 8 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, Sept. 7.
MORE EARLY ENTRIES
Additional early entries in the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 950-horsepower unlimited custom trucks now shows 24 of these monsters of the desert (including three in SCORE TT Legend for drivers over 50) to date. Besides Tim Herbst and Troy Herbst, also added to the list for this inaugural race in SCORE Trophy Truck are the SCORE Trophy team of Kevin Thompson/Harley Letner.
Leading the other newest entries in this race are Cody Parkhouse (Class 1), Said Sanchez (Pro Quad), Craig Scanlon (Pro UTV FI) and Ryan Liebelt (Pro Moto 30).
DRAW DEADLINE
The starting order within each class for this race will be determined by a drawing for those entries received online and paid in full by 8 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, Sept. 7.
No new entries will be accepted after 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. Late, on-site racer registration will be held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Sept. 18, 19, 20).
‘LIVE’ DRAWING AT BajaHQ
Open to the racers, teams and the general public, SCORE will hold a ‘live’ drawing for starting positions, by class, on Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (PDT) at Cameron Steele’s BajaHQ Company which is located at 32981 Calle Perfecto in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
GRAN HISTORIA
The first Baja 500 organized and produced by SCORE was held on July 26, 1974 as the first of over 150 SCORE Baja races.
Ensenada is the heart and soul of the SCORE Baja races. Ensenada has hosted the start line 46 times and the finish line 42 times for the SCORE Baja 500. For the iconic SCORE Baja 1000, Ensenada will be hosting the start line this November for the 45th time and the finish line for the 26th time.
PRE-RUNNING
Official practice, or pre-running, on the official race course for this year’s Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400 will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. Pre-running will start at race mile 38.4 and finish at race mile 354. The first 38.4 miles, which will be used in both directions during the race, will be available for pre-running only on Thursday (Sept. 19) and Friday (Sept. 20) and only in the outbound direction.
MAIN COURSE
The race will feature a course, when finalized over the next couple of weeks by SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva of approximately 400 miles. After the first 19.6 miles which will be used in both directions for the race, the course will run in a clockwise direction.
When completed, the historic 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 3,000 feet. The course will be another jewel reflecting the stark beauty of Baja California.
A HAPPENING…
Colorful race week festivities will start on Wednesday, Sept. 18 to help celebrate this newest SCORE Baja race.
Chassis inspections will be held on Wednesday (Sept. 18) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT as well as pre-tech/Stella bracket check and installation on Playa Hermosa south of the city on Highway 1.
On Friday (Sept. 20) evening will be the Monster Energy Papas Y Beer street party on Avenida Ruiz from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight.
Thursday (Sept. 19) and Friday (Sept. 20) will see the two day-long, pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and contingency festival in the start finish line area in Ensenada. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day contingency row will be held for specific classes. Tech inspection on both of those days will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the end of the manufacturer’s row.
During the race on Saturday, Sept. 21 until the course closes on Sunday morning, Sept. 22, the start/finish line compound will include the massive double-sided SCOREvision LED screen broadcasting race festivities and start and finish line interviews. Popular Rat Sult and veteran Dave Arnold will once again serve as hosts of the SCORE Live streaming.
All of the week’s festivities will be aired both live and same-day including the race, airing via the internet on the SCORE website.
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 Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400. Racer registration and media registration will both be held in the Red Room on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Sept. 18-20).
Racer registration will be held on Wednesday (Sept. 18) from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT along with 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT on both Thursday (Sept. 19) and Friday (Sept. 20). On Friday, no new entries will be accepted after 3 p.m.
Media registration the Red Room will be held on Wednesday (Sept. 18) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PDT and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT on both Thursday (Sept. 19) and Friday (Sept. 20).
The SCORE Media Center will be in the Red Room during the race (Sept. 21-22) with internet access and live race updates, vehicle tracking displays including unofficial elapsed times.
On Friday (Sept. 20) at the Torre Lucerna Hotel in Ensenada will be pre-race media conference at 11:30 a.m. PDT as well as the mandatory pre-race racer’s meeting at 7 p.m. PDT. The post-race awards celebration will also be at the Torre Lucerna Hotel at noon PDT on Sunday (Sept. 22).
The start/finish line for the race will be in front of the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center on Blvd. Costero.
