Pre-running opens Saturday on 400-mile race course in Baja California for Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400

SCORE MEDIA CONTACT: Dominic Clark, dominic@score-international.com
Sept. 5, 2019
Live Start Draw next Tuesday

Pre-running opens Saturday on 400-mile race course in
Baja California for Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400

 

     ENSENADA, Baja California, Mexico—All with hopes of being part of history and making some history of their own, desert racers from across Mexico and the United States and around the world will converge on Baja California, Mexico as pre-running opens at 8 a.m. (PT) Saturday on the official 400-mile race-course for this month’s Inaugural Lucerna SCORE Baja 400.
Celebrating its 46th year as the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Organization, the newest SCORE Baja race will be held Sept. 18-22 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Online racer registration is 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.
Nearly 200 vehicles, racing in classes for cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads, are expected at the start line for this history-making, first-time SCORE race with racers from nearly 25 U.S. States and 10 countries anticipated. Long-time 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.
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 be from race-mile 39 to race-mile 360.75. The first 19.6 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. The official course map and course notes are located under Race Info on the SCORE Website at the following link:
http://score-international.com/raceinfo/lucerna-score-baja-400-sept-18-22-2019/.
MAIN COURSE
The race features a course, finalized by SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva of 400 miles. After the first 19.6 miles which will be used in both directions for the race, the course runs in a clockwise direction.
There are three physical checkpoints and 103 virtual checkpoints on the race course along with 13 speed zone areas that total 71.01 miles of the total 400 miles. The three physical checkpoints are located at Santa Catarina (race-mile 96.91), Llano Colorado (rm 230.15) and Santo Tomas (rm 321.94).
The historic race course is 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 is another jewel reflecting the stark beauty of Baja California.
In addition to the three physical checkpoints, central Ensenada for the start and finish, the Ensenada Arroyo and Ojos Negros area in both directions, the course will also go through such landmark Baja California locations as Heroes de Independencia, Nuevo Junction, Jamau, Valle de Trinidad, the infamous ‘Goat Trail’, Mike’s Sky Rancho, Rancho Las Truchas, Rancho Simpson, Colonet, San Antonio Del Mar, Rancho Johnson, Cerro Solo, Erendira, Acambaro and Uruapan.
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.
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).
For more info, visit http://score-international.com/raceinfo/lucerna-score-baja-400-sept-18-22-2019/.
LATEST ENTRY TOTAL
With 155 entries to date that includes racers from 22 U.S. States, host country Mexico, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Peru and Spain, SCORE Trophy Truck leads the way with 34 entries (including six in the SCORE TT Legend class for drivers over 50 years old. Besides the marquee SCORE Trophy Truck, other classes with double-figure entries so far are Trophy Truck Spec with 22, Pro UTV FI (Forced Induction) with 15 and the unlimited Class 1 with 10.
Entries from the USA include racers from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
 ‘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.
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.
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. Announcers are SCORE racers Cameron Steele and Aaron Ampudia.
START GRID-SCORE BAJA 1000
The results of this race will also determine the start order within each class for November’s iconic season-ending 52nd SCORE Baja 1000.