SCOREscope
2019 REMAINING SCHEDULE
Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 18-22, Ensenada, Mexico
52nd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.19-24, Ensenada, Mexico
2020 SCHEDULE
Here is the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship and for the fifth consecutive year all races will be held in Baja California, Mexico:
34th SCORE San Felipe 250, March 25-29, San Felipe, Mexico
52nd SCORE Baja 500, June 3-7, Ensenada, Mexico
2nd SCORE Baja 400, Sept. 16-20, Ensenada, Mexico
53rd SCORE Baja 1000, Nov.16-21, Ensenada, Baja California to La Paz, Baja California Sur
ABC TV IN 2019
The 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship is being 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.
The inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400 in September will air as a one-hour special on ESPN TV, also on the World of X Games programming.
All of the SCORE race coverage shows continue to air internationally in nearly 25 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, The Satellite Phone Store.
Additional SCORE Associate Partners: Proturismo Ensenada, Baja California Secretary of Tourism, Mexicali Ayuntamiento, COTUCO Mexicali/San Felipe, Cruz Roja Mexicana, Corporate Helicopters.
For more information regarding SCORE, visit the official website of the SCORE World Desert Championship at www.SCOREInternational.com.

SCORE TROPHY TRUCK (24)
*1L Scott Bailey
7 Bryce Menzies
10 Alan Ampudia
11 Rob MacCachren
14 Bobby Pecoy
16 Cameron Steele
19 Tim Herbst
23 Dan McMillin
28 Corey Keysar
30 Robbie Pierce
31 Andy McMillin
33 Todd Tuls
*37L Rolf Helland
41 Justin Lofton
54 Troy Herbst
62 Ryan Peolman
70 Kevin Thompson
*72L Rob Reinertson
80 David Kleiman
83 Luke McMillin
85 Mike Lawrence
88 Brett Sourapas
89 Mike Walser
97 Robert ‘BJ’ Baldwin
*SCORE TT LEGEND
CLASS 1 (7)
100 Brad Wilson
127 Cody Parkhouse
129 Brandon Bailey
130 James Anderson
138 Brian Wilson
162 Brendan Gaughan
168 Shelby Reid
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (6)
208 Andrew Entwistle
240 Bobby Patton
260 Luis Pelayo
270 Kelly McArthur
279 Austin ‘A.J.’ Jones
299 Charles Dorrance
CLASS 2 (0)
HAMMER TRUCK UNLTD (1)
4421 Mike Hales-RS
CLASS 10 (2)
1002 Clay Lawrence
1068 Cody Reid
CLASS 7 (0)
CLASS 5 (0)
PRO UTV FI (3)
2914 Malcolm Mitchell
2931 Craig Scanlon
2987 Edgar Garcia Leon
SCORE LITES (1)
1234 Steve Jones
PRO UTV NA (2)
1908 John Andrew Entwistle
1995 Kaden Wells
CLASS 1/2-1600 (0)
PRO UTV UNLIMITED (0)
PRO UTV STOCK (1)
39XX T. Bradley Millner
CLASS 8 (1)
852 Spencer Morgan
CLASS 3 (1)
313 David Orzolek
BAJA CHALLENGE (1)
BC4 Edward Muncey
CLASS 5-1600 (1)
582 Rodolfo Martinez-RS
CLASS 7F (1)
714F Justin Park
CLASS 7SX (0)
CLASS 3700 (0)
CLASS 11 (2)
1111 Eric Solorzano
1113 Kent Thygerson
Sportsman
SPT UNLTD TRUCK (1)
1414 Jessalyn Sells
SPT LTD TRUCK (0)
SPT OPEN-WHEEL (0)
Pro Motorcycles
PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (2)
1x Justin Morgan
66x Santiago Creel
PRO MOTO LIMITED (1)
100x Santiago Creel
PRO MOTO 40 (1)
444x Jason Trubey
PRO MOTO 30 (2)
308x Ryan Liebelt
360x Santiago Creel
PRO MOTO IRONMAN (3)
709x Lukas Spies
734x Bob Kimber
PRO MOTO 50 (1)
500x Giovanni Spinali
Pro Quads
Pro Quad (1)
1a Said Sanchez
Sportsman
SPT QUAD (1)
125a Brisa Fernanda Ochoa
SPT M/C (0)