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. SCORE live announcers will once again by Rat Sult assisted by Dave Arnold.
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.
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.
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 2020 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 (34)
*1L Scott Bailey
*5L Clyde Stacy
7 Bryce Menzies
9 Carlos ‘Apdaly’ Lopez
10 Alan Ampudia
11 Rob MacCachren
14 Bobby Pecoy
16 Cameron Steele
19 Tim Herbst
21 Gustavo ‘Tavo’ Vildosola
23 Dan McMillin
*25L Mark Winkelman
26 Dave Taylor
27 Jonathan Brenthel
28 Corey Keysar
30 Robbie Pierce
31 Andy McMillin
33 Todd Tuls
*37L Rolf Helland
40 Chris Miller
41 Justin Lofton
*47L Jim Bult
50 Zak Langley
54 Troy Herbst
70 Kevin Thompson
*72L Rob Reinertson
77 Robby Gordon
80 David Kleiman
83 Luke McMillin
85 Mike Lawrence
88 Brett Sourapas
89 Mike Walser
97 Robert ‘BJ’ Baldwin
99 Dale Dondel
*SCORE TT LEGEND
CLASS 1 (10)
100 Brad Wilson
105 Mason Cullen
114 Al Torres
127 Cody Parkhouse
129 Brandon Bailey
138 Brian Wilson
150 Morgan Langley
162 Brendan Gaughan
168 Shelby Reid
185 Justin Davis
TROPHY TRUCK SPEC (22)
202 Chad Broughton
204 Sara Price
205 Joe Delucie
208 Andrew Entwistle
209 Rafael Navarro IV
211 Pat Sims
218 Chad Dohrman
220 Craig Christy-RS
237 Robert Malone
240 Bobby Patton
246 James Scully
250 John Langley
253 Mike Perez
260 Luis Pelayo
269 Guillermo Zamacona
270 Kelly McArthur
274 Elias Hanna
279 Austin ‘A.J.’ Jones
293 Ryan Peacock
294 Vincent Munoz
295 William Hedrick Jr
299 Charles Dorrance
CLASS 2 (0)
HAMMER TRUCK UNLTD (1)
4421 Mike Hales-RS
CLASS 10 (9)
1002 Clay Lawrence
1011 Cesar Cuevas
1016 Hiram Duran
1022 Rafael Aguirre
1027 Arturo V. Malo
1030 James Anderson-RS
1062 J.J. Schnarr
1068 Cody Reid
1087 Ivan Tagle
CLASS 7 (2)
700 Daniel Chamlee
703 Scott Brady
CLASS 5 (1)
510 Gerardo Ibarra-RS
PRO UTV FI (15)
2903 Juan Martinez
2904 Cory Sappington
2905 Marc Burnett
2907 Erik Davis
2910 Scott Trafton
2912 Tony Riggs
2914 Malcolm Mitchell
2919 Brandon Schueler
2926 Christine Giampaoli Zonca
2930 Sean Cook
2931 Craig Scanlon
2960 Mitchell Alsup
2971 Wayne Matlock –RS
2983 Nicholas Gurries
2987 Edgar Garcia Leon
SCORE LITES (5)
1202 Matias Arjona IV
1206 Freddie Willert
1224 Javier Rochin
1229 Douglas Satterfield -RS
1234 Steve Jones
PRO UTV NA (6)
1908 John Andrew Entwistle
1954 Kristen Matlock -RS
1958 George Felix
1977 Darin Harvey
1978 T. Bradley Millner
1995 Kaden Wells
CLASS 1/2-1600 (3)
1609 J. David Ruvalcaba -RS
1616 Angel Barajas-RS
1689 Marco Venegas
1683 Juan Peralta 2nd-RS
PRO UTV UNLIMITED (2)
1850 Jesus Mendez Jr
1877 Josh Herzing
PRO UTV STOCK (1)
3936 Rodrigo Ampudia
CLASS 8 (3)
810 Jose Contreras
818 Jesus Beltrones Hurtado
852 Spencer Morgan
CLASS 3 (1)
313 David Orzolek
BAJA CHALLENGE (1)
BC4 Edward Muncey
CLASS 5-1600 (4)
550 Luis Herrera
554 Rigoberto Cabrera
571 David Heredia
582 Rodolfo Martinez-RS
CLASS 7F (2)
714F Justin Park
725F Kelly McNeil
CLASS 7SX (2)
751 Mike Lesle
740 Gerardo Novelo RS
CLASS 3700 (0)
CLASS 11 (4)
1111 Eric Solorzano
1113 Mario Vazquez (DOR-Kent Thygerson)
1121 Dennis Hollenbeck
1152 Elmer Cayetano
Sportsman
SPT UNLTD TRUCK (1)
1414 Jessalyn Sells
SPT LTD TRUCK (0)
SPT OPEN-WHEEL (1)
1500 Diane Gianelli
Pro Motorcycles
PRO MOTO UNLIMITED (2)
1x Justin Morgan
66x Santiago Creel
PRO MOTO LIMITED (2)
100x Santiago Creel
180x Fernando Beltran
PRO MOTO 40 (1)
444x Jason Trubey
PRO MOTO 30 (7)
300x Luis M. Gomez
308x Ryan Liebelt
310x Enrique Fuhrken
325x Jano Montoya
360x Santiago Creel
365x Nick Lanning
370x Francisco Septien
PRO MOTO IRONMAN (3)
709x Lukas Spies
729x Michael Skurkis
734x Bob Kimber
PRO MOTO 50 (1)
500x Giovanni Spinali
Pro Quads
Pro Quad (2)
1a Said Sanchez
21a Adolfo Arellano
Sportsman
SPT QUAD (6)
100a Danny Magdalena
111a Alejandro Bourge
112a Daniel Gaytan
119a Gustavo Torres
123a Ismael Hernandez
125a Brisa Fernanda Ochoa
SPT M/C (1)
212x Carlos Silva